After laughing, they started discussing the cassava at Old Man Ye's house.
Ye Lizheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Brother, what you just said is true? Cai Ping can remove the toxicity of the poisonous root?"
As he spoke, he looked at Old Madam Ye and Ye Caiping and the others, noticing that they all looked serious and didn't seem to be joking.
My brother isn't one to cause trouble, and even if he were, my sister-in-law and the others wouldn't follow him into such a mess.
That only proves that they really have a way to remove the toxicity of the poisonous root.
Old Man Ye nodded: "It's true, we ate it yesterday."
"They actually ate it?" the villagers exclaimed in surprise.
Looking into Old Man Ye's eyes, there was surprise, doubt, and disbelief.
This situation was different from when Ye Caiping initially intended to tell her family. Now that the Ye family had made such a grand display, the credibility was extremely high, so the villagers quickly began to believe it.
Uncle Ye's eyes lit up: "How did you remove the poison from the poisonous root?"
Ye Lizheng was also excited: "Brother, tell me more."
The villagers also got excited: "In these times of hardship, every family is tightening their belts to make ends meet. Uncle Tian, could you teach us a few things to eat?"
“Yes, teach us too. My family only eats one meal a day, and all the kids are crying from hunger.”
Old Man Ye glanced at Ye Caiping, who nodded, before he said, "We can tell everyone how to handle this."
"But as everyone knows, the entire plant of the poisonous root is toxic. If not handled properly, it can kill people. We can teach you how, but if you don't handle it properly and get poisoned, you can't blame us."
As soon as he said this, the buzzing around him stopped, and everyone looked at Old Man Ye with different expressions.
“This… didn’t they say there was a solution? How could it possibly kill you…” An old woman stepped forward with a pout; she was Zhao Facai’s wife from next door.
Zhao Facai glared at her: "Alright, didn't you hear people say it's not handled well? Fish still has bones, and if you don't eat it properly, someone could die."
Ye Lizheng stepped forward and said, "Brother, let's go inside and talk."
Then, he turned to the villagers and said, "Go back, don't crowd around here. I'll tell you all once I've found out what's going on."
The villagers, who were eager to try, were very dissatisfied upon hearing this: "Village head, don't be like that. They said they would teach us, why can't we listen?"
"It's not that I don't want you to listen, I'm just afraid you won't understand and will get completely lost. Go back! Go back! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Ye Lizheng's old face hardened, and the villagers reluctantly shut their mouths.
Granny Zhao said anxiously, "When will we find out? We need to give you some time."
"We'll have a meeting at the old banyan tree first thing tomorrow morning. Also, don't touch the poisonous roots on the mountain, or you'll get poisoned and don't blame me for not warning you."
After saying that, Ye Lizheng went into the house with Ye Caiping and the others.
Uncle Ye and two older men of higher seniority followed behind.
Some impatient villagers wanted to follow them into the house, but Ye Daquan and his brothers, along with Ye Yong and others, quickly pushed them out of the yard and slammed the gate shut.
The villagers left reluctantly, talking amongst themselves.
Some were reluctant to leave, craning their necks to look inside, but unfortunately the Ye family's bamboo fence was as tall as a person, and they could only see the gate by standing on tiptoe.
Granny Zhao, who was over fifty years old, actually climbed up the big tree by the wall. Before she could even see anything, she slipped and almost fell down.
Zhao Facai yelled at her, and the old lady slid down the tree with a whoosh and ran home.
...
The main room of the Ye family's house was now full of people.
Everyone in the Ye family was present, along with Ye Lizheng, Ye Ershu, Zhao Futou, and Liu Laoshan.
Zhao Futou and Liu Laoshan were the clan heads of the Zhao and Liu families, respectively.
The surnames in Qinghe Village are quite diverse, with the Ye family being the most numerous, followed by the Zhao and Liu families. There are other surnames as well, but in smaller numbers.
Ye Caiping sat to one side and took a sip of tea.
She had anticipated this situation.
There were so many cassava plants on the mountain that his family couldn't possibly eat them all.
No matter how careful they are, they will still be discovered.
This year's harvest is bad. If people find out that they can remove the toxicity of cassava but don't share the method, they will be ostracized by the village.
If the villagers don't have enough to eat, they'll overturn their rice bowls.
Ye Caiping had told Old Man Ye about this situation during dinner last night, which is why they went all out to dig up cassava today, trying to dig up as much as possible.
"Can you really remove the toxicity of the poisonous root?" Ye Li asked uncertainly.
Old Man Ye said, "We've already eaten it all."
Grandma Ye brought over a bowl of cassava from the kitchen: "Village head, look at this, it's leftovers from lunch. This is what the poisonous root looks like after it's been cooked."
Ye Lizheng and Zhao Futou scrambled to grab the bowl.
The cassava in the bowl was sliced into pieces, looking soft and chewy, and a faint fragrance wafted into their nostrils, causing Ye Lizheng and the other three to swallow hard.
Ye Li wanted to eat it, but she was still a little hesitant.
"Big brother, how did you handle it?" Uncle Ye asked.
Old Man Ye said, "This method was taught to us by Cai Ping. Let Cai Ping explain it."
Ye Lizheng and the other three looked at Ye Caiping with eager eyes.
Ye Caiping then carefully explained the method, adding, "As long as you strictly follow this method, you can remove the toxins."
Ye Lizheng and the other three listened with wide eyes. Ye Lizheng said, "So there are so many steps involved. No wonder it can remove the toxins."
Yeh Tsai-ping: "But there will always be carelessness or laziness. If it is not cleaned properly, poisoning can still occur."
Ye Lizheng said excitedly, "As long as it can be used as food, I believe everyone will be careful. If any lazy person skips a step and gets poisoned, it's their own fault."
Zhao Futou and Liu Laoshan nodded quickly.
Ye Caiping said, "Actually, I have another method, which is to dry it in the sun. This method is safer than eating it fresh, but it takes longer."
Ye Lizheng became even more excited.
Then, Ye Caiping explained the detailed steps one by one. She also offered suggestions on how to dig tomorrow and how to allocate the resources.
The people inside listened and nodded, and after another hour of discussion, they finally came to an end.
Before leaving, Ye Lizheng took the bowl of cassava, ate three slices, and was about to eat more when Zhao Futou and Liu Laoshan quickly snatched it away, each taking two slices.
The expressions on their faces lit up as they ate; this poisonous root was surprisingly delicious.
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