Continuing upstream along the ditch, a shallow, weed-covered pond or marshland comes into view.

This was formed by water accumulating in a deep pit created by a flash flood.

There are some wild onions and wild chives here.

The seeds were brought by birds that came to drink water, and they grew sparsely among the withered grass. Jiang Zhi didn't dig up the roots, but only cut the leaves to take back and eat.

The mountain walls on both sides gradually became steeper, with some thick and thin, dark brown vines that looked like ropes hanging from them.

Jiang Zhi knew she had finally found what she needed.

Aside from sweet potato vines, kudzu vines are the most common and largest vines in the southwestern mountainous areas.

This is also the plant that people use most often in their daily lives.

Kudzu vines can be woven into rattan chairs, rattan beds, and rattan baskets, and can also be woven into kudzu cloth, which is the main fabric used in ordinary households.

However, kudzu is mostly harvested in May and June, when the kudzu vines are not yet mature. At that time, the kudzu fibers are less prone to breakage, and the kudzu fibers can be extracted to weave cloth and make clothes.

These kudzu vines are now old and tough, and are only good for burning as firewood.

Jiang Zhi smiled bitterly, feeling like a dung beetle starving, unable to even take a dump.

If only I could travel back in time and encounter summer, there would be everything I could want to eat and use.

The kudzu vine is useless, but the kudzu root underneath is good.

The stem of the kudzu is woody and consists of thick, tuberous roots. The roots are relatively thick, pale white, and have fibrous hairs. The surface is smooth and resembles a human arm.

These roots and stems can be ground into powder to make various snacks, or they can be stewed directly.

As a plant that is both food and medicine, kudzu root can be eaten and is also a good medicine for relieving muscle tension, dispelling wind, and treating fever and diarrhea.

In addition, kudzu flower decoction can relieve hangovers, especially for vomiting blood and bloody stools caused by excessive drinking, and has a very significant effect on liver damage. It is a talisman for heavy drinkers.

However, it has become quite difficult for modern people living in cities to find kudzu flowers.

Jiang Zhi is naturally not thinking about sobering up or reducing fever right now; her priority is survival, which means eating kudzu root.

She used a knife to cut through the vine network to find the main root underneath, a task that required both physical effort and patience.

Looking at the vines covering the mountains and fields, you might find just one kudzu vine, and you have to find its root system in this vast expanse of vines.

The old kudzu vine was very sturdy, and since it couldn't bear any weight while suspended in the air, it bounced around after each cut, making Jiang Zhi's arm ache.

In order to get a bite to eat, she had to rest for a while and then cut the branches. By the time she had sorted out the main root of a vine, Jiang Zhi was exhausted.

Taking advantage of the break, she took out the oak cake and a piece of boiled meat that Qiaoyun had prepared when she left home in the morning to fill her stomach, and then took out a jar of water.

People here used to drink from mountain springs wherever they went, but Jiang Zhi, having developed a modern habit, was worried about drinking leeches in the water, so she boiled water and brought it with her.

After eating and drinking her fill and regaining some strength, she began to dig up kudzu roots.

To support the nutrition of so many vines, the kudzu roots grow very deep, and the soil here is all gravelly yellow soil, making it very difficult to dig them up.

As she dug, Jiang Zhi picked up and ate the broken kudzu roots.

Fresh kudzu root can be eaten simply by peeling off the outer skin. It is a little bitter at first, but becomes sweeter the more you chew it. Most importantly, it quenches thirst and promotes salivation.

By the time Jiang Zhi dug out more than 200 jin of kudzu roots, it was already getting dark; she had been out all day.

The kudzu roots have been dug up, but how to move them back has become a problem.

The original owner was used to heavy work and had a lot of strength. Carrying a hundred or eighty pounds was common for her, but it was impossible for her to carry two or three hundred pounds at once.

Moreover, it's just a small basket, not enough to hold it all.

Jiang Zhi could only keep the largest main root and pick up some broken fibrous roots to take back.

The root alone weighed fifty or sixty pounds. She carried it out of the ditch and was met by Xu Errui, who was walking and shouting anxiously, his head covered in sweat.

"Mother! Mother!"

"Calling back the soul!" Jiang Zhi responded, mimicking the original owner's tone.

