Suddenly, a thought flashed through Song An's mind. That's right, she remembered that her grandfather had said that He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) likes to grow in valleys, thickets, and hillsides.
These lush shrubs and so many Polygonum multiflorum vines on the slope suggest that the main root of Polygonum multiflorum might be right here.
So she broke free from her sons' support and told Lin Fengnian and Fengshou to quickly dig on the hillside.
The two brothers were relieved to see that their mother was indeed alright, so they picked up hoes and started digging.
When they had dug down to about two meters, Song Anxin saw something dark and quickly called for a stop. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum).
"It's He Shou Wu! We've found it!" Song Anxin exclaimed happily.
The boys rushed over to take a look. The dark thing only showed a corner of its body, and most of it was still buried in the soil, so they couldn't tell what it looked like.
Lin Fengshou said happily, "Then my brother and I will dig it out!"
Song Anxin instructed Lin Fengshou and Lin Fengnian to be careful not to break it, and soon the two of them dug out the He Shou Wu.
At first, it was only the size of two fingers of an adult male. Although it was only that small, it had been growing for two or three years.
He Shou Wu grows slowly, only reaching about three grams in the first year. As the plant grows larger, its growth rate will increase, but it will slow down again after the fifth year. Even after ten years of growth, He Shou Wu may not weigh more than one kilogram.
As Lin Fengnian and Lin Fengshou dug further, they found more and more He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), and the plants became larger and larger. In the end, they dug out a He Shou Wu the size of an adult man's fist.
Song Anxin was overjoyed. This must have been at least fifty years old. Together with Lin Fenghe, they carefully cleaned the soil off the surface of the He Shou Wu they had dug up.
After all the Polygonum multiflorum was dug up, the group took half a basket of mushrooms and some Polygonum multiflorum down the mountain, and didn't forget to ask Lin Fengshou to find Lin Fengyao and bring him home.
When the family arrived in the courtyard, Sister-in-law Lin and Zhang Mei, who were in the backyard, heard the commotion and came out to check. They were startled to see Song Anxin.
Sister-in-law Lin rushed over and looked you over from left to right: "Sister-in-law, what happened to you?! Did you fall into the mountains?"
Song Anxin then realized that her head and body were covered in weeds, her clothes were torn in several places, and her face was covered in mud from cleaning the he shou wu. She looked as disheveled as could be.
The boys weren't much better off either, having dug up He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum); their faces were also covered in dirt.
Song Anxin quickly told a few boys to go wash up, and said:
"It's nothing, sister-in-law. I just tripped and fell. I won't say any more. I'll go wash up with them right away."
Sister-in-law Lin was relieved to hear that Song Anxin was alright. As Song Anxin left, she couldn't help but mutter to her departing figure:
"Sister-in-law, you can let the young men do any work you need. You're getting on in years, so you need to be careful. It would be terrible if you fell and hurt yourself."
When Song Anxin heard Sister-in-law Lin mention her advanced age, she almost tripped and fell again. "Am I already too old to fall?!" Song Anxin was on the verge of tears. ┭┮﹏┭┮
Soon, the group was drawn to the he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum) on the ground and gathered around it.
"Second Aunt, what is this black lump-like thing? I've never seen it before," Lin Erxi asked.
Lin Fenghe, who was the first to finish washing, came over and replied, "My mother said it's He Shou Wu, a Chinese medicine that's very valuable."
Sister-in-law Lin exclaimed in surprise, "I really can't believe it! This thing that looks like a lump of rock is actually a medicinal herb, and it can even be sold!"
After washing up, the group gathered together, curiously examining the he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum) on the ground.
Song Anxin tidied herself up and came out. This He Shou Wu looked like a modern sweet potato, but its color was darker and it didn't look very good. It looked like a black stone lump.
She laughed and said, "Only those that are over ten years old are valuable. The small ones that have only grown for one or two years are not worth much. We were lucky this time and dug up a big one that must be at least fifty years old."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the larger one in the middle, but it wasn't that big, only about the size of an adult's fist, yet it was fifty years old!
Lin Fengyao muttered, "This guy is older than me but he's only this big. Mom, looks like he's not getting any food."
Hehehe... Song Anxin was immediately amused by Lin Fengyao and started laughing.
Seeing his mother laughing so happily, Lin Fengyao grinned foolishly and said, "Mother, am I right?"
Song Anxin nodded and said, "No, that's not true. He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) is a medicinal herb that grows slowly, according to records in herbal medicine books..."
"He Shou Wu is truly a miraculous herb. A fifty-year-old one is the size of a fist, a one-hundred-year-old one is the size of a bowl, and a two-hundred-year-old one is the size of a large basket."
Legend has it that when the He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) grows to a thousand years old, it takes the shape of a small child, and it is said that eating a thousand-year-old He Shou Wu can grant one immortality.
The group's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this!
"My goodness! These medicinal herbs are so potent!" exclaimed Sister-in-law Lin.
Lin Fengyao asked in surprise, "Really? Mother, will eating this really make me an immortal?"
The group of people also looked very curious.
Song Anxin smiled mysteriously and said, "I wouldn't know, since my mother has never eaten a thousand-year-old He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum). But the world is full of wonders, and no one can say for sure."
Although Song Anxin didn't say it explicitly, the younger children all took it seriously, including Sister-in-law Lin. What impressed them even more was Song Anxin's vast knowledge, including about medicinal herbs.
Lin Fengshou thought that his mother was indeed worthy of being the daughter of a scholar and the older sister of a student.
Lin Fenghe thought that his mother was indeed someone whom his uncle, a scholar, admired.
Soon, it was time for the family to have dinner. Lin Fengshou and Lin Fengnian, perhaps because they had used up too much energy that day, ate three large bowls of rice.
By the fourth bowl, Song Anxin kept praising, "This half-grown boy really eats his father out of house and home. Luckily, I bought enough food."
At the dinner table, Song Anxin was chatting with Zhang Mei. Zhang Mei said, "This afternoon, five more families came to deliver duck eggs, but not many, only fifty-two in total."
Song Anxin nodded and said, "You can handle the smaller quantity this afternoon. There will be more people in the morning, but I need to go to the county tomorrow morning to sell those He Shou Wu. I'll ask your aunt to help you out tomorrow."
"If you guys finish your work during a bumper harvest, and there are many people, please help collect the produce. I'll go to the county myself tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Lin Fengnian stopped eating and said, "Mother, I'll go with you. I'm worried about you going alone."
The boys all expressed their concern about letting their mother go alone.
Song Anxin said helplessly, "During a good year, you have to go to the fields in the morning, and during a good harvest, you two also have some chores to do."
"And the mushroom spawn also needs to be cultivated, especially if there are many people delivering duck eggs. Even with a bumper harvest, you need to cultivate the remaining crops, right?"
"Mom, don't worry about me! I'll go with you. I've never been to the county town before," Lin Fengyao hurriedly offered.
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