Chapter Twenty-Four: Investigation of the Incident

The An family chatted affectionately, laughter filling the air. Xinliu stood to one side, gazing at Ankang, her face ashen, her eyes devoid of vitality, dim and lifeless. She lowered her head and said softly, “Auntie, I’ll be heading back now.”

“So soon? Wait a moment, Xinliu, Auntie has something for you.” Mrs. Luo hadn’t taken the mushrooms Xinliu brought; instead, she quickly placed the packet of pastries Ankang had brought into a bamboo basket, and wrapped up two pieces of cured fish. “Take these home for your mother.”

“No need, Auntie.” Xinliu glanced swiftly at Ankang, only to find he wasn’t looking at her, but talking to Anyi. Her disappointment deepened.

Mrs. Luo pressed the bamboo basket into Xinliu’s hands. “Take it, and come visit often.”

“Thank you, Auntie.” Xinliu had come with the mushrooms as an excuse; she had seen who she wanted to see and stayed for the meal. Yet reality was cruel and painful. Thinking of the meager fare at home, she didn’t refuse again, and left carrying the basket.

The academy gave only one day off. After chatting for a while with his family, Ankang had to hurry back to the city. Mrs. Luo and the others walked him to the village entrance. Anyi, ever sharp-eyed, immediately spotted Xinliu hiding behind the big tree at the village gate and curled her lip disdainfully.

The next day, Mrs. Luo went to the backyard to scatter vegetable seeds. With the warmth these days, some tender shoots would soon sprout for their table. Anyi dug out the bundle of fabric scraps Ankang had brought, chose two pieces—one rectangular, one long and narrow. She folded the rectangle, sewed up the sides, leaving a small opening at the top. She twisted the narrow strip into a braid, sewed it into the opening, turned it inside out, tightened the mouth—and a small sachet was done.

“Mother, look, does this work?” Anyi held up the sachet for Mrs. Luo, who had just come in.

“A sachet? Did Xier make it? Let me see.” Mrs. Luo took it. “Hmm, nicely done. Is this sachet for Xier herself, or is it for Xinliu?”

“It’s for Qiao’er, not Xinliu.” Anyi had no idea what had truly happened that day; the matter concerned Xinliu’s very life, and she didn’t want to make a rash decision. She resolved to find out from someone who knew, to uncover the truth before acting.

Anyi tucked the sachet into her bosom, tidied her sewing things. “Mother, I’m going to play with Qiao’er.”

Mrs. Luo called after her, “Remember to come home for lunch. Don’t wander around, especially not by the pond. If you see any strangers, don’t talk to them, come straight home.”

“I know.”

To get to Qiao’er’s house, Anyi had to pass a deep well. Villagers often came there for water and to do laundry; the well’s edge was damp, with a few green clumps of grass growing below the wall. Anyi glanced casually, then, suddenly struck by a thought, went over for a closer look. The name and properties of the grass surfaced in her mind: Wellside grass, also known as chicken-foot herb, fernleaf, slightly bitter and cool, clears heat and dampness, cools the blood and detoxifies. It treats hepatitis, dysentery, enteritis, and can be harvested year-round and dried.

Anyi hesitated. This common herb—would the pharmacy accept it? Then she thought, whether or not they did, digging up some and keeping it at home wouldn’t hurt. Still, she decided to visit Qiao’er first, and harvest some on her way back.

At Qiao’er’s house, it was her grandmother who opened the door. “Ah, it’s Xier.”

“Hello, Granny Ba! Is Qiao’er home?” Anyi greeted sweetly.

“Qiao’er’s here, come in.” Granny Ba’s face crinkled in a smile. She called into the house, “Qiao’er, Xier is here to play with you!”

Qiao’er answered, coming out with a pout and a scowl, still angry. Anyi smiled, her eyes curved. Dealing with someone who wore their feelings openly was so much easier than handling those with deep schemes. “Qiao’er.”

“Come in.” Qiao’er turned and walked back to her room.

Anyi followed. As soon as she entered, Qiao’er said, face still stern, “Didn’t you say you weren’t friends with me anymore? Why are you here?”

“When did I say that?” Anyi laughed, pulling the sachet from her bosom. “I just learned how to make these and made a new sachet for you; do you want it?”

“Of course!” Qiao’er snatched it, giggling. “Xier, you’re friends with me, but are you still friends with Xinliu?”

“My mother says Aunt Liu saved me, so I must be friends with Xinliu.” Anyi put on a troubled expression.

“Savior? If Xinliu hadn’t made you fall into the pond, nothing would have happened!” Qiao’er protested angrily.

Anyi frowned. “I fell in, got seriously ill, was frightened. I don’t remember clearly what happened that day. Qiao’er, do you know how I ended up in the pond?”

“That day, we went to the pond. Xinliu slipped, fell forward, pushed you, and you lost your balance and fell in.”

Anyi’s eyes flickered. “Did Aunt Liu come right away after I fell?”

“Yes. Thank goodness she was quick, or you’d have drowned.”

Quickly?

Anyi couldn’t help but sneer inwardly; most likely Aunt Liu had been waiting there all along. Mother and daughter, both venomous as snakes. She feigned lingering fear, patting her chest. “Thank goodness. I’ll never go near the pond again.”

“You can’t swim; Aunt Qiu never let you go near the pond anyway. If Xinliu hadn’t said the pond had frozen, with dead fish floating up to be picked, we wouldn’t have gone. So, Xier, you shouldn’t be friends with Xinliu; she’s a liar.” Qiao’er, also surnamed Luo, was Anyi’s cousin. Because of Anyi’s drowning, the grownups had scolded her, and she bore a grudge against Xinliu.

“Qiao’er, she didn’t mean it. Let’s forget it. From now on, whatever she says, we won’t believe her. We can play with her, but if we all ignore her, she’ll be pitiful too.” Anyi needed to get rid of Xinliu, so she had to pretend to be friendly; otherwise, it would be hard to act.

Qiao’er thought for a moment. “All right. We’ll play with her, but we won’t treat her as a real friend.”

Anyi played at Qiao’er’s for a while, then headed home. Passing by the well, she uprooted the wellside grass, checked the time—it was still early—and searched around, finding several more clumps.

Back home, Mrs. Luo saw her bringing in a handful of grass. “Throw it in the backyard for the chickens.”

“It’s not for the chickens.” Anyi placed the grass in a small basket, brought over a stool, and began cleaning it. “It’s medicine, can be exchanged for money.”

Mrs. Luo put down her ladle, surprised, and came over to look closely. “This chicken-foot herb is worth money? Who told you that?”

“It’s written in books.”

Mrs. Luo, hearing it came from a book, asked no more and let Anyi do as she pleased. Whether it could be sold or not didn’t matter; as long as her daughter enjoyed it.

That afternoon, Anyi had a nap, then took her small hoe and bamboo basket, and went out again. She searched by the village well, in damp corners, in cracks between stones, for wellside grass. In several little mounds around the village, she found another herb.

Umbrella pennywort, also called copper coin grass or ground cover, slightly bitter, pungent and cool, clears heat and detoxifies, treats dysentery, high fever, acute jaundice hepatitis, and more.

It was still early spring, so there weren’t many herbs to gather. Anyi wandered about for half a day, and together, the two herbs filled only half a basket. But she wasn’t worried; medicinal herbs needed time to accumulate. Returning home, she sorted them, spread them separately on a sieve, and placed them on the wooden rack under the eaves to dry.