Chapter 36
After the rainy season, the weather in Qingzhu Village changes from time to time, just like the characteristics of Sichuan Opera.
It was pouring rain one second, and the next second the clouds dispersed, the sun came out, and the sun made people dizzy. If you looked up at the sky at this time, a particularly obvious black dot would remain in front of your eyes, and it would take a long time for this black dot to disappear.
Sometimes it is the other way around. It was sunny one second, and then the wind came and dark clouds came. In a blink of an eye, the sky and the earth changed color, lightning and thunder flashed, and the village was full of hurried footsteps. The adults were hurriedly hiding from the rain, and the children were excitedly jumping in the puddles on the ground. Until the adults got angry and called them by their names, the group of children covered in mud would scatter like birds and beasts.
Although they ran back home, their hearts were still outside. They thought that when the rain stopped, they would go out again, bring bamboo poles and cotton, and go fishing for frogs with their friends.
There were not many entertainment activities at that time, and the lives of urban and rural children were equally poor. Urban children pushed iron rings, and rural children fished for frogs. Basically, this was how children across the country spent their childhood.
As for Chu Jiujiu, she is different from other children. Her pleasure lies in eating.
…
These days, it seemed as if God was against them. It rained heavily during the day, but stopped at night when the moon was at its highest point. This cheered everyone up, but the next day, fine raindrops began to fall again at dawn, preventing everyone from going anywhere and forcing them to stay at home and sleep.
Finally, it was a sunny day on the seventh day of the New Year. Chu Jiujiu opened her eyes and saw the sunlight outside. She immediately sat up and patted Chu Shao's arm.
"Grandpa, Grandpa! Wake up! It's daybreak. It won't rain today. Let's go up the mountain and pick mushrooms!"
Chu Shao: “…”
He sat up dazedly and pressed his eyeballs with his fingers. After several seconds, he finally sobered up a little and got out of bed. Chu Shao pushed the window up and looked at the sunlight breaking through the clouds outside. He judged the time and turned back with a numb face, "Do you know it's not even five o'clock yet?"
It's already light at four o'clock in August. It's not accurate to say it's not even five o'clock now. It should be said that it's a few minutes past four. The sky in the distance is still orange, and you can tell the sun has just risen.
Chu Jiujiu skillfully put on her shoes while confidently asking Chu Shao, "Then do you know how long it has been since I last had mushrooms?"
Chu Shao: “…”
Okay.
Who makes him Chu Jiujiu's grandfather?
Grandpa Chu Shao resigned himself to his fate, opened the door, went out to wash his face, then returned to the house and pulled out the backpack he had been using as a basket in the corner. Mushrooms wait for no one, so the sooner you go, the sooner you pick them. If you go too late, the mountain will be full of people, and all the good mushrooms will have been picked, so wouldn't their trip be in vain?
Therefore, Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu didn't even have breakfast. They each picked two cucumbers and shared the last butter biscuits. That was considered as their meal. Chu Shao carried a backpack and Chu Jiujiu carried a small basket. They walked out of the gate. Chu Jiujiu took a deep breath of fresh air and then ran quickly to the Han family.
Chu Shao followed her and stopped her before she banged on the door.
"Keep your voice down, everyone else is still sleeping."
When Chu Jiujiu heard this, she quickly lowered her fist, then moved closer to the crack in the door and whispered, "Brother Shengyi, are you awake?"
Han Shengyi was a light sleeper and hadn't woken up yet, but Chu Jiujiu woke him up. Sitting up from the bamboo mat, Han Shengyi rubbed his shoulders, which were a little numb from sleep. He opened the door, and the sunlight instantly poured in, along with two cucumbers.
Han Shengyi: “…”
Chu Shao handed two cucumbers to him and said expressionlessly, "She wants to eat mushrooms."
There were only these five words, nothing else. There was no explanation for why he was woken up so early in the morning, nor was there any explanation for the two cucumbers. After staring at the cucumbers for a second, Han Shengyi took them and said as he turned around, "Wait a minute, I'll look for the backpack."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
This is amazing tacit understanding.
Fearing rain, Chu Shao brought his family's red umbrella with him. Han Shengyi followed them, eating a cucumber. Chu Jiujiu's mouth was constantly opening and closing, rarely idle.