Hearing the echo, Xu Errui ran over, flapping his arms.

He was both happy and complaining. He took the basket and put it on his back, his mouth never stopping: "Mom, why did you go out for a whole day? Uncle said he was worried something would happen to you when you came to this ditch, so he told me to come and pick you up."

Jiang Zhi was also tired after a long day and didn't want to talk to him, but his nagging annoyed her, so she couldn't help but ask, "Er Rui, you weren't this talkative before, what's wrong with you now?"

Other time travelers are worried about being exposed, but she's a fussy mother, and her son doesn't dare to question her; instead, he gets questioned.

Xu Errui was dumbfounded; he didn't know why he had become so talkative.

He had forgotten that his mother used to be the one who talked a lot and scolded him, but now she rarely scolds him.

Afraid that his mother would scold him again, Xu Errui hurried forward a few steps: "It's getting dark soon, let's go back quickly!"

When Jiang Zhi got home, she realized that she had indeed come back too late; Xiao Man and Xu Errui had already gone home long ago.

The two boys had a good haul; in Xiaoman's shed, there was a huge pile of blackened small animals that had perished in the wildfire.

By the light of the fire in the center of the shed, Grandma Xiaoman was busy running around, gutting and scraping off the fur and skin.

Grandpa Xiaoman was also peeling snake skins on the wooden pillar, with Xiaoman assisting him.

As soon as Jiang Zhi returned, Xiao Man immediately came over to boast: "Aunt Jiang, Er Rui and I made the right choice going out today! Look what this is? It's a big snake!"

The wildfire also killed the snakes that were hiding in their burrows for the winter. The two dug out the rabbit burrows, and Xu Errui had already mentioned it on the way.

But when Jiang Zhi actually saw the snake, she was also surprised.

She often goes up the mountain and is not afraid of anything except things with long legs or things that are completely naked and have no legs.

She glanced at the snake and quickly dodged away: "This snake must weigh six or seven pounds, right? Could it be a snake demon that has already attained enlightenment?"

Upon hearing the word "snake demon," Xiaoman panicked: "Master, this...this..."

Jiang Zhi chuckled: "Xiao Man, what are you afraid of? If you get burned to death in the wildfire, it just means you haven't cultivated well enough. You're doing a service to the people!"

Grandpa and Grandma Xiaoman laughed too: "This child is so naive. She gets scared as soon as your Aunt Jiang teases her. She'll eat less later."

That laugh made everyone in the room laugh.

There is no immediate threat of hunger, although wildfires and bandits are still a constant threat. Those who want to survive must try to be happy, otherwise they will surely be scared to death.

Qiaoyun spread out another stack of soft pancakes made from oak starch as her staple food, and the stewed meat in the pot also emitted a fragrant aroma.

Jiang Zhi took out the kudzu root she had dug up: "Here's some kudzu root, quickly chop it up and put it in a pot to stew."

Scrape off the outer brown skin of fresh kudzu root, cut it into small pieces, and stew it with meat, or simply boil it in water. It is neither bitter nor sweet, and its texture is similar to that of yam. It is filling.

"Oh dear, you went to dig up kudzu roots all by yourself? Can you eat this?" Grandma Xiaoman asked in surprise.

Everyone in Xujia Village knows that kudzu vines can be used to weave cloth and baskets, but no one has ever eaten the roots.

Can things that look like tree roots be eaten?

Jiang Zhi was also surprised. Kudzu root powder is a health product in modern times, and it was naturally the first choice to fill one's stomach during famine years.

Grandma Xiaoman knows that cogon grass roots are edible, but she doesn't know that kudzu roots are also edible. Perhaps it's because kudzu roots look too much like tree roots.

However, there's nothing to brag about. The fact that our ancestors knew about using oak seeds and kudzu to stave off hunger, and about all sorts of strange and wonderful delicacies, is because they endured so much hardship.

In order to survive, people turn grief into food; hunger makes people eat everything in various ways.

If we were to plunder and build our wealth like those bandit nations, eating only pork chops, beef chops, and lean meat, who would bother with such things?

Since none of them had ever eaten kudzu root before, Jiang Zhi personally picked out the thickest section of fibrous root, scraped off the outer skin, cut it into chunks, and put it into the pot.