Li Xiangdong strode over, and a gust of wind blew by, causing several intertwined vines to sway a few times. The lush, heart-shaped leaves were layered upon each other, revealing human-shaped roots at the base of the vines.
The object was dark brown, and the part protruding from the ground had a human head, neck, and shoulders, with two arms that appeared to be crossed in front of the chest.
If he remembers correctly, this is He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum).
In later generations, people often put the roots of Polygonum multiflorum into human-shaped plastic molds and use chemical fertilizers to accelerate their growth. In a few years, a human-shaped Polygonum multiflorum weighing dozens of kilograms can be grown.
When it first appeared, it even made the newspapers, which surprised everyone. But after it happened more often, people stopped paying attention to it.
This should be a wild Polygonum multiflorum that has been growing for decades.
In ancient times, He Shou Wu was also known as one of the "Four Immortal Herbs".
The "Four Immortal Herbs" refer to ginseng, he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum), ling zhi (Ganoderma lucidum), and dong chong xia cao (Cordyceps sinensis). These four Chinese herbal medicines all have a strong effect of invigorating qi and nourishing blood.
He Shou Wu, also known as Di Jing, nourishes blood and liver, blackens hair, strengthens muscles and bones, and tonifies the liver and kidneys. It is a precious and rare Chinese medicinal herb.
Li Xiangdong felt that he had been having exceptionally good luck lately, which he thought might be due to the luck brought by his rebirth.
Thinking about all this, he didn't stop digging for He Shou Wu with his small shovel. He dug for more than half an hour before he dug out a human-shaped He Shou Wu with arms and legs!
Li Xiangdong placed the Polygonum multiflorum on top of the Rehmannia glutinosa, secured the two Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms with wild grass to prevent them from bumping into each other, and then decided to swim back.
Having already acquired so many treasures, we can't just come here and take them all away in one go.
Li Xiangdong chuckled foolishly, saying that for sustainable development, he would come back in half a month!
Li Xiangdong dared not let the bamboo basket get wet. He held the heavy basket in both hands and gritted his teeth as he waded back to the other side.
He carefully placed the bamboo basket on the flat ground, then breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.
"Second brother, second brother, you're back! What's over there?" Li Ping struggled to walk over, dragging a wicker basket.
"Shh! I'll tell you when we get back. Hurry up and call Fourth Sister back, let's go home."
"What's wrong, Xiang Dong? Why are you so tired?" Li Zhen's basket was already full of Rehmannia glutinosa.
"We'll talk about it when we get home. Fourth Sister, cut some more weeds and fill all our baskets," Li Xiangdong said, catching his breath.
The three of them had just finished tidying up and were about to go home when they suddenly saw a gray wild duck flapping its wings and flying out of the reeds on the bank.
"Wild ducks!"
"Go catch some quickly, I want to eat wild duck meat."
"They've all flown away, how do we catch them?"
"Let's go check its nest, maybe there are wild duck eggs there!"
The three of them tiptoed to where the wild ducks had flown away, parted the lush green reeds, and sure enough, there were five or six green-shelled wild duck eggs!
"There really are wild duck eggs! I'll go get them!"
"Fifth Sister, you'll fall into the water if you go down. I'll get you."
Li Zhen, with her long arms and legs, scooped up all the wild duck eggs in three separate trips. They were still warm in her hands, indicating that the wild ducks had just laid them.
"When I get back, I want to eat stir-fried duck eggs with an iron spoon!" Li Ping demanded.
"No problem, I'll cook it when I get back," Li Xiangdong agreed cheerfully.
The sizzling sound of homemade potato oil filled the air with a rich aroma. After a few stirs, the golden scrambled eggs were ready. Li Jiabao and Li Ping stood by Li Zhen, who was frying duck eggs, not daring to move an inch.
The little girl smelled the aroma of eggs and made "waa waa waa" sounds, then scrambled to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and stretched out her little hands to indicate that she wanted to eat.
