Chapter 5: Patchouli

Xiaoxigou Village was still in the rainy season that September. While the women rested, a torrential downpour swept through. The wind woke Lang Yiqiu, who pulled on a jacket and used glue to paste back up the newspaper that had blown down. It was the project they’d worked on after lunch to help their food settle. The rain seemed to ease, and when she climbed back into bed, she soon fell sound asleep again.

By afternoon the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared. The temperature began to rise. Jiang Baizhi went out in a dark T-shirt instead of her trench coat. Qi Banxia did the same and reminded Lang Yiqiu to wear something comfortable.

“Those pants won’t work. They’re not stretchy, so you won’t be able to move around.” Qi Banxia found a tablecloth and covered the camera with it.

Lang Yiqiu took off her trousers and quickly hid beneath the covers to change. “What kind of game is it this time?”

“The production crew has an endless imagination. There’s no way to guess.”

“The villagers said there are wild mushrooms on the mountain near the reservoir after it rains. When can we go, Banxia?”

“We’ll see. We have to talk to the director first.” Qi Banxia finished putting on sunscreen and donned a sunhat.

No one was late for the meeting. Under the blue-fruited tree, the women lined up.

Wu Wei got right to the point and introduced the afternoon’s destination. “We’re heading to Yuyuan Reservoir, three kilometers from here. Don’t let the word ‘fish’ in the name fool you. There are no fish in the reservoir. It’s a protected first-class drinking-water source.”

“Can you drink water straight from a first-class drinking-water source?” Lang Yiqiu asked. As far as she knew, the water in Nongfu Spring bottles was just poured straight in.

“Not yet. It contains microorganisms, so you have to filter it and boil it first.”

The familiar voice drifted over. Qi Banxia looked up. Sure enough, it was Jiang Baizhi.

“Oh, I see. Thanks, Sister Baizhi.”

Lang Yiqiu was naturally lively. In the few hours that morning, she’d learned the age, work, and accomplishments of everyone there. Since she couldn’t find much information about Jiang Baizhi online, she’d gone over to ask her directly.

Connections mattered.

Jiang Baizhi had to come from an important family if she was close friends with Shi Zhen.

———–

After a fifteen-minute drive, they got out in an open area beyond the reservoir. Wu Wei called everyone from the cars. The reservoir itself was still hidden from view, but a fresh breeze carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth washed over them.

It was a breath of fresh air.

They followed a stone path downhill. After circling around a patch of woods, they came upon a pool as clear and green as jade. Before they could take it all in, two giant banyan trees, their canopies interwoven and their trunks each several dozen feet across, caught their attention.

Of course, they also noticed the crew standing beneath the trees with all their filming equipment—and the huge mud pit…

So it was pretty obvious that admiring the view wasn’t why they’d come.

“Hello, ladies. Did you enjoy lunch?”

“It was all right. Our Baizhi’s the one who can really cook,” Shi Zhen said, shading her eyes with her right hand.

Your Baizhi? Your family? Qi Banxia had been touching up her sunscreen, but her rosy face instantly clouded over.

“That’s true,” the director said. “Our cameraman, Little Luo, was lucky enough to try a couple of bites of the steamed fish with black beans. He came back and wouldn’t stop praising it.”

“Xiao Shi, bring a bowl over sometime. I’ll come over and mooch a meal,” Wang Man said with a smile.

“Us too,” Shen Yuyang chimed in.

Lang Yiqiu had started to raise her hand, then pulled it back. “We… Banxia’s a great cook too.”

“Then we’ll take turns. We’ll go to Shi Zhen and Jiang Baizhi’s place today, and Banxia’s tomorrow,” Wang Man said with a laugh.

They already knew the production crew’s tricks, so the women weren’t in a hurry. They made the most of the chance to joke around, and Wu Wei let them chat, occasionally chiming in.

Qi Banxia wasn’t in the mood for it. With a wildflower she’d picked at some point behind her back, she murmured, “Your house, my house, your house, my house… my house.” One petal after another fell to the ground. At last, as if she’d found the answer she wanted, she smiled faintly.

Why let such a little thing get to me? They’re all just acting. They’re all actors. Qi Banxia muttered to herself. Her thoughts drifted. She suddenly realized how childish she was being: first heartbroken, then angry at herself for getting upset. She was so distracted that when Wu Wei explained the rules, she didn’t hear a thing.

The mud pit was about twenty yards long. Four numbered plastic buckets waited on the left. In a marked-off area to the right, dozens of slippery crucian carp swam around for the women to catch. The number of fish in each bucket at the end of the game would determine the food each pair won. The last-place pair would get only a single tomato.

When Wu Wei announced the food rewards, Shen Yuyang immediately objected. “Brother Wei, how are two people supposed to share one tomato?”

“Then you should do your best to finish in the top three.”

“What about whoever comes in last?” Shi Zhen asked.

“They’re allowed to mooch dinner.”

Wu Wei clapped his hands. “Ladies, do you understand the rules? We’ve got waders, rubber gloves, and boots over there. The game starts in ten minutes.”

The essentials were ready, and the eight women marched confidently into the mud pit. The crew wouldn’t have to think too hard to figure out what kind of music to add to the footage later.

In her previous life, Qi Banxia and Jiang Baizhi had come last. Their bucket had been empty. Jiang Baizhi didn’t know the other women well and had worried about offending anyone, so she’d carried the fish back at an easy pace. Wang Man and Shen Yuyang had each snatched away her catch. Jiang Baizhi didn’t get angry. She just went back to the right side of the pit and kept fishing.

