MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 1

After days of continuous rain, the skies finally cleared. In Xiahe Village,[footnote]下河村 – literally “Lower River Village”[/footnote] people walked in small groups. Some are heading to the fields to check on crops, while others are going up the mountains to forage for wild greens and mushrooms.

 

The village was nestled near Qinglong River,[footnote]青龍河 “Azure Dragon River”[/footnote] backed by several large mountains, and not too far from Shuiqing Town. Most villagers lived decent lives, though the recent weather had been unkind. Last winter, Yuntai Town, like Shuiqing Town, was part of Songjiang Prefecture, and it suffered a flood that submerged many villages.

 

Farmers relied on the heavens for their livelihood. Even when the rain hadn’t stopped a few days prior, they still had to frequently check their fields. In their spare time, they gathered wild vegetables, picked mushrooms, or fished in the river—anything to ensure food on the table.

 

Before the rain had fully ceased and the sky had brightened, smoke already rose from the Qiao family’s kitchen.

 

Qiao Suiman boiled water in a pot, then steamed four coarse wheat buns he had made earlier. Afterward, he fetched a woven basket and a wooden digging stick from the woodshed and placed them under the eaves.

 

The buns heated quickly, and soon, they were wafting with steam. Once ready, Qiao Suiman picked them up while enduring the heat on his fingertips as he set them into a large bowl. He wolfed one down while it was still warm, leaving the remaining three for his older brother, Qiao Ruifeng, and brother-in-law[mfn]originally 嫂子 or sister-in-law, but when referring to fulang, they will be translated as brother-in-law[/mfn], Qin Yu.

 

A large dog lying under the eaves let out a few low barks. With a glance, Qiao Suiman knew it was hungry.

 

He scooped some wheat bran into the dog’s bowl, added water, and mixed it. The dog had already pressed itself against the bowl the moment he poured the bran in, and now it eagerly devoured the food.

 

After sitting for a while longer, Qiao Suiman estimated that the rain was about to stop. He put on his straw raincoat, hoisted the basket onto his back, and called softly to the dog: “Heijin[footnote]黑金 – the dog’s name means “Black Gold.”[/footnote], let’s go up the mountain.”

 

Heijin licked the last bits of soaked bran from the bowl before trotting over to follow Qiao Suiman.

 

Three years ago, Qiao Suiman had found Heijin on the mountain. It’s a scrawny little thing lying on the ground, whimpering, and its mother is nowhere in sight. The weather was freezing, and without rescue, it wouldn’t have survived. It was carried home by Qiao Suiman, who built a nest out of wheat straw and fed it bran, rice chaff, and even earthworms. Against the odds, it had grown into a strong dog.

 

The man and dog made their way into the mountains. With little farmwork to do recently and the rain keeping people indoors, few were out and about. They had left early, so they did not run into anyone along the way. The Qiao home was close to the mountains, and soon they reached the foothills.

 

The woods near the village had fewer trees compared to the deeper parts of the forest, and frequent foraging by villagers meant little remained in terms of mushrooms. So Qiao Suiman led Heijin further in.

 

After the rain, the deeper parts of the forest were indeed lush with wild vegetables and mushrooms. Before sishi[mfn]巳时 – approximately 9–11 AM in the ancient Chinese timekeeping system[/mfn] even arrived, Qiao Suiman had already filled his bamboo basket to the brim and packed it tightly.

 

—

 

He took off his raincoat and draped it over the mushrooms and vegetables in the basket. Just as he was about to head back, he looked up and spotted an exceptionally large termite mushroom[footnote]鸡枞 – a highly prized edible mushroom that grows in symbiosis with termites known for its rich, umami flavor[/footnote] just three zhang[footnote]丈 – a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately 3.3 meters[/footnote] ahead. Its cap was wide and split into four or five segments, while the stem was thick and sturdy.

 

Delight flashed in Qiao Suiman’s eyes. A mushroom this big, stir-fried with shepherd’s purse and spring bamboo shoots, would surely make a hearty dish.

 

His basket already held smaller termite mushrooms from another part of the forest, but they were clustered and tiny in comparison.

 

Thinking of how Qin Yu’s legs must’ve ached from the damp weather and with nothing at home to nourish him, Qiao Suiman stepped forward to pick it.

 

But after just two steps, Heijin suddenly growled. Qiao Suiman froze, moving closer to the dog.

 

He scanned the surroundings warily. Heijin only growled when wild animals or strangers were near. His gaze swept the area until suddenly, a figure emerged from behind a cluster of trees.

 

A stranger.

 

As the man approached, Heijin’s tail stiffened, his eyes fixed on the newcomer while he growled and tugged at Qiao Suiman’s pants, preventing him from moving.

