Seeing Li Yan's smug look, Li Jiabao wished he could trip her up with a bamboo shoot, but he couldn't find one after walking for a long time.
Liu Jiangsu once again passed on the secret to digging winter bamboo shoots to his children and grandchildren: "Look on both sides of the green whip bamboo shoots to see if there are any exposed bamboo whips on the ground. Winter bamboo shoots are easy to find on both sides of the bamboo whips."
Digging for winter bamboo shoots requires not only sharp eyesight but also considerable physical strength. You have to dig very deep into the soil and be careful not to bump or damage the bamboo shoot flesh.
In half a day, only Li Xiangdong managed to dig up five winter bamboo shoots out of the group.
Li Jiabao, whose bamboo shoot digging score is currently zero, is envious and strongly requests to switch routes with Li Xiangdong, saying, "Second Brother, there are more winter bamboo shoots in this direction."
Li Xiangdong chuckled and changed directions with him, but as soon as they did, Li Xiangdong discovered a huge winter bamboo shoot, which made Li Jiabao furious.
Li Xiangdong shrugged, holding up a plump, thick winter bamboo shoot. Fen'er innocently said to her younger brother, "There are more winter bamboo shoots in your direction too—"
Li Jiabao: ......
Since Li Ping and Zhang Huan couldn't dig up bamboo shoots themselves, they fawned over Li Xiangdong and teamed up with him, saying, "Second Brother, you find winter bamboo shoots, we'll dig them up."
Li Xiangdong readily agreed and soon directed the two of them to dig up winter bamboo shoots.
Li Jiabao is extremely proud and vows to find his own winter bamboo shoot.
Seeing his stubbornness, Li Xiangdong advised his fifth sister and niece, "When you encounter difficulties, you need to change your approach to solve them. Don't be like some stubborn mules who won't turn back until they hit a wall."
Stubborn donkey: ......
Liu Jiangsu looked at the mischievous children and laughed until her stomach hurt. She sat down on the ground to rest for a while.
Li Yan nestled in her arms, looking around curiously at the bamboo forest, the pine trees, the clouds on the horizon, and the fields at the foot of the mountain.
Suddenly, she stood up straight, pointed her chubby finger at the mountain, and asked, "Grandma, what's that red thing?"
Liu Jiangsu squinted and looked over, and saw a patch of red fruit dotting the lush greenery, like a cluster of small lanterns, which was exceptionally festive and beautiful.
"That's a Da Hong Pao."
"Isn't Da Hong Pao tea from Wuyi Mountain? How come it's also found in western Sichuan?"
Li Xiangdong stopped digging and came over to look in the direction Li Yan was pointing.
"This 'Da Hong Pao' is not tea; it's what the locals call Sichuan red tangerines. When these tangerines are fully ripe, their peels turn a deep red, so people like to call them 'Da Hong Pao' (Big Red Robe)."
Liu Jiangsu explained.
Is Da Hong Pao tea sour?
Why are there so many fruits hanging on the trees and no one is picking them?
"When the Sichuan red tangerines are fully ripe, they are sweet and sour. That area used to be the orchard of the brigade. Since the Sichuan red tangerines couldn't fetch a good price, they were abandoned. Now, those trees are either dead or growing wildly, so they can't bear many good fruits anymore."
Li Xiangdong was overjoyed. If it was abandoned, didn't that mean he could pick it whenever he wanted?
Seeing her eager grandson, Liu Jiangsu quickly stopped him, saying, "If you want to eat oranges, there are tangerines behind our yard, they're very sweet!"
Even the sweetest mandarin oranges are from home, but these wild Sichuan red tangerines covering the mountains are wild!
No one can resist the joy of jungling.
However, as the saying goes, "looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death." Although it didn't seem far, Liu Jiangsu said that to get to that mountain full of Sichuan oranges, one still had to cross two more peaks.
It was already afternoon, so they had to go down the mountain first and set off again early tomorrow morning to pick Sichuan red tangerines.
For dinner, we ate winter bamboo shoots that they had dug up. The bamboo shoots were sliced, soaked in water to remove the astringency, then stir-fried with cured meat and a little soy sauce for color. The taste was so delicious that you could swallow your tongue.
Li Yan sat on a small stool, showing off by placing a piece of winter bamboo shoot on each of her family members' plates, and adding, "These are bamboo shoots I dug myself, you should try them!"
She glanced at her third brother with her big eyes and said regretfully, "Only my third brother didn't manage to dig up any bamboo shoots today."
Li Jiabao covered his face with a bowl and angrily ate two large bowls of rice.
The next morning, while it was still a little dark, Li Jiabao got up and practiced horse stance in the yard.
Luo Yonggang had just returned from urinating when he was startled by a motionless dark figure in the yard. As he approached, he realized it was his nephew. He patted his chest, "It's not even dawn yet, what are you doing in the yard?"
Li Jiabao moved his numb thigh and said, "I need to practice my martial arts. When we go up the mountain to pick Da Hong Pao tea later, I'm going to show off my skills."
What a relief to have failed to find any winter bamboo shoots!
Luo Yonggang patted his nephew on the shoulder, "You've got real ambition!"
After saying that, he yawned and went back to his room to sleep.
After Li Xiangdong and the others finished washing up and started eating breakfast, Li Jiabao swung his arms and kicked his legs, walked into the house with a bright smile, and said loudly, "How many Da Hong Pao teas do you all want to eat? Tell me the number, and I'll satisfy you all!"
Li Jin slapped Li Jiabao with the sole of his shoe, knocking him back to his original form. "Who do you think you are, young master!"
Li Jiabao sat down to eat, looking aggrieved. "Saying it this way sounds more imposing..."
After breakfast, Luo Yonggang decided to accompany the children up the mountain, but this time he didn't let Liu Jiangsu and Li Yan go.
After all, the mountain is quite far away, and the elderly and children can't handle it.
Zhao Sufang stopped Luo Yonggang, saying, "You're getting married soon, and there are so many things to do at home. Don't waste your time with their nonsense."
Luo Yonggang didn't want to disappoint his children, so he smiled and said, "Isn't everything at home handled by you and your brother-in-law? I'll go up the mountain and hunt a few pheasants to add to the meal."
Luo Hongkai also said, "Go on, go on, but remember to protect my little grandchildren. If they get hurt, see how I deal with you."
So, Luo Yonggang took the lead, each carrying a bamboo basket, and happily headed towards the mountain covered with Sichuan red tangerines!
Li Xiangdong and Luo Yonggang also carried guns to deal with any wild animals that might appear and to ensure the children's safety.
They traveled and stopped frequently along the way, and finally arrived at the Chuanhong Orange Grove around noon.
Everyone was amazed by the beautiful scene before them. How could they possibly describe it?
On the tall trees, five or six meters high, there are countless small red lantern-like fruits. Some hang obliquely on the branches, some are hidden among the lush green leaves, and some are huddled together in groups of five or six, as if they are about to break the branches.
Li Jiabao couldn't wait to pick a fruit, peel it, break off a segment of orange and throw it into his mouth. Instantly, the unique sweet and sour juice of the local orange filled his mouth.
"Sour, sour, and a little sweet!"
Li Jiabao commented on the fruit in his hand, saying that it was seven parts sour and three parts sweet.
Li Xiangdong also tried one. No wonder Sichuan red tangerines don't sell for a good price. Nowadays, everyone is starving. After eating them, the sourness makes them even hungrier. Who would like to eat Sichuan red tangerines?
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