Looking at the steamed egg cakes, malted milk powder, a big bag of flour, and a bag of rice that were brought into the house, especially that piece of pork with fat that was three fingers wide, my goodness, how much lard could be rendered from that?
Jiang's mother stopped Liu Jingyu from bringing things into the house, saying, "Look at you, child. You come to play, so why bring so much stuff? How much money will this cost? Nobody's money grows on trees. Besides, if your parents find out you bought so much stuff, won't they scold you?"
“Auntie, I bought these myself. Just take them and eat them. They’re all good for children. Let Er Ya eat more. She’s growing.”
Qian Lu also said, "Auntie, just take it. You don't know, he's a rich man. These things are nothing to him. Besides, Er Ya is our business partner now. It wouldn't be good for us to come empty-handed on our first visit."
Liu Jingyu, who arrived empty-handed on his first visit, wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling that he had been subtly implied.
Liu Jingyu looked at Er Ya, who was wearing a new, pink dress and looked very pretty: "Er Ya looks so beautiful today!" He then regretted that he had forgotten to bring Er Ya some nice clothes. He should remember to bring them again.
Er Ya smiled and said, "You're a handsome young man too. You're the most handsome young man I've ever seen. Thank you for what you brought us."
The things Liu Jingyu brought were all things Er Ya needed, so Er Ya didn't refuse, thinking that she would definitely repay her little brother in kind when she had the chance in the future.
Jiang's mother went to the market by car, leaving Liu Jingyu behind. Qian Lu accompanied Er Ya up the mountain. Originally, Liu Jingyu didn't want Qian Lu to stay, as he was busy with the restaurant's renovation and was always on the go. He thought it would be better for him to just go for a walk with Er Ya.
But Qian Lu dared not leave. He was joking; if this little rascal got hurt under his nose, his parents would skin him alive. His aunt only had this one son, and she felt more at ease knowing he was with him. He couldn't leave his cousin's side no matter what.
The group went up the mountain, and Liu Jingyu was amazed by everything he saw: "Er Ya, look, look! What's that? Wow, it can fly!"
"Wow, what is this? It's so beautiful!" he said, reaching out to pick a plant from the ground. Er Ya quickly grabbed him and exaggeratedly said, "Little brother, don't touch it! This is poisonous. If you touch it, your hand will rot."
This thing is called a red bean, but it also has a more beautiful name: love bean. "Red beans grow in the south, how many branches will sprout in spring? I wish you would gather more, for this is the most cherished symbol of longing." Although its name is lovely and it looks beautiful, don't be fooled by its appearance; ingesting even one bean could be life-threatening.
This young man is such a troublemaker; he wants to touch everything he sees, unaware that some things, once touched, can cause anything from minor hand rot to serious poisoning. If not treated promptly, some people have even lost their lives because of this.
Er Ya said to Liu Jingyu earnestly, "Little brother, there are many things on this mountain that you can't touch, especially things that look very pretty and beautiful. They are all poisonous and can kill you if you touch them." Er Ya was trying to scare Liu Jingyu.
Upon hearing how serious the consequences were, Liu Jingyu immediately stopped touching anything, feeling that everything he saw was poisonous.
Seeing Liu Jingyu's dejected appearance, Er Ya looked around for something to cheer him up. Suddenly, she saw a fruit tree in front of her, about five meters long, with many fruits on it. The fruits were not very big, only the size of soybeans. It turned out to be a sour vine.
The fruit is usually red or black when ripe, and it tastes sweeter than blueberries. The flesh is very juicy. What's even more amazing is that it can bear fruit three times a year, making it one of the most popular wild fruits among rural children.
Er Ya climbed up the tree and picked several branches of sour vines. She handed one to Liu Jingyu and said, "Little brother, try this. It's delicious and sweet. It can relieve bloating, aid digestion, and is good for your stomach."
Liu Jingyu picked one, put it in his mouth: Mmm~ So delicious, even better than the strawberries I've ever eaten. He immediately forgot his unhappiness from earlier and started eating it heartily.
Seeing that Liu Jingyu liked to eat this, Er Ya climbed up the tree and picked a few more branches to save for him to eat at home.
The three of them ate as they walked up the mountain. They picked anything they thought was edible and put it in their basket. Soon the basket was full of all kinds of wild vegetables and fruits.
Looking at how much little Er Ya knew, Liu Jingyu was so envious of her. He suddenly thought that she often walked back and forth on the mountain. He wondered if she had seen any of the things that his grandfather needed.
Hoping for a stroke of luck, he asked Er Ya, "Er Ya, have you or anyone from your village ever found ginseng on this mountain? I heard that a few years ago someone found some really old ginseng on this mountain."
When Er Ya heard Liu Jingyu ask this, she didn't know whether she should say that just a few days ago, she had found a wild ginseng not far away and sold it for two hundred yuan.
"Young man, why are you asking this? I've found so many things on the mountain, I wonder if there's any ginseng like you mentioned."
Liu Jingyu said sadly, "It's my grandfather. He's sick and needs a hundred-year-old ginseng as a medicinal ingredient. My grandfather was so good to me, but now he's so sick that he doesn't even recognize me anymore."
A few days ago, I did find one, but it wasn't very old. But something is better than nothing, so I quickly sent it to my grandfather. He heard from my parents that someone had found a hundred-year-old ginseng in this area before, so he tried to look for it under the guise of hunting last time, but he didn't even find a single ginseng leaf.
So that's how it is. If the ginseng wasn't for sale, I could have used it to help the young man. But now it's all gone. The young man is so kind to me and gave me so many good things. I don't know what's wrong with my lucky charm. Is it just a coincidence or is it real? If I really want a hundred-year-old ginseng right now, is there any chance I can get one?
Er Ya decided to take a gamble and tugged at Liu Jingyu's hand, saying, "Little brother, I saw a flower a few days ago that was so beautiful. Why don't I take you to see it?"
After saying that, he pulled Liu Jingyu and headed towards the place where the ginseng was found last time. Qian Lu quickly followed them. It was too dangerous here. As the oldest among them, he had to protect them.
When Er Ya arrived at the place where she had found ginseng last time, the pit where she had dug it was still there, but there was no sign of ginseng. She thought to herself in disappointment: Was it all just a coincidence before?
To be continued!
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