Chapter 43 Hot Spring Returns
Ziyi and Yike came to the hot spring basically empty-handed. When they were about to return today, they found that they had too many things. Ziyi was worried. This was really a happy and sad thing.
2 bags of herbs, 4 bags of mushrooms, plus two backpacks of mushrooms, it would be difficult for Ziyi to give up any of them. It only had to be transported back and forth twice.
"Take the herbs back first, I'll come back for the rest later," Ziyi said to Yike.
"Why not take them all together?" Yi Ke wondered.
"It's too much and I can't carry it." Ziyi felt useless and a little embarrassed.
"Oh!" I suddenly realized it. "Brother Ziyi, I have a solution."
"Really! That's great! How to do it? You tell me and I'll do it."
Yike instructed Ziyi to cut some sticks and make a simple sled, and tied all the herbs and mushrooms to the sled with ropes.
Yike sat on the sled to control the direction, while Ziyi stepped on the skis and pulled the sled. Although the speed was not as fast as when they came, all the things could be brought back without making two trips back and forth, which still saved time. The return journey was also smooth and we didn't encounter any ferocious beasts.
Li Haoran and Zhang Yuling were stunned for a moment when they suddenly saw Ziyi and others appear in the cave.
"Uncle Hao, Auntie, we're back." A sweet voice woke the two stunned people.
"Great! You are finally back!" Zhang Yuling hugged Yi Ke and said happily,
"You little brat, you're back so fast! I thought it would take at least three days for you to come back. Glad you're back! Now your aunt won't worry anymore." Li Haoran was also very happy.
"You talk as if you're not worried. Who was it this morning who was saying that the weather had to be sunny and the roads would be easy to walk on?" Zhang Yuling exposed her man's insincere words.
"Stop it. It's because you keep talking about it, worrying about this and that. I'm just saying it casually."
"Uncle Hao, there are still many things under the cliff that have not been moved up."
Seeing that Uncle Hao felt embarrassed to have his feelings pointed out to him by his aunt, Ziyi changed the subject.
"Then hurry up, let's go move it back. Nothing happened on the way, right?"
'No, it went very smoothly. ”
'Has there been any changes at the hot springs? ”
"No, it's still the same as before. The herbs and mushrooms are growing well. This time I picked all I could. I also picked two ginsengs. One is about six years old, and the other is only three years old."
"You did a great job. Give the six-year-old ginseng to Yi Ke to eat. It's too thin. The three-year-old one will be sold when the time comes."
"We can all eat together and replenish our body together."
"Is it big? If it is, let's eat it together."
"It's very big. Yi Ke and I ate some of the ginseng in the hot spring."
Li Haoran and Ziyi talked as they walked, moving all the things on the sled into the cave
Yike told Zhang Yuling about what he had seen and heard along the way, especially the bumper harvest of herbs and mushrooms picked in the hot spring. He also talked about the comfort of soaking in the hot spring water. He only concealed the fact that he had encountered a black bear. Yike and Ziyi both thought of not telling Li Haoran and Zhang Yuling so as not to worry them.
"Aunt, you don't know, but the ginseng in the hot spring area has grown in large patches like radishes. Do you think we have made a fortune?" He couldn't help getting excited when he thought of ginseng.
"Don't let it slip by accident, we don't show off our wealth." "Of course, I'm not stupid."
"Besides ginseng, are there any other valuable herbs?"
"Yes! Of course. It's a precious land. Do you know Lingzhi? It's the part in the storybook where the White Snake rescues Xu Xian and steals Lingzhi from heaven?"
"I know. When Xu Xian died, the White Snake went to heaven and stole the Ganoderma lucidum to revive him."
"Yes! It's that Ganoderma lucidum. There are a lot of them there!"
“Is it as valuable as ginseng?”
"Yes! Just like ginseng, it is very valuable."
"If you say so, then we are really rich. Our whole family will never lack money for the rest of our lives."
"Of course!"
"Before, your uncle Hao only said that there were many medicinal herbs in the hot spring, but he didn't specify that there were so many valuable herbs. I was always worried that Ziyi didn't have enough money to marry a wife. Those two men were both dumb and made me worry for so long in vain."
"Yuling, you and Yike come and help, take the herbs out of the bag and put them aside to see how many are crushed."
"Aunt, your name is so nice." At first I thought Zhang Yuling's name was something like flowers or grass. The idea of favoring boys over girls is serious in rural areas, and girls are named casually, usually like flowers or grass. The original owner was called Xiaocao'er, and some even didn't even have a name, and were just called one, two, three, and four in order, such as the eldest daughter, the second daughter, etc. Some even called her a money-loser.
"This was not given to me by my parents. They always called me a money-loser. This was given to me when my grandfather was alive." There was sadness in Zhang Yuling's eyes when she talked about her parents. If Li Haoran hadn't bought her, what would have happened to her in the hands of human traffickers would have been chilling to think about. How could she not be heartbroken?
