Looking at the wild grass growing everywhere along the roadside ditch, Xiaoman asked with some doubt, "Isn't this grass the loach we feed pigs and sheep? People can eat some of the tender shoots, and it can even cure diseases?"
He recognized the herb; in a couple of days, tender leaves would sprout, and after blanching, it would make a seasonal side dish.
Jiang Zhi nodded: "It's called mud loach, also known as field chrysanthemum, and the tender, edible part is called Malantou."
Don't underestimate what we used as pig feed; now, when we crush the roots and boil them in water, it becomes a good medicine for digestion.
If a person is physically strong and suddenly experiences abdominal pain while outdoors, and boiling water is inconvenient, they can pull up a loach skewer, scrape off the black skin on the root, and eat it raw. Just remember, only a small section about the length of a finger joint is needed; do not eat too much.
The harvesting season for mud loach is in summer and autumn. The whole plant can be used as medicine to regulate qi, aid digestion, and relieve bloating. Malantou (馬蘭頭) is combined with houttuynia cordata (離耳根) to treat indigestion in children.
Eating it raw is a powerful remedy, which can be used as an emergency treatment for heatstroke and abdominal cramps.
Jiang Zhi patiently taught these survival skills to her two children.
Xiaoman was completely stunned when she heard that pigweed had so many medicinal effects.
He carefully took the wild grass that he usually trampled on, quickly took it back to the kitchen, and began to mash the roots of the loach as Jiang Zhi had instructed, boil them in water, and drink the decoction.
Beside him, Xu Errui looked on with admiration: "Mom, this is a wild herb, can it really cure diseases?"
He was still somewhat incredulous.
Jiang Zhi needed to explain things to others, but she wasn't flustered at all about her son's question: "You should learn a little from him, so you don't know nothing and make me worry about everything!"
Xu Errui nodded repeatedly: I must remember this, otherwise my mother will say I'm stupid again.
Back at her home, Qiaoyun had already prepared the afternoon meal.
For centuries, the people of Xujia Village have been accustomed to eating only two meals a day, and Xu Errui was already starving.
Upon seeing the stewed soup and flatbread, along with some dried meat, he immediately forgot about the green oak seeds he had just encountered.
Now that his mother makes sure they eat all the eggs and dried meat they have every day, instead of hiding them to exchange for money, Xu Errui feels very happy.
At this moment, he felt even more strongly that listening to his mother and going up the mountain was really a good decision!
Looking at her "silly son" who was overjoyed at the mere thought of food, Jiang Zhi shook her head with a smile.
Xu Errui was just an ordinary farm boy.
Even though the original owner had a bad temper, she still made arrangements for her children just like any other peasant woman, scrimping and saving to ensure her children could marry and have children early and take on family responsibilities at a young age.
Xu Errui had no ambitions or missions; he simply wanted to get married, have children, listen to his mother, and live a quiet life.
Actually, such a temperament would be quite good in peacetime, and it's not bad now either.
Jiang Zhi asked Xu Errui to send some of the freshly cleaned houttuynia cordata to Xiaoman's family.
She wanted to wait until the weather cleared up, and since Xiaoman was taking care of the farmland and there wasn't much farm work to do yet, she immediately began collecting herbs.
Different herbs are harvested in different seasons, and if you miss the harvest, you have to wait until the following year to start all over again.
Since we're going to be staying here for a long time, it's inevitable that we'll experience headaches, fevers, and abdominal bloating like we did today. We need to have some common medicines on hand so we don't get caught off guard.
Furthermore, while we are currently hiding in the mountains, we should collect as many medicinal herbs as possible and store them.
Once the outside world is at peace, I can exchange medicinal herbs for money, and then I won't be worried about rebuilding my homeland.
At night, whether it was because she had a goal in life or because the kang (a heated brick bed) was too hot, Jiang Zhi had another dream.
The AI baritone voice could still be heard reading at a leisurely pace.
"The people of Xujia Village finally arrived at Yuzhou Prefecture, but the city gates were high and closed, keeping the ever-growing number of refugees out of the city."
