Gu Qiu saw a child open a candy, lick it twice, then carefully wrap it up again, feeling a bit sad.
"I'm going to look around."
One person entered the woods.
Ji Bai and Wen Yixun also carried their bamboo baskets to learn about pig grass with the other children.
Shen Zhao stood on the hillside, gazing into the distance.
She hadn't been to the mountains here before, and there were fewer trees than where she had been, with low vegetation and more grasslands.
The traces of human passage were heavy; there shouldn't be any danger.
Restless hearts grew wildly.
"Wang Nan, I'm going to wander in the mountains, you..."
Wang Nan knew her limits and stomped her foot, "I know, I know~ I won't run around."
Shen Zhao hissed, rubbing her goosebumps.
"If you talk to me like that again, I'll sleep with you. If you need anything, just shout loudly, and I'll rush back as soon as I hear you."
She turned and walked in the opposite direction of Gu Qiu.
Leaving Wang Nan in a state of disarray.
Sleep... sleep with me?
Was that what she thought it meant?
Shen Zhao entered a pine forest and tripped after a few steps.
She looked down, intending to kick away the clod of dirt that tripped her. As her foot landed, she saw a bit of white residue exposed on the clod.
Certain memories sprang from the corners of her mind.
She paused and withdrew her foot.
Bending down, she broke off a piece from the clod with her hand. It was soft and elastic, crumbling like a mushroom.
It was Tuckahoe.
This thing usually grew at the roots of dead pine trees. It was a fungus and also a traditional Chinese medicine that could strengthen the spleen and stomach, and also relieve palpitations and insomnia...
Back then, in order to take down the master of Medicine King Valley, she had spent a lot of time by his side collecting herbs. Through osmosis, she naturally learned the skill of identifying and collecting herbs.
Shen Zhao put the piece of Tuckahoe into her space and looked at the already dug-up pine root. She decisively took a shovel from her space and started digging.
Soon, she harvested three more pieces of Tuckahoe, each the size of a child's head.
At a glance.
There were many dead trees in this forest, and there should be more underneath. There wasn't enough time today, so she could only come back to dig later.
Shen Zhao carried the Tuckahoe and walked back.
On the way, she also caught a wild rabbit, returning to the gathering hillside laden with spoils.
Gu Qiu was holding a large, fat chicken, with an earthenware pot beside her. She smiled brightly, "You're back! I just went back and got a chicken to stew for everyone."
Shen Zhao's mouth twitched. It was a good thing she didn't say she caught a wild chicken.
What kind of chicken could be that fat?
It must have weighed at least ten pounds. She had never seen such a big chicken.
It was ridiculously large.
Never mind, everyone has secrets. If you can play dumb, then play dumb.
"Perfect, I found some wild Tuckahoe. Let's put it in the stew too, and we can roast the rabbit."
Gu Qiu raised her hand, forming a circle with her thumb and index finger, with the other three fingers extended.
"Leave it to me! Oh, Shen Zhao, do you know traditional Chinese medicine?"
Chicken Blood Vine yesterday, wild Tuckahoe today.
She had only heard of it and had no idea what it looked like.
Shen Zhao didn't intend to hide it.
"Yes, I only know a few types. I learned from an old Chinese medicine doctor for a few days."
You know me, my health hasn't been good, so I wanted to nourish myself.
Wang Nan squatted nearby, tending the fire.
She didn't dare to respond, afraid Shen Zhao would notice her beautiful and delicate self.
Gu Qiu agreed, "You are too thin, you really need to nourish yourself."
When she first saw her on the train, she looked like a skeleton ghost, frightening to behold.
She was afraid her bones would break if she walked.
Shen Zhao took the rabbit and Tuckahoe to clean by the stream. When she returned, Gu Qiu had already started stewing the chicken.
She broke the Tuckahoe into small pieces and threw them into the earthenware pot with the chicken soup.
Gu Qiu took the rabbit, rubbed it with salt and soy sauce to marinate for a while, then peeled a tree branch, threaded the rabbit onto it, and placed it over the fire to roast.
At this moment, Ji Bai and Wen Yixun returned with a group of children.
Each of them had a large bamboo basket on their back, filled with pig grass.
Shen Zhao and the other two girls' bamboo baskets were carried by Ji Bai and Wen Yixun, also filled with pig grass.
