Chapter 46 The path up the mountain was easy to walk, already...

The path up the mountain was easy to walk on; it had been worn into a small trail. Cheng Yongyi knew this path very well; she could find it with her eyes closed. She often went up the mountain with her family to pick wild fruits and vegetables. If they were lucky, they might even find mushrooms or wood ear fungus, which would add a dish to their meal.

Her brothers would occasionally go up the mountain to set traps, but nine times out of ten they would fail.

Yu Songchuan recalled the medicinal herbs he had learned and tried hard to identify the valuable herbs among the weeds on the mountain.

He didn't find any Chinese medicinal herbs, but he did see a bird's nest in a tree, in a somewhat hidden location.

"Fourth Sister, I'll get you bird eggs!"

Yu Songchuan hugged the tree and scrambled up, taking a nest of bird eggs—six in total, about the size of quail eggs—and presented them to Yu Jiajia like a treasure.

Yu Jiajia added plenty of emotional value: "Songchuan is amazing! He found bird eggs as soon as he went up the mountain."

Yu Songchuan: "I can catch a pheasant later!"

Nine-year-old Cheng Mingdong said, "Uncle, even my dad can't catch pheasants by setting traps. Pheasants don't come out of the mountains. If you want to catch pheasants, you have to go deep into the mountains. There are wild boars in there, and they will eat people."

Yu Songchuan exclaimed with delight, "A wild boar? Where? Let's hunt a big wild boar!" Wild boars are more valuable than medicinal herbs.

Cheng Mingdong: ...This cousin-in-law is quite the braggart.

Seven-year-old Cheng Mingjun: "Uncle, wild boars really do eat people! They ate a person up completely, leaving only bones. We can't go into the deep mountains."

Cheng Yongyi: "At the beginning of the year, a hunter from the neighboring brigade went hunting in the deep mountains and encountered a wild boar. He blinded one of the boar's eyes, which also angered the boar. The last one had his leg broken and fell into a ditch, while another was bitten to death. When everyone went to look for him, the one with the broken leg had survived by chance, while the other was just bones."

Yu Songchuan hesitated for a moment: "Can we still eat a wild boar that has eaten people? It should be fine, what are the chances of running into the same wild boar twice! We don't hunt blind wild boars." He clenched his fist, "This punch of mine can shatter a wild boar's skull! Right, Fourth Sister!"

He had always thought he was very strong, but after practicing the Five Animal Frolics for a few days, he now feels incredibly strong.

Yu Jiajia smiled sweetly: "With Third Sister and Songchuan here, even wild boars would be afraid."

Yu Jiamin smiled, pursing her lips, "Jiajia, I will protect you."

Yu Songqing: "I may not be able to beat the wild boar, but I can definitely lure it away and keep Jiajia out of danger."

Yu Songyan: "I brought a slingshot to see if I could blind the wild boar."

He has the strength and speed of an ordinary person; as long as he doesn't hold anyone back, he can only provide support.

Seeing his cousins ​​so confident, Cheng Mingdong truly believed they were amazing, capable of taking down wild boars. His face flushed with excitement, he exclaimed, "Uncle, are you really that good? You can really hunt wild boars? Let's go hunting wild boars in the deep mountains!!!"

Cheng Mingjun was also excited: "Then we'll have two wild boar heads in our family! Does that mean we can eat pork every day!"

Cheng Yongyi was speechless, not knowing what to say. That was a wild boar! It was being made to sound like a chicken or a goose was being slaughtered.

She brought the person out, and she was determined to bring them back safely; she had no intention of going deep into the mountains: "We have to go home for lunch, there's no time to go over there."

Yu Songchuan: "If we can really catch a wild boar, it's okay if we can't go back by noon. Let's go."

Cheng Yongyi glared at his two nephews and said, "Why are you bringing up wild boars?"

However, the deep mountains are quite far away. We have to cross two mountain peaks, which will take at least two hours. The outer mountains are easy to walk on, with wide paths worn out by the footsteps. But once we get to the deep mountains, the grass is thick everywhere, and the slopes are steep and difficult to climb. With such a large group of people, how could we possibly manage to climb them?

