Da Ya and the others placed the bamboo baskets next to Chen Kai and went to pick fruit.
When Chen Kai saw that Da Ya and the others had gone to pick fruit, he sat down and played with a blade of grass. Xiao Tian didn't want to pick fruit himself, so he found a place to sit next to Chen Kai.
A moment later, Chen Shi came running over, eating some fruit in one hand and carrying a basket in the other, shouting, "Uncle, Xiao Tian, look what I found! It's sour grass! Do you want some?"
Chen Kai said with a smile, "You can put it here, I'll try it in a bit."
Chen Shi took out the sour grass and fruit from the basket and placed them next to Chen Kai and Xiao Tian, then continued picking fruit with the empty basket.
Chen Kai picked up the sour grass, ate a little, and asked, "Xiao Tian, do you want some? It's sour and quite delicious."
Xiao Tian frowned and said, "I don't like sour food, so you should eat less of it too."
Chen Kai asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Xiao Tian took a fruit and said, "There's no problem. Just eat a little. Eating too much can easily cause poisoning."
Chen Kai remembered that this sour grass looked very similar to clover, and many people would confuse them. The leaves looked almost identical, and they grew in similar environments and were about the same height. However, this sour grass and clover were not the same plant. Although its leaves were similar to clover, they were generally darker in color and felt harder and smoother to the touch, while clover leaves were softer.
This wild grass is called "sour grass" mainly because its leaves taste sour. It's an edible wild grass that can be eaten directly after washing, making it a popular snack for many children. The sour leaves can also freshen the breath when chewed. Its roots are also edible, and in rural areas they're called "little radishes." The roots resemble radishes but are translucent and can also be eaten directly. Their sweetness complements the leaves, making them the best combination for flavor. It can also be used in salads or cooked.
The whole plant of *Gynostemma pentaphyllum* can be used medicinally. It can clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and disperse blood stasis, promote urination and relieve strangury, and invigorate blood and relieve pain. It has a therapeutic effect on common bruises and snake and insect bites.
Chen Kai shouted, "Nephew, dig up the roots of all these sour grasses and give them to me."
Chen Shi asked, "Uncle, what do you need the roots of the sour grass for?"
Chen Kai said with a smile, "I read in a book that its roots are edible, so I wanted to try it."
Upon hearing that the roots of sour grass were edible, Chen Nong dug one up, wiped it on his clothes, ate it, and exclaimed in surprise, "It really is edible, and it's sweet!"
When Da Ya and the others heard this, they all gathered around and dug up a few roots of the sour grass to eat.
Daya exclaimed happily, "I never imagined that the leaves of the sour grass were sour, but its roots were sweet!"
Er Ya excitedly said, "Let's dig up more later and take it home for Grandpa and Grandma to eat."
Chen Kai watched helplessly as Da Ya and the others dug up the entire patch of sour grass.
After digging up the sour grass, Sanya saw a few bayberry trees, so she ran over, climbed up a tree, picked a bright red fruit, put it in her mouth, and immediately spat it out.
Sanya's face scrunched up from the sourness. She stuck out her tongue and said, "It's so sour! These bayberries look so red and delicious, but they're so sour they're making my teeth feel like they're going to fall out."
Upon seeing this, Chen Shi chuckled and said, "Of course these wild bayberries are sour. If they were sweet, they would have been picked long ago. How could we possibly have a chance to pick them? Besides, there are no signs of birds pecking at these fruits, so they must not taste good."
Sanya climbed down from the tree and went to pick other fruits.
Chen Kai looked at the several bayberry trees, which were all growing quite well. He saw a shorter bayberry tree not far away, so he walked over and wanted to pick some.
Upon seeing this, Chen Nong quickly ran over to stop him, then picked a small basket full of fruit for him, and asked Chen Kai, "Uncle, these fruits are very sour, what are you going to do with them?"
Chen Kai said with a smile, "When I get home, I want to make some plum juice."
After picking fruit for Chen Kai, Chen Nong told him not to wander off and then went to pick fruit himself.
After a while, Da Ya and the others had eaten their fill of fruit, and their bamboo baskets and hampers were full. They returned to Chen Kai and Xiao Tian's side. Da Ya carried Chen Kai, and Chen Nong carried Xiao Tian, and they prepared to go home.
After returning home, before Grandpa Chen and Mrs. Zhou came back, Daya washed the bayberries, intending to make some plum juice for her grandparents to drink when they came back.
Er Ya happily said, "Great! I'll make some plum juice."
Da Ya went to the kitchen to boil water. She couldn't waste salt here. To soak it in salt water, she first rinsed it with clean water and then scalded it with boiling water. Although it would affect the taste, the effect was still significant.
Chen Kai said, "Er Ya, could you wash some of the sweeter fruits for me? I'll need them later."
Chen Kai wanted to juice some fruit, so he went to find Chen Lao Er and described a simple manual juicer to him. Chen Kai looked at his second brother expectantly.
After thinking for a while, Chen Lao Er found a few small wooden boards and started making one. In no time, a simple manual juicer was finished.
Upon seeing the finished product, Chen Kai happily said, "Thank you, Second Brother. I'll bring you some juice later." After saying that, Chen Kai ran off to test how well the tool worked.
After Daya boiled the water, Chen Kai asked her to scald the manual juicer to sterilize it.
Seeing the strange tool, Daya asked with a puzzled look, "Uncle, what's this for?"
Chen Kai said with a smile, "You'll see in a bit, this is what I use to make fruit juice."
After the manual juicer was sterilized, Daya and the others curiously gathered around. Chen Kai directed Er Ya to get some of the fruit that had just been washed, and then used the manual juicer to make a bowl of juice. After Daya and the others tasted it, they all thought it was quite delicious.
After squeezing another bowl of juice, Chen Kai said, "Alright, this is the bowl I promised to give to Second Brother. You've learned enough, so if you want some juice, make it yourselves!"
Chen Kai took the juice to his second brother, and when he came back, Xiao Tian pulled him aside and whispered, "I want it cold!"
Chen Kai said helplessly, "Where am I supposed to get you ice?"
Chen Kai thought for a moment and said, "Alright, when Old Man Chen and the others come back, I'll go ask where I can buy saltpeter!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com