"Yesterday, Chu Shao and I caught a ton of fish. We didn't catch them by the Qingshi River, but in the lotus pond. The lotus flowers are all gone now, and some of the leaves are dry. Chu Shao has sharp eyes, he can see things swimming by under the water, and then he'll grab a fish basket and always catch one. I'm going to make fish soup with all the small fish, and there are four big fish in total, two braised and two steamed. Brother Shengyi, can Grandma Han help me? She makes delicious braised fish, much better than I do."
Han Shengyi smiled at her and said, "Go ask her after you get down the mountain. As long as you ask, grandma will definitely agree."
Grandma Han never refused to help neighbors. It was obviously a very common thing, but when Han Shengyi said it, it seemed as if Chu Jiujiu was very special and Grandma Han was willing to help because of her. Hearing this, Chu Jiujiu felt very happy and walked forward with a lighter pace.
As they were talking, they had already reached the foot of the mountain. It had been raining for a while, and the soil on the mountain was wet and soft. It felt strange to step on it, like stepping on a cake. Chu Jiujiu was afraid of falling, so she kept holding on to the corner of Chu Shao's clothes. Chu Shao led the way in front, and Chu Jiujiu followed his footsteps. Han Shengyi followed behind Chu Jiujiu to prevent her from slipping and falling.
No one had visited the mountains for several days. There were round, plump little mushrooms everywhere, on the tree roots, in the grass, and in the fallen leaves. When Chu Jiujiu came to the area where mushrooms often grew, she shouted excitedly, squatted down quickly, broke off the edible ones, and put them into her small basket.
Chu Shao had picked mushrooms before, and it was Zhang Fengjuan who taught him. After all, Zhang Fengjuan spent her childhood on this mountain. She had been away from home for more than ten years, but the knowledge was still imprinted in her mind.
The mushrooms picked by Chu Jiujiu were all on the surface, and they were the most conspicuous ones. Chu Shaoze kept turning over the fallen leaves, and soon, a layer of pine mushrooms was spread in his backpack. Both in size and variety, they were much more valuable than those found by Chu Jiujiu.
The three of them were searching in different places, but not far from each other. Han Shengyi found a cluster of mushrooms that looked edible judging by their color, but he had never seen this kind before, so he turned around and called out to Chu Shao.
When Chu Shao came over, he pointed at the pile of brown mushrooms and asked, "Look what this is. Is it edible?"
Chu Shao was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself that he was really lucky. "It can be eaten, and it's very delicious. It's called Alpinia argenteus. Everyone uses it to make soup. Just be careful when digging it out. Move aside, I'll do it."
When Chu Jiujiu heard the word "delicious", she came over. She had heard of the name of chicken mushroom and had eaten chicken mushroom sauce bought online, but she didn't know that this kind of mushroom looked like this. Chu Jiujiu squatted down and looked at the bunch of mushrooms carefully as if she was observing an alien creature.
"So this is Alpinia arborescens. We don't need that many to make soup, and the rest will go bad if we keep them. How about we take them home and stir-fry them later?"
Chu Shao asked her as he dug, "What are you going to stir-fry?"
Chu Jiujiu touched the head of the chicken mushroom and said naturally, "You can stir-fry it in any way. There are stir-fried chicken mushrooms with vegetables and stir-fried chicken mushrooms with meat, but the best way is to stir-fry it with oil. 100 grams of chicken mushrooms, 100 grams of oil, two teaspoons of salt, one tablespoon of dried Sichuan peppercorns, one star anise, and five or six dried chilies. Fry it slowly over low heat until the bubbles stop coming out. It's ready to eat."
Chu Shao listened attentively at first, but then he fell silent. When Chu Jiujiu finished speaking, he half-knelt and turned his head. "Using two ounces of oil to stir-fry a mushroom, am I the one who's wasting money, or are you?"
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Their family could only afford two taels of oil per month. If they really made fried chicken mushrooms, they wouldn't have to eat any other dishes this month. Chu Shao's words reminded Chu Jiujiu of this point. With a dry laugh, she said, "That's all I'm saying. Stir-frying with vegetables is better."
Han Shengyi was cleaning the dirt off the chicken mushrooms dug out by Chu Shao. Hearing their conversation, he couldn't help laughing.
Chicken mushrooms are rare. Their area isn't particularly rich in them, so finding just one or two is already a significant challenge. More common mushrooms are found: red mushrooms, white mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms. Besides mushrooms, they also picked any fruit they saw along the way. Chu Shao climbed a wild fig tree and picked all the ripe, uneaten figs. Many of the fruit had fallen to the ground and mixed with the mud because of the rain. Chu Shao and his companions were lucky to have arrived early. If they had waited until noon, the tree would have been discovered by others, and there would be nothing left for them to eat.
