After the Autumnal Equinox, dawn came later and later; it wasn’t until after the second hour of the morning that a faint streak of pale light appeared on the horizon.

Huo Ling pulled back the quilt and got off the kang, slipping on the pants left at the foot of the bed and loosely throwing a shirt over his shoulders.

At this time of year, he was the only one who could still sleep bare-chested; Yan Qi had long since changed into long-sleeved undershirts and pants, wrapped himself in a thin cotton quilt, and was still sleeping soundly. During the night, Huo Ling would stick his legs out from under the covers, yet the person beside him didn’t seem to mind the heat and would snuggle up against his arm.

He recalled the year his eldest sister-in-law had just given birth to Huo Ying. Even after her confinement period ended, her hands and feet remained ice-cold during the hottest days of summer. Huo Feng had gone to Bearded Ma to ask for a recipe for red date and ginger tea; both the red dates and the old ginger were grown in their own garden. After drinking it for a few months, she began to feel better.

Later, when her symptoms eased, and since Ye Suping was the type to avoid trouble, she simply stopped drinking it. Now that Huo Ling thinks back on it, he feels he should have let Yan Qi try it too.

When it was fully light out, Yan Qi got up and spent a long time combing her hair in the room.

Last night, his hair had been loose, and it had rubbed against the pillow as Huo Ling moved. He hadn’t noticed anything at the time, but when he tried to comb it this morning, he discovered it was tangled in many places.

The comb’s teeth were fine, and it stung a bit where the knots were; he had to apply some hair oil, run his fingers through it first, and only then, switching back to the comb, was he finally able to smooth it out.

The scent of osmanthus clung to his hands, impossible to wipe away. He tied his hair up loosely and headed out. He saw Huo Ling chopping wood in the courtyard, while Dager and Huang Yuer each held a twig in their mouths, playing—one running around in circles, the other gnawing on it.

It didn’t take much to guess that the one running around was Huang Yae—he looked like he wasn’t the brightest. Huo Ling waited for the ger to approach, catching the scent of osmanthus first.

“I made breakfast and have already eaten. I left it in the pot; it should still be warm.”

After finishing his sentence, he twitched his nose slightly and asked in surprise, “Did you use your first-press oil?”

He’d bought that osmanthus hair oil months ago, but Yan Qi had always been too stingy to use it often—usually reserving it for just one use when washing his hair, let alone slathering it on his head first thing in the morning.

Yan Qi cleared his throat, ran a finger through the hair at the back of his head, and then glanced at Huo Ling.

The look was quite meaningful. After all, they slept in the same bed every night. In an instant, Huo Ling suddenly grasped the implication and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Is it…”

“You’re still laughing.”

Yan Qi felt a mix of embarrassment and annoyance; unwilling to let him finish, he reached out to pinch his arm, only to find he couldn’t even make a dent.

The man’s arm was incredibly muscular, feeling rock-hard to the touch, and since he was likely tensing it on purpose, it was practically impossible to get a grip on.

Yan Qi tried twice, but his fingers slipped off both times. He could only give it a light pat as a consolation—a touch so light it barely registered. Until the firewood was split, the smile never left Huo Ling’s face, leaving Yan Qi shaking his head in exasperation.

Dager was quick-witted; he followed Yan Qi into the kitchen and managed to snag an egg yolk to eat.

Huang Yae arrived late and only got the egg white, so Yan Qi couldn’t help but pat its head a few extra times.

After finishing their meal and washing the pots, the two went to the small shed next to the woodpile to bring out the assorted dried goods they’d brought in the night before to dry for another day.

Leaving them outside overnight made them prone to dew and moisture. Not only would the dried vegetables feel damp to the touch, but their flavor would change after being dried again, and they’d be prone to mold.

After two days, the dried cabbage and dried squash were ready to be harvested.

The dried winter melon was cut quite thin; it felt crisp and dry in his hand, and the sound it made as he placed it into the cloth bag was rather pleasant. Huo Ling was flipping through the chili peppers when sand in the wind got into his eyes.

He instinctively raised his hand to rub them, but the heat made him tear up so badly he couldn’t keep his eyes open. Yan Qi hurried inside to fetch some water, had him sit down and tilt his head back, then rinsed his eyes thoroughly.

