Li Wu responded loudly with a "Okay".

That makes sense. Brother Ding is capable and knows a lot about medicinal herbs, so of course he'll pick the valuable ones. It's normal that he wouldn't bother with herbs like kudzu root, which are heavy, difficult to dig, and have a rough, unwashable surface after digging. If the price isn't high, that's why he wouldn't bother with them.

But they are different. They have plenty of strength, and they don't have much to do during the off-season. They have both free time and energy, so if kudzu can be sold for money, they can dig it up and sell it.

The amount of money might not be much to Uncle Ding, but it might be worthwhile in their eyes.

Even if it turns out to be worthless after asking, it doesn't matter. Kudzu is good to eat anyway. If it can't be sold, we can keep it for our own food. Anything that can fill our stomachs is a good thing.

The man in front, hearing that these were medicinal herbs that could perhaps be sold for money, became even more motivated and craned his neck to look at where Fan Xiaoliu had dug.

After a morning of searching, they had gained some experience in finding and digging kudzu roots. They would follow the vines downwards until they found a knot about the size of a thumb, and then dig it out.

The thicker this nodule, the stronger the kudzu root underneath.

When Zhao Lan and her group came up, they saw Fan Xiaoliu digging a pit with great effort. It was a very deep pit with something that looked like a tree root in the middle.

The bamboo basket next to it was piled with the same style in different lengths and thicknesses.

"So this is kudzu root. So this is what it looks like."

"Digging is quite strenuous, but it's worth the effort."

"Have you asked Sister Shuiqing what ways there are to eat kudzu root?"

"How long can it be stored? How can I store it to prevent it from spoiling?"

The women looked at each other for a while and soon started talking about how to eat and store the food. They said that when there was a lot of food, it shouldn't be used up all at once, but should be stored slowly.

Storage is a very important matter; it determines whether a large family can survive and thrive during times of hardship.

Shui Qing also led Feng Da, Feng Er, Mancang, Manku, Da Ni, Er Ni, and their group up the mountain to dig kudzu roots.

After the medicinal herbs were planted, Feng Dahong, Mancang, and the other men immediately had much less to do. This morning, the five women, Da Ni and Er Ni, were on holiday, so they all went together.

The kudzu on her hilltop was the densest and most abundant in the entire Shanshui Village. Shuiqing had initially planted it to prepare for famine years and other emergencies, but later, with enough food and the difficulty of digging up kudzu, she had given up the idea of ​​digging up kudzu as food. However, she did not expect that Bai Manshan would bring a full twenty-three people.

With twenty-three strong and healthy men in their prime, there was no need to waste the kudzu roots on the mountain.

The kudzu root she grows has a high starch content. After being dug up and processed into kudzu root powder, it is easy to dry and store. It is convenient to eat and filling, which is perfect for supplementing the stored grain.

After Shuiqing explained to the men how to find kudzu, the men split up to search. Actually, there was no need to search deliberately, because it was everywhere on the mountainside.

Soon after, cheers erupted again, one after another, one after another.

Shuiqing ignored the man and said to the five women, including Li Dani: "The kudzu root that we dug up is the same as the yam and he shou wu. First, we clean the skin, cut it into thick slices and dry it. This is the first method. The pharmacies also buy this kind. It is usually used to make soup and stew medicine. Aunt Ding said that this kind is usually drunk as soup and the kudzu root is not eaten."

Another method involves crushing the thoroughly cleaned kudzu root into small pieces, rinsing it with clean water, filtering it through gauze, and letting the juice settle in a wooden basin or bucket. After a day or two, the top layer of dirty water is poured off, leaving the white, lumpy substance at the bottom. This substance is then dried, wrapped in oil paper, and stored. When ready to eat, it can be rinsed with boiling water or boiled.

After Shuiqing finished speaking, she asked with some lingering concern, "Did you understand?"

Li Dani said cheerfully, "I understand. It sounds similar to making fern root powder in the past. It involves crushing the roots and soaking them, but the yield is much less. Even after working hard for more than ten days, you still won't get much."

But they still dug up food every year on the village, even if it was just a little, it was still food to fill their stomachs.