Wild figs generally tasted mediocre, but this tree was different. Every fruit was sweet to the heart. Chu Jiujiu had only eaten figs grown in orchards, and had never eaten one this sweet. She ate three in a row, and she was still a little reluctant to leave until Chu Shao stopped her.
"It's delicious, Chu Shao. Let's bury one in the yard and see if it can grow into a fig tree."
Chu Shao: "Do you think planting trees is as easy as growing vegetables? There are so many tricks involved. You have to plant the seeds, and then they grow into saplings. After they grow into saplings, you have to wait a few years before they bear fruit. Can you wait that long?"
Han Shengyi: "Figs are different from other trees. If you plant them now, they will bear fruit next autumn."
When Chu Jiujiu heard this, she immediately turned to look at Chu Shao.
Chu Shao didn't understand, "How do you know this?"
Han Shengyi smiled and said, "There's a secretary named Chen in the commune who's in charge of distributing seeds and saplings. He told me about it when I went to get them."
Secretary Chen, the name sounds like a professional!
Chu Jiujiu looked at Chu Shao with even more passion, almost saying with her eyes, "Grandpa~ Grandpa~ Let me plant~"
Chu Shao: “…”
After a moment of silence, Chu Shao compromised and said, "I'll leave three for you. Is that enough?"
Chu Jiujiu: "That's enough, one is enough!"
She looked so happy that Chu Shao and Han Shengyi were both confused. They couldn't understand why she was so confident that the fruits she planted would definitely grow into saplings.
Unbeknownst to them, Chu Jiujiu had already mastered the necklace's function. Recently, whenever she visited the Han family, she'd bring a bamboo tube of mung bean soup. Han Shengyi couldn't detect any change, while Grandma and Grandpa Han both felt increasingly lighter. This was all due to Chu Jiujiu's repeated dilution; fearing discovery, she didn't dare increase the dosage. If she had soaked the necklace in a vat of water for three days and nights, and then had Grandpa Han drink the entire vat, his rheumatism would surely have been cured long ago.
However, if Grandpa Han really drank a whole tank of water, I'm afraid that while his rheumatism would be cured, he would also suffer from gastroptosis.
…
The necklace water can cure human diseases as well as plant diseases. Unless the figs she planted died right after being planted, it would be difficult for the fruits not to sprout if she watered them diligently every day.
Mushrooms like shade, and after the three of them had searched this area, Chu Shao took the two of them to move to another place.
Chu Shao liked going up the mountain before, and later he followed everyone to the mountain to look for Zhang Fengjuan. He was very familiar with this mountain and knew best where there were more mushrooms. Moreover, the places he looked for were unknown to others, so he was not afraid of being snatched away from him by others.
When she arrived at the new place, Chu Jiujiu could hear voices coming from afar. Those people were nearby, but for some reason, they just couldn't get around here.
Chu Shao explained this phenomenon by saying that everyone's method of finding their way was the same: heading towards the water, heading south, avoiding thorns, and avoiding dense forests. With this mindset, this small world hidden behind the dense forest was naturally difficult to discover.
Chu Jiujiu nodded with a look of sudden realization, then squatted down nimbly and continued picking mushrooms.
They had to go back before noon because Aunt Xiao was waiting for her to help make snacks.
Chu Jiujiu was so focused that she soon left Chu Shao, and Han Shengyi disappeared again at some point. However, Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu were not worried because he often did this and would bring back some strange things that no one else could find when he came back.
Chu Jiujiu found a moss-covered stump, with a half-rotted trunk next to it. She trotted over and stepped into the soft mud, not caring about anything else. Mushrooms love to grow on this kind of rotten wood. Seeing the large expanse of snow-white Tremella fuciformis on the stump, Chu Jiujiu was almost beside herself with joy.
This is wild Tremella! Not only does it taste good and have extremely high nutritional value, but it can also be sold for money. Last time, she and Han Shengyi saw someone at the supply and marketing cooperative bringing in dried Tremella, and they sold a small bag for several yuan!
In the past, Chu Jiujiu always wanted to take useful medicinal herbs to the town to sell for money, but now her family is not short of money, so Chu Jiujiu plans to pick all these white fungus and take them back to make porridge to nourish herself, Chu Shao, Grandpa Han, Grandma Han, and Han Shengyi.
