Chapter 425 Chapter 427: Is this a mistake?

After Yang Chunyan finished her meal, she went to heat up the food to feed the pigs. While eating, the men talked about how they all hoped that the truffle business would be successful and that the family could have more income.

Zhou Huaian told Zhou Huairong and the other two about saving money and earning interest, and they decided to take time to go to Ning'an to save money.

I was secretly happy in my heart because they were now a family with money to save in the bank.

A few people were still drinking when Zhao Huifang and the others came over. "The youngest one was so mysterious that we couldn't sit still at home. We came over to check on him after dinner without even feeding the pigs."

"Women are like this, they can't hide anything!"

Zhou Huairong glanced at Zhou Yiding a little embarrassedly, then turned around and said, "It's a good thing that you can rest assured..."

"Oh my god!" Li Qiuyue exclaimed in surprise, pulling Zhang Xiuxiang and shouting happily, "Second sister-in-law, we will make money again!"

"Don't be too happy too soon!"

Zhou Huaian poured a basin of cold water on them, "Wait until we send the samples over, and they start placing orders after seeing what they like, then it's too late to be happy!"

Li Qiuyue was stunned, "I thought it was already decided to be collected!"

Zhang Xiuxiang smiled and said, "I think it will work. Chunyan said that people in different places have different tastes. Just like people who don't like stinky tofu will pinch their noses and hide when they smell the smell. Although truffles have a foot odor, maybe people like that smell."

Zhao Huifang said proudly: "What are you afraid of! There is no cost to dig things from the mountain. We can dig them up, dry them and send them over. If they work, then we'll do it. If not, we'll feed the pigs with the rest!"

Zhou Huaishan: "That's right, dig more. If you can sell it, that would be the best. If you can't, just feed it to the pigs!"

Li Qiuyue pointed at a few people and said, "Look, one or two of them said they dumped it to feed the pigs. It would be strange if the boss in the provincial capital knew about it and was willing to pay for it!"

Yang Chunyan came out with a pig feed bucket and laughed out loud, "The pigs in the mountains are so lucky, they eat all kinds of wild game."

Zhou Yiding laughed and said, "The food our pigs eat here is not that good. I heard that the wild boars in the mountains eat Fritillaria, Cordyceps sinensis, and ginseng!"

Zhou Huaishan: "Ginseng is valuable, but we don't grow ginseng here, right?"

Zhou Huaian looked at Yang Chunyan, "Father-in-law, have you ever seen ginseng when you were picking herbs?"

Yang Chunyan shook her head. "No, my husband told me that someone in Liangshan had dug up wild ginseng. I haven't seen it with my own eyes, so I don't know if it's true or not!"

She had dug herbs for decades in her previous life, but had never found ginseng.

I did hear from Wang Zhen that someone in Liangshan dug up wild ginseng in the old mountains, and the quality was pretty good. Later, some herbal farmers there also started to grow ginseng.

After eating and drinking, they agreed on a time to go up the mountain tomorrow morning. Zhou Huaian and his brothers went to the old house to prepare to bring back the vegetables that would be sent to the city tomorrow morning, so that the old couple would not have to wait at the intersection in the morning and suffer from the cold.

When they walked into the yard, they saw Zhou's father sitting at the door of the main room wearing a cotton coat and smoking leaf tobacco. The master also put on the fur coat made of badger skin.

Yang Chunyan had someone make it in town. The coat can be disassembled after it is made. The coat is made of navy blue blended fabric and is the old-fashioned double-breasted style. It looks quite plump when worn.

Zhou Huaian looked at him with a smile, "Grandpa looks a bit like a rich landlord in this!"

Zhou Huaijun laughed and said, "He's even richer than the landlords in the movies!"

"Ahem, ahem!" Father Zhou glanced at them and patted his cotton coat. "What are you doing here?"

Where are your eyes? Can’t you see that I’m wearing a brand new cotton coat?

"Hey!" Zhou Huaishan finally saw it and stepped forward to pull it. "Where did the old man get the cotton coat? He looks so smart in it!"

Father Zhou glanced at Zhou Huaian awkwardly, "The youngest son bought it, and he only knows how to squander money every day!"

The old man curled his lips, "You said one thing and meant another. I put it on when I saw it when I got back, and I didn't even want to take it off when I went to chop vegetables."

Father Zhou: “…” Old man, please stop ruining our plans!

Zhou Huaian found it funny to see his awkward look, but was afraid that he would get angry and embarrassed, so he quickly picked up the tobacco leaves and wrapped them up.

Zhou's mother said cheerfully, "Chunyan and the youngest child went to the city today and bought cotton coats and big leather boots with wool inside. They are very warm to wear!"

Zhou Huairong said somewhat embarrassedly: "No wonder the two of them went into the city together today. Why didn't they call us when they bought clothes and shoes?"

Zhou Huaian looked up, "Brother, we'll each take care of our own business! From now on, if you want to buy something, just go buy it yourself!"

Zhou Huaishan said hurriedly: "The youngest one bought it first. When the New Year comes, I will buy one for grandpa and mom and his family. Next year it will be your turn."

Zhou Huairong and Zhou Huaijun nodded, "Okay, from now on, we brothers will take turns buying them every year!"

Zhou's father said unhappily, "Buy, buy, buy, don't you want money? I'll have to wear this for years."

The old man shook his head and said, "You are right, old man. We will wear this outfit for several years. Money is not easy to earn, so we should save when we can."

With the bones and flesh that he was born with, the second child may not be able to utter a single soft word in front of those kids in his entire life!

"I understand."

Zhou Huaian looked at the vegetables in the bamboo basket and asked, "Are all the vegetables ready for delivery to the city?"

