Chapter 66: We Have No Lack of Meat
Feng Lan taught them how to carefully pry up the entire matsutake mushroom with a wooden stick to avoid damaging the mycelium. The family split up and soon, all five small backpacks were filled to the brim.
Looking at these silver ingots, Feng Lan finally felt relieved.
Just as she was about to take her daughters down the mountain, her eyes were attracted by a patch of vines not far away.
She was very familiar with the leaves of that plant.
She walked over and dug the ground with a small hoe. After digging only half a foot deep, a thick, white tuber was revealed.
"Pueraria root?" Feng Lan was surprised and happy.
This is a great thing! In the past, there was a severe drought, and even the grass roots and tree barks were eaten up. It was this kudzu root that saved countless lives.
It not only fills the stomach, but also clears away heat and detoxifies. When ground into powder, it can be a life-saving food that can be stored for a long time.
She had never imagined that there was such a large field of wild kudzu root hidden next to the matsutake forest. This was truly a pleasant surprise sent by heaven.
She didn't say anything, but just silently noted the location.
It's not the time to touch this thing yet. When a natural disaster strikes, this kudzu field will be the foundation of their family's livelihood.
The mother and her friends returned with a full load, and Chen Kangbo was surprised and delighted to see the large baskets of matsutake mushrooms. The couple discussed it and decided that the next morning, Chen Kangbo would drive the rented ox cart, carrying Feng Lan and two large baskets of the best matsutake mushrooms, straight to the county town.
Instead of going to the usual market, they went directly to the largest and most magnificent restaurant in the county town - Zuixianlou.
The shopkeeper was a shrewd fat man. At first, when he saw the two farmers in simple clothes, he was a little indifferent.
But when Feng Lan untied the cloth on the basket, the overbearing and unique fragrance instantly filled the entire front hall, and the fat shopkeeper's eyes suddenly widened.
He picked one up, put it under his nose and smelled it, then looked at the appearance carefully. The contempt on his face instantly turned into a flattering smile.
"Oh my! Sir, this is top-grade matsutake! The appearance and fragrance are absolutely amazing! I wonder how much you plan to sell it for?"
Feng Lan didn't say anything, just looked at him.
Chen Kangbo was a straightforward person and was about to name a price, but Feng Lan pinched him lightly from behind and he swallowed his words back.
When the fat shopkeeper saw this, he understood clearly that he had met someone who knew the business.
He rubbed his hands and tentatively quoted a price: "How about fifty coins per pound?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Lan bent down without saying a word and was about to put the cloth back on.
"Hey, hey, hey! Sir, don't be so impatient!" The fat shopkeeper hurriedly stopped her with a smile on his face. "The price is negotiable, it's negotiable! Just tell me, just name a number!"
Feng Lan then spoke slowly, her voice low but every word clear: "Three hundred coins a pound. One coin less, and we'll leave immediately. The shopkeeper knows how valuable this thing is better than I do."
"In the entire county, apart from your Zuixianlou, I'm afraid there aren't many restaurants that can buy this batch of goods. Of course, we can also go to a few more restaurants to ask."
Three hundred coins a pound! The fat shopkeeper took a deep breath. This woman, looking at Wen Jing, was really cruel. But he also knew that the other party was telling the truth.
Even if it were sold in the capital, even if it cost 500 wen, let alone 300 wen, people would still be vying for a matsutake mushroom of this quality. If he missed out, Zuixianlou's signature dish would be gone this autumn.
"Okay! Three hundred coins is three hundred coins!" The fat shopkeeper gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.
Two large baskets of matsutake mushrooms, weighing more than 80 kilograms.
When the heavy twenty taels of silver were handed to Feng Lan, Chen Kangbo's hands were shaking with excitement. He had never seen so much money in his entire life.
With the money in their pockets, the couple felt at ease. They went to the cloth shop and the grocery store and bought everything they needed to open a shop.
Back in the village, the Dongyuan family was busy preparing for the upcoming opening of their shop. Their lives were prosperous and full of hope.
But the west courtyard, separated by a wall, was a completely different scene.
With Chen Kangzhong and Chen Kangji imprisoned, the family lost its pillars, and the work in the fields naturally fell to the remaining second son, Chen Kangyou, and the honest fifth son. Old Chen would supervise the work in the fields every day, leaning on his cane and cursing, but the harvest was clearly not as good as that in the East Courtyard.
Especially after the well in the east yard was dug, Chen Kangbo drew water to irrigate the crops every day. His family's crops did not wilt under the scorching heat of autumn, but instead grew green and flourished.
The people in the west courtyard looked on with envy and felt even more resentful.
On this day, the fields in the west courtyard also had a good harvest.
Qian and Liu's families got some food from somewhere, saying it was to help them.
Old Mrs. Chen immediately started to tremble and felt her back stiffen again.
In order to show off and also to disgust the East Courtyard, the old lady took charge and asked Qian and Liu to use the harvested grain to steam a large pot of white flour buns and stew a large pot of meat.
The fragrance deliberately drifted towards the east courtyard.
Qian Shi even ran to the wall of the two courtyards with a bowl of steaming braised pork in her hand, and shouted at Feng Lan, who was drying her embroidery thread in the yard, in a sarcastic tone:
"Oh, sister-in-law, are you busy? Our family has a good harvest this year, thanks to my parents. We can't even finish the food. So, I stewed a pot of meat. Can you give me a bowl to try?"
She said she would give it to him, but she didn't move an inch. She even held the bowl of meat high up, afraid that others would not see it.
Feng Lan didn't even bother to raise her head. She replied calmly, "I appreciate it. We don't lack meat at home. You guys, on the other hand, should save some. It doesn't look like it's going to rain."
"What do you mean? Are you cursing our family?" Qian's face changed.
Feng Lan was too lazy to pay attention to her.
On the other hand, Wu Ya, a little girl with a big heart, poked her head out of the house and said to Qian Shi in a baby voice, "Third Aunt, my mother said that grain should be stored in the warehouse, not eaten to show off."
"My teacher taught me. It's called...what was it called?" She tilted her head and thought for a long time, then clapped her hands, "Oh, I remember! It's called the prodigal son!"
"You! You little bastard! Who are you scolding?"
Qian was so angry that her face turned green and she pointed at Wu Ya and started to scold her.
Feng Lan stood up and glanced at her coldly.
That look reminded Qian of Chen Kangbo's deadly carrying pole. She swallowed back the rest of her words and could only carry the meat away in shame.
But she didn't see that when Feng Lan turned around and looked at the scorching sun in the sky, a trace of deep worry flashed in her eyes.
The storm is brewing. This day, I'm afraid, is really going to change.
Feng Lan's premonition soon came true.
As the days go by, the sun in the sky hangs high in the sky like a tireless fireball.
Not even a cloud could be seen, let alone rain. The earth was so dry that it had cracked into palm-wide gapes, like the gaping mouth of the earth in its extreme thirst.
At first, the villagers didn't take it seriously.
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