 

Just as confusion settled in, Qiao Suiman heard the man say: “I’m from the west end of Xiahe Village. Don’t go further. I just passed through and saw some red stinkhorn mushrooms[mfn]紅鬼筆 – or red phallic fungus, chicken-dung fungus; a foul-smelling mushroom and often found near snake habitats[/mfn]. There might be snakes around.”

 

Red stinkhorn mushrooms resembled snake eggs when young, earning them the nickname “snake egg fungus” among villagers. They emit a foul, chicken-dung-like odor and often grow where snakes lurk.

 

Hearing this, Qiao Suiman understood why Heijin had stopped him. There really must be snakes ahead. He had always been afraid of snakes. The mere sight of one made his limbs go weak. He instantly abandoned all thought of the termite mushroom. Adding a few different types of mushrooms to stir-fry would be enough. Running into a venomous snake, however, could be deadly.

 

Qiao Suiman didn’t often speak to men other than his father and elder brother. But since the man had kindly warned him, and with no one else around, it was only right to thank him. So he raised his head to look at the man.

 

Only then did he realize how much taller and more imposing this man was compared to the other men in the village. However, his stern expression made him seem somewhat intimidating.

 

A bird fluttered past, its chirping mingling with the rustling leaves. The man’s face shifted to confusion.

 

Heijin finally released Qiao Suiman’s pants with a soft whine. Suddenly aware that he had been staring, Qiao Suiman hurriedly said, “Alright, thank you for telling me. I’ll head down now.” Feeling his words lacked sincerity, he added, “You be careful too.”

 

The man nodded. Qiao Suiman didn’t engage further. After all, he was a stranger, and it was only natural to be cautious. He turned and started going down the mountain path with Heijin trotting beside him, tail wagging as he occasionally sniffed at the grass.

 

Partway down, Qiao Suiman recalled that the man had mentioned living at the western end of the village. That area was far from Xiaoqing River and closer to another stretch of mountains. The land there was barren, and none of the villagers lived there except for the family that had fled there last year from Yuntai Town.

 

Though both Yuntai Town and Shuiqing Town belonged to the same prefecture, Shuiqing Town was located in the south, while Yuntai Town lay at the northernmost edge, closer to Yuanbei Prefecture. Their customs and habits leaned more toward those of Yuanbei Prefecture, and now it seemed the people did too.

 

No wonder he’s so tall, Qiao Suiman thought. His elder brother was already considered tall in the village, but he never had to crane his neck this much to speak to him. He wondered what the man had come to the mountains for. Most families send women or fellow ge’r[mfn]In the context of Danmei stories, “gers” are male characters who are capable of pregnancy and childbirth, similar to females. Danmei stories often feature a world where there are only men and gers, or where men, women, and gers coexist. (Google)[/mfn] to gather wild vegetables, but he didn’t bring any tools, so it didn’t seem like he was hunting.

 

Curiously, Qiao Suiman glanced back, but the man had already disappeared into the woods.

 

—

 

He didn’t notice when he was up in the mountains, but now that he’s at the foot of the hill, the sun blazed fiercely, warming his entire body as if trying to dry out all the dampness left by the past few days of rain. As Qiao Suiman walked back toward the village, he scanned the surroundings, hoping to spot Chen Xuesheng, when he heard a call from behind.

 

“Xiao Man[mfn]小满 – an affectionate nickname for Qiao Suiman[/mfn], wait for me!” The voice belonged to a ge’r dressed in a blue linen robe. Though the fabric was the same coarse hemp as Qiao Suiman’s, the craftsmanship was noticeably finer.

 

“Xuesheng, I was just looking for you,” Qiao Suiman replied, pausing and turning with a smile. Chen Xuesheng is carrying an open-weave basket filled to the brim with wild greens like shepherd’s purse, purslane, and lamb’s quarters, though none in large quantities.

 

Chen Xuesheng’s family lived next to the Qiao household. The two had grown up together, and Chen Xuesheng’s parents had always been kind to his family, so they were very close. They often foraged together, but today Qiao Suiman had left before dawn to venture deeper into the mountains, so he didn’t ask Chen Xuesheng to join.

 

However, Qiao Suiman has not been out much lately. He estimated that it had been over ten days since they’d last seen each other.

 

Running into a familiar face lifted Qiao Suiman’s spirits. He quickened his pace to walk beside Chen Xuesheng, grinning as he teased, “You didn’t gather much. You slept in again, didn’t you?”

 

Chen Xuesheng knew he was being teased. His mother had only asked him to pick enough greens for a meal. With just four mouths to feed at home, there was no need for more, so he would sleep in before heading out.

