"kelp?"
Song Chengxin, the tenth brother who is closest to Wen Shishi, asked.
The two men and the fisherwomen around them looked at each other in bewilderment.
Even after living at sea for so many years, I had never heard of this name.
Wen Shishi nodded her little head and looked at her older brother.
Seeing his elder brother nod, he said with relief, "Kelp is a large brown algae that grows in cold seawater."
It is brown in color, turning dark brown after drying, and is flat and ribbon-like.
Rich in iodine, polysaccharides, and active ingredients, it has high nutritional, medicinal, and health-promoting value and can prevent and treat iodine deficiency-related diseases...
The men and fisherwomen were completely baffled by this flowery language.
The eldest brother, Song Chenghou, understood and relayed the message to them with a smile, "My sister has a good memory; she once read a book and remembers what was written there..."
Several fisherwomen immediately recognized the little girl; she was the one they had rescued from the beach the day before...
They were taken in by these convicts from the Great Yin Dynasty.
The man and the fisherwomen nodded, and then Song Chenghou continued, "The book says that this kind of kelp is not only edible, but also good for your health and can prevent diseases..."
Regarding iodine, Lao Liu Song Chengfeng had heard some rumors, so he asked Wen Shishi, "Shishi, is there any record in the books of what the symptoms of iodine deficiency are?"
Wen Shishi thought for a moment and then said, "It's not written in the book, but I remember my grandfather telling me that many people used to get goiter because of iodine deficiency..."
Song Chengfeng understood. He had heard from his master during their travels that in some parts of the Great Yin Dynasty, the local people suffered from goiter due to a deficiency of a certain component...
If Wen Shishi is right, and kelp can indeed prevent and treat goiter, it would benefit the local community.
According to the man, kelp has existed for many years, but people have limited knowledge of it and are unaware of its benefits, which is why it has been wasted for so many years without being used...
The Song brothers pondered: the sea was indeed fraught with risks, but it also offered the most precious and abundant rewards...
As long as one is familiar with the patterns and understands the inevitable risks, seafood can not only provide for one's own needs but also benefit other people...
"but......"
At this moment, one of the men spoke up, "We've fished up this seaweed before..."
No matter how I cook it, it won't soften, and I can't even chew it...
Song Chenghou understood that it was because the seafood was inconvenient to eat, and there were many other edible seafood options in the sea...
Or perhaps the fishermen still had doubts about the unknown seaweed and ultimately abandoned it.
So Song Chenghou turned to Wen Shishi and emphasized, "Shishi, does the book say how seaweed can be eaten?"
Wen Shishi thought for a moment and then said, "It can be used in soups, stir-fries, or even cold dishes..."
Song Chenghou then asked in a low voice, "Has Shishi ever eaten seaweed? Is it hard to chew?"
Wen Shishi nodded, and because her older brother had lowered his voice, she also answered softly, "I've eaten it. It's very soft and delicious."
"Does Shishi know how to cook seaweed to make it soft?"
Wen Shishi thought for a moment, and realized that Grandpa had praised the cook because he loved seaweed soup...
The aunt proudly said that she had soaked it for a long time and stewed it in a pressure cooker for an extended period of time...
But Wen Shishi turned her head and looked around, knowing there definitely wasn't a pressure cooker here...
Then, thinking back carefully, I remembered that my aunt had once mentioned steaming the kelp for a while before making the soup...
He then told his elder brother about this detail.
Song Chenghou taught the men and fisherwomen how to steam kelp first and then stew it...
The men and fisherwomen suddenly realized what was happening, and their eyes showed approval as they looked at Wen Shishi.
Xiao Bao's mother exclaimed, "This girl is really amazing, she knows so much!"
So young, yet already able to remember so many words from books!
Unlike my little one, who's older than her and all she does all day is play in the mud and ask for food!
Although Xiao Bao's mother spoke with disdain, her gaze towards Xiao Bao was full of affection.
The fisherwomen laughed heartily, and everyone joined in.
"Yes! She's so young, I've never seen a smarter child!"
"You're right! Look at what they just said; even we can't utter that many words smoothly..."
"I think he's a child prodigy!"
"Exactly! If it weren't for her, who would have known that seaweed could be eaten? And eaten like this!"
"Thanks to the little girl, even when we go beachcombing normally, we can only catch fish, shrimp, and shellfish..."
Now that we know seaweed is edible and even good for our health...
There's a lot of kelp in the sea, and it grows quickly, so we'll have another food source to fill our stomachs...
That's truly a great achievement!
The third, eighth, and ninth siblings, carefree and oblivious, were even happier to hear everyone praising their younger sister than to receive praise themselves...
The eldest brother, Song Chenghou, and the second brother, Song Chengjian, exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking.
A fisherwoman nearby exclaimed, "Who would have thought that the little girl who was soaking in the water yesterday would be of such great help to us today..."
"Absolutely! He's truly our lucky star!"
"If only I had known..."
Before he could finish speaking, Song Chenghou seemingly unintentionally interrupted him, "Thank you all again for saving my life. I dare not take up too much of your time..."
Since the book reveals how to eat it, why don't we pick some now and take them home so everyone can try it out?
Just now, Song Chenghou looked back and saw that the most intense part of the tide had passed...
It still looks fierce now, but the waves aren't as high anymore.
The seaweed that had just bound Lao Shi's feet, cut with sickles by the men, was now floating on the surface after being washed by the waves...
They floated dozens of meters away, but looking around, it was already quite a spectacular sight, the sheer number of them was astonishing...
The Song brothers were shocked again; the seaweed that had just bound their tenth brother was such a large piece! No wonder he hadn't been able to break free...
If it weren't for the help of the men and fisherwomen, they probably wouldn't have been able to save them...
It only requires two finely ground razor clam shells.
Following Song Chenghou's words, the men and women looked towards the sea, their eyes filled with surprise and delight...
Even though I'm used to seeing seaweed, I've never seen such a large area before.
If it's not retrieved soon, it might be swept away by the waves and drift to some unknown place.
What are we waiting for?
The children had already gotten up, and the fisherwomen who could swim were not to be outdone.
The second and fourth brothers joined them, and the group plunged into the azure sea, swimming towards the kelp colony...
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