The mountain breeze, carrying the fragrance of grass and earth, dispelled the stench brought by Gou Yurong.
On the sunny side of the hillside, clusters of tender green dandelions and wild garlic peek out, dotting the green grass.
In high spirits, Li Xiaocao squatted down and deftly used a small shovel to pry up a dandelion with thick leaves, roots and all. She shook off the soil from the roots and threw it into a willow basket.
"Mingzhao, look, dig like this! Pick the ones with tender green leaves that haven't flowered yet. The roots are edible too, and you can dry them and steep them in water to make a cooling drink!"
Li Xiaocao patiently demonstrated.
Mingzhao followed her example and squatted down as well.
She didn't rush to take action, but instead carefully observed the unfamiliar plant in front of her.
With serrated leaves, clear veins, and thick rhizomes covered in soil, this plant is classified as an "undomesticated native edible herb" in the Alliance database. Exploration teams will travel to undeveloped planets to retrieve various plant specimens, and if they are confirmed to be edible, they will be entered into the Alliance database.
There are only people here, practically aliens. If she finds a way to build a spaceship, she'll definitely bring an Alliance exploration team here to take a look.
The people here seem to have a great understanding of all kinds of herbs. Bringing them all back would surely contribute to the alliance.
She stretched out her slender white fingers and gently touched the leaf, feeling its cool, rough texture.
Then, she picked up the spare shovel that Li Xiaocao had given her. Her movements were a little clumsy, but she imitated Li Xiaocao's movements with extreme precision: she used her wrist to push the shovel diagonally into the root system, and with a flick of her wrist, the whole dandelion was pried out intact, its roots still covered in moist soil.
"Yes! That's it!" Li Xiaocao praised with delight, "Mingzhao, you learn so fast!"
I'd always seen Mingzhao love reading, and sure enough, her brain is different; she learns things so quickly.
Mingzhao looked at the plant in her hand, which smelled of fresh soil, and then at the increasing amount of fruit in Li Xiaocao's basket.
A strange sense of satisfaction, similar to that of successful research and development, welled up inside me.
She could even roughly analyze the plant's water content and approximate nutrient composition. This seemed to offer a different kind of enjoyment compared to reading the dry textbook "Principles of Mechanics"?
She began to seriously search for her next target.
Before long, Mingzhao's basket was also covered with a layer of lush green wild vegetables. The warm sun shone on his back, and the mountain breeze carried the faint fragrance of unknown wildflowers from afar.
As Li Xiaocao dug, she chattered on and on about which wild vegetables were best for cold salads, which were suitable for fillings, and which could be dried and used as medicinal herbs. Mingzhao listened quietly, nodding occasionally, making sure to memorize everything.
Tired from digging, the two found a flat, large rock to sit and rest. Li Xiaocao took out the military water bottle she had brought and poured some water for Mingzhao to soothe her throat. Mingzhao's gaze fell on the fresh, dewy dandelion leaves in her basket.
While the alliance's nutritional supplements are highly effective, they have a monotonous flavor.
The sight of these all-natural green vegetables, rich in plant fiber and unknown active substances, stirred a strong impulse in her.
So, while Li Xiaocao was drinking water, Mingzhao naturally picked up the tenderest dandelion leaf, put it directly into his mouth without washing it!
"Oh my god! This won't do!"
Li Xiaocao caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye and was so startled she almost threw the kettle away!
With lightning speed, she grabbed Mingzhao's wrist, her voice cracking, "Mingzhao! You can't eat this raw! It's dirty! And bitter! You have to wash it! You have to cook it!"
Mingzhao paused, looking at the innocent green leaf in his hand: "Dirty? Soil, containing minerals. Bitterness, probably from certain alkaloids. Cooked? High-temperature processing will destroy some active enzymes and vitamin C..."
She subconsciously began to analyze the situation carefully.
Li Xiaocao was completely baffled. She didn't understand what alkalis or enzymes were, but she knew this girl was getting stuck on a tangent again!
She was both amused and exasperated, and quickly snatched the leaf from Mingzhao's hand: "Grandpa! We don't care what precious stuff it contains! Eating it raw will give you diarrhea! It's bitter and astringent! It's awful! It has to be cooked and washed clean! Understand?"
Looking at Li Xiaocao's anxious and helpless face, and then at the wild vegetables that had been taken away, Mingzhao seemed to understand that eating them raw in this era and environment was against safe operating procedures.
She nodded with some regret: "...I understand. It can't be eaten raw. It needs to be processed."
Li Xiaocao breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away her cold sweat, and looked at Mingzhao's regretful little expression, and couldn't help but want to laugh again.
A sudden inspiration struck her, and she slapped her thigh:
"Alright! Mingzhao, you've learned how to cook the stove, and you've even dug up the wild vegetables. All that's left is the last step: cooking it! How about..."
Li Xiaocao's eyes sparkled with encouragement and anticipation. "Tonight, I'll teach you how to cook this wild vegetable. I guarantee it will be delicious! Not bitter at all!"
Mingzhao tilted his head slightly, seemingly weighing the suggestion.
After the morning's events, Mingzhao had already realized that cooking was an extremely complicated process. She had many other things to do and certainly wouldn't waste time cooking all the time doing it herself.
But seeing the pure kindness and joy of sharing in Li Xiaocao's eyes, as well as the successful experience of making the hollow fire earlier, Mingzhao felt that learning more wouldn't be a bad thing. In the future, the household robot she created could be programmed to make more different kinds of dishes, instead of just porridge.
"Okay." Mingzhao nodded again, agreeing simply, "I'll learn to cook from you."
"Hey! That's right!" Li Xiaocao beamed with joy, even happier than if she had learned it herself. "Leave it to me! I'll make sure you learn it! Let's dig up a lot first, and tonight I'll teach you how to make cold dandelion salad, and then I'll make some wild vegetable filling pancakes. They'll be delicious!"
With a clear learning goal, Mingzhao seemed even more enthusiastic about digging for wild vegetables, and his movements became more nimble and precise.
Li Xiaocao watched her carefully selecting, shoveling, and shaking off the soil, the golden light of the setting sun casting a warm glow on her profile. Her usually expressionless face revealed a unique liveliness in her focus.
How wonderful! Li Xiaocao thought warmly to herself.
Those people are all wrong. Mingzhao isn't stupid; she just... learns things differently from others! She's like a sponge, absorbing everything instantly! Teaching her to cook and seeing her eat a hot meal you've made would give her a sense of accomplishment that's better than digging a basket of wild vegetables!
Mingzhao's life skills tree from the 1970s is quietly sprouting and growing under the guidance of his simple and honest mentor, Li Xiaocao.
The two returned to the family compound, only to hear someone muttering there.
"Oh dear, Aunt Wang, look at these people! They rely on their husbands' abilities, but they themselves are lazy and ignorant about farming. They can't even start a fire, yet they drag others up the mountain to dig wild vegetables to save face! Tsk tsk, poor little grass girl, she's treated like a maid all day long!"
She didn't dare to name names directly, but everyone knew who she was talking about. The women immediately stopped what they were doing, their gazes sweeping over Mingzhao and Li Xiaocao with complicated expressions.
Li Xiaocao's anger flared up instantly! She was about to retort when she saw Mingzhao stop walking.
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