This tree stump is particularly thick and it is obvious that it is very old. It is probably because of this that it was noticed by other animals, who hollowed out the trunk and used it as their habitat. Without internal support, this century-old tree naturally could not live long. Until now, it has become a parasitic habitat for a group of spore plants.
Chu Jiujiu picked every white fungus intact, then stood up and walked around the tree trunk. Unfortunately, there was too much moss on the trunk, leaving no room for mushrooms to grow. Chu Jiujiu didn't believe it, so she walked around it again, and this time she really found a strange thing.
At the top of the tree trunk, a huge, shiny, reddish-brown mushroom grew in the rotten wood. The cap was bigger than her face, no, bigger than her grandfather's face, and underneath was a thin, crooked stem.
Chu Jiujiu looked at this thing in confusion, not understanding what it was. She reached out and touched it, and it felt a little hard.
Standing next to the tree trunk, Chu Jiujiu held her chin up and asked herself three questions in her mind.
Is it edible? Is it delicious? Does it make a delicious soup?
…
Just as she was struggling with her thoughts, Li Yan came over from a distance. She had also gone up the mountain to pick mushrooms today, but halfway through, she had a quarrel with a village lady and walked away alone, ending up lost. Just as she was panicking, she saw Chu Jiujiu and what she was looking at.
What a big Ganoderma lucidum!
Li Yan immediately wanted to pick it, but Chu Jiujiu was beside her, and it was obvious that she had seen the Ganoderma lucidum first. However, seeing her motionless appearance, it was probably that she had no idea what it was.
Li Yan was secretly delighted. She looked around and found that there was no one else around. So she tiptoed over and prepared to take the Ganoderma lucidum away while Chu Jiujiu was not paying attention.
She moved very quietly, but unfortunately, it was a mountain and it was too difficult to walk without making any noise. After just two steps, Chu Jiujiu heard footsteps behind her. She thought it was Chu Shao or Han Shengyi coming. She turned around and found it was Li Yan. Almost in an instant, Chu Jiujiu reached out, picked the Ganoderma lucidum, and put it in her basket.
Li Yan: “…”
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
This conditioned reflex surprised Chu Jiujiu herself. She actually didn't think about anything, but as soon as she saw Li Yan's face, her brain started to sound the alarm frantically, driving her to quickly put away all the useful and useless things and not leave them outside.
After putting in a huge Ganoderma lucidum, Chu Jiujiu's basket was full. The atmosphere was a little awkward. Li Yan kept looking at her. Chu Jiujiu adjusted her expression and said with a polite smile, "Li Zhiqing, what a coincidence! Are you also here to pick mushrooms in the mountains?"
Li Yan felt like vomiting blood. How could she greet her so calmly after picking the Ganoderma lucidum?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. If Chu Jiujiu hadn't acted like that just now, she would have been the one to pick the Ganoderma lucidum. However, when it comes to mushroom picking, whoever sees it first gets it first. Li Yan knew her anger was unfounded, so after a moment of stalemate, she imitated Chu Jiujiu and forced a smile, "Jiujiu, you picked something good, but I saw it too, just a little later than you. Jiujiu, I want that...that mushroom. It's good for your skin. You're still young, so you don't need it. How about I trade you with something else?"
She was certain that Chu Jiujiu didn't know Ganoderma lucidum, and even covered it with a mushroom. Chu Jiujiu really didn't know it, but Li Yan's behavior made her feel very strange.
Doesn't she hate herself? Why would she trade things with her? And she said this mushroom is a good thing. What kind of good thing is it?
Chu Jiujiu didn't say whether it was okay or not. She first asked Li Yan, "What do you want to exchange for it?"
Li Yan hurriedly took a few steps forward and showed her basket to Chu Jiujiu. "I picked a lot of pine mushrooms and green-headed mushrooms. There are more than a dozen of them here. I'll give them all to you. Okay?"
The cyan mushrooms were delicious and rare, making them a relatively rare local delicacy. Li Yan was even willing to trade them for Chu Jiujiu, which only made Chu Jiujiu even more determined. She pulled the basket closer to her, looking embarrassed. "Li Zhiqing, you're so generous! How can I take advantage of you?"
