Ye Nuan turned his head to look in the direction of Feng Dazhui. He covered his arms and looked up in horror. In front of him was a cactus as tall as a person.
The stem is shaped like a pear, covered with thick thorns, and the top is full of purple-red thorny fruits.
This is the prickly pear cactus: it has tender stems, is green and juicy, and is fragrant and edible after the thorns are removed. The fruit on it is also sweet and sour and delicious. Growing it here is definitely a lifesaver!
Joy flashed in Ye Nuan's eyes. Such a big plant, if dragged back and stored, would definitely last for ten days.
Feng Dazhu had never seen this thing before. He stepped back, covering his arm and saying in fear, "Girl, this thing pricks you."
"Where did you get the piercing?" Ye Nuan walked down cautiously.
Feng Dazhu saw that she was concerned about him, his eyes flickered and he said embarrassedly: "I pricked my arm, but it's okay, I have thick skin."
Ye Nuan was worried and suggested to him, "Go back and ask someone to check if there are any thorns on your arm. If there are, remove them."
Feng Dazhu nodded.
Ye Nuan circled the prickly pear cactus twice, then tiptoed to pick the prickly pear fruit at the top. There were too many thorns, so she didn't dare get too close, and her movements seemed a bit clumsy.
"What are you doing, girl?" Feng Dazhu was confused.
Ye Nuan then remembered that there was a tall man beside her. It was also her fault that she was too independent in her previous life and did everything by herself, so she forgot about such a laborer.
She tied her outer garment into a knot, holding the freshly picked sea buckthorn berries. She tilted her head and said, "Both the berries and the rhizomes are edible. Pick all the berries from the top, then smash the bottoms with stones. We'll drag these back before dark."
Can this ugly thing covered with thorns be eaten?
Feng Dazhu looked incredulous!
Fortunately, he was not a talkative person and did whatever Ye Nuan asked him to do. There were more than fifty sea buckthorn fruits. Ye Nuan gave him half, but he refused to agree and only took a dozen.
"This thing was discovered by the girl. Besides, there are two people in my family and three in yours, so you should get more." He said it as a matter of course, and he was rare to be honest and kind.
Ye Nuan didn't refuse and simply tore off a piece of her robe, wrapped the sea buckthorn fruit and stuffed it into her arms. Feng Dazhu was stunned when he saw her action, and then realized that she was worried that someone else would get jealous and snatch it away.
He also imitated her and hid the thing in his arms. When the two of them returned, pulling the cactus as tall as a person, it was already completely dark.
A fire had been lit under the red rocks, and even in front of Su.
Seeing them coming back with the green spikes, the others were all confused. Someone even sneered in public: "Aren't you going to find water? What the hell is this thing?" It was that skinny guy again.
Ye Nuan didn't bother to pay attention to him and dragged the prickly pear towards the fire in her house. Su stood up to take it, "A Nuan, what is this?"
She explained, “This is edible.”
Su looked at the sharp thorn and thought: Where should I bite this thing?
The thin man sneered again: "Are you starving? How can you eat something that looks like a thorn?"
Ye Nuan chuckled and asked Su to sit by the fire. She deftly plucked a piece of tender stem, picked up a nearby branch used to stir the fire, and placed it over the fire, roasting it on both sides until the protruding thorns on the leaf were completely roasted. Then she took it off and handed it to Su. She roasted two more pieces, handed one to Ye Xiaohu, who was already looking at her eagerly, and took the other in her hand, taking a smack.
The uniquely mild, sweet taste of the sea buckthorn spread in her mouth. It was crispy, soft, and slightly sticky, a bit like okra. The transparent threads broke between her lips and teeth, and the juice burst out, sliding down her throat, instantly soothing the heat in her heart.
Everyone swallowed silently.
When the fragrance spread, Ye Xiaohu couldn't help but take a bite.
He had never eaten this thing before, and the unique taste made his eyes widen and he looked at his sister with wide eyes.
It is crispy and smooth, even smoother than the tofu pudding I have eaten before, and it is especially thirst-quenching.
He has a small face and small hands. He holds the big tender stem and nibbles it with a grunt. He looks so cute and tempting that one wonders: Is this thing really that delicious?
Su also took a bite. She had tasted many delicious foods, but at this moment, she felt that this thing was really to her liking. It was sweet and cool, better than steamed buns.
The family was gnawing on the big, tender green leaves. The old woman beside them hurriedly urged, "Dazhu, what are you standing there for? Give me something to try."
Feng Dazhu came back to his senses and roasted two sea buckthorn cactus leaves according to the instructions. He then began to gnaw on them beside the fire.
More than a dozen pairs of eyes stared without blinking, swallowing their saliva continuously.
This thing is really edible and looks delicious!
After walking in the wilderness for so long, a few steamed buns were not enough to satisfy my hunger. Seeing them eating with relish, my stomach growled and my mouth started to drool like crazy.
I really want to try it!
After Ye Nuan finished eating a piece, someone came over hesitantly, raised their chin, and said flatteringly, "Girl, can you give me a piece of that thing?"
Everyone's eyes were glued to Ye Nuan's hands. She had thought about this when she came here: they had dragged back more than sixty sea buckthorn leaves. If she and Feng Dazhu each took ten, it would be fine to give them the rest.
The weather is hot, so we can’t store much.
If they are not given any food, people will be forced to rob when they are about to starve to death. There are many wild beasts in the wilderness, so it is indeed safer to have more people.