 

Chen Xuesheng reached out to lift the bottom of Qiao Suiman’s bamboo basket to check its weight after noticing how heavily laden it was. “So heavy. You went deep into the woods again?”

 

“Mn. There wasn’t much at the foot of the mountain, so I went further in. I found a lot of mushrooms,” Qiao Suiman replied, adjusting the strap digging into his shoulder. The basket was packed full, including three sizable bamboo shoots. The ropes are chafing painfully as the weight keeps pulling them downward. However, the thought of how much they could sell them for after saving enough for the family made him wish it were heavier.

 

Still, getting these wild greens and mushrooms to town would mean troubling Chen Ping again. Qiao Suiman sighed, pressing his lips together. “But I’ll have to bother Uncle Ping to take them to town for me. I gathered some prickly ash shoots. I’ll bring them to Auntie Shuifen later.”

 

In the past, Qiao Suiman and Qin Yu would take the foraged greens to town themselves. However, on their way back through Shanghe Village, they came across his father, Qiao Chengfu, who was drunk and demanded money, threatening to beat them if they refused. Qiao Suiman had taken a few hits, his eyes red with anger, but he stubbornly refused to hand over a single coin. In the end, Qin Yu was unable to bear it and gave up his own share.

 

Even so, Qiao Chengfu continued cursing them, calling them unfilial, disrespectful, and “good-for-nothing burdens,” as if they were his enemies. The passersby were so shocked that they urged the two to hurry home, pitying them for having such a terrible father.

 

When Qiao Ruifeng found out, he remained silent for a long time. That evening, he brought a basket of peaches to the Chen family. They are fruits from their own tree, nothing costly, but it was all they had to offer. Thankfully, the Chens didn’t mind the humble gift.

 

After a brief discussion, Chen Ping agreed that whenever Qiao Suiman had foraged goods to sell, he’d take them to town on his own trips.

 

Qiao Ruifeng initially insisted on giving him a share of the earnings, as it wouldn’t be right to accept the favor for free. But Chen Ping adamantly refused, even threatening to withdraw his help if they tried to pay him. In the end, Qiao Ruifeng had relented.

 

Qiao Suiman knew it was because Chen Xuesheng’s younger brother, Chen Xiasheng, nearly drowned in the river once, and Qiao Ruifeng happened to pass by and saved him. On top of that, he and Chen Xuesheng have always been close, and the Chen couple had helped their family more times than he could count.

 

Seeing Qiao Suiman’s downcast expression, Chen Xuesheng stepped in front of him and flicked his forehead lightly. “What’s all this ‘bother’ talk? You’ve never once skipped sending vegetables to our house. My mother loves the thorny berries. They’re hard to find and a pain to pick. She thinks she’s getting the better deal!”

 

Though Chen Ping refused payment, Qiao Suiman couldn’t let the kindness go unreturned. Every time, he made sure to gather extra of the more flavorful wild greens for them. Chen Xuesheng mostly foraged near the mountain’s base, where only common varieties like purslane and shepherd’s purse grew. But rarer finds like prickly ash shoots could sell for eight or nine coppers per jin[mfn]斤 jin ≈ 600g[/mfn] in early spring. Giving some to the Chens was the least he could do.

 

Shaking off the gloomy thoughts of his father that had just crossed his mind, Qiao Suiman reminded himself that Qiao Chengfu hadn’t been home in over half a month. He will probably return soon to demand money again. But at least his elder brother wasn’t working in town these days, so things wouldn’t get too out of hand.

 

After speaking with Chen Xuesheng for a bit, they arrived at the fork in the road leading them home. The midday sun was scorching, forcing them to squint. Wiping sweat from his face, Qiao Suiman sped up his steps, eager to return home for a bowl of water to quench his thirst.

 

Just then, two figures emerged from a side path. One was Li Da, who lived further south of their home. The other, standing a full head taller than Li Da, was the man Qiao Suiman had encountered earlier in the mountains.

 

When Li Da spotted the pair, he first called out cheerfully to Chen Xuesheng, but as his gaze shifted to Qiao Suiman, his expression turned noticeably impatient and disdainful. After a curt greeting, he hastily led the other man away.

 

Once the two were out of earshot, Chen Xuesheng scowled and spat in disgust. “I can’t stand the way he acts like he’s some priceless treasure. As if you’ve ever given him a second glance!”

 

Soon after Chen Xuesheng spoke, Heijin, who was trotting alongside them, gave out two sharp barks as if in complete agreement.

 

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Translator notes [LUNE]: Hi! I’m Lune. I moved my translations from Wattpad under @danmei_lib, and found a home here in KnoxT. The Wattpad account has already been deleted T^T So moving forward, the translation for this novel will stay at KnoxT. <3