When Li Yan heard this, her smile became even more sincere. She wanted to say, "It's okay. If you're afraid of being taken advantage of, I'll just give you a few less." But before she could say anything, Chu Jiujiu said, "So, Li Zhiqing, you should keep these mushrooms. I won't trade with you. The mushrooms I picked don't taste good and they smell bad. They're not suitable for you at all. I'll take them back and feed them to the cows in our team."
Li Yan: “…”
Stop! Feeding cows with Ganoderma lucidum, are you crazy?
Chu Jiujiu turned to leave, and Li Yan was about to catch her. Coincidentally, Han Shengyi appeared from nowhere. He had a lot of wild grapes in his backpack and a whole grape vine with a bunch of grapes in his hand. He came over to Chu Jiujiu and handed the grape vine to her. He glanced at Li Yan and asked Chu Jiujiu, "What are you talking about with Li Zhiqing?"
Chu Jiujiu took the grapevine and pointed at her basket. "Li Zhiqing wanted to exchange the green mushrooms she picked for this big mushroom with me. I didn't want to take advantage of her, and she's not happy about it."
Han Shengyi leaned over to look at Chu Jiujiu's basket, and when he saw what the big mushroom she was talking about was, he immediately looked at Li Yan.
Li Yan: “…”
Damn it, judging from the look in this kid’s eyes, he must know Ganoderma lucidum.
Li Yan's face seemed to be on fire, and she was extremely embarrassed. At this moment, Chu Shao also came over with a backpack on his back. Seeing the three people standing there, motionless, he felt strange: "What's going on?"
Chu Jiujiu showed the basket to Chu Shao again and said sincerely, "Li Zhiqing wants to trade me for some big mushrooms. There are several big mushrooms. Chu Shao, look how good Li Zhiqing is to me!"
As they had all lived in Qingzhu Village for several years, Chu Shao naturally knew Lingzhi. He frowned and looked at Li Yan with a very unfriendly expression, as if he was looking at the evil person who almost abducted his silly daughter.
Li Yan: “…”
She couldn't stay any longer, and without even saying a word, she turned around and wanted to leave. However, things didn't go as she wished. Ma Wenjuan ran over and scolded her: "Li Yan, can you have a little sense of community? Do you know how worried we were if you ran away alone? Aunt Chen just said a few words to you, you should have humbly accepted the lesson instead of leaving without permission! You -"
Halfway through her conversation, Ma Wenjuan was stunned when she saw Chu Jiujiu and the others. She smiled awkwardly and said, "So you're here too. What are you...standing there for?"
Ma Wenjuan was followed by four or five other female villagers who had gone into the mountains with her. Seeing this, Chu Jiujiu laughed even more brightly. She lifted up the Ganoderma lucidum and made a silly face. She raised her voice to ensure that everyone present could hear: "Ma Zhiqing, look what I found! It's a huge mushroom! Li Zhiqing said that I'm too young to use it. She wants to trade me for the tricholoma that she picked. Several tricholomas for this big mushroom. I'm making a lot of money on this deal!"
Li Yan: “…”
The price of Ganoderma lucidum varies, the expensive ones can cost hundreds or even thousands of yuan, and even the cheapest ones cost more than ten yuan. However, a pound of Qingtou mushroom can be sold for less than 80 cents.
Everyone looked at Li Yan with disdain. She took advantage of the child's young age and lack of knowledge about Lingzhi, and she wanted to take advantage of him. She was still an educated youth, even though she had learned so much, she was still not as knowledgeable as a three-year-old.
Ma Wenjuan was even more furious. She pointed at Li Yan for a long time and finally said that she would tell the squad leader about this. Li Yan became anxious when she heard it and hurriedly chased Ma Wenjuan away. Although Ding Boyun was only in charge of the three of them, he was a squad leader after all. He could speak to the commune and decide their performance scores.
If Ding Boyun had a prejudice against her because of this incident, then there would be even less hope for her to return to the city.
As soon as the two educated youths left, the aunts and sisters-in-law behind them also left. Chu Jiujiu calmly put the Ganoderma lucidum back into the basket, as if the person who was pretending to be stupid just now was not her at all.
When going down the mountain, Chu Jiujiu learned from Chu Shao that this mushroom was Ganoderma lucidum. She was so surprised that she could fit an egg in her mouth.
"This is Ganoderma lucidum, the extremely famous Ganoderma lucidum?" Chu Jiujiu was shocked and a little angry. "Li Yan actually wants to exchange a bunch of broken mushrooms for such a precious thing with me? Let her dream on!"
