When Ruan Meng took off her gloves, the second and third brothers finally realized what was happening.
The second brother held down his sister's hand, allowing her to take off only one arm, while he and the third brother took off both arms.
After rinsing it in seawater, it was handed to the Song and Fan families.
They were amazed when they saw gloves for the first time.
Upon learning that it was made by the second son, Ruan Yi explained that it was made according to his younger sister's request, which pleased both families.
When the two families inquired about the tasks that could be done, Ruan Qian asked Ruan Meng to assign them.
Ruan Meng asked the men to dig for oysters and asked her second brother to help carry spring water.
Several sisters-in-law from the Song and Fan families helped shuck the oysters and clean the oyster meat.
After cutting the chili peppers into rings, Ruan Meng washed the Sichuan peppercorns and spread them out to dry on a winnowing basket.
Ruan Meng went back to the house and asked her sister-in-law to cook the remaining millet so they could eat it together at noon.
She can buy some more when she goes to town tomorrow.
Without the slightest hesitation, the sister-in-law immediately began rinsing the rice.
Ruan Meng planned to go up the mountain to dig some wild vegetables; otherwise, with so many people helping out, there wouldn't be enough to eat for lunch—just cooked rice and seafood.
One person carried two bamboo baskets on his back, and took a hoe and a shovel as he went up the mountain.
This trip was very rewarding.
Wild onions!
Ruan Meng exclaimed with delight, pointing to the wild onions and telling her third brother to dig them up.
Ruan Meng walked forward and found shepherd's purse, but she was a little disappointed because she didn't have any flour at home.
Otherwise, how delicious would it be to make some shepherd's purse dumplings or pan-fried dumplings?
The two working together like this are much more efficient than digging together.
When the third brother finished digging up shepherd's purse, Ruan Meng also discovered dandelions and bracken.
Dig it up!
A patch of plantain, motherwort, and mugwort comes into view.
In Ruan Meng’s basket, there were plantain and motherwort, which can be used as medicine. Ruan Zheng put mugwort into the bamboo basket and found that both bamboo baskets could be completely full!
As Ruan was preparing to descend the mountain and empty the weeds, Ruan Meng reminded him, "Have one person from each of the two families come up to borrow baskets or buckets. Be quick!"
Ruan Meng still needs to go down the mountain to make oyster sauce!
However, Ruan Zheng brought Song Ke'er and Sister-in-law Fan up instead.
Worried that Ruan Meng would find it offensive, Song Ke'er strode forward with her bamboo basket on her back and explained, "My brother is digging for oysters and his clothes are all wet. I'll stay on the shore so we can get back faster."
"I'll try my best not to fall behind and not hold you back!"
Although her voice was gentle, she spoke quite frankly.
Ms. Wen, the eldest sister-in-law of the Fan family, also explained, "When they got to the beach, I called out twice, but they didn't hear me. I was afraid of delaying you, so I came here."
Ruan Meng explained truthfully, "I am a woman myself, and it's not that I think you're a burden, it's just that you don't know..."
“The first time we went up the mountain, we encountered a big snake, which scared my second brother half to death. There are many poisonous insects and snakes on the mountain, so I never let him go up the mountain again.”
"You're all fine up here, but you must be careful—look up, look left, look right, and look down. Stay close to us!"
The two nodded quickly and followed closely behind Ruan Meng.
Ruan Meng squatted down next to a patch of wild vegetables and explained to the two of them, "There are many treasures on the mountain, including medicinal herbs, wild vegetables, and many poisonous plants."
“If you are not familiar with it, you must not eat it lightly. In the future, when I am not busy, you can come with me if I go up the mountain to collect herbs or wild vegetables.”
"Or you can go up the mountain and gather them yourself, and let me take a look..."
"In short, never put anything in your mouth before you are familiar with it, and be aware of any dangers."
Song Ke'er and Sister-in-law Fan looked at each other, their eyes filled with gratitude.
Indeed, they've been feeling nauseous from eating seafood lately.
"This is wild amaranth. It has a natural fragrance, is very nutritious, and is very suitable for the elderly and children."
Ruan Meng plucked two handfuls herself and threw them into her third brother's bamboo basket. The rest, she let Song Ke'er and Sister-in-law Fan dig up.
They found another patch of mugwort, but Ruan Meng didn't touch it and told Song Ke'er and Sister-in-law Fan to dig it up and take it back.
The two looked up, somewhat embarrassed, "Your house is near the sea, isn't it more humid? And has more insects and ants?"
Ruan Meng smiled and pointed at her third brother, saying, "We've already dug some up, enough for us. These are for you."
Ruan Meng then realized that Song Ke'er was faster and more efficient than she had imagined. Upon hearing this, she stopped dawdling, dug up half of the mugwort, and with Ruan Zheng's help, tied it into a haystack and put it into her basket.
Ruan Meng's eyes lit up when her gaze fell on something not far away.
Konjac!
Wild mint!
There are surprises everywhere!
She dug up the konjac herself, put it in the basket, and picked some wild mint, asking Song Ke'er and Sister-in-law Fan to pick some mint leaves to take back as well.
She explained, "What I just threw into the basket is called konjac, which is poisonous."
"Through special methods, it can be made into delicious food, but if you are not careful, it is easy to get poisoned. So, I didn't give it to you."
Song Ke'er and Sister-in-law Fan quickly waved their hands, "Miss Ruan has already helped us so much by picking so many wild vegetables!"
“You don’t need to explain to us that you could have harvested much more if it weren’t for us.”
Looking at the two of them, Ruan Meng felt even more relieved.
Their willingness to help today and their commitment to supporting us are what make them worthy of our help.
The four of them went down the mountain. Ruan Meng asked Song Ke'er and Sister-in-law Fan to take the wild vegetables back first. When she returned to the front of the house, she found that the cleaned oyster meat had been piled up into a small mountain.
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