Water infused with these chrysanthemums was much tastier than plain boiled water, and they made for very soft pillows. So, when the flowers bloomed, all the girls and young children in the village fanned out across the fields to pick the wild chrysanthemums. By the time Juhua came out to pick them, others had already been at it for several days.
People picking chrysanthemums wandered everywhere—along the banks of the Little Qing River, on the ridges between fields, by Jing Lake, and near the mountains. Juhua, naturally, went to the fields near Jing Lake. It was close to home, after all.
One morning, Juhua woke up early. Carrying a basket and shouldering a pannier, she headed for Jing Lake. But in the distance, she saw Liu Xiaomei and Meizi coming down the village path, also on their way to pick wild chrysanthemums.
