Ginger began to gather herbs in the hills. She decided to improve her medical skills by identifying herbs. Mrs. Yi had told her it was the easiest way. “Sickness and herbs are lovers,” she used to say. Ginger considered this and found it meaningful because it reminded her of her mother-in-law and of her mother-in-law’s illness. With this thought, she took great pleasure in picking herbs on the mountains. For example, one time on the north slope of Niulan Mountain when she found a large clump of diamond thorn, she was so excited that she repeatedly called out to her mother-in-law. She felt that the diamond thorn was her mother-in-law’s lover! Gathering herbs was a wonderful process, and now she knew dozens of herbs. Some were precious but most were ordinary. For Ginger, even common herbs were one more kind of lover in addition to the weasel. Now that she was courting them every day, why wouldn’t she be in a good mood?

“Niulan Mountain,” Ginger murmured as she worked in the garden, “with you, my mother-in-law won’t be lonely. She lives in your belly and watches our family from there. She said she would protect us.” As she said this, the wind from Niulan Mountain relayed a vague murmuring. Ginger listened ecstatically. After a while, she heard the footsteps of Mrs. Yi and her husband, so she quickly brushed the dirt off her clothes and ran to the gate.

“Ginger, did you gather a lot of herbs on the mountain yesterday?” Mr. Yi asked with a smile.

“Not bad—I found a lot of diamond thorn.”

“Good for you. The wild diamond thorn was your mother-in-law’s favorite,” Mrs. Yi said.

Mrs. Yi’s words reminded Ginger of the night when her mother-in-law came to visit. She stood in the dark, and she herself stood in a bright place, both talking loudly. Later, her mother-in-law made a strange gesture, as if she were holding a gift for her in both hands. Ginger stretched out her hand but couldn’t reach it. Then her mother-in-law disappeared into the shadows. Ginger was a little depressed because she didn’t receive the gift from her mother-in-law. She told Mrs. Yi of this, and Mrs. Yi said that actually Ginger had received it and that this was typical of Aunt Yossi’s behavior. Ginger would know this in the future. By repeatedly pondering the meaning of her mother-in-law’s gesture, Ginger was imperceptibly reassured.

She realized that her life was being enriched day after day because she had indeed received what her mother-in-law gave her. In her eyes, everything now was in love and confiding in one another. Sometimes she tried to overhear the murmurs—the whispers of love—but she never really succeeded. For example, when she saw the weasel make out with the sunflower, why did her heart pound? It seemed Mrs. Yi was right about the gift from her mother-in-law. Mrs. Yi was the same type of person as her mother-in-law. Ginger hadn’t been deliberately waiting for her mother-in-law to visit, but when it really happened last time, she was extremely excited. After that, she thought Yun Village was great. This custom was remarkable—dead relatives were never far away. They lived in the bodies of living people. Was it because of this custom that she had set her heart on studying medicine? She couldn’t sort out such complicated things, but she felt much better about herself now.