Chapter 95 There is a mandrill
After packing her self-defense items, Qin Suisui ran to the kitchen of the small wooden cabin to find food to take with her.
The trip to the wild forest is expected to take two days, so she can't skimp on food. But with Jia Zhenzhen around, she can't just conjure up food from her spatial storage. She can only bring enough hot food for one meal at most, as it's hot and too much will spoil easily.
Qin Suisui packed some of the small fried fish she had prepared earlier, along with some braised pork ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and some rice into an aluminum lunchbox. This was for lunch tomorrow.
I also put some fermented fish and pickled cucumber in a small box, along with several pieces of fermented bean curd. I'll eat it with steamed buns and dumplings tomorrow night; it won't spoil.
There weren't any steamed buns in the space yet, but there was some fermented dough and chopped filling, which she had prepared while making rice wine at home a couple of days ago. Qin Suisui kneaded the dough and made the steamed buns, then took out some meat filling and made a pot of big meat buns.
As she steamed the buns and dumplings, Qin Suisui remembered the jar of rice wine.
In their hometown, there's a saying about making rice wine: "Sweet in three days, fragrant in seven days." This means that the first three days are the saccharification period, where starch is converted into maltose. Under normal circumstances, the rice grains will float to the top, and a sweet, clear fermented liquid will appear in the vat. From 7 to 15 days is the flavor maturation period, at which point the wine becomes clear and has a slightly amber color, and it's ready to enjoy.
This rice wine has almost no alcohol content; they call it sweet rice wine. Qin Suisui has loved drinking this sweet rice wine since she was a child, especially in the summer. Adding some ice makes it icy cold, refreshingly sweet, and extremely thirst-quenching. In winter or during her period, she can also add some brown sugar and cook it, then add some egg drop soup and small, unfilled glutinous rice balls. One sip and it's incredibly comforting.
Today is the seventh day. Perhaps because the temperature in the space is relatively constant, this jar of rice wine has been fermenting for eight or nine days. Moreover, perhaps because Qin Suisui used water from the stream in the space, the lid opened as soon as it was opened, and a mellow aroma of rice wine wafted out, even more fragrant than that made by the master chef!
She couldn't wait to scoop out a spoonful and taste it. It was sweet and delicious, leaving a lingering fragrance on her lips and teeth. It was so good! If only there were some ice cubes... She thought for a moment, then ran to the pharmacy to find some saltpeter, and then found two large basins and poured some stream water into them. She used to make ice with saltpeter when she was a child.
It would take another three or four hours for the ice to form. Qin Suisui checked the time; it was almost six o'clock. She quickly left the space and went to the daycare to pick up Zan Zan.
Upon learning that her mother was going to the wild forest in the next two days, Zan Zan unusually showed signs of unease.
Qin Suisui thought he was afraid of being home alone, so she quickly comforted him, "Sweetie, you go to Aunt Tang's house for the next couple of days. Mommy has some important things to do. I'll come pick you up as soon as I get back, okay?"
To her surprise, her attempts to comfort him had no effect; instead, Zan Zan burst into tears, crying, "Waaah, Mommy, I want to go with you! Please take me with you!"
This was the first time Zan Zan had acted so "unreasonably" since she had been here for so long.
Qin Suisui repeatedly explained to him that the wilderness forest was dangerous and she couldn't take him along. But Zanzan still cried and insisted on going.
Helpless, Qin Suisui had no choice but to compromise and prepare extra food.
The next morning at seven o'clock, Qin Suisui met up with Zanzan and Jia Zhenzhen at the entrance of the family compound. Upon seeing Zanzan, Jia Zhenzhen's eyes widened: "Little guy, you want to go on an adventure too?"
Zan Zan knew Jia Zhenzhen, and he nodded earnestly: "Sister Zhenzhen, Mom promised to take me with her!"
Jia Zhenzhen corrected him: "I'm about the same age as your mother, so you should call me Aunt Zhenzhen from now on."
Zan Zan readily agreed: "Aunt Zhen Zhen~"
The sweet, childlike voice instantly made Jia Zhenzhen give in: "Fine, let's go together. If we have to run for our lives, Aunt Zhenzhen will carry you!"
It takes more than an hour to cycle from the residential compound to the Wild Forest. When they arrived at a farm near the Wild Forest, Qin Suisui offered the administrator a few Daqianmen cigarettes, and the administrator immediately agreed to let them leave their bicycles at the management office.
I heard they were going to the wild forest to collect herbs. They were two young girls with a child. Out of respect for Daqianmen, the administrator kindly reminded them: "It's very dangerous in the forest now. I heard there's also that..." He imitated the action of knocking something, tapping the water glass to make a "click, click" sound.
Qin Suisui didn't understand, and Jia Zhenzhen's face did turn pale instantly, but then she remembered something and quickly recovered: "Don't joke around, Uncle. That's the embodiment of class enemies. The glory of our motherland shines on the land; where are there any demons and monsters..."
The administrator sighed: "You're right."
The two women spoke in cryptic language for a while, but Qin Suisui didn't understand. After walking a distance, she finally asked, "Zhenzhen, what were you talking about? What's in the woods?"
Jia Zhenzhen's face turned pale, and she stammered, "He...he said...there are...mountain demons in the forest."
Mandrill?
Qin Suisui was taken aback. As a child, she especially loved reading various storybooks, so she naturally knew about mandrills. Legend had it that they had human faces, long lips, black bodies covered in hair, and were about 2 meters tall, capable of mimicking human voices. They would seek out lone people in the mountains, then lure them over with their voices and devour them.
