"Not bad, we're finally open." Zhang Xiuxiang thought for a moment and said, "Chunyan, I remember we picked up a few Ganoderma lucidum near here last time. One of them was as beautiful as a cloud. Do you remember it?"
"Hey!" Yang Chunyan slapped her head, "My memory is not very good now. If you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten that we left a nest." She looked around, "It seems to be not far ahead. Let's go and see if it's still there?"
The four of them picked up the mushrooms and began looking for the big tree stump.
Yang Chunyan remembered that after the two of them picked the big-fruited banyan trees, they saw the big tree stump not long after they walked away. It should be not far from here.
Before I found it, I heard Li Qiuyue shouting, "Look, there are so many wax gourds ahead."
A few people followed her and saw a few fruits that were somewhat similar in shape to ox kidneys hanging sporadically on the dense green vines entangled between several trees.
Li Qiuyue walked over and picked one that had just burst open. "This is great. There are still many on the vine."
As she spoke, she broke the melon rind, slowly ate the flesh, and spit out the seeds.
The skin of the ripe August fried fruit is mostly brown-yellow. When fully ripe, the skin slowly cracks along the belly line, and the opening becomes larger and larger, just like an opened river clam.
The flesh of the ripe wax gourd is shaped a bit like sausage, and is translucent milky white. Even the black seeds densely packed inside can be vaguely seen.
Because the seeds in the shell and flesh of the wax gourd are very bitter, you must be careful to separate the seeds from the flesh when eating it. Do not chew it, otherwise the sweet and juicy wax gourd will become a bitter medicine.
Yang Chunyan looked at the three people eating with satisfaction, swallowed her saliva, and looked for those vines that had just cracked, and brought them home for Zhou Huaian to eat.
Seeing the delicious food in front of her but unable to enjoy it, she swallowed her saliva again, "Alas! I can only help pick the melons and swallow my saliva. You pick the green and yellow ones and take them back. They can be used as medicine after drying. After picking them, you can cut the vines and sell them for money.
Also, remember to collect the seeds with a handkerchief after eating them. You can take them home and plant them so that you can sell them for money and eat wax gourds. "
Zhang Xiuxiang smiled and nodded, "Yes, this is delicious and can be sold for money."
August melon is a wild vine fruit tree of the genus Akebia in the family Akebia. It has many aliases, and because of its shape like kidneys, it is also called yellow dog kidney, ox kidney, August fried, September fried, etc.
There is also a saying: "Melons grow in August, explode in September, and are picked in October to trick babies."
The wax gourd is not only delicious, but also has high medicinal value. According to the "Dictionary of Chinese Herbal Medicine", the roots, stems, fruits and seeds of the wax gourd can all be used as medicine.
Moreover, the wax gourd is rich in sugar, vitamins, amino acids and various trace elements, so the whole body is a treasure.
The wax gourd tastes bitter and is cool in nature. It has the effects of regulating qi, activating blood circulation, killing insects, detoxifying, diuretic, relieving pain, soothing the liver and kidneys, and strengthening the spleen and stomach.
But some people cannot eat it, such as those who are pregnant, have weak kidney qi, weak heart qi, have dry mouth and tongue, etc., all need to abstain from eating wax melon.
The fruit-bearing rate of the wax gourds in the wild is low. I picked a dozen that looked quite lush and ripe, and there were twenty or thirty green and yellow ones.
Yang Chunyan put the green and yellow ones in a backpack and the ripe ones in a basket.
Zhao Huifang and the other two ate a few and came to help. They picked up machetes and cut the vines neatly. They pulled the vines down, cut them in half, and put them in a backpack, saving the roots for later.
After they packed up, they continued to wander around the area, occasionally seeing a few mushrooms that had rotted after opening.
Zhao Huifang and the other two decided to go directly to the forest to pick mushrooms early tomorrow morning.
Zhang Xiuxiang looked at the big-fruited fig tree and said, "I remember we walked in diagonally."
