Chapter 124 Wild Vegetables

"This is made with wild vegetables from the mountains. Wild vegetables are bitter and sour, so I specially processed them to remove the bitterness and sourness while retaining their crispness. After pickling, they should become more and more fragrant the more you chew them. Ladies, would you do me the honor of trying some?"

Everyone peered over and saw that the plate contained sections of vibrant green vegetable stalks, coated in a glistening layer of red oil, their color enticing and their appearance so fresh and appealing. Just looking at them was enough to make one's eyes light up and one's mouth involuntarily swallow.

"Wow! This looks delicious! How did you make it?" an older woman couldn't help but ask.

Liu Zhixia smiled calmly: "The method is similar to usual, but I put a little thought into the sauce ratio."

The villagers are honest people. As soon as they heard "ratio", they knew that it involved a secret recipe, and they wisely stopped asking any more questions.

Lu Xiaohui and Li Xuemei, who were standing nearby, stared in disbelief.

How can those unwanted wild vegetables on the mountain be made into something so tempting?

Aunt Zhou gave the two of them a cool look: "See? They're using wild vegetables from the mountains! They're not wasting the brigade's food. Some people shouldn't be so shameless as to make false accusations."

Lu Xiaohui's face flushed red instantly. She opened her mouth to retort, but ultimately swallowed her words. To speak now would be tantamount to admitting she was the mastermind behind the whistleblower.

Everyone eagerly picked one up and put it in their mouths.

"Crack!"

A crisp, clear sound rang out.

The texture is even crisper than the preserved vegetables sold in the city! It's sour and spicy, appetizing, and incredibly fragrant. The more you chew, the more flavorful it becomes, making it impossible to stop eating!

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed middle-aged woman stared at the vegetable stalk in her hand for a long time, then exclaimed in surprise, "Girl! This...this can't be that kind of sour stalk from the mountains, can it?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads in disbelief.

Who doesn't know that stuff? Back in the day, during famines, people would only eat it when they were absolutely starving. It's sour and astringent; one bite and your tongue goes numb for ages—worse than taking medicine!

However, Liu Zhixia smiled and nodded: "Auntie has a good eye, that's the one."

The crowd erupted in chaos.

How is this possible?! How can that stuff taste so good?!

Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Liu Zhixia explained, "Actually, this is also a kind of medicinal herb. It can promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, clear heat and detoxify. It's a good thing. I saw a lot of it in the mountains, so I thought I'd pick some to try. I didn't expect it to taste so good after removing the astringency."

She learned this from Gangzi in her past life, which was also to help the villagers get rich. She never expected it to come in handy now.

The woman was so excited her hands were trembling. She stretched out her withered hands and tightly grabbed Liu Zhixia's arm: "Girl, I'm begging you, please teach us how to get rid of this sour taste? I don't need your sauce recipe, I just want this method! Take whatever you want, as long as I have it!"

Liu Zhixia's heart skipped a beat.

These days, everyone's lives are just starting to improve, and who wouldn't want more dishes on the table? But what valuable things could these simple villagers possibly have at home?

She grasped the older woman's hand in return and said softly, "Auntie, you're too kind. If anyone wants to learn, I'll teach you; you don't need any special skills."

She will keep the core recipe for pickled vegetables to herself, but she will never hesitate to share these little tricks for preparing ingredients that can help improve everyone's meals.

Seeing that Liu Zhixia actually sat down and taught everyone how to process wild vegetables, everyone gathered in a circle, listening attentively, afraid of missing a single word.

Lu Xiaohui watched from the side, her teeth itching with envy.

Such a lucrative way to make money, and this idiot just gave it away to the villagers for free? Has he lost his mind?!

At this moment, Gu Mansheng also arrived late. Seeing Liu Zhixia surrounded by everyone like a star, she felt a pang of jealousy.

What is she doing?

Lu Xiaohui gritted her teeth: "She's turned those unpalatable sour stalks from the mountain into a delicacy, and she's teaching the villagers how to make them!"

"What?!"

Gu Mansheng's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"Does she think she's some kind of saint? If she had this technology, what a huge source of wealth that would be! And she's just giving it away for free?"

Lu Xiaohui chimed in, "Exactly! I really don't know if she's genuinely stupid or just pretending!"

Just as they were cursing, Li Xuemei emerged from the crowd, her voice urgent and hushed: "Stop talking nonsense! Hurry! Go home and get your tools to go up the mountain! These sour twigs are free, if you're late they'll all be taken by those peasants!"

The three of them then realized what was happening and hurriedly ran home, grabbed their sickles and baskets, and rushed up the mountain.

When we got to the mountain, wow, the whole mountain was packed with people!

The whole village, young and old, pitched in, but how could their half-baked speed compete with those aunties who were used to farm work? After a busy afternoon, they were so tired that their backs ached, and their baskets only contained a few wild vegetables.

...

In the evening, Liu Shouren and Liu Xiangyang returned after finishing their work, looking puzzled.

Liu Xiangyang scratched his head: "Mom, what's going on today? The whole village went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables? Captain Lu is furious, afraid that the neighboring brigade will think we're having a famine this year!"

Zhang Xiuying happily picked up a piece of pickled vegetable and stuffed it into her son's mouth: "Try it, is it good?"

Liu Xiangyang chewed it, his eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: "Delicious! Crispy and crunchy!"

"Damn it! She used those wild vegetables! She taught everyone how to remove the bitterness, and now everyone's going to dig for wild vegetables. It saves us from our own gardens, and we can pickle them for winter. Who wouldn't be eager to go?"

Liu Shouren was so shocked his jaw almost dropped: "Our daughter is this capable?"

Liu Zhixia explained with a smile, "This is actually a kind of Chinese medicine. I heard Gangzi mention it before, saying that it's edible, so I gave it a try."

Since Gangzi is elusive and rarely seen, it's both reasonable and safe to attribute the credit to him, and no one will suspect anything.

Liu Xiangyang hesitated for a moment: "But, you're just going to give away such a good idea for nothing? Shouldn't we keep it and make some money for ourselves?"

Liu Zhixia waved her hand: "My space... cough, I had stored quite a lot before, enough for two rounds. Giving the rest to the villagers is fine, anyway, I only taught them how to remove the bitterness, I didn't give them the core sauce recipe. Pickled vegetables, every family has their own flavor, it won't affect us."

Liu Xuejun, however, was somewhat worried: "But this thing is new! The Lu family is really eager to steal our business, won't it have an impact?"

Liu Zhixia laughed: "This stuff is all about novelty. After removing the astringency, the texture is similar to dried gongcai (a type of dried vegetable), but compared to the real thing, the taste is still a bit lacking. Trying to fool picky city people with this? That's a pipe dream. We make this mainly because it's low-cost, so we can take the path of small profits and quick turnover."

Liu Xuejun suddenly realized: "Oh! So you wanted to sell it cheaper to seize the market! I thought you were going to sell it at a high price under the guise of Chinese medicinal herbs."

"These days, no one has it easy, so good quality at a low price is the key. Of course, we also need to make a profit."