Although we cannot completely let our guard down and still have to prevent refugees from coming up the mountain, it's just some petty theft.

If the number of refugees is small, Jiang Zhi and others are not afraid to go up the mountain. For a bite to eat, the few hours of mountain road alone are enough to make people lose their fighting spirit.

Too many people would be bandits, and the soldiers at the medical tent would eliminate them before ten could gather.

At dawn, amidst the rosy dawn and swirling mist, a rooster flapped its wings and flew up into a tree branch.

First, it habitually looked around, and seeing that no one had noticed its intentions today, it quickly stretched its neck and cried out, "Oh...oh!"

He shouted in one breath, his voice resounding, finally releasing the air that had been pent up in his chest.

Unfortunately, joy turned to sorrow. Having been stifled from crowing for so long, the rooster crowed twice, then became dizzy and fell headfirst from the tree. It took him a long time to recover, which startled the hens, who clucked in panic.

Nearby, chicks that hatched in June and have already grown flat feathers are quietly pawing for food under the guidance of their mother hen.

For them, crowing is still a long way off; the priority now is to snatch grass seeds and insects.

It's already late August, and the sorghum on the hillside is ready to be harvested.

Clusters of sorghum ears were cut and hung under the eaves, their bright red color a striking contrast.

Grandpa Xiaoman carefully collected the sorghum stalks; he was going to weave some household items.

The chili peppers in the field should also be harvested.

Previously, because there wasn't enough salt and we didn't have enough jars, we dried all the chilies and didn't make chili sauce or anything like that.

Now, the two families have started making fermented soybean paste and sun-dried broad bean paste from soybeans, and making simple seasonings.

Chunfeng and Xiaoman's grandmother took care of the household affairs, while Jiangzhi was looking for medicine again.

While digging for jars in the village after going down the mountain, she overheard several medics complaining and chatting nearby.

They said that because there were many wounded and the weather was hot in late summer, some people felt stuffy and went to sleep on the stone slabs outside. After catching a cold, they all suffered from diarrhea, which exhausted the people who cleaned up their excrement and urine.

Physician Xu was also furious, saying that the medicine was already in short supply and they were making such a fuss, and if they saw someone sleeping outside, they would not give the medicine.

The medicine Jiang Zhi gave Xu Dong last time was specially prepared, mostly containing herbs for sprains and bruises, with few for miscellaneous illnesses, especially the diarrhea caused by cold that the medics mentioned.

Diarrhea caused by catching a cold, commonly known as gastroenteritis, is a very troublesome illness. Symptoms include headache, fever, body aches, lack of sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, and edema.

The ancients said it was caused by sleeping on damp ground in the summer to cool off.

In modern times, this would translate to colds and diarrhea caused by air conditioning and cold drinks, a combination of cold and dampness that is difficult to cure due to repeated attacks.

For every disease, there is a corresponding remedy; for every spear, there is a corresponding shield; the roadside weed is the nemesis.

It is early autumn now, the flowering season of Elsholtzia ciliata, and also the harvesting season for this herb. Jiang Zhi slowly searched along the sunny forest slopes.

Young Elsholtzia ciliata; delicate

Amidst the various shades of green—deep green, light green, and so on—the purple flower spikes of Elsholtzia ciliata are particularly eye-catching.

Elsholtzia ciliata, also known as water nepeta, mountain sage, or fragrant herb, has a fragrant aroma and its flowers and leaves are very similar to those of perilla. It is also widely distributed.

The herb may appear gentle and beautiful, but its medicinal properties are potent. It is used to induce sweating, relieve exterior syndromes, promote diuresis, and reduce swelling, and is known as "summer ephedra".

Flowers blooming in patches, weathered by time

During the Song Dynasty, Xiangru Drink was a very popular traditional Chinese medicine.

In Chapter 29 of "Dream of the Red Chamber", Daiyu accompanied Grandmother Jia to Qingxu Temple for a religious ceremony. It was during the hot summer, and the air was foul, so she suffered from heatstroke when she returned home. She drank Xiangru drink.

Boiling a bowl of Elsholtzia ciliata water in summer can relieve pain, but unfortunately, this medicine is potent and excessive drinking will cause excessive sweating, so it cannot be drunk like honeysuckle tea.

