Chapter 78 Picking Chestnuts
Lu Mingyue smiled and nodded: "Okay, this is a good opportunity for you to help me judge the taste."
Zheng Xiuhua looked at the hawthorn balls on the table and her eyes lit up: "Your hawthorn balls are beautifully made. Why don't we try them together?"
She picked up a hawthorn ball, took a small bite, and the sugar coating cracked open in her mouth, revealing the sweet and juicy hawthorn inside, with just the right amount of soft and chewy texture.
Zheng Xiuhua's eyes lit up: "Wow, this tastes amazing! It's even better than what I make!"
Lu Mingyue was a little embarrassed by the praise: "Don't praise me anymore, our skills are both excellent."
She wasn't exaggerating; the food really did taste great. Fresh ingredients paired with the perfect cooking method meant the food would taste pretty good.
Just then, a rustling sound came from inside the house, followed by the sleepy voices of the children calling, "Mommy."
Lu Mingyue quickly responded, "You're awake? Come to the kitchen!"
As soon as Leilei and Yaoyao stepped into the kitchen, they were attracted by the delicious food on the table.
The hawthorn balls looked like strings of small rubies, while the hawthorn cake next to them gleamed with an amber luster, and their sweet and sour aroma wafted straight into our noses.
"Wow! What is this? It's so beautiful!" Yao Yao exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Zheng Xiuhua smiled and picked up a hawthorn ball, handing it over: "Try it, your mother made this."
Yao Yao took a bite, and her eyes immediately curved into crescents: "Sweet and sour, it's so delicious!"
Leilei, however, set his sights on the hawthorn cake. He scooped out a large piece with a small spoon and popped it into his mouth, squinting his eyes in satisfaction: "This is delicious too! It's even better than the pastries we bought from the supply and marketing cooperative last time!"
Seeing the children wolfing down their food, Lu Mingyue and Zheng Xiuhua exchanged a smile and quickly reminded them, "Eat slowly, don't choke."
Children have weak digestive systems, so eating too much hawthorn is not good for them.
Seeing that they had almost finished eating, Gu Mingyue quickly reminded them, "Alright, alright, let's stop eating here for today. Let's save it for tomorrow, otherwise our stomachs will feel uncomfortable."
Leilei reached out to take it, but she gently stopped him, so he reluctantly withdrew his hand, muttering, "But it's so delicious."
Zheng Xiuhua smiled and agreed, "Even if it's delicious, you should eat it in moderation. This plate of hawthorn cake is all for you. You can eat it tomorrow."
The two children then obediently put down their spoons.
As evening fell, Huo Zheng pushed open the door and immediately saw a heartwarming scene in the kitchen.
The two children leaned back in their chairs, their bellies bulging, and sugar frosting still clung to their lips.
"What's wrong?" Huo Zheng walked over with a smile. "What delicious food did you eat to make you so full?"
Leilei immediately held up the half-eaten hawthorn ball he hadn't finished: "Dad, you have to try it! Mom's is super delicious!"
Huo Zheng took it and took a bite; the sweet and sour taste melted in his mouth.
The next second, the sweetness on the surface faded, and I frowned from the sourness. I could see that there was frosting on the outside, but I didn't expect it to be so sour.
Staring at him by the two children, he nodded and said, "Yes, it's really good! Your mother's cooking is getting better and better."
Yao Yao: "And there's hawthorn cake that my aunt sent."
Huo Zheng quickly took another bite of hawthorn cake and praised it repeatedly: "They're all delicious! It seems our family won't need to buy snacks from the supply and marketing cooperative anymore."
Lu Mingyue smiled and handed him a cup of tea: "The children are tired from climbing the mountain today, so I'll make some sweet and sour appetizers to help them relax."
Because they had a good haul this time, they made plans to go up the mountain again to look for other wild fruits.
“I heard there are wild chestnuts and jujubes on the mountain,” Zheng Xiuhua said excitedly. “Next time we go, we’ll bring a bigger basket!”
Lu Mingyue smiled and nodded: "Okay, but we need to set off early. The mountain road is difficult to walk on, and we must get down the mountain before dark."
Huo Zheng chimed in, "I happened to be off duty that day, so I'll go with you guys and we can look after each other on the way."
Sure, if he's willing to go, one more person means one more layer of security.
After all, this forest on the island is a wild mountain forest, and it wouldn't be good if we encountered some wild animals.
Zhu Xiaofang knew they were going up the mountain to gather things, and she also wanted to take her son along for a walk to relax.
Since Mingming started playing with the other children, she has been smiling more and more, which makes her mother very happy.
Lu Mingyue readily agreed: "Sure, it'll be more lively with more people, and the children will have company."
Zheng Xiuhua added with a smile, "Then it's settled. We'll prepare several baskets and try to return with a full load this time."
A few days later, early in the morning, several families gathered at the entrance of the courtyard.
Lu Mingyue and Zheng Xiuhua carried empty baskets, Zhu Xiaofang held Mingming's hand, several men carried tool bags, and the children walked ahead chattering like a flock of little birds.
On the way up the mountain, there was a patch of mint flowers blooming in the roadside grass. The pale purple flowers swayed gently in the wind, emitting a cool fragrance.
"This is a good thing!" Zheng Xiuhua's eyes lit up, and she squatted down to pick the fruit carefully. "It can be dried and used to make tea, and it can also repel mosquitoes."
Lu Mingyue also picked some, then crushed them and rubbed them on the children's hands and arms.
There are many mosquitoes in the mountains and forests, and the cooling balm they apply may not be very effective. It is better to use natural mosquito-repelling herbs directly.
The children smelled it curiously, and Mingming wrinkled his little nose: "It's cool, and it smells so special!"
Lu Mingyue said to Huo Zheng, "When we come back, we'll dig up a few more and plant them in the yard. We can use them whenever we want."
"Okay, whatever you say."
Zhu Xiaofang laughed along, "It seems that Comrade Lu's words are more effective than orders."
Huo Zheng didn't take it to heart, and instead said with a smile, "Of course I have to listen to my wife."
Continuing uphill, they came across another grapevine. Although there weren't as many grapes as the first one they had seen, each one was full and plump.
Lu Mingyue said with a smile, "Pick more to take back. Some will be eaten, and some can be used to make wine."
The children didn't understand the jokes between adults; they were too busy chasing and playing around in front of them.
Leilei suddenly stopped, pointed to a big tree in front of him, and shouted, "Look! Isn't that a chestnut tree?"
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw that the branches were covered with small, spiky green balls, like little hedgehogs hanging from the branches.
Lu Mingyue's eyes lit up: "That's right, wild chestnuts! It looks like we'll have a good harvest today."
The group arrived excitedly under the chestnut tree, looking at the green berries covered in hard thorns.
The children were both curious and a little scared.
"Is this a chestnut? Why does it look like a little hedgehog?" Leilei cautiously stretched out his finger, then quickly pulled it back.
Lu Mingyue smiled and handed him a small twig: "Use this to pry it open and see if there's any treasure inside."
Leilei was brave. He picked up a branch and flicked it hard. With a "snap," a chestnut ball cracked open, revealing three shiny chestnuts inside.
He shouted excitedly, "Come and see! There are three inside!"
I didn't expect that chestnuts would already be ripe on the island at this time of year. It's true that different regions have different climates.
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