Chapter 77
In the next few days, Gu Ran accepted the commission from the village chief, Mr. Shen and others and went into Dayu Forest to cut lacquer.
Although they don't charge for the raw lacquer, everyone knows that the miasma forest is dangerous. Now the people in Xiaxi Village have also realized that others who enter the miasma forest, like the person who went in last year and never came out, the person who was said to have died in it, and Shen Jialang who almost lost his life after going in and coming out, are all incompetent.
And those who are capable, like Gu Er Niang, can go in and out of the miasma forest many times without any harm. She also came up with the idea of a big windmill to deal with the miasma, and can even catch a big guy out of the forest. This Gu family's Er Niang is indeed a capable person.
Therefore, when they saw Gu Ran entering and leaving the miasmic forest again, they were not as surprised as before. Moreover, many people were jealous when they saw the two young ladies hunting big animals. After the news spread to other villages, many hunters also entered the miasmic forest one after another.
Now the windmill in the village wants her to go into the miasmic forest to cut lacquer. Although she has the ability, it is also in exchange for her life. As for the running errand fee, Gu Ran is given fifty cents a day, and no one has any objection.
Gu Ran received his wages and went into the woods to cut lacquer for several days.
Last year she went into the mountains to cut lacquer in late autumn, and now it is the end of May, which is the time when the lacquer trees secrete the highest and best quality raw lacquer in summer.
With the lessons learned from the past, Gu Ran provided some advice to Village Chief Wu and Mr. Shen. If people dislike the black color of the raw lacquer that is applied directly, they can add colorants to the raw lacquer and mix them evenly to get other colors.
Village chief Wu advocated a simple and practical style, and thought that just painting it like that would be enough. Mr. Shen said that he was a man of high standards. Also, because his eldest daughter-in-law was about to give birth, in order to get a good omen, he really spent a lot of money to buy some pigments and painted it bright red.
Originally, Gu Ran thought the color was ugly, but after it was painted on the windmill component, the bright red turned into a dark maroon color. You have to say, it looks really good.
While the windmill blades were being prepared, the windmill house, which had been built early in the morning at a selected location, was also gradually completed.
After choosing an auspicious day, Village Chief Wu called Master Huang, and together with Gu Ran, they assembled and erected the second and third windmills in Xiaxi Village.
Looking at the two new windmills that appeared on the ground near the miasma forest on the edge of the village, and seeing the three windmills turning slightly under the action of the wind, the villagers of Xiaxi Village were as happy as if it were a festival.
"That's good. With the windmill, we no longer have to worry about miasma drifting into the village."
"Even if it floats over again, with the windmill blocking it for a moment, the miasma probably won't be as strong as before. So it won't be as poisonous as before, right?"
"So we don't have to move when it rains in the future?"
"No, no, you can stay at home peacefully."
"But there are only three seats. Didn't they say there were five?"
"There are two more. We have to wait for Master Huang to finish them before we can put them up!"
The other three windmills in Xiaxi Village will not be finally erected until another month later.
And when it rained, just as the villagers hoped, a lot of miasma drifted towards the village and was dispersed by fans.
The villagers of Xiaxi have gradually gotten rid of the tradition of waiting anxiously for miasma to come after the rain stops, and then moving their families to avoid the miasma.
The five windmills have gradually become the iconic buildings of Xiaxi Village.
In the past, when people in Yongchang County talked about Xiaxi Village, they would always say, "Is it the small village not far from the miasma forest?" Now, when they mention Xiaxi Village, they refer to it as "the small village with five large windmills, right?"
Gradually, outsiders' impression of Xiaxi Village as a backward, malaria-ridden and deserted village changed, and their perception of Xiaxi Village also gradually improved.
Because the living environment of the villagers has been improved, Village Chief Wu also dared to ask the county magistrate to allow more households to relocate.
However, the local people are still wary of the miasma forest next to the windmill.
The miasma cannot drift into the village, but the miasma forest near the village still exists and is still a dangerous area. Therefore, although Village Chief Wu wants Xiaxi Village to be prosperous, it cannot be achieved quickly in a short period of time.
But in early June, Xiaxi Village still accepted two families who were exiled to southern Xinjiang. After settling down in Xiaxi Village, these two families did not flee like other refugees exiled here because they could not stand the miasma forest. It was a good start.
