Chapter 15: Husuozi
Wen Zhongshan immediately wanted to take his gear and follow Ying Kongtu up the mountain to gather mushrooms, but Ying Kongtu politely refused.
“We need to gather quite a lot of husuozi today. It’s best picked at night,” Ying Kongtu said mysteriously.
“At night?”
“Yes. Do you mind night climbing?”
“It should be fine. What time are we going up?”
“Around six or seven in the evening.” Ying Kongtu made the decision. “Come find me then. We’ll eat dinner together first, then go up the mountain.”
Ying Kongtu still had to inspect the mountain, so after agreeing to meet in the evening, he left.
It was Wen Zhongshan’s first time arranging a night climb with him, and his heart was full of curiosity.
When evening finally arrived, Wen Zhongshan fed Dart, shut Dart at home, and went to Ying Kongtu’s house.
Ying Kongtu opened the door and saw that it was him. He looked behind Wen Zhongshan and, seeing that Dart had not followed, his eyes showed a little surprise.
Wen Zhongshan explained, “It’s not very convenient to bring Dart on a night climb, so I left it at home.”
“I thought so. If it came here, there’s no way it wouldn’t follow along.”
As he spoke, Ying Kongtu raised his eyes to look at Wen Zhongshan.
Wen Zhongshan wore high-top outdoor shoes and an orange hiking jacket, making him look even taller and longer-legged, clean and capable.
Wen Zhongshan noticed his gaze and also lowered his head to look at himself. “Is this outfit qualified?”
“Perfect. This morning, I was going to remind you to wear something protective against snakes and insects, but I forgot.”
The two went inside, had a simple dinner, then followed the mountain path upward.
“Do you remember the Snow Mountain Lake I took you to last time when we gathered nostoc?”
Wen Zhongshan nodded to show that he remembered.
“We’re going there today too. The husuozi grows near Snow Mountain Lake.”
“Then we’ll have to climb quite a distance.”
“Yes. Let’s climb a little faster and try to arrive before ten tonight.”
Ying Kongtu was in a very good mood, and his climbing speed was fast.
Wen Zhongshan now had fairly sufficient mountain-climbing experience and easily kept up with him.
The moonlight tonight was quite good. Visibility on the mountain path was decent; even without headlamps, they could see clearly.
After asking Wen Zhongshan’s opinion, Ying Kongtu turned off his headlamp.
Ying Kongtu turned to Wen Zhongshan and said, “Without lights, walking isn’t as convenient, but you’ll see some very interesting things.”
“What? Little animals in the mountains?”
“Mm, you could put it that way. You’ll know in a while.”
Hearing Ying Kongtu say this, Wen Zhongshan observed both sides of the path the entire way.
They occasionally saw a few forest rats, and once, they saw an owl spread its broad, thick wings and glide soundlessly through the night.
But these were probably not the interesting little animals Ying Kongtu was talking about.
The two walked upward all the way until they turned a bend.
Wen Zhongshan suddenly saw a few points of yellow-green light appear ahead. Immediately afterward, as though startled by them, the lights rose out of the bushes in scattered dots.
Fireflies!
It had been many years since Wen Zhongshan had seen fireflies dancing in such large numbers.
He had not expected there to be so many fireflies here, so dreamlike and beautiful.
Wen Zhongshan gazed ahead.
Ying Kongtu stopped and stepped back to his side. “Beautiful, right?”
“Very beautiful! I didn’t expect fireflies flying on the mountain to be this beautiful. I always thought fireflies were only found in villages.”
“There are even more fireflies on the mountain. I looked it up online a few days ago. It said several world-class firefly-viewing spots are in the neighboring city.”
“Not here?”
“No. Our ecological environment is still just a little lacking right now.”
The glow of the fireflies reflected in Ying Kongtu’s eyes, making them seem bright and sparkling.
“After a few more years, once this place recovers, it should be fine.”
Only after quite a while did Wen Zhongshan nod beside him. “Then that’s very worth looking forward to.”
The two stood there and watched for a while.
Ying Kongtu was the first to speak. “Let’s go. We’ll keep climbing. The snow mountain and Snow Mountain Lake under the moonlight are also beautiful, no less than these fireflies.”
Wen Zhongshan said, “I’ve never seen Snow Mountain Lake under the moonlight.”
“It’s very beautiful. You’ll know in a bit.”
This was Wen Zhongshan’s second time climbing this mountain. Just like last time, they emerged from the spruce forest and saw the grassland, lake, and snow mountain beneath the moonlight all at once.
After walking out of the dim forest into the moonlight, their field of vision suddenly brightened.
At this moment, the sky was high and distant, the air relatively thin, and everything around them was very bright. Yet it was different from daytime brightness, carrying a kind of brightness like the world after snow.
Wen Zhongshan had never known that the moon on a mountaintop could be so bright. He could even see the reflection of the snow mountain on the lake surface.
The moonlight was silver-white, clear and shining.
Ying Kongtu led Wen Zhongshan forward and pointed to the other side of Snow Mountain Lake. “The husuozi is over there.”
When they passed along the lake, Ying Kongtu took a spray kettle from his back basket and filled it completely with water from Snow Mountain Lake.
Wen Zhongshan watched his movements and took the spray kettle from his hand.
Ying Kongtu did not refuse.
When they truly reached the place where the husuozi grew, Wen Zhongshan discovered that all he could see was barren land. Sparse thorny shrubs and weeds grew here and there in scattered corners.
No matter which plant it was, none looked like the husuozi Ying Kongtu had mentioned.
“There doesn’t seem to be any husuozi here.”
