It looks like konjac.
Konjac, also known as konjac taro or devil's tongue, has many health benefits, including lowering blood sugar, blood lipids, and blood pressure, detoxifying, beautifying the skin, aiding weight loss, and stimulating appetite.
Jiang Yimian leaned closer to take a closer look, and only after confirming that she hadn't made a mistake did she take out a small shovel from her basket and start digging at the bottom of the konjac root.
A short while later, they dug out a small, brownish-red ball covered in mud.
Because the soil is not particularly fertile, the konjac balls are all quite small, barely the size of two of Jiang Yimian's palms.
She dug up a few more, and only left with a shovel when she realized her basket was too full.
These konjac balls are relatively easy to store. Even if you can't finish them all right now, you can dig up more and store them in the cellar. You can take them out and eat them again in winter. They are a great winter food.
This is the season when konjac is ripe, so we can dig up more now and enjoy it all year round.
Just thinking about the fragrant and spicy konjac dessert made Jiang Yimian's mouth water.
Having been here for more than half a year, she missed the taste of konjac juice terribly.
Just then, I heard the sound of birds flapping their wings and taking flight in the distance.
Mimi also let out a "woof" from the side, her eyes turning fierce.
Jiang Yimian hesitated for a moment, but still headed towards the outer edge of the mountain.
Even before getting close, you could hear a group of people arguing, seemingly about the wild vegetables they had dug up.
She peered through the gaps in the leaves and was startled.
There were about a dozen people not far away, including the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, and the emaciated young adults.
She was somewhat surprised; in just a few days, about twenty people had gathered on the mountain, whereas last time she had only seen two or three.
The couple from last time were right; the imperial court must be sending people back, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people on the mountain in just a few days.
Jiang Yimian frowned, glanced at those people, and then carefully left.
In a few days, the number of people gathering on the mountain will definitely increase, which is not a good sign.
They need to stay away from the low-lying areas less these days.
Jiang Yimian quickened her pace and soon returned to the small depression, where she told everyone about the situation outside.
Old Liu immediately frowned and said in disbelief, "Yimian, are you saying there are already more than twenty people on that hill?"
How come so many people have suddenly come to the mountain in just a few days? When there are too many people, accidents are bound to happen. They have worked so hard to achieve peace and quiet, and they absolutely cannot let these people ruin it.
Jiang Yimian nodded, and seeing the worry on everyone's faces, she continued, "I estimate there will be even more people in a few days. We should try to stay away from the small depression as much as possible, and even if we do go out, we must be extremely careful and not let those people know that the small depression exists."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Liu Dayong said, "Then I'll patrol outside for a while and come back to inform you immediately if anything unusual happens."
Just as Old Liu was about to nod, Gou Sheng, who was standing next to him, quickly raised his hand and said with a smile, "I'll go. I don't have much to do in the small depression on weekdays, so I can go out and keep an eye on those people."
He recently learned a few moves from Sister Yi Mian, but hasn't practiced with anyone yet. If he really encounters any bad guys, he'll definitely go up and show them off.
Old Liu glanced at him and said irritably, "Don't give me that. Don't think we don't know what you're up to. Don't think those refugees are easy to deal with. Just stay in the small depression and let Dayong go."
Liu Xiaoyun nodded in agreement, "Let Dayong go. Even if he's a man and encounters other refugees, they'll have to think twice."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the matter was settled. Except for Gou Sheng, who was full of dissatisfaction, no one else had any objections.
Gou Sheng wanted to continue trying, but he was first attracted by what was in Jiang Yimian's basket.
Several small, brownish-brown round balls were piled on top of the basket, still covered with some wet soil because they had just been dug out of the ground.
Gou Sheng reached out and took one, asking curiously, "Sister Yi Mian, what is this? Can I eat it?"
He had never seen her before and didn't know how Sister Yimian knew her.
Jiang Yimian nodded and explained, "This is konjac, it's edible. There's still a lot in the forest outside. We can dig up more in a few days. This stuff can be stored for a long time."
Gou Sheng immediately got excited upon hearing this, "Great! Then I'll go out and dig up more. Those wild yams from last time were delicious, I can go look for them again."
Wild yams are soft and sticky, and they make a wonderfully fragrant soup. If he didn't want to save some for winter, he would eat them every meal.
Jiang Yimian smiled and took out all the konjac balls. Just as she was about to tell everyone that she had also found a badger, she saw Old Man Liu staring at the konjac balls on the ground in shock.
“Yi Mian, you can’t eat this. I’m not lying to you, it’s poisonous.”
He had experienced it firsthand. After just one bite, his tongue and throat felt like they were on fire, itchy and painful. It took several days to recover, and it was very uncomfortable.
Liu Dayong stared at the somewhat familiar thing on the ground and immediately thought of the terrible state his father had suffered after mistakenly eating konjac. He felt the marks on his body from the beatings throbbing again.
He was still young then. He dug up a few konjac balls from the mountain and thought they were sweet potatoes. He washed them and gave them to Old Man Liu to eat. Who would have thought that his father would be in so much pain that his face turned red and his neck swelled up.
His mother was so anxious and angry that she almost beat him to death with a broom.
The thought of that scene sent a shiver down his spine.
From then on, he would avoid konjac whenever he saw it.
Liu Dayong coughed lightly before awkwardly saying, "Yimian, this stuff is inedible. You should throw it away quickly. My father was almost killed by this stuff back then."
He didn't want to get beaten up again.
Jiang Yimian was taken aback and was about to explain when she heard Old Man Liu curse loudly: "You unfilial son, how dare you mention it? I'm lucky to be alive now, I almost got killed by you, and you even know to use it to test poison for me."
He was so touched at the time, saying that his son had grown up and knew how to be filial to him. Bah! This is not filial piety, this is clearly poisoning.
Everyone quickly understood what had happened and burst into laughter.
Jiang Yimian almost applauded Liu Dayong. What filial piety! Truly filial! He's definitely a son who knows how to betray his father!
When the topic of what happened back then came up, Liu Dayong felt a little embarrassed. He touched his nose and changed the subject, saying, "Yimian, anyway, this stuff is not edible and shouldn't be fed to chickens. You'd better throw it away quickly, lest some children accidentally eat it."
Upon hearing this, Old Liu glared at Liu Dayong a few more times before looking away.
Jiang Yimian smiled and said, "Don't worry, konjac is no longer poisonous after it's cooked. It's delicious when it's cooked properly, and you can eat it as a main dish or as a snack."
The group hesitated for a moment, clearly not believing that this thing was edible.
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