"Uncle Hao is also very majestic and domineering, but how old is Uncle Hao this year?"
"This Ziyi is as dumb as his uncle. Your Uncle Hao is 58 years old this year. As for me, I am a dozen years younger than your Uncle Hao. I am 40 years old this year. Because I couldn't have children, no one wanted to marry me, so I stayed at home as an old maid. My parents and my brother and sister-in-law disliked me, but they also wanted me to help them with work. After liberation, they didn't dare to keep me, so they secretly drugged me and sold me. I happened to meet your Uncle Hao. Let Ziyi tell you about the situation at home. I don't know much about it."
"When I first heard my aunt's name, I thought it sounded nice. Unlike me, my full name was given by my grandfather, and they just gave me a nickname, Xiaocaoer." Yike complained.
"It doesn't matter what your name is. As long as you live a happy life, that's all that matters."
"Auntie, look! This is Ganoderma lucidum, right?" Yike showed the Ganoderma lucidum to Zhang Yuling.
"It's so big! This is the first time I've seen something like this. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have recognized it even if I had seen it. Wow! It's so beautiful!"
I don't see what's good about it at all, but since my aunt says it's good, then it's good.
"Aunt, actually there are many kinds of Ganoderma lucidum. Our kind is called red Ganoderma lucidum, and there are purple Ganoderma lucidum, black Ganoderma lucidum, etc..." Yike rattled off all the kinds of Ganoderma lucidum she knew.
After dealing with the things, Yike and Ziyi took a shower, drank a bowl of porridge, and went to bed to rest and wait for the big dinner in the evening. This was arranged by Li Haoran, he said he wanted to celebrate it properly.
"Auntie, there are so many dishes, can we finish them all?" Yi Ke looked at the table full of dishes, a little dumbfounded, it seemed like the rhythm of New Year's Day.
A plate of bright red and attractive braised pork trotters, a plate of thinly sliced pork belly, a small dish of red oil and garlic sauce in the middle of the plate, a plate of fragrant bamboo shoots and pork slices, a plate of fragrant, sweet and glutinous stir-fried sweet potato cubes, a plate of red root vegetables with a touch of red and green in the green, and a large pot of sticky, slightly white tiger bone soup.
There was a huge table full of delicious food, which tempted her so much that she couldn't move her feet. Ziyi had to take her hand and take her to wash her hands.
After quickly washing his hands, he ran to the table impatiently and sniffed hard, the rich fragrance penetrated his nose.
"Auntie, this smells so good." Although she wanted to eat one right away, her mind told her to wait until everyone was at the table.
"Why don't you try it first to see if it tastes bland?" Zhang Yuling knew that Yi Ke was greedy, but she didn't point it out to her.
"Then I'll try it." Yi Ke had an excuse and immediately picked up a piece of white meat, dipped it in garlic sauce and put it into his mouth.
"Little greedy cat!" Ziyi came over and sat next to Yike and touched Yike's head.
"Humph! That's not the case! It's just that the food my aunt cooked is so delicious. If you're not greedy, don't eat it later." Yi Ke would never admit that he was greedy.
"Come on! Everyone, eat! Eat whatever you like. Ziyi, pick up some food for Yike. Yike can't get the food for those who are far away." Li Haoranhao and Zhang Yuling also came to the table, and dinner officially began.
"There's a good harvest in the hot springs this year, and Ziyi is getting married again. We'll go out to sell the things tomorrow. When we have the money, we'll buy more seeds and plant them." Uncle Hao made arrangements while eating. In the past, we couldn't farm where we lived, so we had to rely on purchasing rice and flour. Now that the orchards here are ready for cultivation, we must make good use of them. Plant some wheat, corn, sorghum, etc., and plant more sweet potatoes. Then raise more pigs. Pork can be sold on the black market. Pork is the best seller. People outside the mountains can hardly buy meat even if they have money, so let’s raise more. We can also plant rice in that depression…”
"Uncle Hao, can I go out with you guys tomorrow? I have never been to a town since I was a child." Yi Ke really wanted to go out and take a look, so he said quickly without even bothering to eat the delicious meal.
“It’s so cold…”
"Let her go. The snow hasn't melted yet, so it's faster to ski. Once the snow thaws, she won't be able to walk fast." Uncle Hao was about to refuse when Ziyi spoke.
"But I haven't gotten a letter of introduction for Yi Ke yet, just in case..."
"It doesn't matter if we don't stay at the guesthouse when we come back in the evening. Even if we meet someone who asks for a letter of introduction, we can say that she just got married, her parents' home is far away, and she hasn't transferred her household registration yet."
Yike looked at Ziyi gratefully. She didn't expect Ziyi to help her. She looked at Li Haoran eagerly, hoping that he would agree. Li Haoran thought about it, felt it was feasible, and agreed.
Now the food on the table tastes even better.
In a warm house, the whole family sits around the table. The smell is not only rich in food, but also family warmth. I like this kind of atmosphere.
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