“It hasn’t grown out yet. It will only come out after being watered.”
Ying Kongtu took the spray kettle back and identified the ground for a while. Then he aimed at a certain patch and began watering.
The Snow Mountain Lake water fell on the barren ground and quickly soaked the stones and soil.
Beneath the soil, it seemed as though some plant was struggling to grow.
“All right.” Ying Kongtu placed the now-empty spray kettle into the back basket. “Let’s find a sheltered place to sit and wait slowly.”
“Husuozi actually grows on the spot?”
“Not exactly. During dry periods, it usually only grows roots and doesn’t really grow stems or leaves. Only after rain does it grow rapidly.” Ying Kongtu turned to look at Wen Zhongshan. “Humans even invented a special term for it. I think it’s called ‘rain-fed ephemeral plant.’”
Wen Zhongshan laughed at once. “That name is far too straightforward.”
“Yes. So we’ll sit here and wait. In a while, it will grow leaves and bloom. What we need to gather are its branches with flower buds.”
“Why not come during the day?”
“Husuozi likes low-temperature environments. In this season, the daytime temperature isn’t low enough. Actually, coming during the day would barely work too, but I think the temperature at night is lower, and the flowers that bloom will be more fragrant.”
The two found a sheltered place to sit and admire the surrounding scenery.
After chatting for a while, Ying Kongtu suddenly turned his head beneath the moonlight and said, “Thank you for appearing and becoming my friend. Otherwise, I would definitely be very lonely.”
Wen Zhongshan turned to look at Ying Kongtu. His gaze was very gentle, and also a little complicated.
Ying Kongtu uncomfortably pushed his shoulder, making him turn back. “Don’t look at me.”
Wen Zhongshan turned with that force. After a pause, he said, “Actually, I should be the one thanking you. Otherwise, even if I came here, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
Ying Kongtu’s hand on his shoulder changed to a pat, then he withdrew it, braced his own knees, and looked toward the snow mountain and lake under the moonlight.
A fairly powerful non-human had suddenly left a bustling city and come to a relatively closed-off small county town. There was certainly a story behind him.
Ying Kongtu was not very curious and did not want to dig into a friend’s secrets.
It was enough to be certain that he held no malice.
Ying Kongtu braced his knees and thought.
If Wen Zhongshan were not non-human, it would also have been very difficult for them to become good friends.
For example, on a night climb like this, if Wen Zhongshan were human, he definitely would not have brought him here.
Humans were too fragile and too prone to accidents.
As the two quietly admired the scenery, the husuozi, which had drunk its fill of Snow Mountain Lake water, finally accumulated enough strength. It rapidly sprouted, growing branches like thin ropes.
These branches crept along the barren ground, and at the leaf buds, flower buds gradually appeared, as tiny as grains of rice.
“We can pick them now.” Ying Kongtu, whose eyesight was excellent, immediately perked up. “Quick, quick, quick. While they’re like this. Husuozi gathered right now has the strongest fragrance.”
Wen Zhongshan followed behind him. “Pick the thick, long branches with flower buds?”
“As long as they have flower buds, it doesn’t matter whether they’re thick or long. Right, for each husuozi plant, pick at most two branches. Leave them some branches; otherwise, it’ll be hard for them to produce seeds.”
“All right.”
Wen Zhongshan crouched down and picked the nearest husuozi.
As expected, the broken end of the husuozi released a strange, clean fragrance, the same flavor he had tasted in the fried mushrooms.
“It’s truly magical. How did you know there was husuozi here?”
“Because I planted it.” Ying Kongtu said, “I used to have a friend from the borderlands who brought husuozi seeds over. I took one look and thought the Snow Mountain Lake area met its growing conditions, so I planted some here.”
A nostalgic expression appeared on Ying Kongtu’s face, and he smiled at Wen Zhongshan.
“I was the one who gave it the name husuozi. It came from Hu lands, and its branches are like ropes, so I named it husuozi.”
“So that’s how it was.”
“Yes. It’s very fragrant. The first time I used it to fry mushroom oil, I liked the flavor very much. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to grow. It can only survive in very clean snowy regions. Even if I wanted to plant more, there’s no way.”
The two chatted while gathering husuozi. Soon, following the pattern of picking two branches from each plant, they finished harvesting.
Ying Kongtu shouldered the back basket. “Let’s go. It’s deep into the night. Time to go down the mountain.”
Wen Zhongshan looked back at the large patch of husuozi. “The remaining husuozi will just stay here?”
“It’s fine. There aren’t many people or animals nearby that will come here. In another ten days or so, they’ll finish producing seeds and enter dormancy again.”
The two stepped through the moonlight and descended the mountain.
The path down was easier than the path up. They only spent a little over two hours before returning home.
Ying Kongtu yawned. “Go back and sleep first. I’ll give you the fried mushrooms tomorrow.”
“No need for now. I’ll ask you for more after I finish the two jars I have?”
“That works. I’ll give you fresh ones then.” Ying Kongtu took the back basket from Wen Zhongshan’s hands and urged him, “Hurry home and sleep. It’s too late.”
“You should go back and sleep soon too. Good night.”
After saying this, Wen Zhongshan waved to Ying Kongtu and slowly walked home beneath the streetlights.
The moonlight and Ying Kongtu standing at the courtyard gate slowly remained behind him.
After walking some distance, Wen Zhongshan looked back.
From far away, Ying Kongtu waved at him, signaling for him to hurry home.
And so, Wen Zhongshan’s steps became light again.
In the faint fragrance of husuozi, those oppressive things from the past seemed to be left behind him just like that.
