After returning to the brigade, Bai Guoguo and He Gang consulted the elderly people in the village who did not work and collected some useful information.
The people who know the local customs best are the locals who were born and raised there.
It's just something that is commonplace and insignificant, and people don't think it's anything rare.
But if these things are packaged and stored in a different place, they become rare wild delicacies.
"Girl, can we really sell the wild vegetables and wood ears that are everywhere here?"
Under the big willow tree, an old lady who looked to be in her 70s asked in disbelief.
In fact, this grandmother is only in her early 60s, and her age only appears older because of the long and hard working period.
Bai Guoguo answered while writing down useful things in a small notebook:
"Grandma, of course we can sell them. Just because we have them here doesn't mean they're available elsewhere. For example, people in the city can't pick such good wild vegetables and mushrooms. They really crave them."
She and He Gang divided the work. He Gang introduced Bai Guoguo to the elderly people, and then went to the village to find a few smart young people to collect information from the surrounding communes.
"So, is that we in the countryside also have better things than those in the city?" The old lady was still a little bit unbelievable.
"Of course our countryside is better than the city. Firewood is free here, wild vegetables are free, and soon the mushrooms from the mountains will be free too. We can even set traps and catch some wild game occasionally.
Although life in the city is good, everything costs money. They can't grow their own food like we do. The vegetables in the supply and marketing cooperatives and the non-staple foods in the grocery stores are also limited. Often, even if you have money, you can't buy supplies. Each has its own advantages, right? "
Bai Guoguo explained with a smile that living in the countryside a few decades later would indeed be more comfortable than living in the city and suitable for retirement.
Bai Guoguo's words made the grandmothers and aunties sitting at the village entrance laugh so hard that they couldn't stop.
They thought carefully about what the young educated youth said and realized that there were indeed some places in the countryside that were better than the city. At least they didn't have to spend money to eat vegetables in the village.
"You're such a nice girl, you don't look down on us country folk. What else do you want to know? Just ask! We'll definitely tell you everything."
Bai Guoguo was excited when she heard this: "Grandma, do you know whose pickles are the best? Who makes the most fragrant soybean paste? Who makes the best dried vegetables?"
An old lady named Liu slapped her thigh and said, "You're right to ask us about this."
"The best pickles are made by the Lao Jin family in a small team. Lao Jin's wife is Korean, and their pickles are really delicious. It's a pity that the seasoning is too expensive, so they don't make much."
The grandmother who spoke first also agreed: "Old Jin's wife is really good with her hands, and his two daughters are also very capable. Last year, they helped their mother pickle kimchi. The red and green ones are so tempting just by looking at them."
As he spoke, he smacked his lips, as if savoring the taste.
Bai Guoguo laughed and asked, "Really? I'd love to see it for myself if I get a chance!"
Bai Guoguo and a few elderly people sat under the big willow tree for more than an hour.
I actually collected some useful information.
A Korean lady in Team One is particularly good at making kimchi, and the lady Liu who just spoke is particularly good at stir-frying dried food.
The dried vegetables made by Goudan’s grandmother from Team 2 are particularly good, with bright colors and easy to preserve.
An old lady named Gao is particularly good at weaving things. No matter whether she uses sorghum stalks, reed stalks, willow twigs or bamboo, she can weave them into all kinds of baskets. I heard that she can even weave them into the shapes of small animals.
The best at making soybean paste is Aunt Li from Team 3. Not only does she make delicious soybean paste, she can also make fried soybean paste.
I heard that every year during the Chinese New Year, her family makes fried meat sauce that can make most of the children in the village cry with envy.
Several elderly people also introduced some special products from the forest.
After a while, there will be a large number of mushrooms, including wood ear mushrooms and Hericium erinaceus. If you are lucky, you can also find Ganoderma lucidum.
During this period, there are a lot of wild leeks popping up in the fields. They are delicious when used to make cold dishes, soups, and fried eggs.
There is also a large bamboo forest in the southern part of the mountain, with many bamboo shoots and mushrooms.
There are even more things to eat in the forest in autumn, including red pine nuts, Northeast hazelnuts, wild walnuts, and perilla seeds.
These are delicious, nutritious nuts that are sold at very high prices decades later.
However, due to inconvenient transportation, it is difficult to see these things in other places.
The people here are very hardworking. Every household will stock up some mountain products for the winter and eat them until the beginning of next spring, and then continue to pick wild vegetables in the mountains.
After saying goodbye to grandma and the aunts, Bai Guoguo returned to his own little house.
She has been so busy these days that she almost forgot about her strawberry seeds.
Fortunately, there is enough space, which can keep the seeds fresh without affecting their growth. The seeds have now sprouted.
Guoguo happily carried the basket on his back and went up the mountain to collect a large basket of humus soil.
Take out the wooden frame made by Uncle Zhao's apprentice, cover it with soil, and carefully sprinkle the sprouted seeds into the frame.
I also covered it with some pine needles to prevent the seeds from being washed away when watering.
Water the little sprouts and leave the rest to time.
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