June is also the best time for Gu Ran to pick red mushrooms in the basswood forest.
In order to save time going back and forth, after Gu Ran had taken care of Daju's family, he went directly into the forest from the south side of the fairy grass, and then bypassed the mixed woods and swamps, taking a shortcut into the basswood forest.
This way, you can pick the red mushrooms when they are in full bloom.
Because he had earned a large sum of money from selling mountain deer before, plus the money he had saved before, Gu Ran was now well-off, so he did not plan to sell all the red mushrooms to Xu Sanlang.
She divided the red mushrooms she had harvested, selling half and keeping the other half for herself.
By the way, Mrs. Lin Er is pregnant now. It is said that eating red mushrooms is nourishing for pregnant women, so I plan to give her a portion along with other mountain products to help her take care of herself.
When Village Chief Wu saw the red mushrooms that Gu Er Niang sent to her second daughter-in-law, his eyes widened.
But Mrs. Lin Er didn't know the value of the mushrooms and was frightened when she saw the bright red mushrooms.
"Gu Er, you're not going to harm me, are you?"
"How did I hurt you?"
"This red umbrella with a white stem is not poisonous?"
Gu Ran was both angry and amused, "Ask your mother-in-law if this mushroom is poisonous?"
Mrs. Lin Ersao actually went to see Village Chief Wu.
Village Chief Wu shook his head: "It's not poisonous, you can eat it without worry. This red mushroom is a rare thing. Ordinary people can't even eat it. You are lucky."
"Really?" Mrs. Lin was skeptical.
"It's fake. If you don't want it, I'll take it back."
Gu Ran reached out, pretending to take the red mushroom back, but Mrs. Lin stopped him with a smile and put the red mushroom aside. "Since mother-in-law said it's edible, I have to try it. Otherwise, it would be a waste of your kindness, wouldn't it?"
Gu Ran snorted and gave up.
Village Chief Wu looked at the box of red mushrooms, then at Gu Ran: "Why haven't I seen Pei Liuniang these days?"
"Yes, Liu Niang hasn't come back yet?"
“No!”
They said it would take at least ten days or half a month, and it has been almost ten days now, but since she left that day, there has been no news from Pei Liuniang, and there has been no sign of her returning.
"No, he escaped, didn't he?"
"It shouldn't be. Her things are all in the west wing of my house. She said she would come back when she left. Maybe the matter is difficult and it will take some time." Gu Ran helped Pei Liuniang explain.
Village Chief Wu is responsible for supervising these two exiles. If Village Chief Wu thinks that Pei Liuniang has escaped, it will be a big deal. He might report it to the county government, and Pei Liuniang will become a fugitive.
"Wait a little longer!"
"So, Gu Er, you should have asked clearly at the beginning."
"Okay, I'll remember to ask next time."
After Gu Ran left in disappointment, Village Chief Wu asked Mrs. Lin Er to take out the basket of red mushrooms and looked at it carefully.
"Grandma, are these red mushrooms really edible?"
"You still don't believe me?" Village Chief Wu picked up a few red mushrooms from a pile of wild mushrooms, looked at them, and sighed, "These are mushrooms that few people in the city can afford. They're as valuable as wild ginseng, so precious!"
"Really? It can be more expensive than wild ginseng!" Mrs. Lin was surprised.
Village Chief Wu ignored the silly wife and lamented, "It seems there are a lot of treasures hidden in that miasma forest! Gu Erniang picked them all up."
"Mother-in-law, it was Gu Er who risked his life to go in there." Sister Lin Er defended Gu Ran, "That miasma forest has been right next to our village for years, but no one in our village dared to go there!"
"So, if Gu Er can find the treasure in this mountain, it should be hers. Mother-in-law, you are not..."
"Am I that kind of person?" Village Chief Wu glanced at his daughter-in-law.
"No, no." Mrs. Lin smiled apologetically.
After hearing from Village Chief Wu that the red mushrooms were precious, Mrs. Lin was reluctant to eat them. She planned to dry them and use them in cooking during the Chinese New Year.
Unexpectedly, during the holiday this month, when Lin Dalang's family and Lin Sanlang returned from the county town, Lin Dasao went to the kitchen and saw the mushrooms drying on the bamboo basket outside. She picked up some and put them directly into the soup.
Mrs. Lin Er saw the red bone soup when the meal started. She was stunned for a moment: "What kind of soup is this?" It couldn't be this?
