"Here, have some!"
Ye Qingqing generously handed a bag of torreya nuts to Mrs. Zou, weighing about four or five pounds. Lin Shufang was very thoughtful, packing each bag with five pounds to avoid them getting damp from frequent opening. However, Lin Shufang underestimated the appetites of Wuchen and the other kids. The fifty pounds they bought last time were almost gone, so Lin Shufang had to ask a relative to send over a few dozen pounds more.
Torreya nuts are worthless now, and rural areas don't take them seriously. They're only slightly more expensive than sunflower seeds; you can buy a whole bunch for a hundred yuan. The mountain people who grow Torreya nuts never dreamed that in a few years, the fruit they took for granted would bring them a comfortable and prosperous life.
In her previous life, when Ye Qingqing visited Shengxian County, the mountain people lived in remote areas, but their houses were all beautifully built. Every household had a car, and the young people had all bought houses in the city. They were not rich or powerful, but they were certainly well-off and content.
Mrs. Zou looked embarrassed as she held a large bag of torreya nuts. "There's too much. I just want a little to taste."
"I have dozens of kilograms of it at home, take it and eat it, don't be shy!" Ye Qingqing said boldly. She definitely wouldn't say that in ten years.
Zou Hanqiu laughed and said, "Then we won't stand on ceremony. My wife has been telling me how delicious torreya nuts are for years, but I've never tasted them myself. Today I'll have to broaden my horizons."
Mrs. Zou opened the bag and grabbed a handful of torreya nuts. They were about the size of a fingertip, oval-shaped, with a grayish-brown shell. They looked unremarkable, and this fruit was quite magical, requiring three years to grow.
The fruit harvested this year actually grew three years ago. It has a spiky shell like a chestnut. After picking it, you can let the shell rot, take out the fruit inside, add salt, and stir-fry it to make delicious torreya nuts.
"This fruit looks a bit like a small walnut." Zou Hanqiu thought it was a small walnut at first glance. There are quite a lot of small walnuts in Pingjiang. He and Zhang Zhengrong both love to eat them, especially the salt and pepper flavor. Every day when filming, they would grab a handful and slowly peel and eat them. They do taste good, but they are easy to cause internal heat. Zhang Zhengrong even got three blisters in his mouth, but he still kept eating them without caring.
Zou Hanqiu picked up a walnut, intending to eat it like a small walnut, and stuff it directly into his mouth to bite into. Mrs. Zou burst out laughing and stopped him.
"Small walnuts are round, these are oval. What's wrong with your eyes? Besides, torreya nuts won't cause internal heat. Eating too many small walnuts will give you blisters on your tongue. Let me teach you how to eat them."
Mrs. Zou pointed to the pointed end, which had two symmetrical small dots on it, like eyes. She skillfully squeezed it with two fingers, and a crisp cracking sound rang out. The shell then neatly split open, revealing a dark layer inside.
"These black ones are inedible; they'll fall off with the slightest touch. These golden ones are the real treat. Smell them, don't they smell amazing?"
Mrs. Zou wiped away the black layer, revealing a golden piece of fruit between her fingers. She held it under Zou Hanqiu's nose, smiling at him. Zou Hanqiu took a deep breath and nodded repeatedly, "It has a very special fragrance. No wonder it's called fragrant torreya!"
He followed suit, peeled a few and ate them himself. The more he ate, the more delicious they were, praising them highly. "These are even more fragrant than small walnuts, and they're not that hard to peel. Won't they cause internal heat?"
Ye Qingqing smiled and said, "Not only will it not cause internal heat, but it can also moisturize the lungs, and it can even help children get rid of worms in their stomachs."
Zou Hanqiu's eyes lit up. "Where can I buy this? Zhengrong loves to eat dried fruit. He eats small walnuts every day and his tongue is almost rotting. I'll get him some of these torreya nuts. He'll definitely love them."
"This can only be grown in Shengxian County and some small mountain villages nearby, and it's very hard to buy. How about this, I'll have someone buy some for you." Ye Qingqing wanted Lin Shufang to help her buy some more.
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