"In the icy rain, dozens of villagers huddled under tarpaulins or beside their mules and horses, barely finding a place to stay."
But the cold wind and rain offered no protection, and some had already caught a chill, coughing echoing throughout the room.
"Xu Pingmao led his men over from the city gate, and shook his head amidst the villagers' expectant gazes: the guards still wouldn't let anyone in."
"Some people couldn't take it anymore and started cursing: 'You have weapons but don't kill the rebels, you only know how to show off your power to the people, and you just stand by and watch thousands of people get soaked in the rain!'"
"Some people regretted fleeing the famine. Even if they were robbed or killed while staying at home, it would be better than suffering here."
"Although he had only traveled 300 miles from home, Nie Fantian was already thinner than he had been in the village, and his eyes were sharp, with a hint of ferocity. He was like a bloodstained knife."
The villagers were terrified of him and kept their distance, their gazes filled with fear as they looked at him.
"It took the villagers more than 20 days to travel the short distance of 300 li. At first, it was okay; they could travel 30 or 40 li a day with their families. But it became difficult when they encountered robbery."
After several rounds of fighting, some of the refugees died, and the villagers gradually became injured, making their journey increasingly slow.
Then it started to rain.
The villagers not only had to guard against starving refugees, but also had to deal with the continuous rain.
The roads were muddy and difficult to travel, and fatigue and cold followed one after another.
Fortunately, Nie Fantian killed several refugees who tried to rob him along the way, fiercely protecting the villagers' property.
Because Nie Fantian had contributed the most effort, as compensation, village chief Xu Pingmao required each household to hand over some grain.
"With his ruthlessness, Nie Fantian no longer had to worry about food. He really liked the feeling of being respected and feared by others!"
Sitting on the damp bundle, Nie Fantian tightened his belt and looked over the high city wall in the distance, landing on the soldiers in full armor behind it.
Looking at those gleaming spears and dark shields, his desire to join the army and make a name for himself grew even stronger.
"Now that the Yuzhou Prefecture has received news that there are rioters in the surrounding counties and towns massacring villages and planning to storm the city, it has immediately mobilized troops to seal off the city and no longer let people in. The refugees can only camp in the mountains and forests outside the city."
"...Dark clouds loomed overhead, the ground shimmered with a bright white light, and a dense, dark mass of people thronged outside the city..."
As the voices murmured, Jiang Zhi gradually drifted off to sleep.
At this time, Xiaoman's family at the foot of the cliff had not yet gone to sleep.
Xu Dazhu ate too many oak fruits and was supposed to fall ill the next day. However, he was already weak and had a poor digestive system, so he started experiencing abdominal pain in the middle of the night.
Xiaoman, wrapped in a thin blanket, held the brewed medicine to Xu Dazhu's lips: "Brother, have another sip!"
He looked anxious. He had started drinking the soup made with loach roots that Aunt Jiang had suggested that he drink it that afternoon, but he was still in pain!
Sweat beaded on Xu Dazhu's forehead as he endured the abdominal pain and slowly drank the herbal water, unsure whether the medicine would be effective.
I experience bloating and abdominal pain once or twice a month, and it always takes me several days to recover.
Desperate when you're sick, you'll try anything. Now that he's in so much pain, he's drinking lots of herbal root soup.
Beside them, Xiaoman's grandparents were also awake, feeling extremely distressed.
Whether the herbs worked or not was not important to the two of them, as long as it made the child more comfortable.
Unexpectedly, the pain subsided by dawn, and I managed to get through it.
Jiang Zhi only learned about the illness in the morning, but it had already subsided. She understood that this was due to the loach skewers taking effect, so she told him to continue drinking them a few more times to stabilize the effect.
Next, you need to drink some rice porridge to soothe your stomach and intestines, and then there won't be any more major problems.
This ordeal, however, caused Dazhu's energy and spirit, which had been partially restored, to decline once again.
Knowing that he was weak all over, he dared not be impatient and could only patiently recuperate.
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