"I made it with the mushrooms you dried outside," said Mrs. Lin. "I asked my second uncle, and he said that these mushrooms are dried and eaten. Since our family is getting together, I thought of making a mushroom soup, so I used it."
Then, looking at the red soup, he was also surprised: "Hey, this soup seems a little wrong. Sister-in-law, did you pick some poisonous mushrooms?"
Because Lin Dalang and his family usually live in the county town and are busy making a living, they rarely come back to the village. Only Lin Erlang and his wife stay at the home of Village Chief Wu in Xiaxi Village and live with Village Chief Wu and Xiaolan.
As for Old Man Lin, he passed away due to illness many years ago.
Normally, cooking was mainly done by Lin Ersao and Village Chief Wu in turn. Now that Lin Ersao was pregnant, she cooked less. Today, when Lin Dalang and his family came back, Lin Dasao saw that Lin Ersao was pregnant and it was inconvenient for her to cook, so she hurried to help with the cooking. Who would have thought that she would use red mushrooms to make soup?
Second Sister Lin scooped some with a spoon and confirmed that her eldest sister-in-law had used her own red mushrooms to make soup. She felt very distressed, but when she glanced at the people sitting around the table, she didn't dare to lose her temper, but she felt aggrieved: "It's not a poisonous mushroom, it's clearly the red mushroom that Second Sister Gu gave me. Red mushrooms are precious, don't you think, mother-in-law?"
Village Chief Wu saw the color of the soup and naturally understood what was going on. He frowned, then looked at the whole family, all present and well, thinking it would be nice to have a good meal. "Yes, this mushroom is a rare red mushroom from the mountains. It was sent by Gu Erniang to Ah Fang for nourishment. Since everyone is here today, let's have a taste. We have to thank Ah Fang for giving it to us."
"Thank you, second sister-in-law." Xiaolan was the first to thank Lin's second sister-in-law with a smile.
"Well, thank you, sister-in-law."
"Thank you, second sister-in-law."
Since her mother-in-law had said so, Mrs. Lin Er did not dare to feel resentful. And when she heard everyone thanking her with sweet words, she couldn't lose her temper, right?
She is not such a stingy person. It is okay to share good things, but she cannot let others take them all.
So after finishing the meal, Mrs. Lin took all the mushrooms to her room. Even if she wanted to dry them, she had to do it in her own room to prevent them from being taken away by anyone.
When she heard from Village Chief Wu that the red mushroom was comparable to northern ginseng, Mrs. Lin was stunned: "Well, then, can we really drink ginseng soup tonight?"
"You could say that."
"Ouch, ouch!"
How can ordinary people afford to drink ginseng soup so easily?
Lin Dalang and Lin Dasao were surprised, and then they remembered that their brother and sister-in-law said that the red mushroom was given by Gu Erniang.
Isn’t Gu Erniang the lady who lived in his rice shop when he went to the county town to buy New Year’s goods before the New Year?
"Is Afang very familiar with that Gu Er Niang?" Lin Dalang asked immediately.
"Yes, when she first came to the village last year, it was Afang who got together with her first and helped a lot. Luckily, she has a good character."
Lin Dalang laughed, "Then Gu Erniang is said to be a widow, right?"
"Who said she was a widow?"
"Well, I just heard it from the people in the village."
"People in the village say she's the daughter of a marquis, why don't you say anything?"
"Is she really the daughter of a marquis?"
"What's wrong? Does she have nothing to do with us? What are you thinking?"
"Oh, I feel sorry for her, she's all alone. How about we keep an eye on her and introduce her to someone..."
"Why are you, a husband, worrying about the girl next door? You're being nosy. She said she just divorced her ex-husband not long ago and doesn't want to get married. If you try to introduce her to someone else now, you're just putting your face in a cold stove."
"Mother-in-law, have you tried it?" Mrs. Lin asked.
"I've tried it, but I don't want it."
Lin Dalang sighed, "Even though she's come all the way to our place, she's probably still acting like a marquis' daughter!"
"Why do you say that to her? Gu Erniang makes a living by making drinks and selling roasted grass jelly. She is humble and works honestly to make money. She even has the ability to go into the woods to pick red mushrooms. If you have her ability, you can put on airs as much as you want." Village chief Wu glared at his eldest son and his wife in annoyance.