“Are you feeling better?”

This was the first time Yan Qi had ever seen Huo Ling like this—his eyes red and brimming with tears.

Strangely enough, the longer he looked at him, the more he felt a tingling sensation in his heart.

“I’m feeling better, but it feels like there’s still sand in there. Could you blow it out for me?”

Taking advantage of the movement, Huo Ling leaned forward slightly, wrapping both hands around Yan Qi’s waist.

Yan Qi’s attention was drawn back to him. He focused intently on Huo Ling’s eyes, gently prying open his eyelids with his soft fingertips, then blew a gentle stream of air toward them.

“The grains of sand are too small; I can’t see them either.”

He speculated, “You cried so much just now; it should have been washed away. It might have just been rubbing against your eye, so it still feels like it’s there. It’ll be fine in a little while.”

The scent of osmanthus lingered nearby. Huo Ling wouldn’t let him go. Yan Qi hesitated for a moment, then cupped the other man’s cheeks and kissed him quickly.

After the snow melts and spring arrives, forest frogs lay their eggs in mountain streams, then head up into the woods. They don’t come down in groups to spend the winter until the weather turns cold in August or September. To catch them, one must act during this period when they descend, as they gather near the stream beds, making it easy to scoop them all up at once.

Forest frogs are divided into males and females. Generally, the males are cooked and eaten for their meat, while the females are sun-dried to extract oil.

The extracted oil is known as forest frog oil—a white, solid block. Wealthy families use it to make sweet soups, often combined with goat’s milk and bird’s nest. It is particularly popular among ger and women, who believe it is nourishing and beautifying.

After spending several days in the mountains, the dried vegetables at home had all been sun-dried and put away. They locked the courtyard gate and set off together into the mountains to prepare for the coming days of catching forest frogs.

To catch them quickly and in large numbers, you need to set up “net openings” in the water a few days in advance. The “net openings” here are actually more like underwater traps built with stones than actual nets.

The mountain streams crisscross the area, and within a single region, there are hundreds or even thousands of forest frogs coming down from the mountains. Every year, Huo Ling sets up dozens of these traps, large and small.

“The water’s too cold. Don’t go in just yet—stay on the bank and pass me the stones.”

Yan Qi nodded in agreement.

To build a net trap, one needs stones and plenty of thick branches of the right length.

These supplies couldn’t be prepared in advance, so they had to be gathered anew in the mountains every year. Huo Ling explained to Yan Qi what thickness of branches were needed, and that stones of all sizes were required.

Compared to branches of the right thickness, stones were easier to find; walking along the streams and small rivers, they could gather almost everything they needed.

“It’s always been this way. I’ll set up the net entrances in the mountains first, wait a few days, and catch the first wave. By the time we’re ready for the second wave, you’ll have finished your farm work and come up to the mountains.”

With most of the preparations complete, the two returned to the water’s edge and sat on a large rock to chop branches. As Huo Ling chopped, he explained to Yan Qi, “Last year, the two of us caught over seven hundred frogs in total—four hundred males and over three hundred females. We took the males home to cook, so we sold the live ones for three wen each, two for five wen. The most valuable part of the female frogs is the oil in their bellies. We dry them and sell them by the string; once you peel off the skin at home, what’s left is forest frog oil. One frog goes for ten wen, and a string is worth one liang. All told, we made nearly five taels.”

Yan Qi gazed at the stream before him, imagining the scene of vast swarms of insects descending the mountain—it must have been quite a spectacular sight.

“Is there really such a big price difference between males and females?”

Huo Ling nodded. “You’ll understand once you see them alive. Forest frogs are so small that there’s barely enough meat for a few bites. Even among the locals, not everyone dares to eat them, so no one wants to buy the male frogs at a high price.”

The real money was clearly in the female frogs. Once everything was ready, Huo Ling waded into the water to set up the net.

It had rained the day before, so the stream was full and the current was swift. He steadied himself in the water and motioned for Yan Qi to hand him the longest branch. He then held it at both ends, positioning it so that it spanned the very center of the mountain stream.

