On the second day of Frost's Descent, Gao Mingcheng drove back to Gaojia Village. Before the car stopped, several dogs in the family ran over to greet him.
Gao Mingcheng got out of the car and interacted with the black tiger elves for a while before he was able to escape.
When he entered the village, he saw that large tracts of rice fields were empty, some deciduous trees had begun to shed their leaves, and the leaves on the treetops looked much sparser.
There are large flocks of water birds foraging in the rice fields. When people approach, the water birds will spread their wings and fly away quickly.
Most of these water birds are white in color. When they spread their wings, they look quite large and very attractive. Unfortunately, they are only good looking but not edible. There is not much meat on water birds. After removing the feathers, there are basically only bones. The meat also tastes bad and is a bit fishy and sour.
Villagers generally do not catch water birds to eat. Their favorite catch is turtledove, followed by sparrows.
The one acre of rice field belonging to Gao Mingcheng has also been harvested, and the threshed rice is being spread out in the yard to dry.
The average rice yield per mu in Gaojia Village is only about 600 kilograms. Some families who know how to grow rice can achieve a higher yield of 650 kilograms per mu. But if the rice is poorly managed, the normal yield is only 400 to 500 kilograms per mu.
Growing rice is not an easy task. In addition to high-quality rice seeds, it also requires careful management, including seedling cultivation, transplanting, fertilizing, spraying pesticides, and weeding.
In addition to human efforts, it also depends on whether the weather is favorable. Due to the terrain, Gaojia Village is not afraid of floods, but it is afraid of drought and wind. If there is a strong wind, the rice ears will fall down, which will also cause large-scale production reduction.
There are also birds stealing food.
When the rice is ripe, the golden rice grains immediately attract birds such as sparrows to come and join the feast. Even if people harvest it, it will still be pecked by birds during the process of spreading it out to dry.
According to Gao Mingcheng's previous experience, his family's rice yield is just about 550 kilograms per mu, and after drying, it will be even lighter.
But not much of this food could be eaten by Gao Mingcheng.
Because they had to pay public grain and rural levies, the villagers did not have much cash, so they could use grain instead of levies, which was called buying grain.
Among them, public grain is paid for free, and the purchase price of grain is calculated based on the lowest market price, which is used to pay the rural retention fee.
Because the fee is calculated based on the lowest price, some people prefer to pay the retention fee. Gao Mingcheng paid it.
He knew that there were many tricks involved in this levy, and he also knew that the levy was a burden on farmers that was getting heavier every year. But there was nothing he could do. This was the trend of the times, and he could not resist it alone. He could only spend money to avoid disaster.
Gao Mingcheng squatted down, reached out to pick up the rice that was drying in the yard, picked up a grain, blew on it as if blowing away all the dust on the surface, then put it in his mouth and started eating it like eating melon seeds.
By chewing the rice, Gao Mingcheng can tell the water content of the rice and whether he needs to continue drying it.
Well, it’s relatively dry now. After drying it in the sun today, we can pack it in bags and put it away!
Gao Mingcheng evaluated in his mind, he walked into the utility room and took out two large snakeskin bags, the kind that could hold 100 kilograms of feed, they were quite sturdy and easy to use.
He was going into the mountains to pick tea seeds.
Tea oil is good for your health, and it is quite expensive. A pound of tea oil is more expensive than a pound of honey, and it costs ten yuan a pound!
If Gao Mingcheng sold the tea oil he squeezed every year, he could make a lot of money.
Unfortunately, he doesn't sell them at all. He even takes the tea dregs from oil extraction back home. Tea dregs can be used to wash hair and as fertilizer. If you choose not to use the tea dregs, you don't need to pay wages to the oil extraction workshop after the oil extraction. The tea dregs can be used as wages.
There is also a small patch of tea oil trees planted on the top of Xiaofu Mountain. Some of them are tea oil trees that originally grew on Xiaofu Mountain and were later transplanted to the top of the mountain by Gao Mingcheng. Some are small trees that Gao Mingcheng brought from the deep mountains.
Thanks to the tea trees planted by the farm in the 1960s, the tea resources in Gaojia Village are quite rich. Gao Mingcheng can quietly break into the tea forest and find many suitable saplings to take away.
The oil tea trees on the top of Xiaofushan Mountain are always the last to be picked. After all, it is their own territory and no one fights for it.
Therefore, Gao Mingcheng's first choice was to enter Niuweiling to look for wild tea oil trees in the mountains and pick tea seeds.
Black Tiger and the Elf followed behind him as usual. Gao Mingcheng and his two dogs shuttled through the dense forest. He kept looking up and around, searching for the tea tree.
