Transition Story: Ji Hong and the Chicks
Hatter Mountain lies northwest of Xinan County, about half a day’s drive from the county seat. It got its name because it resembles a human hat. Although the mountain is not high, it is densely forested and slopes westward, eventually merging into a mountain range. This range seems to stretch endlessly, hence the name Hundred Mile Ridge. Following this ridge westward leads to the remote and sparsely populated Hundred Mile Mountain Area.
Hatter Mountain is like a small protrusion extending east from this mountain range.
Someone sought medical help, so Yu Jinnian naturally went regardless of the weather. Therefore, early the next morning, he hired a small donkey cart. Just as he was feeding the black donkey that was to pull the cart, Ji Hong emerged, dressed neatly with his sleeves tied up with cloth strips, his hair bound high, looking exceptionally sprightly and agile.
Yu Jinnian glanced at him briefly, then continued feeding the donkey.
Qing Huan helped to hitch the cart, then handed a bulging bundle to Yu Jinnian, saying, “There are some cakes inside. Aunt Xu feared you would get cold on the road, so she also packed two cloaks.”
“Two?” Yu Jinnian paused, glancing at Ji Hong. “He’s coming too?”
Ji Hong remained silent. He patted the donkey and then lightly jumped onto the cart, his movements fluid, giving Yu Jinnian no chance to refuse. After arranging the reins, he said, “Get in.”
Yu Jinnian hesitated, then said, “It’s quite far. You shouldn’t come.”
Qing Huan, observing the strange tension between the two since the previous day, smiled and said, “The road is difficult, and it’s uncertain if you’ll be back tonight. It’s good to have Mr. Ji along for company.”
Ji Hong suddenly said, “Shall I come down and carry you?”
Yu Jinnian, startled, quickly climbed onto the cart: “I’m on! I’m on! Let’s go.”
Qing Huan laughed out loud. Ji Hong, seeing that Yu Jinnian was seated, thought it would have been easier if he had done this earlier. He then flicked the small whip, and they set off.
…
No one spoke along the way, leaving only the sound of the donkey’s occasional braying. Unlike a horse cart, the donkey cart had a two-wheeled board at the back without a compartment. Heading westward into the morning wind, Yu Jinnian crouched on the board at the back, hugging his knees. The cold wind was partially blocked by the man sitting in front, but he still felt chilled. He wondered how cold the person in front must be.
He’s afraid of the cold and is still driving the cart for me. I shouldn’t be upset with him.
Thinking this, Yu Jinnian took out a cloak from the bundle and carefully draped it over Ji Hong’s shoulders, tying the strap around him. “Don’t drive so fast. It doesn’t matter if we arrive a bit earlier or later.”
As he spoke, the donkey, previously trotting, slowed to a leisurely walk, finally able to catch its breath. Ji Hong held onto the hand that tied the strap, turning to look at Yu Jinnian. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, he remembered how restless Yu Jinnian had been the previous night, as if lying on pins and needles. He hadn’t rested at all and had left before dawn, ostensibly to borrow the cart but more like escaping.
Frowning, Ji Hong asked, “Didn’t sleep well?”
“Um, it’s okay.” Yu Jinnian tried to pull his hand back, but Ji Hong held on too tightly. After struggling a bit, he gave up. The awkward posture allowed him to see Ji Hong’s thin, red lips, making his heart race. He quickly looked away, only to see Ji Hong gripping his hand, making his wrist feel hot. He couldn’t maintain this posture any longer.
“It’s my fault,” Ji Hong suddenly let go and said softly, “Lean on me and sleep. I won’t disturb you.”
After a while, Ji Hong felt a slight weight on his back. Yu Jinnian had buried his face in Ji Hong’s cloak, rubbing it until he found a comfortable position and then stopped moving. Ji Hong thought he was going to rest, so he didn’t speak further and focused on driving the cart.
However, Yu Jinnian couldn’t sleep. Even with his eyes closed, he thought about the bubbling sound of soup in the kitchen the previous day, the rough and cool wall behind him, and the sight of Ji Hong’s face approaching him in the orange morning light.
He still couldn’t understand how a normal conversation had ended up like that.
If the pot hadn’t boiled, if no one had interrupted, would they have already…
Yu Jinnian leaned against Ji Hong’s back. Suddenly, his ears rang, as if a surge of hot air enveloped his soul and escaped through his ears. His head felt like it was buzzing chaotically.
