Chapter Twenty-Two: Cultivating the Valley

Within the valley, wild grass grew rampant, and the trees and nan bamboo from the mountain had already spread into the thickets. Everywhere stood saplings as tall as a man, making entry possible only by hacking through with a machete, cutting as one went. If they were to clear the entire valley with just knives, it would be nearly impossible to accomplish in a matter of days.

Father Tang surveyed the terrain around them and quickly devised the simplest plan: cut a passage two or three meters wide around the base of the valley, then set fire to the center. With more people stationed along the cleared path to guard against stray embers, they could prevent a forest fire from breaking out on the mountain slopes. In truth, this was not a method Father Tang invented himself; it was common practice in rural areas when large tracts of mountainside were prepared for tree planting.

So, the day before they began reclaiming the land, Father Tang invited his cousins and nephews from the village—those who had no work at home—to help. He paid them according to the local labor rate, one hundred and twenty yuan per day, with meals provided.

On the day they started, the group split into threes and twos, making up thirteen in total. Including Father Tang and Tang Jun, there were fifteen people. If they worked hard, they could clear a ring around the valley in a day.

Once inside the valley, the fifteen of them divided into five teams, each taking a spot and setting to work. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that these five teams had divided the area to be cleared into five sections, with three people at each spot—enough to get the work done, and still sneak in some idle chatter while working.

By the time Mother Tang brought tea, they had already cleared a large section. In the countryside, women often did the work of men; whether in the fields or at home, they worked side by side. Mother Tang was renowned throughout the village as a capable woman, managing household and farm with equal skill. As she set down the tea and called everyone to drink, she picked up a machete and bent to work herself.

Tang Wei had been left at home to cook. Though she and her sisters had never done heavy labor, they were well-versed in every household task, large or small. Of course, Tang Feng was an exception—she could do neither heavy work nor chores. But as the eldest granddaughter of the Fifth Master Tang, she had been raised like a little empress by the family’s two highest elders. When she grew older, her two younger sisters took up the work, so it never fell to her.

Tang Wei and Tang Jing were different. If they didn’t cook for themselves as children, they deserved to go hungry; if they didn’t wash their own clothes, they’d be left to mildew. The family didn’t need so many little empresses—one was enough.

Between the fifteen workers, Mother Tang, herself, and Grandma Tang, there were eighteen people to feed—two tables’ worth. The two sets of twins didn’t count; they weren’t old enough to eat at the table.

Preparing food for so many took a long time. Once she’d finished making tea snacks with Mother Tang, Tang Wei busied herself with the lunch preparations. The twins and Grandma Tang were sent to Third Aunt’s house next door, asking her to help watch over them. In the countryside, asking a relative to watch children or the elderly was nothing unusual, especially among family.

Third Aunt was home alone. Third Uncle was busy at their own house, and her son and daughter-in-law were away working in the city—rarely returning home—and her grandson was at school. So Tang Wei planned to invite her over for lunch as well; there was no sense in cooking for just one.

At this season, their own vegetable patch yielded only radishes and cabbages—staples every household grew and had long since grown tired of. So she decided to bring out some out-of-season vegetables from her secret space. In this day and age, anything could be bought with money, so no one would be surprised to see such things.

As for the vegetables imbued with a trace of spiritual energy, after Tang Wei’s parents and Tang Jun tasted them, they no longer cared for ordinary vegetables. But Grandma Tang barely noticed a difference. In her own words, “I’m old—can’t taste the difference anymore. As long as my belly’s full, that’s enough!”

Tang Wei had already decided: if everyone praised the dishes after eating and said they were delicious, she would just say they’d been worked too hard and were famished—of course the food would taste good. In truth, she was overthinking it; even if they thought the meal was exceptional, they’d only credit her cooking skills, nothing more.

For lunch, Tang Wei prepared nine dishes and a soup: country chicken and mushroom soup, braised fish, five-spice twice-cooked pork, smoked meat with garlic shoots, spicy sausage with peppers, eggplant with green beans, braised winter melon, chilled pork liver salad, stir-fried choy sum, and bitter melon with egg.

They were all homestyle dishes. All the vegetables and even the seasonings came from her special space, while the meat—except for the fish—was bought outside. She used the spring water from her space in her cooking, so the results were sure to be good.

As the workers made their way down the mountain for lunch, the scent of food reached them from afar, instantly lifting their spirits and sharpening their appetites. Unconsciously, they quickened their pace, eager to eat.

No one guessed the aroma wafted from Tang Wei’s kitchen—after all, there were several houses nearby. But as soon as they entered and found the source, they sat down without waiting for an invitation, chopsticks in hand, reaching for their favorite dishes even before the rice was served.

When Tang Wei went next door to invite Third Aunt to lunch and fetch Grandma Tang and the twins, half the food had already disappeared. After feeding the twins milk and coaxing them to sleep on Mother Tang’s bed, she finally sat down to eat.

“Wei, how do you make your dishes so delicious? Your skills are incredible—whoever marries you in the future will be truly blessed!” Third Aunt called out as soon as Tang Wei entered.

The others chimed in at once, “Indeed, Wei’s cooking is wonderful! This braised fish is amazing.”

“And the chicken and mushroom soup is even better—rich and flavorful…” Everyone vied for their favorite dishes, eating and praising her all the while.

Tang Wei smiled, relieved she had passed the test. Mother Tang, on the other hand, broke out in a cold sweat. She immediately recognized the vegetables from the sp