Seeing her like this, Chu Shao knew she had misunderstood. "Ganoderma lucidum isn't that valuable. Woodcutters and hunters in the mountains have picked it up before. Yours... is quite big, but if you take it to the supply and marketing cooperative, it will only fetch a few dozen yuan."
The truly valuable Ganoderma lucidum are all of a few specific varieties. Such Ganoderma lucidum are hard to come by and at least you will definitely not find them halfway up the mountain where everyone can climb.
The flower picked by Chu Jiujiu is a little rarer, but only rare in size, not in variety.
Chu Jiujiu was still very happy. "A few dozen yuan is a lot of money. I also picked up a lot of white fungus. Now I can make Ganoderma lucidum and white fungus soup when I get home. It sounds very nourishing."
Chu Shao: “…”
Han Shengyi: “…”
They found that Chu Jiujiu seemed to have no concept of money. Sometimes in her eyes, dozens of dollars were almost the same as a few cents and were not considered money at all.
Even when they were in the capital before, they didn't dare to eat like this. A bowl of soup cost dozens or even hundreds of dollars. It was too extravagant.
Chu Shao opened his mouth, but finally couldn't help but stop him, saying, "Let's eat fresh mushrooms, Ganoderma lucidum and Tremella fuciformis first. It's better to dry them and keep them."
Han Shengyi also advised her: "Yes, you are a child, you don't need to take so many supplements, save them for later, the effect will be the same."
Chu Jiujiu tilted her head, feeling that what they said made sense, "Okay then."
"Oh right," Chu Jiujiu thought of another question, "I don't know how to dry it in the sun, or should I..."
Chu Shao quickly interrupted her, "It doesn't matter, there are plenty of people in the village who can do it."
Han Shengyi: "My grandma can do it."
Chu Shao immediately agreed when he heard this: "When you get back, take all these to Grandma Han and ask her to help you dry them. Aren't you going to see Aunt Xiao? It's just on the way."
Before she could even think of stewing the soup, Chu Shao suppressed it. Chu Jiujiu said dryly, "Oh," and finally gave up the idea of stewing the Ganoderma lucidum and Tremella fuciformis on the spot.
After returning to the village, Han Shengyi still had to go to the vegetable garden. Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu set up a barbecue grill in their home, marinated mushrooms and a few small fish, and picked some eggplants and green peppers from the vegetable garden. Han Shengyi brought a few potatoes, Chu Shao cut the vegetables into pieces, and Chu Jiujiu brought out a bowl of oil and carefully applied oil on them.
The last time she went to town, the supply and marketing cooperative had a new batch of goods. When Chu Jiujiu saw cumin, she quickly asked Chu Shao to buy a bag. Chu Shao didn't know how delicious this thing was until Chu Jiujiu made a dish of fried pork belly with cumin.
Various bills were issued at the beginning of the month, and Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu spent them all as soon as they got them, including the meat bills. That night, the two of them were like thieves, guarding the iron wok and listening to the sizzling sound of the pork belly. The frying oil was collected by Chu Jiujiu and used to stir-fry dishes with the aroma of pork and cumin. Chu Shao's appetite doubled than before.
Now the lard is gone, but there’s still plenty of cumin, which is just as delicious sprinkled over the crispy roasted vegetables.
The smell of barbecue filled the air above the Chu family's house. The neighbors were so attracted by the delicious aroma that they kept drooling and wanted to pick up their chopsticks and go over to eat with the kids. Unfortunately, they were too proud to do such a thing. They could only wait until they finished eating and then ask them indirectly what they had cooked to make it smell so good.
When they heard that it was the taste of cumin, and that the cumin in the supply and marketing cooperative was only one cent per two ounces, everyone immediately gave up.
It’s just a seasoning, but it’s more expensive than oil. It’s a money grab!
Seasonings are only for seasoning and cannot be turned into food to fill the stomach, so people are unwilling to spend extra money on them. However, some people really want to try what cumin tastes like, so they run to the supply and marketing cooperative in the town to buy some. After tasting it, they find that it tastes really good and is especially appetizing. Then, these people stop buying it.
…
To stimulate your appetite means to eat more, which is not a good thing in this era.
Chu Jiujiu didn't care about the situation in her neighbors' homes. Of course, she couldn't care less. After filling her stomach, Chu Jiujiu went to find Xiao Ning, holding a few bamboo skewers. Her left and right hands were filled with freshly grilled fish and vegetable skewers. She first gave half to Grandma Han and Grandpa Han, and then knocked on Xiao Ning's door.