"Come on, mother, I know I was wrong. I won't say any more."
Lin Dalang didn't say anything, but after returning to his room, he discussed it with his wife.
"Since red mushrooms are worth more than ginseng, can't we go into the woods and pick them? We can sell them at our rice shop and make a lot of money!"
"What are you thinking? That's a miasma forest. Who in our village would dare to go in?"
"But, even Gu Erniang dared to go in, which means the miasma forest isn't that dangerous after all. The brave ones can get all the treasures if they go in. But the timid ones, like us, are like guarding a mountain of gold and silver without knowing how to exchange them for money!"
"So you want to go?"
"Think about it, if the red mushroom is really valuable, I can get at least a few taels of silver by going there. It would be a big deal." Lin Dalang was quite tempted.
"You are not allowed to go. What if something happens to you?"
"How could something go wrong so easily?"
"Have you forgotten? Last year, you went to the Shen family and asked Shen Er if it was easy for something to happen there?" Sister Lin warned. "Shen Er told the guard that the forest was not only filled with miasma, but also with wild boars, jackals, and other large beasts. One of them died when they went in with him, and another hasn't come out yet. I'm afraid he also died in the forest. Do you want to be like them? If you really go in and die in there, don't blame me for not going in to help you collect your body. You're not afraid of death, but I am."
"Ah!" Lin Dalang waved his hand, looking helpless. "No, why do other people get into trouble when they go in, but Gu Erniang never gets into trouble? Does she have some secret recipe that allows her to survive in the miasma forest?"
"You're asking me?"
Lin Dalang nodded.
"You already said that he has a secret recipe. If it's a secret recipe, why would he tell others so easily? How would I know it?"
Lin Dalang scratched his head and was about to say something, but Mrs. Lin had already pulled the thin quilt over him and said, "What is destined to happen will happen, and what is not destined to happen should not be forced. We have a good life already. Why should we follow Gu Erniang and risk our lives to go to that miasma forest?"
"I'm living well, but I want to live even better!" Lin Dalang nudged Mrs. Lin on the couch. "I want to be like the people in the city and dress my wife in gold and silver, madam?"
"Okay, don't tell me anymore. Even if you tell me something, I don't want you to go into the miasma forest."
"Just, you just don't want to accept it!" Lin Dalang said and pushed Lin Dasao again.
"Hmph, I'm telling you, if you really go to the miasma forest and lose your life someday, I won't be left as a widow." Mrs. Lin was so pushed that she couldn't sleep. She turned to Lin Dalang and said, "If you die, I'll give you a grand funeral and then find you a good-looking man to remarry."
"What? You..."
"I, I, I." Mrs. Lin turned over again and said, "Go to sleep and dream. In your dream, you can pick as many mushrooms as you want."
Lin Dalang was stunned for a long time before he sighed softly and climbed onto the couch.
A few days after this incident, lone hunters came to Xiaxi Village and went into the miasma forest.
Gu Ran was harvesting a new crop of fairy grass in the field next to the windmill. He was surprised to see that any hunter dared to enter Dayu Forest.
"I'm learning from you!" said Mrs. Lin Er as she walked to the ridge of the field on the other side of the windmill.
"Learn from us?"
"Ah, didn't you and Liu Niang go into the woods and kill a deer a while ago? Everyone in the village who saw it has been talking about it. A deer that big should sell for a lot of silver, right?"
Gu Ran did not deny it.
Yes, quite a lot.
"Then, many hunters from the neighboring villages heard that the two girls were able to hunt large beasts in the miasma forest. Given their abilities, they should be able to do it even better, so they all dared to come and try."
"oh!"
Gu Ran nodded.
Just go, the island forests are naturally fertile, and the resources inside are not exclusive to her. Going into the mountains and forests to hunt for things depends on one's own ability.
Gu Ran brought the cut cactus back to the cottage, cleaned it, and hung it up to dry. She saw Mrs. Lin sitting on a table in the courtyard, teasing Daju's family with great interest. She remembered that she wanted to make some sauces, so she asked, "Afang, do you have any particularly delicious sauces at home?"
"What sauce?"
"Shrimp paste? Bean paste? Peanut butter or something like that?"
"Shrimp paste and soybean paste? I don't know how to make those. I usually just make green plum sauce, osmanthus sauce, and the like. For the rest, you can just buy whatever sauce you want."
