Although she was the one who discovered the yams, Qin San Niang originally intended to ensure that everyone had enough to eat. Besides, although not all the refugees in this group were kind-hearted, there were also women and children. She wanted to help them whenever possible!
The village head turned around and told everyone to quickly grab their tools, as every household had hoes and such.
Ironware was expensive, and no family fleeing from disaster would leave it behind.
"Uncle Village Head, is what that woman said true?"
"This is wonderful! My little one is about to faint from hunger."
"Hey, what are you asking? Didn't you see they've already gone over there? Hurry up and go dig!"
Knowing there was food, everyone instantly perked up! Their previous dejection vanished. Even five- or six-year-old children ran over to join the army digging for yams; they never wanted to experience hunger again.
Da Wa was a little anxious, so he quickly ran back to where his grandmother was and told Liu Shi, Wu Shi, and Pang Ya that his mother had found something edible.
Liu and the others had already seen the crowd swarming over, and after hearing what their eldest grandson said, what were they waiting for? They should hurry over and dig! Wu Chunhua also really wanted to go, but there were two young women at home, so Liu arranged for her to look after the children and pack her things. She had planned to go down the mountain today anyway.
As for Gu Qingshan, upon hearing that there was food, he went over as well. At this time, nothing was more important than food!
Seeing the yams that Qin San Niang dug up, each as thick as a child's arm, everyone was secretly amazed. They never expected that the roots of these vines would be so robust. Just one root would be enough to feed their whole family for one meal. Seeing this large patch of yam vines, they were overjoyed.
Think of all those yams underneath! That's all grain!
Before long, Qin San Niang had dug up a basketful of yams, which was quite heavy.
Fatty and Liu were both capable, not to mention Gu Qingshan. The baskets beside the three of them were already full, and even the eldest child had scooped out nearly half a basket.
Most of the villagers in Lujia Village kept a distance from them, on the orders of the village head. They had only learned that the creature was edible from the woman, and even if they were to dig it up, they wanted to leave some for their benefactor. Many of the women looked up and met Qin Sanniang's gaze, nodding and smiling in gratitude.
On the road, anyone who could spare a piece of vegetable pancake was a benefactor, let alone someone like Qin San Niang, who could provide enough food for their entire family!
Speaking of which, this place is quite particular, and Qin San Niang was quite satisfied.
But as the saying goes, "Every forest has its share of all kinds of birds," and some people have started to question whether this thing is edible. Since no one has ever eaten it before, what if it's poisonous?!
Liu's anger flared up instantly. Her eldest daughter was so willing to tell them such a secret; if her family had dug it up themselves, wouldn't they have been able to eat for more than half a month?!
"You gossipy old woman, if you don't believe me, then don't dig! Did someone force you? My eldest daughter's good intentions have been taken for granted by you. What kind of person are you?! Look at your lazy face, after all this time you haven't dug as much as a child. I don't even need to think to know you're a lazy bum! Humph, if you say another word of nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Who is Liu? She's a well-known ferrywoman in the surrounding villages, respected by everyone. Although her social status isn't particularly high, no family can do without her! Her husband died young, and her only son joined the army. If she didn't have some ability, how could she be so influential in the village?
She didn't lash out before because she was only dealing with her grandchildren, not because she had a good temper. Now someone has walked right into her trap and deserves to be scolded!
The eldest child glared angrily at the gossiping woman, thinking that his mother shouldn't have told them!
The woman wanted to retort, but as a widow, she usually relied on the village's bachelors to do chores for her. Right now, all the men were busy grabbing their own grain, so who had time for her? That's why she couldn't help but mutter a few words, but she never expected to stir up a hornet's nest.
When Lu Lizheng heard the commotion, his head almost throbbed. That wretched woman, Zhao Di'er's mother, had caused no end of trouble along the way, and now she was making trouble for him again. She was a real troublemaker.
The thought that he would have to put down his work to manage this matter made him furious.
"Zhao Juhua, let me tell you, if you dare to cause any more trouble, get out of Lujia Village!" A loud, rough female voice rang out. When Lu Lizheng saw that it was his own wife, he thought, "That's fine, wife to wife. Anyway, I can't just yell at a widow. These are the words I wanted to say."
The old woman's scolding was well done!
"Auntie, don't be angry, don't take it to heart!" Lu Lizheng's wife, surnamed Chen, turned to Liu Shi and Qin Sanniang and said with a smile.
Hearing what the other party said, Liu nodded and said nothing more. Every village has such scoundrels, she knew that! She just glared at Zhao Juhua again.
Zhao Juhua was extremely annoyed. She only wanted to upset someone. As for whether the food was edible or not, she naturally hoped it was. Who wants to go hungry? This can only be attributed to someone who is just naturally sarcastic.
She glanced furtively in the direction of Qin San Niang, her peach blossom eyes filled with jealousy. Why did this woman look so neat and beautiful when they were both fleeing famine? Her clothes were also made of brand-new linen, and her padded jacket looked very warm. She wondered what it was made of! It didn't seem to be filled with cattail fluff, and it didn't look bulky at all.
Ignoring the woman's gaze, Qin San Niang did not miss the ruthlessness in the corner of her eyes. However, she decided not to move unless the woman moved. Besides, she was just a widow, and she really didn't take her seriously.
"Grandma, how do you eat this?" a woman carrying a baby asked Liu. She was not far from Liu, who had just helped her secure the baby to her back.
Qin San Niang quickly chimed in to avoid embarrassing her mother, something Liu Shi was unaware of.
"There are many ways to eat this yam. You can wash off the dirt and steam or boil it directly. It will taste soft, sweet and glutinous. If you can't start a fire, you can also eat it raw. Just be careful not to get the sap on your hands when peeling it, as it can cause itching. In addition to these, you can also slice it and stir-fry it. You can also make sugar-fried yam with sugar frosting, which kids love."
The child behind the woman, with wide, bright eyes, practically drooled when he heard that this stuff was soft, sweet, and could be made into candy. He picked up a small stick and started shaving even more energetically. They only had two hoes; his father and mother needed them.
"This is wonderful! Can my little boy eat this?" the woman asked as she dug.
Seeing that the baby in the swaddling clothes was only a little over a year old and hadn't grown all his teeth yet, Qin San Niang figured he couldn't eat too much coarse food. As for breast milk? Looking at the woman's thin and frail appearance, and knowing that she herself was almost starving, she quickly nodded to indicate that the baby could eat it too.
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