Li Zhen divided the two wild duck eggs into four equal portions, giving two portions to Li Ping and Li Jiabao, and then gesturing for Li Xiangdong to eat them. She then took the last portion, blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to her younger sister.
Li Xiangdong's mind was focused on the two large Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms and the human-shaped He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), so he handed the duck eggs to his fourth sister.
"Fourth Sister, eat this duck egg while it's hot, it'll taste fishy when it's cold. Jiabao, Fifth Sister, don't ask Fourth Sister for duck eggs."
"Fourth Sister, I'm going to collect cicada molts now. I'll deliver the Rehmannia glutinosa and cicada molts to Guangming Pharmaceutical Factory this afternoon."
"Okay, are you sure you can manage on your own? Do you need my help?"
"No need, the Golden Cicada Robe is light, I can carry it back in a basket."
When Li Xiangdong arrived at the riverbank, Erhu, Guoqing, and the others were waiting for him.
"Second Brother, you're here. Look at the cicada shells we caught today, they're even bigger than yesterday's!" Guoqing showed off a cicada shell to Li Xiangdong.
"That's right, you went to that orchard in Panjiazhuang to catch them?" Li Xiangdong frowned.
“Yes, there are plenty in that peach orchard,” Li Xiangjie and Guo Yuxi echoed.
"Don't go there next time. We just finished fighting with Pan Jiwen. If you get caught by the guards, they'll skin you alive."
Those who watch over the crops are the people assigned by the production team to look after the crops, fruits, and vegetables during the summer and autumn.
These people patrol day and night to deter those who try to steal grain, fruits, and vegetables.
Some watchmen were kind-hearted and would simply shoo anyone who entered their area of responsibility away. Others were more shrewish and would arrest anyone caught cutting grass near the fields or orchards, confiscating their tools—scythes, baskets, and other such implements. In those days, these farm tools were indispensable and important assets for any household.
The current caretaker of the fields in Panjiazhuang is the cousin of Pan Dachun, the village chief, and the cousin of Pan Jiwen.
Pan Jiwen's face was swollen like a pig's head after they beat him up last time, and he didn't dare to go out for more than half a month. The feud was now established, and it would be terrible if Li Guoqing and his gang fell into Pan Jiwen's hands.
"I understand, Second Brother. You can check the numbers first."
Everyone counted the cicada molts they had caught, and Li Xiangdong wrote down the number in his notebook. This time there were more than last time, and everyone was very excited.
"If only they could catch me for ten days or so, I could save up enough money to buy a bicycle. Then my sister could ride a bike to and from get off work." Li Guoqing's face was flushed with excitement.
"Come on, a Flying Pigeon costs 160 yuan, and you also need a bicycle ticket," Guo Yuxi said, pouring cold water on the idea.
"Then I'll hold them for twenty or thirty days."
"In a few days there won't be any cicadas left, so keep dreaming."
"Alright, if we don't have cicada nymphs, there are other ways to make money." Li Xiangdong stopped the two from arguing.
Upon hearing that there was still money to be made, everyone stopped arguing and surrounded Li Xiangdong, bombarding him with questions.
"Really? Second brother! You're really something!"
"Second brother, what else are you talking about? What are you catching? Fish or shrimp?"
"Second brother, where did you get the money from?"
"It's not time to tell you yet. When the time is right, I'll take you to meet the person who will receive the goods."
Li Xiangdong's heart stirred. In his previous life, he seemed to always be slacking off while fishing and catching shrimp. Since his rebirth, he hadn't gone into the water to catch fish yet.
It's the season for water scorpions to ripen right now. Just thinking about how delicious deep-fried water scorpions are—fragrant, crispy, and absolutely delicious!
I must catch some water scorpions to eat tomorrow, and I also need to buy some oil when I get to the county town.
"You guys go ahead with your work, I'm leaving now. We'll split the profits at the usual place tonight." Li Xiangdong waved his hand, then carried a large basket of golden cicada skins home.
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