This thing still scores.
Besides, she also has sea buckthorn fruit.
She immediately smiled kindly at the man and said, "We brought so much here, and we originally planned to share some with you. But please take it yourselves." She and Feng Dazhu broke off a dozen pieces first, and then said, "Don't push. Those who want it can come one by one."
The first person got two pieces, and the second person came over immediately to break them. The skinny man who had sneered at Ye Nuan before swallowed his saliva several times. He was so hungry that he couldn't bear it, but he couldn't lose face for a while, and his green eyes flickered back and forth.
Seeing that the leaves were getting fewer and fewer, I couldn't help but move forward to pick them off. As soon as my hand touched the tender leaves of the cactus, I was pricked hard.
"What are you doing?" He looked at Ye Nuan while enduring the pain.
Ye Nuan said with a wry smile, "You stole my things before and haven't apologized yet, and now you have the nerve to come and take them?" Her attitude was very clear: I don't bully others, and others don't want to bully me.
The man's head was still wrapped in a dirty cloth, his mouth was dry and cracked, and his narrowed eyes were full of dissatisfaction: "Everyone else has it, why are you making it difficult for me? It's not good to show favoritism."
The tone is quite righteous.
The others stared at this side while roasting what they had in their hands.
Ye Nuan sneered, imitating his previous behavior: "No one else stole my things, but you are the only one who is greedy? Besides, I'm not your mother and I have to take care of your stomach."
There were faint sneers from the crowd, but even so, the growling of his extremely hungry stomach could not be covered up.
"So what do you want?" The man clenched his hands at his sides.
"It's simple, just apologize!" Ye Nuan said without allowing any objection.
The dark pupils stared at him coldly, with a look that showed that he would not give up until he achieved his goal.
"Yeah, apologize!"
"You stole the girl's things and mocked her repeatedly. You should apologize."
"Apologize...it's not too much for the girl to ask."
"Apologize!"
The others began to join in while eating the fragrant tender stems of the sea buckthorn.
The man still wanted to struggle: "You smashed my head!"
Ye Nuan just said: "The prickly pear is mine!"
"There's still a long way to go."
"The sea buckthorn is mine!" Her eyes were stubborn. If she didn't apologize, she wouldn't be able to eat the thorns.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken your things." The man was defeated, hunched over, his features wrinkled. "You are my aunt, please be kind and forgive me this time."
Ye Nuan sneered: "I don't have a grandson as wicked as you." Then he turned his eyes away.
Losing chastity was a small matter, but starving to death was a big matter. The skinny man didn't care about much else, just raised his hand, took two tender leaves and left.
The fire crackled, and this must have been the most filling and best meal anyone had eaten in the wilderness. The wilderness night was more stunning than anywhere else, vast and empty, with sparse stars hanging in the dark blue sky, their brightness reaching deep into one's heart.
The North Star is the brightest one.
Ye Nuan continued to follow the main group holding a torch, while Su followed beside her holding Ye Xiaohu. The night wind blew the wild grass, and the low howl of the lone wolf pierced the long night in the wilderness.
They entered a long grassy field.
Everyone tensed up, looking around. The rustling sound was particularly noticeable in the night. A pair of faint green lights flashed in the weeds.
"There's a wolf." Someone shouted in fear, accidentally falling to the ground.
Su subconsciously stood in front of Ye Nuan, and the green light in the darkness came towards them.
Ye Nuan's legs were weak, and she could barely hold the torch. The starving wolves in the wilderness were the most formidable, and they were probably barely enough to fill their teeth.
The crowd quickly gathered together and there were cries.
Ye Nuan quickly glanced around, but there was nowhere to hide. She felt a little desperate. Being mauled to death by a wolf was not a good way to die.
The wolves formed a siege and slowly approached the crowd. Perhaps they were afraid of the torches in their hands and hesitated to move forward.
Staying still would only lead to death. Ye Nuan shouted to the front: "Don't be afraid, everyone. We have torches in our hands. Go towards Beichen Star and don't stop."
How could I not be afraid? I was almost scared to death.
The people in front held torches, hesitant to move. Ye Nuan didn't want to die here. She stepped forward, protecting Su Shi and Ye Xiaohu. Twenty or so people stared at her in amazement. She held the torch and walked forward, the flames illuminating the wolf pack. The leader was strong and fierce, its dark green eyes staring straight at Ye Nuan.
Ye Nuan walked forward, but it stood still, its shiny fur ruffling in the wind, as if it was ready to attack at any moment.
The thin man shouted in panic: "Hurry up and light up these weeds. Wolves are afraid of fire!"
Everyone panicked and tried to light a fire. Ye Nuan was anxious and stopped them, saying, "Don't light it! Once the fire starts, we will all burn to death." The wind was strong in the wilderness, and the grass was dry and sparse. Before the wolf was burned to death, they would roast it into a suckling pig.
"Then what should I do? This doesn't work, that doesn't work. Am I just going to die?"
Ye Nuan thought for a moment and said, "Those with torches should surround those without torches. If you don't want to die, move forward."
That's all we can do.
However, just as Ye Nuan took a step, the leading wolf suddenly pounced towards her and knocked her down.
Everyone was horrified and retreated in fear. Su Shi, terrified, put Ye Xiaohu down and tried to pick up a rock to hit the wolf.
"Wait!" Ye Nuan, who was knocked down, suddenly spoke.
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