Chapter 143 Howling
As the group sat in the living room eating watermelon, Xu Shouquan coughed lightly and looked at Qin Suisui: "Girl, come here for a moment, I have something to tell you."
Qin Suisui was stunned for a moment, but still obediently followed Xu Shouquan to the mango tree outside.
Xu Shouquan rummaged in his cloth bag and pulled out two bundles, one large and one small, wrapped in cloth. He then took out a letter and handed it to her: "Here, these are things your parents asked me to give you. Keep them safe and don't let anyone see them."
After saying that, he left Qin Suisui there and went into the vegetable garden to pick cucumbers and tomatoes. Even after all this time, he still couldn't forget this taste.
Qin Suisui eagerly opened the letter, and her eyes were immediately drawn to her mother's familiar handwriting, delicate yet with a strong character. The calligraphy practice books she had used when she was a child were all written by her mother herself.
In the letter, Mom described in great detail their work at the ginseng garden. Every day, they only needed to do odd jobs, help take care of the ginseng seedlings, and cook for the researchers. The work was much easier than cutting down trees before.
Because the ginseng in the ginseng garden is very precious, people are needed to keep watch at night. Xu Shouquan communicated directly with the brigade and transferred them to live in the ginseng garden. They worked during the day and kept watch at night. It sounded more hard, but in reality, they were no longer in the dirty and chaotic environment of the cowshed. Their living conditions were better, and they rested better at night.
In both the letter and the letter, her mother kept telling her that they were doing well, that she didn't need to worry, and that she should take good care of herself and live a good life with Pei Jiuyan.
At the end of the letter, Mom also specifically mentioned: "When your father and I have free time, we can pick wild vegetables and fruits on the hillsides around the ginseng garden. Your father was lucky enough to catch a pheasant once. Xu Shouquan didn't say anything when he found out, but just told us to eat it secretly at night."
"By the way, honey, the big bag contains blueberries that your dad and I picked in the mountains recently. The wild blueberries here are so delicious, sweet and sour! But they're not easy to preserve, so we made them into dried blueberries. Please ask Xu Shouquan to help us bring them to you."
"I heard that summers on Qiongtan Island are very hot. I hope my baby won't make the same mistake as in previous years. If you really don't want to eat, eat a few dried blueberries to whet your appetite. Health is the foundation of everything. Take care of yourself and wait for your parents to come and pick you up."
"By the way, the small packet of tea leaves was picked by your father with Xu Shouquan's students. The locals say it's tea, and what's it called... well, anyway... just give it to Ayan."
"By the time you read this letter, the Mid-Autumn Festival should have already passed, and my darling will be 19 years old. This is the first birthday you'll be spending away from your parents. Although it's a few days late, your parents still wish you a happy birthday, and may you have peace and joy!"
After reading the letter, Qin Suisui was already in tears. Remembering that there were still guests in the room, she quickly wiped away her tears.
She tossed the cloth bag in her hand. The larger bag must be the dried blueberries her mother had mentioned. It looked to weigh more than two pounds. She opened it and sure enough, it was dried blueberries! Each one was clean and pure blackish-purple, without even a trace of insect damage. Her parents must have carefully selected them.
More than two pounds of dried blueberries. I wonder how many my parents had to pick to dry them all.
Thinking of this, Qin Suisui couldn't help but tear up again. She gently picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, the sweet and sour taste instantly filling her mouth.
She opened the package with the strangely named "Awooojiao" again, picked up a stalk and looked at it. It was long and thin, and a little curled. It didn't smell special. Her mother said it was tea, but it looked like some kind of herb.
To be honest, although she had some knowledge of herbs, China is a vast country with diverse resources, and each region has its own unique herbs. Apart from the famous ones, there are many lesser-known ones that have just as remarkable effects.
Qin Suisui really didn't know what this "Ao Ao Jiao" was. She turned to Xu Shouquan, who was stealing tomatoes in the vegetable garden, and asked, "Uncle Xu, what is this 'Ao Ao Jiao'?"
Xu Shouquan choked on a mouthful of tomato juice with a "pfft," coughing for a long time until his old face turned red. He glanced at what Qin Suisui was holding, then quickly turned away, his tone very unpleasant:
"Why ask so many questions! Your dad told you to give it to your husband, right? Then just give it to him! Anyway, it's good for men! Don't ask any more questions!"
Qin Suisui looked at him strangely. Why was he angry again? He looked like a doormat!
But she didn't ask any more questions. In any case, her father wouldn't harm Pei Jiuyan, so she would make it for him tonight!
Around 3 p.m., the sun was much lower than before, so Qin Suisui led Xu Shouquan and his group to the village's medicinal herb garden.
At that time, the land reclamation and composting work in the brigade was in full swing. As soon as you entered the brigade, you could faintly smell the smell of farmyard manure in the air. Combined with the hot weather, the stench lingered and spread in the air.
Cai Chen covered his nose, his face full of disgust: "Sister, why does your brigade stink so much! Did someone's latrine explode?"
Qin Suisui smiled mysteriously, said nothing, and led them to the hill behind the brigade. Before they even got close, they could hear the team members shouting slogans and laughing. Xu Shouquan already had a guess in his mind.
Sure enough, when he actually saw the large expanse of newly cleared land at the foot of the mountain and the team members working enthusiastically, he couldn't help but be shocked: "Girl, you've already started cultivating medicinal herbs?"
Qin Suisui smiled and nodded: "That's right. The medicinal herbs in the experimental field have successfully withstood the test of high temperatures, pests and diseases, and two typhoons. We have already started to promote their cultivation. Later, we may also promote them to other nearby brigades that meet the conditions."
Cai Chong was shocked: "Wow, Comrade Qin, your progress has completely surpassed ours! Please share your experience with us. How did you manage to promote planting so quickly?"
Qin Suisui smiled and said, "How can we compare our plants? You grow ginseng, which is a rare medicinal herb. Ours are just some common lemongrass, mugwort, patchouli, rosemary, angelica, basil, and other mosquito-repelling plants. This is because of the Japanese encephalitis outbreak before."
"As you all know, Qiongtan Island has a hot climate and lots of rain all year round, and there are many mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are most likely to attract all sorts of diseases. Of course, we must vigorously promote the planting of these mosquito-repellent medicinal herbs as soon as possible. The more medicinal herbs are planted, the fewer diseases caused by mosquitoes will be."
“Our precious medicinal herbs are still in the seedling stage, while your ginseng is already so big. If we really compare with you, we can’t even catch up.”
As Qin Suisui spoke of her initial motivation for planting these medicinal herbs, she never expected to receive the first praise from Xu Shouquan, this old-fashioned man, in such a long time: "That's right, what you're doing is truly practical, this is what it means to serve the people! You are a role model for us to learn from!"
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