Before Xiao Ning opened the door, she smelled the fragrance and saw Chu Jiujiu bringing her food. Xiao Ning refused to accept it at first, but later she heard that the old Han couple next door also had some, so she accepted it.
Before Chu Jiujiu arrived, Xiao Ning had already prepared all the ingredients for making the cookies. Her husband Deng Guoyuan was sitting aside, repairing benches at home. When he saw Chu Jiujiu coming, he raised his head and smiled politely at her.
Unlike his wife Xiao Ning, Deng Guoyuan's attitude towards Chu Jiujiu was very normal. He was not overly warm, but not cold either. After Chu Jiujiu greeted him, she was ready to help Xiao Ning. But when she saw what was on the table, Chu Jiujiu couldn't help but widen her eyes.
This was the first time she saw white flour in Qingzhu Village!
She thought Xiao Ning was making the cookies with fruit, but who would have thought that he was using white flour!
Chu Jiujiu was very surprised, because she already knew how important food was in that era. White flour was something that many families wanted to eat but could not afford. Xiao Ning lived in a cowshed, and her conditions must have been even worse, but she actually took out so much white flour at once. Chu Jiujiu also remembered that Xiao Ning had said that day that she would give all the cookies to her after she finished making them.
This, this, this... To be honest, Chu Jiujiu was a little panicked, because she couldn't understand why Xiao Ning was so nice to her.
Chu Jiujiu stood there awkwardly, "Aunt Xiao, you..."
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Ning quickly smiled kindly, "Oh, I have a pound of fine grain coupons in my hand. They've been sitting there for a long time, and I've never had the chance to use them. Fine grains or coarse grains, we eat the same thing. But these Qiao Guo can only be made with fine flour. My daughter loves Qiao Guo the most, but I can't send them that far away, so I'm giving them all to you, Jiujiu. You're as cute as my daughter. Auntie likes you, so I want to make more delicious food for you."
So that's how it is... Chu Jiujiu felt relieved, then she looked up, smiled with her eyes curved, and said, "I like Aunt Xiao too."
Xiao Ning touched her head, then turned around and kneaded the dough.
She said she needed Chu Jiujiu's help, but Chu Jiujiu didn't know how to knead the dough, put the stuffing in, or shape it. She just watched the whole process and chatted with Xiao Ning. After making the cookies, Xiao Ning still had to cook dinner. She had told the neighbors yesterday that she wanted everyone to come to her house on the night of Chinese Valentine's Day to have dinner together.
The three small rooms in the cowshed are of the same size, and none of them can accommodate so many people. So while Xiao Ning was cooking, Deng Guoyuan had to clean up the room and leave the middle empty for everyone.
Chu Jiujiu had only met Deng Guoyuan and his wife in public before. This was her first time to get along with them in private. Xiao Ning was enthusiastic and patient, just like any mother in the world. Deng Guoyuan looked dull, but he was actually quite talkative and humorous. Even when chatting with a nine-year-old girl, he would never be bored and could often make her laugh.
Chu Jiujiu was helping Xiao Ning here, and Grandma Han over there was not idle either. She first stewed the fish sent by Chu Shao, and then picked up the mushrooms brought back by the three children. The three children didn't care about the ownership of the mushrooms. They put all the mushrooms together in a basket and two backpacks. Except for the ones that were roasted and eaten, the rest of the mushrooms were all poured on the ground of Han's house. Grandma Han looked through it for a while, picked up the huge Ganoderma lucidum, she broke the cap and looked at it, and couldn't help laughing.
Grandpa Han didn't understand this, so he asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this Ganoderma lucidum?"
Grandma Han still had a lingering smile on her face. She shook her head gently, "No problem. This Ganoderma lucidum must have just matured. The spores are still there. I just laugh at Chu Jiujiu. Sometimes she's really lucky, and sometimes she's really unlucky."
When things are good, you can pick up such big Ganoderma lucidum as soon as you go up the mountain, but when things are bad, you always meet bad-hearted people like Zhao Shiliu.
Hearing this, Grandpa Han also laughed, "I think Jiujiu has always had good luck. Look at those who bullied her, they all deserved it and reaped the consequences."
At this point, Grandpa Han paused. He moved his stool closer to Grandma Han and lowered his voice mysteriously, "Have you heard about Mrs. Zhang's story?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