Some wild tea oil trees grow very tall in dense forests, so it is easy to overlook them when people walk on the ground. You have to look up at the treetops. When you see the tea oil seeds hanging on the treetops, you know it is time to climb the tree to pick them.
After Gao Mingcheng found an oil tea tree, he nimbly climbed up the tree with a bag in his hand.
Gao Mingcheng climbed on the tree branches, picking tea seeds with one hand and holding a bag with the other. If he had a companion, it would be best for one person to climb the tree and use a stick to knock the tea seeds to the ground, and the other to pick them up from the ground. It would be convenient for two people to work together.
However, Gao Mingcheng doesn't like going into the mountains with others, so he picks tea seeds by himself every year. Fortunately, even if he carries a large bag of tea seeds, he can easily climb up and down the tree.
Gao Mingcheng climbed the tree and picked tea seeds like a monkey.
Black Tiger and the Elf sat beside them, slightly bored, looking at Gao Mingcheng who was busy all the time with their dark dog eyes.
Gao Mingcheng worked hard for most of the day and finally picked two bags of tea seeds.
He pulled a handful of vines and used them as a rope to tie the mouth of the bag, then carried the bag on each shoulder and prepared to go down the mountain.
The mountain road was rugged, sometimes too steep to make a foothold, so he simply jumped all the way down. Carrying a 200-pound weight on his shoulders didn't affect him at all.
The two dogs, Black Tiger and Elf, were naturally more agile. They ran around in the bushes, making some noise from time to time.
Seeing a hare quickly fleeing after being harassed by two dogs, Gao Mingcheng thought to himself, "It's getting colder, time to eat a roasted rabbit!"
When you get back, take a knife with you and catch some wild rabbits to satisfy your hunger!
By the way, there are also bullfrogs. They are fat at this time of year. You can catch a bag of bullfrogs on the way and fry a plate of spicy bullfrogs. It will definitely go well with wine!
All kinds of delicious food appeared in Gao Mingcheng's mind. Before he even put them in his mouth, his stomach started to sing the empty city plan.
After sending the two bags of tea seeds back home, Gao Mingcheng poured the tea seeds on the steps under the eaves and prepared to continue into the mountains.
In addition to carrying the two bags as usual, Gao Mingcheng found two small knives and put them on his waist, and also took a plastic bag and put it in his trouser pocket.
The two silly dogs, Black Tiger and Elf, continued to follow Gao Mingcheng into the mountains to work, unlike the lazy Dahuang, who just stood at the door, wagging its tail to see its master off.
The two puppies born to Da Huang are full of energy, but they are a little small and have never been to the deep mountains. They are more used to staying in the chicken coop than in the deep mountains. Sometimes they also run to the place where sheep are grazed. They seem to be somewhat interested in the job of sheepdog.
Gao Mingcheng is not at home all year round. To be honest, his relationship with Dahuang, Dahei and Xiaohei is average. After all, Dahuang is a newcomer and he rarely gets along with Dahei and Xiaohei, so there is not much tacit understanding between them. Unlike the black tiger and the elf, they can understand Gao Mingcheng's move and then cooperate with each other tacitly.
There are few people on Niuweiling side, but it's not that no one comes here. Villagers also come here to get firewood and medicinal herbs, but their activities are limited to the foot of the mountain and halfway up the mountain. They cannot enter the deep mountains, and they dare not enter at will.
For Gao Mingcheng, the treasures in the deep mountains were as easy as taking something out of a bag.
This time when he went into the mountains to pick tea seeds, he took the opportunity to check on the Poria cocos he had planted before. He did not go into the mountains to pick Poria cocos this year. At this time, the Poria cocos in the mountains, whether planted by him or wild, looked in good condition.
It is worth mentioning that he saw the Polygonatum sibiricum that he had transplanted before.
The leaves of Polygonatum sibiricum are a bit like bamboo leaves, growing together in clusters. They are quite beautiful. Gao Mingcheng casually touched the leaves of Polygonatum sibiricum, then strode over.
The Polygonatum sibiricum is still too small to be harvested, so he plans to go dig it next year.
Of course, the Polygonatum sibiricum was spared, but when Gao Mingcheng came across the yam, he was not going to let it go.
There are either no wild yams in this mountain, or they grow in large patches. The yam vines climb along the branches. If there are no branches to rely on, they will spread directly on the ground, full of vitality.
Among the heart-shaped green leaves, there are finger-sized yam beans growing densely. These yam beans can be picked and cooked, or scattered on the ground as yam seeds for reproduction.
Gao Mingcheng picked a handful of yam beans, but not to eat them, but to collect seeds. This place was too far from home, so he planned to collect some yam beans and scatter them on the wasteland near his house next spring.
