In the front yard of the Chen family, Daya and Chen Nong brought out black bread and black steamed buns, and took a few more black bread to share with their maternal grandparents and family members.
Chen Nong's maternal grandparents, however, dared not take it and kept making excuses.
The second daughter-in-law of the Chen family said, "Dad, Mom, just take the food! My mother-in-law has already agreed, and you won't be eating for free. You'll have to help us with the chores after you finish eating!"
When Chen Nong's maternal grandparents saw that their daughter was angry, they had no choice but to quickly take the bag.
Daya's maternal grandparents were also eating dark-colored steamed buns. Daya stuffed a dark-colored steamed bun into each of her cousins' hands and said, "Cousins, eat up! These buns have lard mixed in the filling, they're especially delicious."
One of Da Ya's cousins said, "Da Ya, I saw you just ate one steamed bun. Are you full? Why don't you eat it?"
Daya laughed and said, "You guys hurry up and eat. I still have white bread to eat, so I won't go hungry."
Daya's maternal grandparents looked at Chen Kai, who said helplessly, "It's okay, you guys eat! My parents won't say anything." At most, his mother would scold the younger ones.
They broke the buns in half and ate them together. Chen Kai's eldest and second sisters-in-law also brought out several bowls of meat soup. After they finished eating, Zhou told them to go to work in the fields.
The next day, most of the people in the vicinity of Liujiazhuangzi had left, and the families of Chen's eldest and second sons' wives had also returned home.
After lunch, Er Ya ran over and asked, "Uncle, Xiao Tian, we're going to pick fruit on the mountain later, do you want to come?"
Chen Kai laughed and said, "Wow! Xiao Tian, what about you?"
Xiao Tian remembered that a few days ago when Da Ya and the others came back from cutting pig feed, they brought back some delicious fruit, so he said, "I want to go too."
Daya said, "Okay, let's go get the bamboo baskets, hampers, and sickles. We'll go pick fruit in a bit."
On the way, Er Ya pointed to the raspberry bushes by the roadside and said, "Uncle, look over there. We picked some of the fruit we brought back for you a few days ago from over there, and also picked some from other places."
They continued walking, and as soon as they turned onto a side path, they saw a group of children gathered together, with one child in the middle crying loudly. The children were all from their village, and they had several baskets beside them, so they were probably there to pick fruit.
Er Ya asked curiously, "Dog Egg, what are you doing?"
Dog Egg shouted, "Come quick, Dazhu ate some wild strawberries, we're checking to see if he's alright!"
Daya said, "How could he eat wild strawberries? Wild strawberries are poisonous; they can kill people!"
Dog Egg said, "We saw Dazhu holding a snakeberry, so we quickly knocked it away, but he said he had already eaten one."
Er Ya also said in surprise, "Yes, snakeberries are what snakes eat. You can't eat them, they'll kill you."
After hearing what they said, Dazhu cried even harder.
After listening to their words, Chen Kai said helplessly, "You said the fruit is poisonous, so how come he's not dead yet?" He was crying so loudly, but he looked perfectly fine.
Dog Egg said, "We don't know either, so we'll wait here and see if he'll be alright."
Chen Kai remembered that wild strawberries are a controversial wild fruit in modern times. Some people say they are edible, while others say they are not. Those who have tried them say they taste bland and are not very tasty.
Old Man Chen and Mrs. Zhou often warned the children not to pick and eat wild strawberries, saying that these wild fruits were meant for snakes to eat, or had been eaten by snakes. They explained that sometimes white foam would appear on the stems and leaves, which they said was snake saliva, so they shouldn't eat them.
Chen Kai tugged at Xiao Tian in a low voice and asked, "Is this fruit poisonous?"
Chen Kai saw Xiao Tian shake, so he walked over to Da Zhu and said, "Da Zhu, don't cry. You won't die. Just take some antidote."
Apart from Xiao Tian, the other children all looked at Chen Kai curiously, wondering if there was an antidote for the snakeberry.
Dazhu asked curiously, "Uncle Chen, what is the antidote? I'll go find it right away!"
Chen Kai took a fruit from another child's basket and said, "This is the fruit. This is the antidote. Eat it quickly, and you won't die." As he spoke, Chen Kai handed the fruit to Dazhu.
Dazhu said excitedly, "Really? If I eat this fruit, I won't die?"
Chen Kai said with a smile, "Of course, I saw it in a book."
Dazhu immediately believed him and happily ate the fruit. Then he took a few more fruits from his basket and handed them to Chen Kai, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Chen, here's some fruit for you."
Chen Kai took the fruit and ate it, thinking that little brats are so easy to fool.
Daya asked excitedly, "Is this fruit really the antidote for snakeberry?"
Chen Kai asked curiously, "Yeah! What do you want to do?"
Daya said, "I want to try the taste of snakeberries. The adults always say that they can't be eaten, but I'm just curious and want to try them."
Er Ya excitedly added, "Anyway, we have the antidote, so I want to try it too."
Chen Nong asked, "Dazhu, are snakeberries tasty? What do they taste like?"
Dazhu thought for a moment and said, "I ate too fast just now, so it doesn't taste like much."
Er Ya asked, "Da Zhu, did you feel any discomfort after eating the snakeberries?"
Dazhu shook his head and said, "I don't feel anything!"
Er Ya said happily, "Since we don't feel uncomfortable, let's try it!"
After tasting the wild strawberries, Da Ya and the others were all disappointed; the taste of the wild strawberries was nothing like what they had imagined.
Chen Kai chuckled and gave them a lecture, warning them not to eat random things in the future, especially things they didn't know, or they could really die.
Chen Nong said disappointedly, "Why does the food that snakes eat have no taste?"
Daya said disappointedly, "It has no flavor at all, it's not tasty!"
Xiao Tian said, "You guys are overthinking it."
Er Ya said disappointedly, "It's not as delicious as I imagined. Raspberries are much better with their sweet and sour taste. It's a pity that such delicious fruit can't be sold for money!"
Chen Nong laughed and said, "Don't dream about it. Raspberries are everywhere in the countryside. Even rich people know this fruit. They can't make money selling it."
Raspberries are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B2, and other minerals, and have the effects of nourishing the kidneys and strengthening essence, beautifying the skin, and improving intelligence and brain function.
However, raspberries should not be eaten in large quantities, otherwise they can easily cause internal heat.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com