Chapter 202 Miraculous Wild Fruit
After Xu Que and Ha Gang came out of the dilapidated cave, they ran straight to the mountain opposite the cave without thinking.
Besides the clear chirping of birds, there were many unidentified animals of various sizes on the mountain, as well as ripe fruits of different colors that looked mouthwatering. However, Xu Que was worried that fruits with more and more colors and more beautiful appearance were probably poisonous! At this moment, a fruit called acorn came into Ha Gang's eyes. As a person with human female genes, Ha Gang's foodie characteristics were fully displayed at this moment.
"Wow! There are so many acorns there!" Before Xu Que could even react to Ha Gang's shout, she had already run to the acorn tree. Drooling, she looked up at the tree, perhaps because she was so eager to eat them, and even imagined herself reaching out and hopping around to pick the acorns.
Xu Que was amused: "What the heck! Such a good tree, you think you can pick it? Haha, are you sleepwalking?"
Acorns are a type of nut-bearing plant, similar in size and shape to peanuts and lotus seeds. When roasted, they have a pleasant taste and texture, somewhat like chestnuts. These wild nut-bearing plants are common in northern regions, typically growing in forests alongside various trees and shrubs. Every autumn and winter, when the fruits ripen, the hillsides are often covered in fallen acorns, which are then eaten by many small animals.
Acorns are the fruit of the acorn tree, also known as the oak. The fruit is initially a pale green, turning reddish-brown when ripe. Peeling back the hard outer shell reveals a milky-white fruit. Raw acorns taste bitter and are somewhat toxic, so in the past, when people in rural areas didn't know how to process them, no one ate them. Acorn trees are generally quite tall, so harvesting requires a long bamboo pole to knock the fruit down from the trunk. The hard shell won't damage them. Alternatively, you can wait until the desired ripening season and find many naturally ripened acorns lying under the tree.
Its fruit is rich in starch and protein. It was once processed into acorn starch using certain techniques, and sold both domestically and internationally, primarily for health benefits. The bioactive factors it contains are said to greatly help improve immunity and intelligence, reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and improve skin. It is also said to have beneficial effects for diabetics! While not widely consumed domestically, it was very popular with foreign friends, and it's used to make various delicacies such as acorn tofu, dried fruit, pastries, and even wine.
In recent years, this fruit has become widely recognized. During the harvest season in the mountains, farmers search for and pick it from various hilltops, then bring it home to dry and clean it. When merchants come to buy it, they can sell it for a good price!
"I want to eat! I want to eat!" Ha Gang said, his mouth watering again.
Seeing this, Xu Que couldn't help but laugh: "You're only focused on the fruit high up, have you noticed that many of these fruits have fallen in front of you and behind you?"
Upon hearing Xu Que's words, Ha Gang immediately turned around and looked around, exclaiming, "Wow! It really is!"
Upon seeing the fruit, he squatted down without saying a word and began picking it up, picking it up endlessly, seemingly having long forgotten that Xu Que was still around.
Seeing this, Xu Que looked helpless: "Hey! Stop picking up the ones on the ground! See, there are still plenty of fresh ones on the tree!"
Ha Gang looked up at the taller tree and said, "We can't climb the tree! We might as well pick some from the ground!" She had thought Xu Que would say, "I'll pick them for you, you can catch them from below."
Unexpectedly, Xu Que said, "You're quite light, so I'll throw you up the tree. You can just pick the fresh fruit up there, okay?" Before Ha Gang could even say "okay," Xu Que grabbed her and threw her up the tree, saying, "Go pick your fruit! I'll clean my gun down here. Just call if you need anything!"
Ha Gang picked fruit from the tree for a while. Because he was very curious and light, he climbed to a higher place to look into the distance, wanting to see how big the forest was and what kind of scenery it had.
"Yay! Yah..." Ha Gang shouted a few times while looking in one direction.
Xu Que, who was maintaining his gun under the tree, reacted quickly and came to the tree upon hearing the sound, thinking that Ha Gang had encountered danger.
"I've found another patch of golden and red fruit not far ahead! Catch me, I want to pick those fruits!" Before Xu Que could even prepare to catch her under the tree, Ha Gang shouted "Ah!" and jumped down from the top of the tree.
Xu Que hurriedly stepped forward to catch him: "You scared me to death! Big brother, this is dangerous! Why are you acting like a little kid?"
Just as Xu Que was getting angry and preparing to criticize and educate Ha Gang, she broke free from Xu Que's embrace and ran all the way to a bush with branches covered in golden and red flowers in just a few seconds.
Of course, Xu Que followed closely behind, just like a father secretly protecting his daughter.
Ha Gang bent the entire tree trunk and, with great effort, picked a fruit and began to show it off to Xu Que: "Look! Fruit! Hahaha..." After saying that, he stuffed it into his mouth without thinking twice.
Xu Que glanced at the fruit; he had seen it in the mountains when he was a child and had eaten it before, calling it "girl fruit".
"You're being too reckless! What are you picking up and eating? You need to know that there are many poisonous things in this forest! You can't eat them directly..." Xu Que was speechless.
Ground cherries are perennial erect herbaceous plants, typically reaching a height of about 80 centimeters. They are highly adaptable, tolerating both cold and heat, preferring humid climates, and are not particular about soil type. They can be grown in both southern and northern China. Unripe ground cherries are very bitter; only after the first frost in autumn, when the outer skin turns bright red, does the fruit ripen. When ripe, the fruit is golden yellow, sweet, and has a milky flavor.
The ground cherry has a very unique appearance, covered with a lantern-shaped outer skin. This skin is somewhat transparent, allowing you to see the veins inside, making it resemble a lantern, hence its other name, lantern fruit. In northern China, it's also called "gu yan'er" or "guniang'er." This fruit tastes sweet and sour, with many small seeds, which some people might find unusual.
"Don't run around anymore! There are wolves in this forest. Meimei, eat your fruit!" Xu Que thought to himself: Once you're full, you probably won't be able to run anymore, and I can focus on maintaining my gun. After that, I still need to hunt and prepare lunch! I promised to help Ha Gang get some nourishment and build up his strength, and that can't just be empty talk!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com