Chapter 48 48 Malus

Zhou Huaian and his three brothers also pulled straw stools and sat down around the small dining table. Zhou's father also poured out half a pound of sorghum wine, and each of them drank a cup and washed it down with lazy cicadas.

Zhou Huaian slurped up a mouthful, took a small sip, and ate a few lazy cicadas in succession, "Lazy cicadas are really good with wine! The sorghum wine brewed by the old man is also comfortable to drink. The wine that Yiding bought from the agency that day was definitely diluted with water, and the taste is not good at all."

Father Zhou glanced at his wife and said, "Your mother makes good yeast. We will use all the sorghum we ordered this year to make wine after the autumn harvest. When the Polygonum multiflorum blooms, we will pick some to make yeast."

Zhou's mother's eyes curved into pea-shaped corners when she was praised. "The water pepper we use to make koji is harvested from the fields behind the mountain. Many people harvest the ones by the ditches. I think the koji made from the water pepper harvested from the mountains is better than the ones harvested from the ditches."

"Mom, if you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten that Polygonum multiflorum is also a herb." Yang Chunyan paused, then smiled and said to Zhou's mother and Zhao Huifang, "Go pick some tomorrow when you are free."

The scientific name of Polygonum multiflorum is Polygonum hydropiper.

It has a very distinctive appearance, with white hairs on its round stems, which are usually purple-red in color, and tastes very spicy.

The leaves of Polygonum aviculare are pointed and shaped like sea pepper leaves, and the leaves are alternate. After picking a few Polygonum aviculare leaves and rubbing them apart, there is a strong spicy smell, and the juice sticks to your hands and is also hot.

In summer, Polygonum multiflorum will bloom small light pink or rose-red flowers, and the shape of the flower spikes is a bit like foxtail grass.

It also has another name, Buddleija affine. Crush the seeds of the Buddleija affine and pour the juice into the ditch. The small fish, shrimps, loaches and eels in the ditch will be anesthetized and float to the surface.

The Polygonum multiflorum flowers used for making koji should be from dry land, as the koji made from dry land is better than that from ditches.

The white wine brewed with the koji made from Polygonum multiflorum flowers will not make you drunk, and you will not feel thirsty even if you drink too much.

The fermented glutinous rice and rice wine brewed with it are sweeter and taste better than those brewed with other yeasts.

Polygonum multiflorum is also a Chinese herbal medicine, which contains glycosides and tannins. It has the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain, detoxifying and reducing swelling, killing insects and relieving itching.

"Polygonum multiflorum is also a herb?" Zhou's mother and Zhao Huifang looked at Yang Chunyan in surprise.

Zhou Huaian looked at them proudly, "That's nothing. She even said the mountain whip on the edge of the field is a herb!"

Zhou's mother and others looked at Yang Chunyan.

"Yes, the mountain whip is also a herb, and so are the money grass, mugwort, mint, sedge, and white grass root... These are also herbs."

Li Qiuyue looked at her with sparkling eyes. "Imperata root is also a herb! When I was a kid, I would dig up some Imperata root and chew it when I was thirsty. It's sweet and very thirst-quenching."

"The time for digging Imperata root is spring and autumn, and it's past the time for digging now."

"We can't dig up Imperata roots, but there are plenty of old mugwort." Zhao Huifang rubbed her hands excitedly, "These herbs are everywhere. Tomorrow, after we finish watering the beans, we will go cut mugwort and Polygonum multiflorum."

Yang Chunyan: "Cut more and try to earn back the money you spent on the hoe."

Zhou Huairong patted Zhou Huaian on the shoulder and said, "Youngest, just go dig herbs and sell them. We'll take care of the wood chopping, mud pounding and kiln firing."

Even if I don't go to dig herbs, it's your job to chop trees and step on the mud!

Zhou Huaian swallowed the words back, "Don't worry, brother, I am most serious about making money."

Thinking of the next month, he felt as if he were being pawed by a cat.

Not only does his wife not let him touch him, but he also has to dig herbs peacefully.

What kind of man is as strong as him? If he gets too strong, what will she do?

Zhou Huaijun suddenly remembered something and looked at his father and said, "Old man, you haven't told me where you plan to choose the foundation?"

"I plan to choose our family's private plot of land. Only by choosing that as the homestead can you four brothers build houses in a row. What do you think?"

Zhou Huaijun felt that although the place was a little remote, it was spacious and he didn't have to squeeze with others.

"That position is fine. Does the brigade secretary agree?"

"I brought beef to Secretary Xu's house with your eldest brother last time and mentioned it to him. He said that it was the wasteland our family had reclaimed and our private plot was also there. If we wanted to choose that as our homestead, he had no objection."

After saying this, Father Zhou looked at Zhou Huaian, Zhou Huaishan, and Yang Chunyan's sisters-in-law, "What about you? What do the third and youngest think?"

Yang Chunyan lived there in her previous life. She thought it was great. She looked at Zhao Huifang and the other two and nodded together, saying, "We have no objection!"

Zhou Huaian and Zhou Huaishan also nodded, "It's better to be spacious. We have no objection."

Father Zhou: "Okay, then it's settled. After we get the wood down the mountain, I'll go find the team leader and get the housing site approved."

Mother Zhou looked at Zhou Huaishan with satisfaction, then looked at the others. She suddenly felt that the prosperous days of the second branch were coming. She nodded happily and said, "Go dig herbs and sell them. I will take care of the kids at home and help you pick herbs when I have time."

Father Zhou took a sip of wine, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were glued together with joy. Looking at the smiling faces of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, he thought that as long as the family was harmonious, he would be happy no matter how hard or tired he was.

Zhou Huaian looked at this scene and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and said to Yang Chunyan: "Yan'er, pour me some water. I want to take a bath."

"Pa~" Zhou's mother slapped him on the arm, "Don't you know where to go? What are you going to do with your healthy hands and feet?"

After Zhou Huaian received a slap in the face, he felt relieved, thinking that this was his mother. He touched his arm, changed into a vest and shorts, and came out to take a shower.

In those days, no family had a special place for bathing. When the weather got hot, the four brothers would fetch water from the well and take a shower in the gutter beside the wall in the backyard.

"Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to go up the mountain." Father Zhou said and finished the wine in the glass.

Zhou's mother hurriedly got up and gave him a hot bath.

Zhou Huairong and others also went to take a shower.

Yang Chunyan and a few others cleaned up the small dining table and straw stools and went back to their rooms.

Zhou Huaian fetched a bucket of well water and poured it over his head. He grabbed some oily skin and rubbed it on his head for a few times, then rubbed his body for a few times. He picked up the water that Zhou Huaishan had placed aside and poured it over his head.

After Zhou Huaishan washed his hair, he turned around and found that the bucket was empty. "Hey, where is the water in my bucket?"

"Third brother, I've used it, you use eldest brother's!" Zhou Huaian waved his hand and ran away in his slippers.

After brushing her teeth, Yang Chunyan looked up and saw Zhou Huaian, who was soaking wet. "You are all wet, why don't you wipe it off?"

Zhou Huaian hurriedly ran into the house, "Wait a minute, while my brothers are in the backyard, I'll go to the toilet first."

Li Qiuyue burst out laughing after hearing this, "The youngest is too playful, and timid, he insisted on squatting in a big pit at night!"

"He's used to it." Yang Chunyan suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to ask him why he was so timid.

Zhou Huaian ran out with a flashlight in his hand.

(End of this chapter)