After hearing this, Yang Chunyan looked back and said, "Second sister-in-law still has a good memory. You lead the way and we will follow."
"It's not that I have a good memory, it's that pregnant women have a worse memory. Otherwise, why do people say that pregnancy makes people stupid for three years?"
"That's right. My memory has been bad for a long time since I gave birth to Xiaolin. I always forget things."
Zhang Xiuxiang led the way with a medicine hoe in hand. After walking for a while, they finally saw the big tree stump. "Look, there are a few small flowers growing on the stump."
Yang Chunyan looked over and said, "It's too small. You can't sell it for a high price if you pick it up. There are not many people coming here, so you'd better keep it and let it find the nest we left behind."
"It's nearby. We covered it with dry grass." Zhang Xiuxiang bent over and searched carefully.
"When the mushrooms grow taller, they push the dead grass aside. If someone comes, they will definitely pick it up."
"Our mountain luck is so good, it must still be there." Yang Chunyan recalled and walked straight towards a tree. A purple Ganoderma lucidum stood gracefully in front of her.
The corners of her lips curled up, she stepped forward to push aside the dead leaves and patted the mushroom cap, then pulled up the purple Ganoderma lucidum, "Sisters-in-law, look how beautiful this one is! I said that we are lucky in the mountains, and the nest will not be left in vain!"
Zhang Xiuxiang also raised a flower, "Hehe, I found one too."
Zhao Huifang said with a smile: "Qiuyue, let's look for them carefully and take down their nest and the pot as well."
"Hmm!" Li Qiuyue rubbed her fists and rubbed her hands, her eyes rolling around, and when she saw the dry grass in front of her being pushed open, she hurried over, "Pah! I thought it was purple Ganoderma lucidum, but it turns out to be big-foot mushroom."
Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "This big-foot mushroom is not bad either. It's plump and together with the ones I just picked up, it can be stir-fried into a whole pot."
"I just don't believe I can't find it." Li Qiuyue simply started to recite as she dug around, "The roosters crow, whoever finds it gets to keep it..."
Yang Chunyan found a nest left behind, quietly picked it up and put it in the basket. She glanced at the strong-willed Li Qiuyue and felt that it was quite tiring for her to live like this.
When going into the mountains to pick up products, you have to have a sharp eye and be careful not to be impatient. The more impatient you are, the harder it is to find.
It was not until the two of them found the last two that Li Qiuyue walked forward in frustration, carrying a few mushrooms.
Zhao Huifang smiled and shook her head, then handed her a wax gourd, "Eat a wax gourd to sweeten your mouth. Look how old you are, but you're still like a little kid. I didn't find it either!"
Li Qiuyue took the wax gourd and said with a wry smile, "Maybe I suffered too much when I was at my mother's house. Sometimes I know in my heart that this is not good, but I just can't change it."
Yang Chunyan didn't know how hard it was for her at her parents' home, but thinking about how she and Zhou Xiaolin would quarrel in the future, she advised: "Third sister-in-law, you have to look forward and let the past go. Otherwise, you will live a very tiring life."
Li Qiuyue waited for a while before responding, "Thank you, Chunyan."
The sisters-in-law walked inside for half an hour, picked up some mushrooms and found a basket of Selaginella.
Yang Chunyan looked at the time and it was almost four o'clock. "It's getting late. Let's go back and dig stinking peonies."
“Yes.”
After they had walked a few steps, Zhang Xiuxiang pointed diagonally across the street and said, "There are kudzu vines and some yams there."
"If we don't go back and dig up all the stinking peonies, it will be over. Remember the location and come back tomorrow to dig."
"Let's go, we'll do the same thing tomorrow."
The four of them returned to the valley, put down their baskets and backpacks, cut off all the seeds on the flower spikes, whether they were ripe or not, and put them in the backpacks. They would go home and slowly pick them out.
This way the work was done much faster, and in a short while all the seeds were swept away, and then the work started again with the hoe. (End of this chapter)
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