This delicate little cousin definitely can't climb.

At that point, everyone will naturally give up.

It's a pity we can't have the braised pig's head and braised fish at home for lunch!

But since everyone's out, we definitely need to leave some food at home! The Yu family's four treasures are with us! We can't let the four treasures go hungry, no matter who doesn't eat.

She was very clear about the value of the Four Treasures, just like the Three Treasures her grandmother talked about.

That was the most successful one in the family.

She took a deep breath. If there was no pig's head for lunch, she could have it for dinner; she was sure she would be able to eat it.

There's nothing good on the best path in the mountain; everyone has already picked through it. The wild fruits that remain are all sour and astringent. Yu Songchuan was able to find bird eggs because he has a good eye.

Yu Jiajia found an astragalus plant next to a sunny mountain wall. She reached out and pulled Yu Songchuan: "Songchuan, can you identify it?"

This astragalus plant is quite different from the one depicted in the book. Yu Songchuan quickly searched his memory for medicinal plants: "Licorice? Kudzu? Or astragalus???"

He wasn't quite sure, so he took out his book of Chinese herbal medicines and flipped through it one by one. Finally, he turned to the page on astragalus and thought it looked very similar! "The stem stands upright, like a folded oiled paper umbrella, the back of the leaves is densely covered with white downy hairs, and the flowers are pale purple and butterfly-shaped." He exclaimed excitedly, "Fourth Sister, this is astragalus!"

Yu Jiajia then taught him the "Five Senses Method of Identifying Herbs": "First, observe the leaves in the morning dew; the tips of the leaves will have double dewdrops. Under the moonlight, the old roots will have a pearly luster. Second, touch the stems; they will feel rough, and the tender leaves will feel sticky. Third, smell the fresh roots; they will have a faint bean-like smell, and the dried roots, when ground, will smell like ginseng. Fourth, taste the root bark; it will be slightly bitter at first, then sweet. Fifth, listen to the dried roots when tapped together; they will produce a crisp sound."

Yu Songchuan didn't know how his fourth sister knew these things, but he was a good student and studied very hard so that he could recognize Huang Qi next time.

This is very valuable! It's 1.2 yuan per kilogram!

Cheng Yongyi asked curiously, "What is Astragalus membranaceus? What can it be used for?"

Yu Jiajia explained the medicinal value of astragalus in detail: "Astragalus can replenish qi and raise yang, strengthen the exterior and stop sweating... It is mainly used to treat all symptoms of qi deficiency and blood deficiency. After processing, it can be steeped in water and drunk, or it can be sold at the health station."

Yu Songchuan added: "One yuan and twenty cents per kilogram!"

Cheng Yongyi gasped, "This grass is actually so valuable!" She tried to recall where she had seen this weed before, but she couldn't recall ever seeing it before.

Cheng Mingdong and Cheng Mingjun practically wanted to lie on that astragalus plant to remember it.

Yu Songchuan took out a small shovel and began digging for astragalus. He had to be careful not to break the roots. He dug more than a meter deep before pulling the astragalus out completely. After cleaning the soil from the roots, the whole astragalus was exposed. The yellowish-brown roots were about three centimeters thick and about 60 centimeters long, weighing more than two kilograms including the stem. After removing the stem, it was estimated to weigh more than one kilogram.

Yu Jiajia examined it carefully: "This must be about ten years old. It's very precious. Selling it for 1.3 yuan would be a loss. Let's keep it for now."

The Yu family is not short of money now, so they can leave the good medicinal herbs behind.

Yu Songchuan: "Is this like being illuminated by moonlight at night?"

Yu Jiajia: "That's what the book says, we can try it tonight."

Cheng Yongyi carefully examined the astragalus root and asked, "Jiajia, can I learn what you just taught Songchuan?"

Yu Jiajia has always been incredibly generous in this regard; she was happy to teach and shared a lot of knowledge about astragalus.