Too.
There are eight mountains, one river and one piece of farmland here. Just look at the various snacks at the county dock and you will know that many local families have come up with many different sauces to make a living.
Those who know how to make sauces keep their secret recipes closely guarded. Just like peanut butter, you've tasted it and know it's made with peanuts, but you don't know how to make it! Even if you knew how to make it, the result wouldn't necessarily taste good!
Therefore, most ordinary people only know some common sauces that every household can make.
"Gu Er, what special sauce do you want to make?"
"Ah, I want to make something, just like oranges, that can be shipped to the North and sold at a high price."
"Then you take your time to think about it. I don't know how." Mrs. Lin continued to play with the cat. Gu Ran sat down in the corridor, rejecting one plan after another in his mind.
The sauces are transported to the north to be sold, so naturally they must be produced in abundance in the south and must be unique. For example, only fruits like lychees and oranges will be favored by Xu San, but green plum sauce and osmanthus sauce will not be acceptable.
Because green plums and osmanthus flowers are commonly found, many families in the south and north use them to make sauces. They are common, and there are many families who make delicious ones. Naturally, they have no value in the eyes of traveling merchants.
In addition, considering the time it takes to transport the sauce from the south to the north, the sauce must also be able to be stored for a long time without spoiling easily. Otherwise, after a long journey, the originally delicious sauce will become sour and rancid when it reaches the north, and it will not be on the purchase list of merchants.
Because of this, Gu Ran thought for a long time, listed all the special sauces that could be made with local ingredients, and then deleted them one by one.
There is no need to talk about bean paste and garlic paste. The raw materials, beans and garlic, can be found everywhere, and there are many produced and sold in the north.
Although shrimp paste and red fermented rice wine sauce are quite unique, considering that the tastes of people in the north are very different from those in the south, they probably cannot accept such a sauce with an overly special flavor. It has insufficient potential and may not sell, so they can only pass it up.
We need to find a sauce like peanut butter that is easily accepted by people from all over the country.
"But, Gu Er, I know of a sauce that's definitely not available in the North."
"What sauce?"
"That's the crab sauce made from small river crabs?" Mrs. Lin couldn't remember for a moment. "It's the black sauce that fishermen usually make."
"Are you talking about...shrimp sauce?"
"Shed what?"
Mandrill crab sauce. If shrimp paste and red fermented rice wine sauce are too strong and not widely accepted, then mandrill crab sauce can be regarded as a black dish, because even many locals do not like to eat mandrill crab sauce.
Wee crab sauce is a seafood sauce made from a small crab called wee crab.
This small crab lives in fresh water. It is black all over and does not have much meat. I don’t know who started making this method. After washing the crabs one by one, they are put into a bowl, and then soaked in a mixture of sea salt and white wine to soften the shells of the crabs. Then the crabs in the bowl are slowly mashed into a paste, and then appropriate amounts of white sugar, minced ginger, wine dregs and other ingredients are added, and stirred evenly to make the red crab sauce.
Mantis shrimp sauce is similar to shrimp sauce, with a salty and fragrant taste. If you ignore the appetite of people in the north, it is indeed a special sauce.
But the first question is, the taste of mantis shrimp sauce is too unique. If it is shipped to the north, will there be any sales prospects?
Question two, where can she find so many crabs to make the sauce?
Mrs. Lin shrugged after hearing Gu Ran's soul-searching question. "Well, all you have to do is convince that big customer to buy your crab sauce. Whether it sells or not, it's all shipped to the north, so of course they can worry about it. As for where to find crabs? You can look for them by the river, or buy them from the fishermen."
It seems that what you said makes some sense?
But she had only heard of this kind of mantis shrimp sauce, but had never made it herself. Although she had heard merchants selling mantis shrimp sauce talk about how the sauce was made in her early life, she only had a rough idea. So, even if she wanted to sell this mantis shrimp sauce to Xu San, she had to try it herself first.
So Gu Ran planned to go to the stall selling fish at the Donglin Township market to see if they had any crabs for sale.
By the way, buy some ingredients to stock up.
Just as Gu Ran closed and locked the door, came out from the back door of the hall, and drove the donkey cart past the field behind his house, he pulled the reins again and stopped the donkey cart.
What kind of crab sauce do you make?
Isn’t there another ingredient here that can make an even more precious sauce?
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