He set up a second branch in the same way. Once he was satisfied it was stable enough, he took the short branch he’d just cut and placed it vertically at an angle, with one end resting against the crossbar above and the other resting in the water at his feet. From a distance, it looked like a simple fence, and just like a real fence, it had a gate.

“With both sides blocked, the frogs will have no choice but to go through the middle.”

After arranging the branches, Huo Ling bent down to place stones. This step served two purposes: first, to anchor the wooden fence so it wouldn’t be washed away by the current; second, to provide hiding spots for the forest frogs.

They love to burrow into rocks; they come down the mountain into the water specifically to find stones, and upon seeing a ready-made pile of rocks, they won’t budge. In addition, Huo Ling used stones to block off a small path, with one side leading to the shore and the other to the net opening.

A single net opening required over a dozen branches and dozens of stones of various sizes. Even for Huo Ling, his legs were soaked white by the time he emerged from the water. Yan Qi wasn’t idle on the bank either; he shuttled back and forth carrying stones and branches, even cutting his finger slightly in the process.

When Huo Ling approached, he hid his fingertip so the other wouldn’t see it, then pulled out a water pouch filled with ginger tea he’d brewed that morning. After drinking the warming tea, the couple continued along the shore, setting up more net openings.

The mountain streams flowed continuously, branching off into tributaries; the longer channels could accommodate a dozen or so nets, while the shorter ones held five or six.

Before Yan Qi came to help, Huo Ling had to run back and forth all by himself; at most, Dager could help by carrying a couple of branches. Even after a full day’s work, he could only set up five or six traps. With Yan Qi’s help, the most they managed in a single day was ten.

The price they paid was that both of them were exhausted, their backs aching. When they returned home at night, their meals were simple, meant only to fill their stomachs so they could lie down and rest early. Five days later, forty net openings were set up—five more than last year. Now all that remained was to wait for the local tree frogs to walk right into their traps.

Yan Qi heard from Huo Ling that tree frogs were nocturnal. If it weren’t for the dangers of the mountains at night—where going out with a light made one a sitting duck—catching them at night would have been the most efficient way.

That night, before he’d fallen asleep, he faintly heard a chorus of sharp, loud frog calls.

“Have the forest frogs come down from the mountains?”

Yan Qi felt a surge of excitement and pricked up his ears to listen.

“Yes.”

Even though Huo Ling didn’t find it particularly novel, he listened with great interest for quite a while. The sound of these voices meant more silver was about to come their way.

He said to Yan Qi, “First thing tomorrow morning, let’s go check the water by the gate, then make a round along the nets we’ve set up. The first batch coming down the mountain won’t be too large—we’ll catch as many as we can.”

Since tree frogs don’t come down from the mountains until it gets cold, this was the first time Yan Qi had actually seen one since he’d entered the mountains.

Huo Ling reached out and plucked one from the rocks, skillfully pinching its hind legs. The tree frog tensed up in fright, and he took the opportunity to hand it to Yan Qi to examine.

“It’s so tiny.”

Yan Qi poked its swollen belly, but the tree frog didn’t budge, continuing to play dead. Huo Ling smiled and motioned for Yan Qi to take it.

“If you hold its hind legs, it won’t run away. Once you toss it into the basket, close the lid right away—these things can jump really high.”

Yan Qi wasn’t afraid of it and held it in his hand to examine it closely.

“Is this a male or a female? Its belly looks pretty big to me.”

“It’s a male. The ones with bumps on their legs are males, and their color is darker. I’ll catch a female for you to see in a moment—the ones with colored bellies.”

Yan Qi put the first tree frog he’d caught into the basket, closed the lid, and even placed a stone on top of it.

He kept the basket close at hand, standing by the water’s edge. As Huo Ling caught a frog, Yan Qi tossed it inside. After nearly half an hour, the basket was already filled with over a dozen forest frogs croaking and chirping in a chaotic chorus.

Meanwhile, Yan Qi finally spotted a genuine female tree frog. Turning it over so its belly faced upward, he could see a small yellow or red spot, and its belly was noticeably rounder.

The first day’s harvest this year was decent. When they returned home at dusk and counted them, they had caught a total of fifty, half male and half female. Huo Ling set up a net in the water in front of their house, keeping the male frogs in it, while the female frogs were all dried in the sun for later use.