Earlier, he couldn’t sleep because of his wandering thoughts. Now, his mind was blank from the heat coming off Ji Hong’s face. He closed his eyes and dozed off, finally taking a long nap.
When Ji Hong called him to get out of the car, he was still groggy and didn’t know where they were. He rubbed his eyes, spread his arms, and softly called for Ji Hong to help him.
Ji Hong pulled him up with a puzzled look and touched his face, saying, “Why is your face so red? Are you sick?”
Yu Jinnian suddenly woke up, slapped his face a few times, and quickly jumped out of the car. “No, no. Where are we?”
Ji Hong looked at him suspiciously and said, “At the foot of Hatter Mountain. We can’t drive any further; we have to walk up. Are you sure you’re not sick?”
As they were talking, leaves rustled in the distance without any wind. Ji Hong instinctively stepped to the side, shielding the boy behind him. Moments later, the leaves parted, and a man emerged.
Yu Jinnian stood on tiptoe and peeked over Ji Hong’s shoulder, revealing a sleepy face. He recognized the man as Qian Da.
Qian Da smiled warmly and said, “You’re finally here. I’ll lead the way!”
The mountain path was difficult, with only a bumpy trail that often caught their legs. Though a sleepless night was nothing to him, having often worked 24-hour shifts in his past life, this life was different. Despite the hardship, life was slow, and he couldn’t adapt to staying up late anymore.
Yu Jinnian stumbled frequently, and Ji Hong glanced back at him, fearing he might fall and hurt himself. He reached out for Yu Jinnian to hold onto.
After a bumpy journey, they finally reached an open area surrounded by lush trees, encircling a small wooden house. Smoke curled from the chimney, and a few white-feathered, black-footed hens scattered at the sight of strangers. One brave chick even ran up to peck at Yu Jinnian’s foot.
He bent down, picked up the fluffy chick, and threatened it, “I’ll braise you and eat you!”
The chick wasn’t scared at all and pecked at his finger.
Seeing the chick pecking fiercely and reddening Yu Jinnian’s finger, Ji Hong gently pushed the chick’s beak away and softly rubbed the pecked spot. Surprisingly, the chick wasn’t afraid of Ji Hong either. It rubbed its head against his finger and chirped.
Yu Jinnian nearly laughed out loud. “Look, it’s rare to find something that’s not afraid of you. Why don’t you adopt it?”
The chick nuzzled Ji Hong’s finger, then jumped a few times in Yu Jinnian’s palm before suddenly spitting out a half-eaten white worm. Just as Yu Jinnian was about to scold it, the wooden house door creaked open, and a woman dressed as a peasant came out.
“Darling, you’re back?” Though the woman’s face was scarred, her voice was pleasant. She wiped sweat with Qian Da and then noticed Yu Jinnian and Ji Hong, her expression pausing.
Qian Da, a burly man, suddenly seemed shy as he held her hand, scratching his head and smiling. “Qiao Qiao, it’s windy outside. You’re not well; go inside and rest.” He guided her back inside and then invited Yu Jinnian and Ji Hong in. “Brother Nian, you two come in too!”
Though the wooden house was small, it was well-equipped with clean and tidy furnishings, some with floral patterns, perhaps for a lady. In the center was a square table with a candle holder, tea set, and a sewing basket holding a half-finished sachet.
Qiao Qiao sat nervously at the table while Qian Da bustled around, boiling water and making tea, constantly asking if she was cold or hungry. To him, she wasn’t a scarred woman but a delicate beauty.
Holding a cup of coarse tea, Qiao Qiao smiled and said, “Darling, the chickens are making noise. Go feed them.”
“Alright!” Qian Da responded eagerly.
After Qian Da left, Yu Jinnian observed the woman closely and tentatively called, “Sister Xue Qiao?”
Qiao Qiao sighed and smiled bitterly. “I can’t hide anything from you, Brother Nian.”
“Ah!” Yu Jinnian exclaimed in surprise. He had only thought this personโs voice was very similar to Xue Qiao’s and recalled Qing Huan mentioning Xue Qiaoโs disfigurement. This was indeed a twist of fate. He hadn’t expected the woman he rescued from drowning that day to be Xue Qiao. He asked in confusion, “Xue Qiao, what happened to you? Are you sick?”