Jiang Zhi pulled up the fragrant herbs he saw on the hillside, roots and all he needed to do was wash them clean, cut them into sections, and dry them in the shade or sun before using them as medicine.

At this moment, the little wild boar followed her around the feet, rooting in the soil and searching for grass roots and insects underneath.

Pork belly is actually from wild boar, which particularly likes to forage for food outdoors.

Every day, after eating its fill and going home, it drinks the salty dishwater and vegetable scraps, then lazily sleeps and grows very fast, enjoying good food and drink.

Although it's still a little pig with lace stripes, it's already twice the size of wild boars of the same age and can no longer be held.

Xiaomanye, who wanted to have his dog "castrated" at three months old, made a wrong judgment, missed the opportunity, and had to give up the idea.

Moreover, Jiang Zhi only now realized that it was actually a male.

The name "Peppa Pig" that was casually mentioned has already been taken, but we still call her that.

Anyway, Nini dresses up the little wild boar every day, with all its fur tied into little braids with colorful threads.

It is not impossible for someone to have the body of a man but the body of a beautiful woman.

Jiang Zhi felt sorry for the little wild boar, thinking that it was no good for it to be so fat and want to be a beautiful woman. So she made two bags for the little wild boar out of burlap.

When we went out, we would place it on our back like a saddle, and carry one or two blades of grass home each time.

No one eats idle food, no chicken eats idle food, and neither does a pig.

Although the baby wild boars are still babies and there is a suspicion of employing child labor, the good habit of loving labor needs to be cultivated from a young age.

After carrying it a couple of times, the little wild boar really liked its backpack and would tie it on whenever it went out, and of course, once it was tied on, it had to be taken out with it.

The little wild boar especially loves going out to work with its "mother".

At this moment, seeing Jiang Zhi picking herbs, it grunted and came over to put them in a bag.

Jiang Zhi plucked a tender leaf from the fragrant clover and gave it to Peppa: "Peppa, here, eat a leaf to get rid of bad breath and prevent cavities!"

Now, when the little wild boar behaves well, Jiang Zhi affectionately calls it Peppa Pig; when it gets into trouble, she shouts "Pork Belly!"

Upon receiving the praise, the little wild boar opened its mouth and ate the food in one gulp, even wagging its little tail, clearly very satisfied with the taste.

Jiang Zhi also plucked a leaf of Elsholtzia ciliata, put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly until she could taste it before spitting out the residue.

Brushing your teeth here is inconvenient, so using this to freshen your breath is a good alternative; it's also one of Xiangru's skills.

The fragrant grass grows in large patches, and Jiang Zhi quickly cut a large basketful, carrying one basket himself and also putting two plants into the bags for the little wild boars.

So, under the bright sunshine, a man and a pig, one in front and one behind, swayed and staggered home.

At this time, Xiaoman also cut a large bundle of Vitex negundo leaves and took them home.

If you want to make fermented black beans at home, you first have to make the soybeans moldy.

Xiaoman cooks the cleaned soybeans until they are soft and tender, then puts them in the sun to dry for a day.

In the evening, the cooked soybeans, evenly mixed with flour, are put into small baskets, then placed in a large basket lined with straw, and covered with a thick layer of Vitex negundo leaves.

Relying on the heat generated by the pile of fresh Vitex negundo leaves, yellow mold grows on soybeans after five days. The mold is then broken up, dried, and sprayed with ginger juice, which is how fermented soybeans are made.

Adding fermented black beans to the chili sauce will make it taste even better.

In the days that followed, finely chopped chili sauce was mixed with Sichuan peppercorns and fermented black beans, and the process of sun-drying and dew-drying began.

The jar is covered with a layer of gauze to keep out dust and debris. After a month of continuous stirring and turning, and three to five months of storage and fermentation, the premium product is finally produced.

Only chili sauce that has absorbed the essence of heaven and earth can be used to create the most distinctive local delicacies.

Only five days after the first exchange of medicinal herbs, Jiang Zhi sent down the mountain again, this time along with other herbs, the dried Elsholtzia ciliata she had prepared.

This time, it was Xu Errui who took her to the edge of the village.

Upon entering the village, after having her face checked by the guards, Jiang Zhi found the medical officer Xu Dong, who seemed to know the way well.