Chapter 35 Harvesting (Part 1): Chestnuts, Bird Soup, Campfire
The mountain slope is not steep, and the first part of the mountain road is relatively easy to walk.
George led the way, with Lamb and Neil behind him, and Rye bringing up the rear.
The four walked along the main road for more than an hour before finally spotting a few scattered chestnuts along the way.
"This is it, we're almost there!"
"George said excitedly, quickening his pace. He led them through a maze of turns into a nearby grove of trees."
After passing through the weeds, a grove of chestnut trees finally appeared before them. The ground was covered with a layer of chestnuts, some green and some yellow.
Most chestnuts sold in the market have already been peeled. In fact, chestnuts are covered with a layer of burr. The burr has fine, needle-like thorns, so be careful not to prick your hands when picking chestnuts.
"I knew it was here! When my uncle brought me here before, there weren't nearly as many chestnuts as we see here now!"
"Hey, you're really something! I'll treat you to something delicious when we get back!"
Lamb put his arm around George's shoulder and praised him, and George smiled sheepishly.
Ray whittled four pairs of sticks and distributed them to the others. It was best not to touch them directly without gloves.
"Use this tongs to pick them up, choose the fresh ones, and don't take those with unclean outer skins, as they are prone to getting infested with insects if they stay on the ground for too long. I'll walk around the area to check if there are any dangers."
"good."
The three answered in unison.
"Did you bring your weapons?"
"Here I am."
Lamb drew the short knife tucked into his waistband, and Ray turned his gaze to George.
"I brought it with me."
George also took out a very sharp axe.
Neil's weapon was personally attached to his waist by Ray, so there was no need to check it.
"Be mindful of your surroundings when picking chestnuts."
"knew."
Lai gave her many instructions before finally leaving.
"Let's pick up the green chestnuts on the ground first, back to back, and then pick the ones on the tree later."
George suggested, glancing questioningly at Lamb and Neil.
"good."
After agreeing on a plan, the three of them stood back to back and started picking up the sacks from three different directions.
Some of the chestnuts hadn't been on the ground long; the moisture at the broken stems hadn't completely evaporated and oxidized. Neil struggled to use a short stick to clamp them into the bag.
He failed the first time, but he persevered and succeeded after several attempts.
He kicked the yellow chestnut husk; the part of the chestnut touching the ground was already rotten, and ants were crawling all over it. Seeing this, even if there were any good ones left, Neil didn't plan to pick up the yellow-shelled ones.
The chestnuts were covered in sharp thorns. Lamb wasn't used to using a stick to pick things up, so he simply used his hands. As expected, he pricked his finger and obediently went back to using a stick.
Lei tried to patrol along the edge of the chestnut grove.
The chestnut trees on the outer edge weren't tall, and when passing by them, you'd often get your clothes or hair scratched by the small thorns on the chestnuts. Lai had to bend over and walk, trying to avoid them as much as possible.
The chestnut grove looked like it had a lot of trees, but it wasn't actually very big. It took Lai about ten minutes to walk to the other side. Further on, there were some ordinary trees.
Aside from wild birds, some small animals, and a family of Gulu beasts eating fallen chestnuts, Lai didn't find any other animals, let alone magical beasts. Having finished his search, he walked directly through the chestnut forest back to his starting point.
By this time, Neil and his two companions had each filled a bag with chestnuts, and there were still many more to come. But when Ray returned, they decided to pick the better ones from the tree first.
Rye and Lamb climbed the tree to pick chestnuts, while Neil and George gathered them from below. They filled four bags in just one afternoon.
It was getting late, and Lai and his group needed to hurry down the mountain and head back. But how to get the four bags back became another problem.
If you carry it back, the thorns will definitely prick someone badly.
Rye thought for a moment, then borrowed George's axe and chopped down two small trees, making them into carrying poles. He tied a bag of chestnuts to each end, and he, Lamb, and George took turns carrying them down the mountain.
By the time the four of them descended the mountain, it was past dinnertime. Fortunately, it was still dark and the sun had not yet set.
"They're back, they're back."
"I can't say what's going on."
Only when the few remaining members of the main force came out and saw a few people did they finally feel relieved.
Where did they go?