"Wow! It's meat!"
"And rabbit meat!"
The children sniffed the air, their mouths watering at the smell of meat. Their longing gazes softened people's hearts.
Gu Qiu smiled and waved at them, "Put down your baskets, wash your hands, and then go home to get your bowls and chopsticks. You can eat soon."
She didn't have that many bowls and chopsticks, so she had to ask everyone to go get them.
The male children were fine; they were the darlings of their families, and getting bowls from home was no big deal.
As for the few female children, when they ran home, except for one named Da Ya whose home was empty and she couldn't get in.
The other two went home, and when the adults saw they weren't carrying their baskets, they were all beaten before they secretly ran out with bowls.
But the two of them didn't care.
Being beaten was a common occurrence, not a big deal compared to eating meat. In their lives, they had eaten meat less than ten times.
And each time it was only a small amount.
They dared not tell their families they were going to eat meat.
Otherwise, they would be asked to bring the male children of the family, or bring the meat back, and they wouldn't get any.
Soon, all the children returned with bowls and chopsticks.
Holding their bowls, they obediently squatted by the fire pit, drooling as they looked at the rabbit.
Only Da Ya returned crying, her face red, as if she was about to faint.
"Hic... My... My adults aren't home, and the door is locked, so I can't get in."
She stood there empty-handed, tears welling up as she looked at the meat.
Shen Zhao's head ached from the sound.
But from her broken words, she understood what was going on.
"Stop crying, it's not a big deal."
She turned and walked to the stream. There was a bamboo forest here. She chose the thickest bamboo and kicked it down.
With a loud crack, the bamboo fell to the ground, scattering a large patch of leaves.
Wow!
The children exclaimed in unison, Sister Shen is so amazing.
Wen Yixun trembled as he looked at his good brother:
If you like Educated Youth Shen, aren't you afraid she'll break your leg?
Ji Bai's eyes, however, were shining.
Shen Zhao was unaware of their thoughts.
Dragging the bamboo up the hillside, she used the sickle for cutting pig grass to cut the bamboo into sections, creating bamboo tubes. One end was closed, the other open, perfect for bowls.
The sickle was rather dull, so cutting the bamboo relied entirely on strength, with no technique involved.
She then shaved thinner bamboo into chopsticks and handed them to Da Ya.
"Isn't this fine? Why are you crying?"
Her tone was a bit harsh, but it also made Da Ya stop crying in surprise.
Clutching the bamboo tube as if it were a treasure, she wiped her tears and smiled, "Thank you, sister."
Shen Zhao turned her face away.
Disgusted by the little girl with a snotty face.
Soon, the chicken soup was ready, and the rabbit meat was also roasted.
Gu Qiu first distributed two pieces of meat and two pieces of Tuckahoe to each child, and then to the five adults.
Each person only received two pieces of Tuckahoe and one piece of meat.
Although the meat seemed plentiful, there were many mouths to feed.
The group of five had eaten meat the night before and weren't as craving, so they gave most of the meat to the children.
Ji Bai and Wen Yixun didn't dare to touch the chicken soup at all, only eating a piece of rabbit meat.
After all, they were young men in their prime.
They hadn't recovered from the effects of the Chicken Blood Vine chicken soup from last night and naturally didn't dare to supplement further.
There was no way to find a wife here.
Shen Zhao didn't have so many reservations.
She needed to replenish her strength.
She ate two pieces of Tuckahoe and a bowl of chicken soup.
After eating their fill, they stood up to stroll around and suddenly saw a row of sheds at the foot of the mountain, far from the village center, as if isolated from the village.
"What is that?"
He Xiaoshan glanced over, "Oh, that's the cow shed. Some very strange old grandpas live there. My dad doesn't let us play over there."
Ji Bai: "Those living there are people who were sent down."
It wasn't just the farm that had people sent down.
For those not too serious, if their families spent some money and made some arrangements, they could exchange it for a slightly more comfortable place to lie low.
This place was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with poor transportation.
People wouldn't freeze to death, and there were abundant supplies on the mountain. Even if they couldn't eat their fill, they wouldn't starve to death.
For them, it was actually a rare place of tranquility.
Mentioning being sent down... Shen Zhao thought of Sister Shen Wan and her younger sibling.
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