Yam has a strong ability to reproduce. It can be said that it can take root anywhere. Even without management, it can still grow vigorously. At most, it just needs enough years to grow.
After Gao Mingcheng collected two handfuls of yam beans, he left the lush yam field. It was not that he didn't want to dig yams, but he didn't bring a hoe!
The soil in the mountains is very hard, and it would be very tiring to dig with your hands without a hoe.
After Gao Mingcheng finishes picking all the tea seeds, he plans to go into the mountains to dig yam and then bring it back to the county to eat with his wife and children.
Pork ribs stewed with yam is nutritious and delicious!
Gao Mingcheng walked along the way, looking for tea oil trees. Once he found one, he would climb up the tree and start picking tea seeds. When his bag was full, his stomach began to growl.
Black Tiger and Elf are in similar situations. Gao Mingcheng is not at home, and the two dogs' food standards are average. Their stomachs are lacking in oil and water!
"Black Tiger, Elf, go find the rabbit!" Gao Mingcheng ordered. As soon as he finished speaking, Black Tiger and Elf, who were sitting on the ground, stood up instantly, and the whole dog became energetic.
"Woof woof." The two dogs barked excitedly and began to look up in the air for signs of prey.
After handing over the task of finding prey to the two dogs, Gao Mingcheng felt relieved. He carried two bags of tea seeds and followed the two dogs, his eyes constantly scanning the woods.
I originally thought it would be a good idea to look for rabbits while going down the mountain, but Black Tiger and the elf ran in another direction.
After walking for a long time, Gao Mingcheng still didn't find any trace of the rabbit. He began to wonder if the rabbits were hiding in their caves and not coming out.
When he heard the sound of gurgling water, Gao Mingcheng looked around and found that he had come to the water source where the bullfrogs were.
This water source is a relatively large one in the mountains, and in previous years many bullfrogs have bred here.
There are many rocks and mountains in the water. Gao Mingcheng can pass through smoothly by stepping on the rocks protruding from the water.
"Black Tiger, Elf, let's go see if there are any bullfrogs." Gao Mingcheng put the tea seeds on his shoulder and placed them on the ground. Then he took out the plastic bag from his trouser pocket and prepared to go towards the bullfrogs.
Bullfrogs like to live in groups. From a distance, the water surface is covered with a large group of bullfrogs. If it were normal times, the bullfrogs would have stayed away as soon as Gao Mingcheng passed by.
Sadly, it’s autumn now.
Although the current temperature is not high enough to cause bullfrogs to hibernate, the low temperature will make them unwilling to move and even make fewer calls.
For many people in later generations, bullfrogs can often be seen in seafood stores, and every time they are seen, the bullfrogs are very quiet, lying there moving only occasionally.
Are bullfrogs naturally inactive?
Of course not. There are two reasons for this. One is that the bullfrogs in seafood stores are all from farms. The breeding density in the farms is high, and the frogs are not free. They have no space to move around at all, so they develop the habit of sitting still and waiting to be eaten.
Another thing is that seafood stores lower the temperature of the water to between ten and twenty degrees, which makes the bullfrogs drowsy and they don't like to call or move.
The temperature in the mountains is low, and the water temperature is probably only around ten degrees. The bullfrogs in the water are lying on the rocks protruding from the water, motionless.
Gao Mingcheng shook open the bag and started picking up bullfrogs.
Yes, not catch, but pick up!
In order to prepare for the upcoming hibernation, the bullfrogs have already eaten a lot and become plump. Each one looks very fat and is mouth-watering.
Gao Mingcheng picked up a whole bag and then stopped with satisfaction.
This is probably the last bullfrog we will eat this year, because if the temperature drops a few degrees, the bullfrogs will hibernate and will not wake up until next spring.
Bullfrogs that have just woken up are not delicious either, because their fat is consumed during hibernation. After hibernation, the bullfrogs lose weight one by one, and their resistance decreases, making them more susceptible to diseases and natural enemies.
Gao Mingcheng was carrying a bag of bullfrogs, whistling in great spirits, and then said to Black Tiger and Elf, "Go down the mountain and go home!"
I have no chance to catch rabbits for now. I will try my luck in the mountains in the evening.
Gao Mingcheng carried tea seeds, held bullfrogs, and led two dogs down the mountain in a high-spirited manner.
After running up the mountain twice, plus the time spent in the mountain, it was already past two o'clock in the afternoon when we got down the mountain.
However, what made Gao Mingcheng in a good mood was that on the table in the main hall of his house, there was a big bowl covered with a plate. When he lifted the plate, he saw a big bowl full of food underneath.
Although the food was a little cold, the aroma of the food still made Gao Mingcheng feel very tempted. (End of this chapter)
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