Remembering this, Qi Banxia laid out a plan. Lang Yiqiu would catch the fish and carry them back, while she cleared the way.

“Little Qiu, where are the fish?”

“They’re too slippery. They got away! Banxia, my boot’s stuck in the mud. I can’t pull it out.”

Her teammate wasn’t much help, and Plan A failed. Qi Banxia glanced at the other three pairs. They’d already started moving. Unwilling to fall behind, she switched to Plan B, bent down, and grabbed a fish by the tail. In the blink of an eye, she had two fish in her arms. She looked up to check the path ahead, only to find a pair of arms blocking her way.

Before she could react, the fish slipped from her grasp and flopped to the ground twice as her opponent interfered.

“Jiang Baizhi!” Qi Banxia hissed, just loud enough for the two of them to hear.

“I’m here.” Jiang Baizhi moved closer and added, “I don’t know the others. You’re the only one I know.”

You’re the only one…

Those words circled in Qi Banxia’s ears. Her voice softened at once. “That doesn’t mean you have to stick so close. Give me a little space.” Jiang Baizhi was a couple of inches taller than her. With those long arms spread out, it looked from behind as though she were hugging Qi Banxia. That would never do.

“All right.” Doctor Jiang obediently took a step back.

After that, the two of them played a game of cat and mouse. No matter how the mouse ran, it couldn’t escape the cat’s claws.

The fish slipped away again.

“Time out, time out.” Qi Banxia was tired. She sat on the embankment and fanned herself with one hand.

“You rest. I’ll go help Shi Zhen.” The battle over there was even fiercer. Before Qi Banxia could answer, Jiang Baizhi swiftly scooped up a fish, dodged the others, and made a beeline for the bucket.

She was trying to let the others fight while she stole the prize? Jiang Baizhi, you really are awful!

Qi Banxia sprang to her feet. She lifted a mud-covered hand and accidentally smeared her right cheek. She’d never cared much about keeping up appearances anyway. Taking two steps for every one, she went after that sneaky cat.

Jiang Baizhi carefully lowered the fish into the bucket, but then noticed her balance was off. She was just about to adjust her stance when someone grabbed the fabric at her waist and yanked. She instantly lost her balance and toppled backward…

At last, the production crew had found their comic relief. The two of them fell over together. Victim Jiang’s left hand covered the face of the culprit, Qi. Qi, determined to get even, pressed her right hand against Jiang’s face.

The other women rushed to help them up. When they pulled their hands away, both women’s faces were covered in mud. It was hard to tell them apart.

Qi Banxia’s pair came in last, as expected. Shen Yuyang’s friend had once been a National Level Two Swimmer, so her arms were stronger than those of the other women. She’d caught five fish. Shi Zhen’s team had three, and Wang Man’s had two.

—————

The game ended, and free time began. The women who didn’t want to return yet went to the cars to wash up. Their makeup artists helped touch up their light makeup. Qi Banxia picked up a basket borrowed from a villager and, after getting permission from the director, took Lang Yiqiu toward the mountain behind the reservoir.

Jiang Baizhi had caught a little of what they said. She turned around and whispered to Shi Zhen, who was resting, then quickly followed the others.

The rain that had fallen at midday had left the ground slippery. Qi Banxia tried to stick to the grassier parts of the trail for better traction and to avoid a fall.

The farther into the woods they went, the more mushrooms they found.

“Banxia, look.” Lang Yiqiu pointed toward two bright yellow mushrooms.

“Don’t eat those. Brightly colored mushrooms are usually poisonous.” Jiang Baizhi had taught her that. “These white ones are edible.” She picked one and put it in the basket.

Lang Yiqiu crouched down. “Banxia, does it have a name?”

Qi Banxia was concentrating on picking mushrooms. The voice behind her was too soft, and she didn’t hear. Jiang Baizhi, who had approached at some point, answered instead.

“Pine milkcap. It also has a cute nickname: squeaky mushroom.”

“Why are you here, Sister Baizhi?” Lang Yiqiu asked.

“I was craving mushrooms and wanted to try some.”

Lang Yiqiu pointed to another. “And what about this one? It looks a little like a shiitake.”

“A bolete. It can also be used in medicine.”

Jiang Baizhi joined them. In half an hour, the three women had gathered a small basketful. Qi Banxia picked up a brownish-gray mushroom with an umbrella-shaped cap and was about to put it into the basket when Jiang Baizhi hurriedly stopped her.

“False brown-clouded amanita. It’s poisonous. Don’t eat it.” The whole reason she’d followed them was that she was afraid Qi Banxia would pick the wrong things. “Let’s stick to boletes and pine milkcaps. We can pick termite mushrooms too, if we see any.”

Actually, before setting out, Qi Banxia had told the production crew what they planned to do. They could have asked one of the locals to check the mushrooms when they got back. But with Jiang Baizhi there, they didn’t need to.

The sun was nearly setting by the time their basket was full. Jiang Baizhi invited Qi Banxia to dinner, but she declined, explaining, “We still have peppers at our place, and you don’t have much food either.”

Jiang Baizhi didn’t push. She hadn’t even had a chance to eat after finishing dinner when she carried a plate of celery and beef out of the house. She headed toward the thatched hut, but just as she stepped into the courtyard, she nearly collided with Lang Yiqiu, who looked worried.

“Banxia isn’t feeling well.”