She immediately got goosebumps.
The two exchanged a glance, both hesitant. A "little drug addict" with a passion for making drugs and a "tough girl" with superhuman strength discovered they had something in common—they were both afraid of ghosts!
Zan Zan walked ahead, and when she saw that they hadn't followed, she turned around and tilted her head: "Mom, Aunt Zhen Zhen, were you scared by the caretaker just now? The teacher said that there are no ghosts in the world!"
Jia Zhenzhen, strong and impulsive, couldn't stand being provoked. Realizing she was being looked down upon by the little guy Zanzan, she quickly strode forward, shouting, "Who's afraid? Who's afraid? The great man said that all reactionaries are paper tigers! If any of those mountain demons come, I'll take them down with one punch! I'm not afraid!"
The two whispered among themselves and left. Qin Suisui had no choice but to follow. Her fear subsided a little after their banter, and the three of them stepped into the wild forest together.
It was not yet nine o'clock, and entering the wild forest was not as cool as they had imagined; instead, it was as stuffy as entering a steamer.
Knowing that there were many mosquitoes in the wild forest, the two adults and one child all wore liberation shoes, with their sleeves and trouser legs tightly tied with rope, and their heads, faces and necks tightly wrapped with headscarves, leaving only their eyes exposed. Each of them carried a mosquito repellent sachet specially made by Qin Suisui.
The forest was stiflingly hot, the broad leaves of the plants releasing a bluish-gray dampness. The group walked on the humus layer, the withered branches crunching underfoot like tiny bones breaking. Qin Suisui unconsciously gripped the dagger tucked at her waist tightly, as if it would give her a sense of security.
In order to find the V-shaped canyon mentioned by the stall owner in the black market as soon as possible, and to avoid running into too many people, Qin Suisui and Jia Zhenzhen chose a route that was almost deserted and far away from the farm clearing team.
Unfortunately, while the wild forest was indeed desolate and frightening, it was also incredibly rich in medicinal herbs. Almost every few steps, one could see several herbs, and the further in one went, the more valuable the herbs became. Qin Suisui was quickly captivated by the abundance of herbs, completely forgetting all about the strange and supernatural things around her.
As she dug, she explained the medicinal properties to Jia Zhenzhen, who gradually became engrossed in the process. Soon, their baskets were half full, and even Zanzan's small basket was quite full.
It was almost noon. After all that traveling, the group was hungry and thirsty. They found a stream and decided to stop and rest for lunch. Jia Zhenzhen had brought braised pork and stir-fried pickled bamboo shoots, as well as a pot of mung bean soup cooked by her mother. Qin Suisui also took out a lunchbox containing fried small fish and braised pork ribs, and a military water bottle containing sweet rice wine. The three of them shared the food.
The sweet rice wine had some ice added, making it sweet and refreshing. Jia Zhenzhen downed a large glass in one go, while Qin Suisui's military water bottle was half empty.
After realizing what had happened, Jia Zhenzhen scratched her head and said, "Sorry, Sui Sui, I couldn't resist." She then handed over her large pot of mung bean soup, saying, "Here's my mung bean soup for you!"
Qin Suisui chuckled: "It's alright, I still have enough to drink." She had plenty in her spatial storage, and could sneak some out anytime.
Zan Zan has a small appetite and eats quickly. After finishing, he obediently squatted under the plum tree to pick wildflowers. He accidentally scratched the bark of a vine, and white sap flowed out. Qin Suisui had told him beforehand that many plants in the forest were poisonous, and if he accidentally came into contact with any sap, he must tell her immediately.
So Zan Zan panicked and jumped up to run to Qin Sui Sui: "Mommy, Mommy, I've been poisoned, waaaah..."
They weren't far apart to begin with. Qin Suisui stood up and took Zanzan, who had jumped into her arms. She picked up his little hand, looked at it, and then gently smelled it before looking at Zanzan and saying, "Baby, where did you get this on? Take Mommy to see a doctor."
When they reached the plum tree, Qin Suisui's eyes lit up. This wasn't poison at all; it was clearly Di Burong! A rare medicinal herb unique to Qiongtan Island! Many people venture into the wild forest just to dig up Di Burong, but the little one had found it by accident!
However, the sap of the Earth-Incompatible Plant was indeed poisonous. Qin Suisui carried Zan Zan to the stream and helped him wash his hands. Fortunately, only a little bit had gotten on Zan Zan's hands, so there wouldn't be any problem.
After cleaning the sap from Zan Zan's hands, Qin Sui Sui took a closer look. The *Dibu Rong* vine was entwined around the plum tree, its tubers buried deep in the soil. Qin Sui Sui crouched down and noticed that the vine bark Zan Zan had accidentally scratched was now oozing a milky white sap. Qin Sui Sui's eyes lit up; the milky white sap meant that the *Dibu Rong* vine was at its most potent medicinally! Now was the best time to harvest it!
The soil wasn't suitable for the tender vines and roots, so Qin Suisui didn't dare use a small shovel. Instead, she found a small stick on the ground and slowly dug at the soil, afraid of damaging the roots and affecting the medicinal properties. Jia Zhenzhen and Zanzan squatted to the side, also sweating with anxiety.
Just as she was about to dig it out, several leeches, as thin as hair, crawled out of the soil and instantly wrapped around Qin Suisui's wrist.
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