Cheng Yongyi gratefully grasped Yu Jiajia's hand: "Jiajia, thank you!"

Yu Songchuan had no interest in traditional Chinese medicine; he was interested in money.

Yu Jiamin and the others weren't very interested either. They lived too far from the mountains and only came back to visit relatives during holidays, so they hardly ever used this skill.

Cheng Yongyi lived at the foot of the mountain and found it very practical! A strong laborer who could earn a full centimeter could only earn seven cents a day, which was not even worth a pound of astragalus.

Along the way, we dug up two more Astragalus membranaceus plants, each about 40 centimeters long and weighing over a pound.

The more they dug, the more excited they became—it was all money!

I also came across a patch of motherwort, which is definitely not as good as astragalus, and it cost 24 cents a kilogram.

But there's plenty of motherwort!

Motherwort should be harvested with stubble left on it, so that it can grow another crop the following year.

Yu Songchuan was preoccupied with finding wild boars. "Let's cut these down and have Mingdong and Mingjun carry them back. Then we can continue onward."

It's very safe here; a nine-year-old child could run around here without getting hurt.

Cheng Mingdong: "I can run fast and give you directions. Ming soldiers, carry it back; it'll be just in time to eat pig's head when we get back."

Yu Songchuan couldn't very well let seven-year-old Cheng Mingjun carry a basket of motherwort back home.

Cheng Yongyi: "Why don't we go back together and catch lunch? We can come back this afternoon." She was really afraid of running into a wild boar; if anyone got hurt, her grandmother would skin them alive...

Yu Songchuan: "Then, Sister Yongyi, will you lead the Ming army back? Let's go up a bit further."

Cheng Mingjun: "I'm not going back, I'm not going back, I'm not going back, I want to hunt wild boars."

Cheng Yongyi: "...Jiajia, shall we go back for dinner first?"

Yu Jiajia: "Let's just leave this motherwort here. I doubt anyone will recognize it. We can pick more when we come back. I want to walk a little further up the mountain." She hasn't found the ginseng yet! Who knows when she'll be able to come back next time.

She rummaged through the bag Yu Songchuan was carrying; it was hers, which she had given to Yu Songchuan to carry while they were climbing the mountain. She pulled out some dried meat and pastries. “Let’s fill our stomachs first, then see where there’s a pond. We can catch some fish, grill them, and eat them. After we’re done eating, we can continue into the mountains.”

One piece of dried meat and half a steamed rice cake for each person.

Having eaten something, the Cheng brothers were even less willing to go home.

Cheng Mingdong: "If you walk another half an hour, there will be a pond! But the fish in it are very clever and you can't catch them."

Yu Jiajia: "Let's give it a try."

Yu Songchuan hooked his arm around Yu Jiajia's shoulder and pulled her over, saying, "Fourth sister, come on up, I'll carry you."

Yu Jiajia happily jumped onto Yu Songchuan's back, and he carried her up the mountain.

Before the group even reached the pool, they spotted two pheasants in the bushes. Before Yu Songyan could take out his slingshot, Yu Songchuan smashed one of them to death with a rock. The other pheasant flapped its wings to fly away, but Yu Jiamin rushed over and grabbed it by the neck.

Yu Jiajia jumped off Yu Songchuan's back and ran to Yu Jiamin, exclaiming, "Wow! Sis, you're amazing! You run so fast, I thought I was seeing things! Sis, let's have roast chicken for lunch!"

Roasting pheasant on the mountain brings an instant surge of happiness; hiking is truly enjoyable.

Cheng Yongyi felt like it had only been a blink of an eye, how did two more pheasants appear?

The Cheng brothers excitedly ran over, picked up the pheasant that had been smashed to death—its head was completely flattened, it was as dead as could be. "Pheasants! We caught two pheasants! Uncle, Aunt, you're really amazing!"

Yu Songchuan ran into the bushes to collect wild eggs, and there were indeed eight of them. The wild eggs were very small, only half the size of normal eggs. "Perfect, one for each of us!"