As the four passed by the tents of the main force, someone approached them and struck up a conversation.
The man looked longingly at the four bulging sacks that Lai and Lamb were carrying.
"There's a chestnut grove on the mountain. I picked chestnuts there this afternoon."
Lei answered with a smile.
"That forest to the south?"
Another person chimed in with a question.
"It's over there."
"Oh, okay, I see. The chestnuts over there are very soft and sweet, you can pick a lot to take home."
"Okay, I'll pick more tomorrow. Thank you for taking care of me, brothers."
"It's nothing, it's nothing. You should go back and eat, it's getting late."
Lai and his companions said goodbye to their older brothers and returned to their own tents.
"These two bags of chestnuts are quite heavy."
Lamb put down the bag and said, stretching his shoulders.
"Brother, hurry up and cook, I'll help you."
Are you hungry?
Ray looked at Lamb, and Lamb nodded vigorously.
Just then, Neil's stomach rumbled, and all three of them turned to look at him. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Brother, I think I'm hungry too."
"Okay, I'll go cook right away. You guys have some snacks to tide you over."
As Lei spoke, a smile curled at the corners of his lips.
He lit a campfire, washed his hands, and found the ingredients he had brought, with Lamb helping to watch the fire. George, on the other hand, took Neil into the woods to relieve himself.
Both wild birds were still in the basket, and the meat hadn't spoiled. Lai chopped them into large pieces, washed them, and blanched them; he planned to make soup with them that evening.
Making soup is faster than baking, and you can also add chestnuts and potatoes to it.
As soon as the lard hit the pan, its aroma immediately made Lamb and George sniff.
After heating the oil, add the seasonings and let them release their aroma. Then, add the meat. Once the meat is half-cooked, add cold water, cover the pot, and start cooking the meat.
Seeing that the chestnuts thrown into the fire were almost ready, Ray had Lamb pick them out. They used a thick wooden stick to crack open the shells, revealing the chestnuts inside.
Then I made a small slit in each chestnut, put them in water and scooped out the golden chestnut meat inside. After washing them, I threw them into the soup that was already bubbling.
It's best to add chestnuts to the soup first, as this allows their sweetness to infuse into the broth more easily.
After simmering for about half an hour, Lai added dried mushrooms and potato chunks. The aroma of the bird soup gradually filled the air, and the three hungry people secretly swallowed their saliva.
When the soup was almost ready, Lai heated up eight steamed buns on the pot, and each person ate two.
Once the bird soup was ready, Lai served everyone a full bowl of meat.
The four of them sat around the campfire and ate. No one spoke; they were all engrossed in gnawing on their meat.
After finishing a bowl, my hunger was finally relieved, and I slowed down my eating pace to savor the food.
To preserve the original flavor of the meat and the sweetness of the chestnuts, Lai only added salt and a little soy sauce, so the soup wasn't too strong in flavor.
Lai Yi prefers strong flavors, and the clear soup he made this time was surprisingly to his liking.
Neil, Lamb, and George were completely captivated by the soup.
"It smells so good!"
Lamb took a big bite of the bird leg, while George kept scooping up chestnuts with his spoon.
Neil had recently lost two teeth and had difficulty chewing meat, so he ate a chicken leg in pieces but didn't want to stop.
"Eat more, don't be shy, there's plenty of meat."
"Uh-huh."
Lamb replied without looking up.
After dinner, there was still some bird meat left in the pot. It wasn't so hot anymore, so it wouldn't spoil overnight. Lai put the bird meat away, intending to eat it again in the morning.
As darkness fell, Lamb added more firewood to the campfire to make it burn brighter.
The crackling of the firewood, accompanied by the chirping of birds, created a beautiful symphony. George sat by the campfire, playing an unknown tune on a blade of grass. According to Neil, the tune was called "Hymn to the Earth."
The sound of the grass blades being blown was somewhat high-pitched, but it couldn't change the beauty of the melody.
Lamb hummed the song along with the melody, and Neil listened quietly, resting his cheeks on his hands.
Only Lai was spoiling the mood by peeling chestnuts, occasionally throwing the shells into the campfire.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-07-08 22:11:50 and 2023-07-09 23:51:19!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: sikoso 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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