Chapter 71 Pueraria
Seeing the crowd getting a little restless, Feng Lan's expression turned cold. She knew that gratitude is often followed by hatred.
Human nature is the most vulnerable to test.
She was about to speak when Chen Kangbo pulled her behind him, walked forward, and kicked the rice bag at Chen Erlaizi's feet.
"You think it's too little?" Chen Kangbo's voice was icy cold. "Then don't take it! Give the rice back!"
Chen Erlaizi was startled and quickly hugged the rice bag.
Chen Kangbo looked around at everyone, and his voice spread throughout the room:
"My grain, Chen Kangbo, wasn't blown down by the wind! It was earned with the blood and sweat of my entire family! I'm willing to share it out of kindness, not duty! If anyone feels it's unfair, that I'm giving too little, fine, I'll take your share back! I'd rather feed it to a dog than give it to you ungrateful wolves!"
His words were so harsh and forceful that they instantly calmed the situation.
Those who were whispering just now all shrank their necks and dared not say another word.
Chen Erlaizi also ran away dejectedly with the rice bag in his arms.
The storm subsided, but Feng Lan felt even heavier as she watched the villagers leave. Distributing food wasn't a long-term solution. There was no telling how long this drought would last. Even if there was plenty of food, it would eventually run out.
At night, she told Chen Kangbo about her concerns, and finally, she made up her mind.
"Kang Bo, tell the village head about that kudzu field. That's the foundation for the survival of the entire village."
Chen Kangbo was silent for a long time and finally nodded.
The next day, Chen Kangbo took the village head, Chen Dequan, to a secluded valley in the back mountains. Seeing the kudzu vines growing all over the mountain, he was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He held Chen Kangbo's hand and was speechless for a long time.
When the news spread back to the village, everyone went crazy.
The village head immediately organized all the young and strong laborers in the village, and marched into the back mountain with hoes and baskets.
For a moment, the silent forest was filled with the clanging sounds of digging and people's excited cheers.
The people in the west courtyard naturally heard the news as well.
Their family had long been out of food and were starving. When they heard there was food, they didn't care about their dignity and followed with their shaky feet.
Seeing everyone else digging enthusiastically, Chen Kangzhong, the second son of Chen Laoer, was so hungry that his eyes turned green. He took advantage of no one noticing and secretly dug out a piece of fat kudzu root from the soil. Without even wiping off the dirt, he couldn't wait to stuff it into his mouth and took a big bite.
The kudzu root had an earthy smell and was hard and astringent, not tasty at all.
But he was so hungry that he swallowed it down in big mouthfuls.
However, before he could swallow the second mouthful, a sharp cramping pain suddenly erupted from his abdomen. His vision went dark, and he fell straight down, with white foam pouring out of his mouth.
"Ah! Someone's dead!" A villager nearby screamed.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around in horror.
Old man Chen and old lady Chen rushed to the front. When they saw their son lying on the ground with foam at the mouth, they were stunned at first. Then, old man Chen suddenly raised his head and pointed his trembling finger at Feng Lan who was not far away.
"Murder!" He used all his strength and let out a roar like a cuckoo crying blood.
"Feng Lan! You vicious woman! You're going to use this poison to kill our entire family! Kill everyone in the village!"
Old man Chen's shrill roar was like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing the fire of hope that had just ignited in everyone's hearts.
The villagers looked at Chen Kangzhong, who was foaming at the mouth and twitching all over, on the ground. Then they looked at the mountain of kudzu root. The joy on their faces was instantly replaced by fear and suspicion.
"Oh my god! This thing is really poisonous!"
"I told you, it's impossible to have such a good thing, with food everywhere..."
"It's over, it's over. Aren't we all poisoned?"
Panic, like a plague, spread rapidly among the crowd.
Old Mrs. Chen threw herself on her son, crying and cursing Feng Lan with the most vicious words.
"You black-hearted jinx! What have we done to you that you're so ruthless! First you cut off our water supply, and now you're using poison to kill our entire family! You're doomed to die!"
Faced with this sudden change and public criticism, Feng Lan didn't panic at all. She just glanced coldly at Old Lady Chen, who was throwing a tantrum on the ground, then quickly walked over to Chen Kangzhong and squatted down to check.
After just one glance, she knew what was going on.
She stood up and her eyes swept calmly over the panicked faces. Her voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone.
"Everyone, don't panic! His life is not in danger. He just ate raw kudzu root and got poisoned."
"What?" Village head Chen Dequan squeezed forward, his face full of anxiety. "Feng Lan's family, what's going on? Can we eat this kudzu root?"
"Yes!" Feng Lan replied firmly. "Kuzu root is our life-saving food, but like many beans, it cannot be eaten raw! It is slightly toxic and can cause abdominal pain and vomiting. As long as it is handled properly, it is the best food in the world!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Old Man Chen pointed at her, shaking with anger. "You just want to trick us into eating this poison so you can keep this mountain all to yourself!"
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you can see for yourself."
Feng Lan didn't bother to waste time talking to him and turned directly to her husband and daughter. "Kang Bo, go to the mountain stream and fetch a few buckets of the clearest water! Daya, Erya, bring us the stone mortar and mallet we brought from home!"
Chen Kangbo and his daughters took immediate action.
The villagers gathered in a big circle with doubts, watching Feng Lan and her family get busy.
Feng Lan first instructed her daughters to rinse the dug kudzu roots repeatedly in the clear stream water to wash away all the mud and sand, revealing the white roots.
Then, Chen Kangbo used a large wooden mallet to crush the washed kudzu roots piece by piece in a stone mortar until they became piles of white residue.
"Everyone, watch carefully. This next step is the most critical." Feng Lan said loudly.
She asked Daya to get a clean coarse cloth, spread it on a large wooden basin, then pour the crushed kudzu root residue on the cloth, and then Chen Kangbo poured clean water on it one bucket at a time.
The milky white liquid flowed slowly through the cracks in the cloth into the wooden basin below. This process repeated several times until the water became clear and only a pile of odorless white residue remained on the cloth.
"This dregs can't be wasted. Dry it up and mix it with some wild vegetables, and it can be used as a meal."
Feng Lan explained carefully.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the wooden basin filled with milky white liquid.
Feng Lan asked everyone to wait patiently. After about half an hour, she carefully poured out the clear water on the top of the wooden basin. A thick layer of snow-white and fine powder had settled in the basin.
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