Zhao Xing'er looked puzzled and asked curiously, "What's wrong, Yi Mian? What do you want to see your aunt?"
Jiang Yimian handed over several packets of medicine concealed by a honeycomb and said calmly, "Boil three bowls of water to make one bowl of medicine. Drink one packet three times, twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. We'll see how things go after you finish these doses."
She had already weighed the medicine in her spatial storage, but hadn't taken it out until today. If she hadn't seen Zhao Xing'er, she probably would have forgotten about it, and she didn't know when she would remember it again, so she might as well give it to her now.
Zhao Xing'er was taken aback, then her face lit up with joy. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she took the medicine, thanked them, and quickly took it into the house. When others asked, she only said that she was feeling unwell and had gotten some medicine from Jiang Yimian.
The others didn't pay much attention and left.
*
Without the giant wasps, the lotus pond became the children's favorite spot again, firstly because it was cool there, and secondly because all sorts of wild grasses grew quickly by the water.
They played around that area every day, and would pick some chicken grass and rabbit grass to take back with them.
Jiang Yimian also followed Old Man Liu out of the small depression on a wooden raft today, which was quite rare.
She went to check how the crops were growing in the fields and to see if there was a shortcut from the fields to the small depression.
The giant wasp reminded her that if a similar situation were to occur again, they couldn't just sit and wait to die; finding a shortcut would be good for everyone.
The raft quickly docked at the shore. Before the two even reached the terraced fields, Jiang Yimian could see from afar that the green rice seedlings in the terraced fields had already sprouted ears of grain, looking as if they had blossomed.
Jiang Yimian was delighted and quickly ran over.
The rice seedlings that were originally at the calves have now grown to above the knees, and the green seedlings have sprouted ears with tiny, dense flowers.
It won't be long before these rice plants are ready for harvest.
Old Liu looked pleased with himself. "Oh my, my efforts haven't been in vain. Look, every seedling has sprouted ears. This year's harvest should be good."
It was truly worth it for him to spend all his time draining water from the ditches in the fields.
Jiang Yimian nodded repeatedly, inspected all the crops in the fields, and then left with her basket on her back.
Old Liu knew she was looking for a way, so he told her to be careful before clearing weeds from the ridge of the field.
Jiang Yimian descended the terraced fields, followed the ridges, crossed the ditches, and ascended the gentle slope.
The woods on the gentle slope still bear many traces of fire, but new weeds have already grown.
Some tree trunks have also sprouted new buds and grown new branches and leaves.
Jiang Yimian made marks along the way, and after working for almost two hours, she finally found a path.
The road was hidden in a place overgrown with weeds, and she only roughly cleared it. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar little hill in the distance.
Although this road is farther than the lotus pond, it is much shorter than the road she took at the beginning. It will take about an hour to get there. Including the journey from the cave to the small depression, it will only take an hour and a half, which is acceptable.
Unsure how long she would need the supplies, she brought along some bread and a water pouch today. She wasn't in a hurry to go back, so after a quick meal, she wandered around the nearby woods, hoping to find some medicinal herbs or wild vegetables.
This turn of events actually led her to discover quite a few good things.
Not far away, a patch of purplish-red leaves stood out conspicuously against the backdrop of green.
It's perilla.
Perilla, also known as red perilla or mountain perilla, has the effects of regulating qi and harmonizing the blood. It can be used to treat colds, coughs, chest tightness, stagnation of qi in the spleen and stomach, and vomiting. (Source: Internet)
Jiang Yimian was delighted and quickly ran over with her basket on her back.
The purplish-red leaves intertwine, showing no signs of flowering or fruiting yet; it is the perfect time to eat perilla leaves.
Perilla can be used in medicine and also eaten as a vegetable.
Whether eaten raw, in a cold salad, or in a hot pot, it's delicious, with the unique pungent flavor of perilla leaves.
Jiang Yimian really liked the flavor and planned to take it back to use as a condiment, so she picked a lot of tender leaves before stopping.
Just as I was about to leave, I saw wood ear fungus crawling all over the ground not far away.
The green leaves were hidden among the weeds and were inconspicuous, but Jiang Yimian still recognized them at a glance.
Malabar spinach, also known as wood ear vegetable or tofu vegetable, has a delicate and fragrant flavor.
Moreover, the entire Malabar spinach plant can be used medicinally, having the effects of lubricating the intestines, clearing heat, and promoting urination and defecation.
The flowers and stems of Malabar spinach have blood-purifying and detoxifying properties, and can be used to treat smallpox. When applied externally, they can treat carbuncles and cracked nipples. (Source: Internet)
Jiang Yimian used a sickle to cut quite a lot, until she had filled her basket to the brim before she stopped.
When she returned to the edge of the field, Old Liu was sitting under the shade of a tree, using a long branch to scare away the sparrows that flew in.
With the scarecrow in place, there are far fewer sparrows by the field, but some bolder sparrows still venture into the field to test the waters. But as soon as they see the waving branch, they all run away in fright.
Old Liu immediately snorted. How dare a tiny sparrow eat his rice? Dream on!
Jiang Yimian found it amusing and walked to the shade of a tree to ask, "Grandpa, are you going back now?"
Old Liu glanced at the sun, thought for a while, and then shook his head and said, "No, if I go back now, I'll have to come out to release water again soon. I might as well wait here and chase away those little sparrows."
Jiang Yimian nodded and didn't say anything more. She just wandered around the edge of the paddy field, originally wanting to check how the rice seedlings were growing, but she found snails in the paddy field.
She picked one up casually, examined it, and after confirming that they were all edible, she called out to Old Man Liu, "Grandpa, let's pick some snails to take home and eat."
The meat of river snails is tender, smooth, and chewy, and it is especially fragrant when stir-fried.
She used to eat there whenever she had free time, but this was the first time she had seen it since she had been living there for almost half a year.
Old Liu paused, standing beside Jiang Yimian, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.
He had never seen or knew that the wild vegetables and other things Yi Mian picked were edible, but he did know about the snails in front of him. He had even eaten them before, but they were full of mud and sand and it was hard to get any meat from them.
Seeing the other party hesitate, Jiang Yimian assumed that the other party did not know that they could eat them, and explained with a smile, "Grandpa, these snails are very delicious. Let's pick some to take back and add to everyone's meal."
Her family eats meat often, but the Chen and Liu families probably can't. They used to have wild rabbits and pheasants they could find in the woods, but they've probably run out of those now. The two families can't bear to eat the baby rabbits they're born with, and they only kill and eat them when everyone gets together.
We have these snails now, so we can take them back for the kids to have a treat and taste some meat.
Seeing that Jiang Yimian was not joking, Old Liu hesitated for a moment before saying truthfully, "Yimian, I've eaten this stuff before. It doesn't taste good, and there's a lot of mud and sand in it. You shouldn't pick it up anymore; you won't be able to eat it even if you take it back."
Many villagers took the food back and cooked it, but ended up throwing it all away, wasting a lot of oil and salt.
Jiang Yimian paused, smiled helplessly, and didn't explain further, only saying, "Too many snails will affect the growth of rice seedlings. Are you sure you don't want to pick them, Grandpa?"
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