“Yes,” Xue Qiao began to recount her ordeal, connecting it to the story Yu Jinnian had heard from Qing Huan.
On the day they escaped separately, Xue Qiao followed Qing Huan’s directions and ran northward towards the city. However, she unexpectedly encountered the servants of the Dฤซng family by the river. They were searching for her and Qing Huan. Worried that Qing Huan might be caught, Xue Qiao led the pursuers away. During the struggle, someone hit her with a stick, and she blacked out, falling into the river.
The servants searched along the river but didnโt find her. Fearing the repercussions of causing a death linked to the Dฤซng family, they quietly left.
After Yu Jinnian saved her, Qian Da kindly took her home, gave her hot soup, and bought medicine for her facial wounds. Though her injuries healed, they left unsightly scars. Qian Da, a simple fisherman, cared for her diligently, for which she was immensely grateful. Once she recovered, she helped with household chores, cooking, sewing, and taking care of the children.
Over time, they developed feelings for each other. With nowhere to go, and Qian Da being a widower for many years, they didn’t have a formal wedding but bought new clothes and bedding, symbolizing their union as husband and wife. Qian Da spent most of his days on the river, living on his boat, but it wasn’t suitable for a woman to stay on a cold, damp boat and endure hardships with him.
Fortunately, his ancestors were hunters and owned a wooden house in the Hatter Mountain, which served as a decent residence.
Xue Qiao, now known as Lรญn Qiรกo, her maiden name, smiled and said her life was peaceful. She inquired about Qing Huan, and Yu Jinnian, omitting the hardships, assured her that Qing Huan had escaped, was injured but recovered. Relieved, she resumed her embroidery.
Jวnniรกn asked, “Does he know about your pastโฆ?”
Lรญn Qiรกo smiled sweetly. “I told him, and he said he didnโt mind. Besides, with my face scarred like this, even old acquaintances wouldnโt recognize me.”
Satisfied, Yu Jinnian nodded. Qian Da indeed seemed like a genuine man. After catching up, he brought up the main issue, “Brother Qiรกn said you’re sick?”
Lรญn Qiรกo blushed, fiddling with the thread, and softly said, “Yes, it’s not something easy to talk aboutโฆ” She glanced at Ji Hong, seeming embarrassed.
So Yu Jinnian pushed Ji Hong out. “You too, go check on your godson!”
Ji Hong, reluctantly, said, “Call me if you need anything.”
“I know!” Yu Jinnian replied.
After Ji Hong left, Yu Jinnian said, “Sister Xue Qiao, you can speak freely. Is it a womanโs illness?”
Lรญn Qiรกo nodded, shyly admitting, “It’s quite embarrassing to say, but Iโve been having prolonged menstrual bleeding for over a month now. Qian Da brought a medicine woman who told me to use incense ash, but it didnโt help. Lately, I’ve been feeling heavy, fatigued, and dizzy, unable to do any chores.” She looked out the window, and Yu Jinnian followed her gaze to see Ji Hong and Qian Da talking by the chicken coop.
Qian Da reached into the coop and happily pulled out an egg from under a hen, offering it to Ji Hong.
Ji Hong, curious yet hesitant, took the egg awkwardly. Seeing Yu Jinnian watching him through the window, he reluctantly accepted it, intending to show it to the boy.
Qian Da stopped him, “Hey, hey, you canโt put it in your sleeve. Itโll break and stain your clothes! If you like, I’ll get you a basket to collect some eggs.”
Ji Hong: “…”
Yu Jinnian chuckled at him.
Lรญn Qiรกo, refilling the tea, sighed, “Qian Da is considerate, never letting me do anything, but I keep being sickโฆ and canโt give him childrenโฆ”
From her description, Yu Jinnian deduced she had menorrhagia. Women often found it hard to talk about gynecological issues due to social stigma, often consulting traditional medicine women who relied on folk remedies rather than medical knowledge.
Lรญn Qiรกo said, “Because my condition didn’t improve, Qian Da said you might have some remedies and invited you to take a look.”
