Before leaving home, the two ate breakfast at home. Jiang Xi used a stone mill to grind the soaked beans into soy milk, boiled it in an earthenware pot, and added some sweet honey.
It had been a long time since Jiang Xi had tasted this beverage that used to be readily available everywhere. She slowly savored the rich aroma of soybeans.
Yan Jing'an has a sweet tooth, so Jiang Xi ground some extra for him, and he kept giving her a thumbs up after eating it.
Before leaving, Yan Zheng insisted that Jiang Xi wear thick socks and tied rabbit skins to their calves to protect them from snakes and insects.
The wasteland is teeming with snakes, insects, and ants. Even a single bite can cause pain for two days. If you are unlucky enough to encounter a venomous one, without antivenom, many lives could be lost.
Thinking of this, he tightened Jiang Xi's trouser cuffs twice more, and the two of them, fully armed and prepared, entered the wasteland.
Fortunately, the field lived up to expectations. Jiang Xi took a stick, walked a few steps, and could see the mushrooms sprouting from it.
Botrytis cinerea, Termitomyces albuminosus, and red and blue mushroom caps—all these colorful ones are poisonous. Jiang Xi pulled them all out and threw them away, afraid of accidentally picking them later.
As she walked, Jiang Xi realized something.
She asked Yan Zheng, "Don't you think this place is a bit special?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Zheng looked around and saw dozens of acres of fields covered with wild grass swaying in the wind, but a small portion of the grass stood out conspicuously.
Well, if these are considered weeds, then their growth is rather haphazard and orderly.
A thought struck him, and his scalp tingled.
Jiang Xi said from behind her, "Don't I think the distribution of these weeds is too regular?"
This reminded her of the scene in the bell's dream.
As she spoke, she bent down and plucked a "foxtail grass" from the ground.
Jiang Xi held up the blade of grass and asked, "Is this really foxtail grass?"
Why does she think it looks like wheat?
Upon hearing this, Yan Zheng strode over to the adjacent plot of land, plucked a leaf from a plant, and Jiang Xi immediately followed behind.
Yan Zheng stared at the leaf, while Jiang Xi looked at it and said, "Don't you think this leaf looks a bit like corn?"
Although the plant is only as long as a forearm now, Jiang Xi feels it looks more and more familiar.
A few days ago, before the leaves had sprouted, she didn't think they looked much like weeds. But now that the leaves have come out, she feels that the plants here might not be just ordinary weeds.
Yan Zheng laughed out loud, a possibility suddenly flashing through his mind: "I'm afraid something good is waiting for us."
He quickly walked another acre to carefully observe the plants on the ground.
They look too similar.
The plants in the nearby acres of land all seem to have been planned, with each type of plant growing in large patches.
It's as if someone once planted them here.
A bold hypothesis suddenly popped into his mind: "Perhaps it was planted by those ancestors, but for some reason they didn't harvest in autumn, so the seeds of these grains were left behind and grew one crop after another in this field."
Jiang Xi also found it unbelievable, but the corn seedlings in her hand reminded her that it might be true.
So, disregarding everything else, she began to observe the land acre by acre.
She walked about four acres before confirming that her guess was correct; it was all grain.
It was good news, but she also discovered that only corn and wheat had survived on those few acres of land.
What remained were still weeds, perhaps because the population had gradually decreased and there weren't as many people farming. Perhaps those plants were other grains, but she didn't recognize them.
He once asked Yan Jing'an about the food and grain in the two worlds.
However, Yan Jing'an also said that although some names are different, most of the food tastes the same.
Jiang Xi thought for a moment and concluded that these two things alone were enough.
With wheat and corn, their staple food problem was easily solved. Although root vegetables and potatoes could fill them up, they were not suitable for their stomachs, and sometimes eating too much would make them feel bloated.
Of course, she also retained a degree of rationality, knowing that things might not be as optimistic as she thought.
After all, these two grains have grown naturally for hundreds of years. Without artificial management and fertilization, the grains should gradually exhibit a reversion to their ancestral state. Perhaps when these wheat grains are threshed, the kernels will only be the size of sesame seeds.
Even in the worst-case scenario, there may be no harvest at all.
Jiang Xi thought to herself, "I hope that God will favor them and give them some good seeds."
These are all things to be discussed later; she thought that everything would be answered naturally in the autumn.
The two had a very fruitful day. In addition to the unexpected surprise of grain, Yan Zheng and Jiang Xi picked two whole baskets of mushrooms from their dozen or so acres of land.
When Jiang Xi couldn't carry it anymore, Yan Zheng took her basket and carried it on his back as well.
Jiang Xi took the opportunity to dig up some fresh wild scallions and vegetables.
Back in the yard, we kept some of the mushrooms for ourselves, and cleaned the rest thoroughly before drying them in a woven basket.
It's not that we're lacking mushrooms; the main problem is that mushrooms, if not picked while they're still young, will become too old in a couple of days.
Only by picking them in time will the mushrooms in the ground grow faster.
In the evening, we ate stir-fried wild onions and porcini mushrooms by Yan Zheng. Fresh mushrooms are the most refreshing when stir-fried; they are not only crisp but also have a unique mushroom aroma.
Yan Jing'an ate two bowls of root and potato rice.
After listening to the two men recount their discovery of grain in the fields that day, he thought for a moment and discussed with them that he would begin searching for saplings in the jungle the next day.
He held up his teacup and asked for their opinions: "The timing is just right now. If we wait any longer, the leaves will be lush and the flowers will bloom. If we suddenly dig up the roots, change the soil, and transplant them, half of the flowers and leaves will fall off, and the survival rate may be low."
Therefore, transplanting should be done in the spring.
And it has to be done. Although wheat and corn have been discovered, the climate is so changeable these days, with temperatures varying from year to year. Who knows if those crops from hundreds of years ago will still have any cultivable seeds left?
With only a few vegetables and fruits grown in the fields, it would be virtually impossible to achieve basic sustenance without hunting.
Most importantly, he knew that there was a plant in the forest whose fruit had a texture similar to bread. Once picked, it could be stored for a long time and wouldn't rot even after being placed in a warehouse for one or two months.
Compared to root potatoes, which sprout easily, this food is far more beneficial. The more of this food there is, the greater their chances of surviving natural disasters.
Jiang Xi thought of the Arbor Day in spring when she was a child and felt that Yan Jing'an's words made some sense. She nodded and said, "Then go ahead, be careful, take the deer with you, and if you encounter anything heavy, let it carry it back."
Yan Zheng, who was pondering this, also said, "Should I prepare a bow and arrow for you?"
Yan Jing'an waved his hand: "I don't know how to use that thing, just give me a sword."
Yan Zheng nodded, knowing full well that Yan Jing'an was skilled in martial arts, and after thinking about it carefully, he figured there shouldn't be any major problems.
That night, Yan Zheng sharpened his sword again, and also sharpened two daggers and two shovels.
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