"Everything else is ready. There are also a few handfuls of spinach. I'll go get them." Zhou's mother went to the kitchen and took out the spinach and packed it up. "It's cold in the morning. Wear something warm when you go out."

"Great!" The four brothers carried the bamboo baskets and went out.

The next morning, Zhou Huaian went to Ning'an to deliver the goods. The three brothers Zhou Huairong came to Zhou Huaian's house with five-toothed rakes, and Zhou Yiding came with a gun.

Yang Chunyan gave them the gun, and Zhou Yiding went up the mountain with Lai Fu and Wang Cai, who were wagging their tails happily.

During this time of year, the old bears and wild boars in the old forest would come down the mountain to look for food, bringing the dogs with them for safety.

In the frosty morning, the mountain was shrouded in white fog and not a single person could be seen on the mountain path. When you climbed to the top of the mountain and looked down, you could only see the village looming under the sea of ​​clouds, as if you were in a misty fairyland.

After the villagers swept away the pheasants and rabbits in the woods, they all disappeared without a trace, leaving only the birds singing on the branches!

Two hours later, they arrived at the pine forest in the south, and Chaoyang climbed up the big mountain in the east.

Truffle is the name given by the locals. The neighboring Yunnan Province calls it pig-arch mushroom because it has neither roots nor leaves. The local ethnic minorities call it motherless fruit.

It also has a high-end name, truffle. Truffle is known as the "black diamond" in the forest and is recognized as a top-quality food in the world. Europeans list truffles, caviar, and foie gras as "the world's three great delicacies."

But the Ning'an generation is still accustomed to calling it truffle.

After a few rains in spring and summer, truffles often grow to their full size within a few days. The small ones are the size of quail eggs, and the big ones are said to be as big as footballs.

It requires a relatively special environment to grow. The main tree species it grows in are pine trees, oak trees, chestnut trees, etc., and it grows at the roots of trees.

Moreover, the soil must contain some ingredients necessary for the growth of truffles, such as copper and iron.

In addition, the direction of the mountain, changes in air temperature and humidity in the forest, changes in terrain and mountain ranges, and the distribution of sunlight can also affect its growth.

When truffles begin to mature, the plants around the truffles will appear burnt, the soil will become softer, and the grass on the surrounding surface will wither and die.

Some of them grow under the soil at a depth of several tens of centimeters, while others may be scattered on the soil surface and can be found simply by digging up the pine needles.

Truffles are the same as chicken mushrooms. After the first digging, the excavated soil should be covered back, and the mycelium inside will grow again after one or two years.

The truffle ripening season is from the beginning of November in the lunar calendar to the first month of the following year. At this time, the truffles are ripe and have a strong fragrance. After cutting them open, you can see their unique dark black marble patterns.

The number of truffles will gradually decrease from the end of the first lunar month, and by the beginning of February, they will disappear without a trace.

Anyone who has come to the mountains to dig truffles knows where the truffle nests are.

Zhou Huaijun pointed to the bare area under the pine tree and said, "There are quite a lot of them here. I used to be able to dig up a basketful of them in no time."

“There’s one in front too!”

Zhou Huairong put down the bamboo basket on his back, pulled away the pine needles under the tree, looked carefully, and found a few truffles sticking out of the ground.

He stretched out two fingers and dug out a piece of gray-black soil the size of an adult's fist. The surface was bumpy and looked like a lump of mud.

After picking up the truffles that emerged from the ground, Zhou Huaijun took out a five-tooth iron rake and started to dig after raking away the pine needles. After a few gentle diggings, he found the target.

Experienced truffle diggers can tell the difference between truffles and mud at a glance, but newbies might think they are just a ball of mud if they don’t look carefully!

He picked up four pieces in a row, then turned his head and said proudly, "See? They're easy to find. Just peel them apart and you'll find a few big pieces. It won't take long to find enough for five kilograms."

Zhou Yiding took the dog over and said, "My sister-in-law said to let Wangcai and Laifu smell the truffles, so that they can help find them in the future."

Zhou Huaijun scooped out a duck egg-sized piece and handed it to him, "This is a good idea. The dog's nose is the most sensitive. It can dig out things hidden underground!"

Zhou Yiding took a look and said, "It would be a shame to cut such a big one into pieces. Just cut a small piece and let them smell it."

"We have small ones." Zhou Huaijun dug in the soil for a few times and dug out two pieces smaller than a five-cent coin and handed them over. "It doesn't matter what size, as long as they are fully cooked, they all smell like stinky feet."

Raw truffles, despite their odd smell, taste a bit like raw peanuts.

Others say it tastes like garlic, rotten eggs, and a complex mushroom aroma. In short, truffles have an incomprehensible taste for people here.

Zhou Yiding took out a dagger and peeled off the outer skin. The smell of the stinky feet became stronger. He wrinkled his nose, cut it open and fed it to Wangcai and Lai Fu. The dogs chewed it a few times and swallowed it.

Seeing the dogs eat it, he patted their heads and said, "Eat a few more pieces. Remember the taste and look for it carefully in the forest."

Over there, Zhou Huaishan also found the nest he had dug before. He pulled away the pine needles and laughed, "Come and see, there are more truffles in my nest."

Zhou Huairong put the shaved truffles into the basket and said without raising his head: "I don't have time to look at you. I don't even have time to pick them up."

Zhou Huaijun echoed, "That's right, just dig your own piece with peace of mind, and be careful not to break it."

Zhou Huaishan scooped out the truffles that had popped out and put them in the bamboo basket. "Not bad, I scooped out a few big ones."

Zhou Yiding fed the dog a few pieces of wood, and seeing that several people were digging busy, he put his gun on his backpack and started searching too.

(End of this chapter)