Yu Jinnian carefully examined her, noticing her listlessness and lack of energy. He took her pulse, checked her tongue coating, and thought, โHer pulse is slow and weak, her tongue is pale and slightly swollen with a white coating, and her hands are cold. It is indeed a case of spleen deficiency.โ
“The menstrual blood, is it deep or light in color?”
Lรญn Qiรกo thought for a moment, “It is very light and thinโฆ”
Yu Jinnian asked, “When did this condition start?”
Reflecting on the matter, Lรญn Qiรกo said, “It was a month ago when Qian Da heard about an incident at Yวcuรฌ Pavilion. They said a troublesome girl had been sent away, and I thought it was Qing Huan. I was overwhelmed with sadness, and it coincided with the onset of my period, which hasn’t been normal since.”
As the saying goes, emotions can cause illness. Lรญn Qiรกo had always been worried and anxious, which damaged her spleen and caused her central qi to sink. Consequently, her chลng and rรจn vessels were unstable, leading to her gynecological issues.
Understanding the root cause, Yu Jinnian knew how to treat her. However, many medicinal ingredients were hard to obtain now, so he decided to make some medicinal cuisine with what was available. He first set his sights on the white-feathered, black-footed chicken in the yard.
Black-bone chickens are good for treating fatigue and are suitable for women. If he had some angelica root, it would be even better.
Upon hearing that his chickens could help Lรญn Qiรกoโs condition, Qian Da immediately took up a knife to slaughter one. He wasn’t very skilled at raising chickens and ducks anyway; he had bought them to cheer up Lรญn Qiรกo with some noise and activity in the yard.
Behind the wooden house was a small shack used as a kitchen. After slaughtering the chicken, Yu Jinnian borrowed the stove and heated a pot of water. He cleaned the chicken, removed the entrails, chopped it into pieces, and put it in the pot to boil. The mountains had no shortage of wild herbs and vegetables.
While chopping green onions, Ji Hong came in carrying a basket. Qian Da had indeed given him a basket of eggs.
Yu Jinnian glanced back and burst into laughterโfollowing Ji Hong closely was the little chick, stepping on his shadow with every move. When Ji Hong suddenly stopped, the chick looked up, wondering what had happened.
Seeing Yu Jinnianโs bright smile, Ji Hong couldn’t help but smile as well. He walked into the shack, placed the basket on the stove, and took Yu Jinnian’s hand. “The mountain winds are strong. Are you cold?”
Ji Hongโs hand was icy. Yu Jinnian instinctively held it and rubbed it, saying, “Iโm not very cold. If you’re very cold, I’ll make you some ginger tea.”
Ji Hong squinted his eyes slightly. “Alright.”
Yu Jinnian put some ginger slices and two red dates into a small teapot, then sat on the stove to simmer it slowly. Before long, the spicy aroma of ginger filled the shack. Yu Jinnian added a small piece of brown sugar to the teapot, melted it, and served it to Ji Hong.
Holding the teacup, Ji Hongโs nose was enveloped in a cloud of white mist. He quietly observed Yu Jinnian and then said, “Yesterdayโฆ”
Before he could finish, Yu Jinnian’s face changed, and he quickly added chopped green onions, Sichuan peppercorns, and a bowl of glutinous rice to the pot with the black-bone chicken, covering Ji Hong’s voice, pretending not to hear him.
After starting the glutinous rice and black-bone chicken soup, Yu Jinnian cracked eggs, chopped green onions, and intended to make a simple green onion omelet. While looking for salt, he found a jar of dried mugwort leaves and decided to make a mugwort omelet instead. The omelet was simple: he crushed the dried mugwort leaves, mixed them into the egg mixture, and fried it in the pan after sautรฉing the green onions.
The glutinous rice and black-bone chicken soup could replenish blood and regulate menstruation, while the mugwort omelet could warm the meridians and stop bleeding.
Lastly, he brewed a pot of brown sugar and honey date drinkโbrown sugar is sweet and warm, and honey dates nourish the spleen and stomach, making it a perfect daily tea substitute.
Just as the aroma of the glutinous rice and chicken soup filled the air, Qian Da suddenly shouted in panic from a distance, “Brother Nian, something’s wrong!”
Holding a plate, Yu Jinnian asked blankly, “What happened?”
Qian Da, embarrassed, said, “Your donkey tied at the foot of the mountain is missingโฆ Brother Nian, it looks like you won’t be able to leave tonightโฆ”