Yu Jiamin found some hemp rope and tied up the pheasant's wings and claws, then threw it into the bamboo basket.

Everyone started gathering firewood, and they also picked wild onions and leeks when they came across them, to save for marinating the chicken!

We also found mushrooms growing everywhere in a ravine. What are we waiting for? Let's pick some mushrooms! We can make a grilled mushroom dish later.

Yu Jiajia also slipped into the ravine, bent down to pick mushrooms. This area was low-lying and the ground was damp, which was very suitable for mushroom growth, mostly termite mushrooms and green-headed mushrooms.

It was Yu Jiajia's first time picking mushrooms, and the crisp sound of her picking them was particularly pleasant. She held up a mushroom for Yu Jiamin to see: "Third sister, look!!! This porcini mushroom is huge!"

Yu Jiamin laughed, "Just like an umbrella." She stayed close to Yu Jiajia the whole time, afraid that some snakes or insects might pass by and frighten Jiajia.

Yu Jiajia continued picking mushrooms, becoming more and more excited, and couldn't stop at all.

She also found a lot of wood ear mushrooms on a piece of rotten wood, with many ants on them, and asked Yu Songchuan to pick them.

With so many people, the mushrooms couldn't be picked quickly enough. Except for a few brightly colored ones that we didn't take, all the common mushrooms were picked before we finally climbed out of the ditch and onto the bank.

The mushrooms we picked together must have weighed about ten pounds.

Cheng Mingdong: "There are so many good things on the mountain today!"

Yu Songchuan: "That's right, don't you even know who you came with?"

There's no reason to go out for nothing if you go out with your fourth sister.

Yu Songqing wholeheartedly agreed, and he said with a smile, "Jiajia, I'll carry you on my back."

Yu Songchuan: "I'll do it! I'll do it!"

Yu Jiamin can recite it too!

Although Yu Songyan was not as strong as the others, carrying Jiajia, who weighed 80 or 90 pounds, was a piece of cake.

Yu Jiajia doesn't even need to walk to climb mountains.

Cheng Yongyi witnessed once again just how much Yu Jiajia was favored.

Cheng Mingjun: "I can't climb anymore. Who can carry me?"

Everyone: ...

When they reached the pool, they unexpectedly encountered two commune members. Both were dressed in gray cloth clothes. One of them was in worse shape, with his clothes patched upon patched and his shoes worn out, exposing his toes. The other, who was taller, was carrying a bamboo basket and was dressed relatively cleanly. The two were talking next to a large rock, seemingly arguing. Hearing the commotion, they both looked over.

In that instant, Yu Jiajia sensed danger.

It seemed like only a moment had passed before the sense of danger vanished.

The two stopped arguing, and the middle-aged man carrying the bamboo basket asked with a smile, "Which brigade are you from? How did you end up in these deep mountains? It's dangerous here, don't stay any longer." He didn't wait for Yu Jiajia and the others to answer before leaving.

Another man went to the pool to wash his face and hands, and then walked away from the other side.

Yu Songchuan: "Did you guys just see that? That tall guy's muscles were all taut, those muscles, he must have worked out a lot!"

Yu Jiajia: "I think so too."

Yu Songyan: "The two of them were whispering to each other, and they got nervous when they saw us. I wonder what they were plotting."

Yu Songchuan: "Should we follow them and see if they're some kind of spies?" What if an opportunity arises?

Everyone: ...

Cheng Yongyi: "The one carrying the bamboo basket is the barefoot doctor from Dongwu Brigade. His surname is Wu. He has excellent medical skills and charges low fees. He often goes up the mountain to collect herbs."

The subtext is that they are decent people, not enemy agents.

"Alright then." Yu Songchuan: "First, start a fire and boil water to remove the chicken feathers."

Yu Jiajia: "Then I'll go fishing and see if I can catch anything. The fish in the pond must taste especially delicious."

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Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. There will be red envelopes (cash gifts) in the comments section below this chapter.