Chapter 20
Jiang Wen couldn't help but chuckle at Jiang Shu's words: "Don't worry, it's edible. This sugarcane field ripened once half a year ago, and many people came to pick it then, but the yield was not high."
Xu Na nodded in agreement, "Yes, I remember when it first came out, quite a few people sold it at night market stalls. We bought some, and the taste was polarized. It was either sickeningly sweet or tasteless. The juice... was almost like drinking plain water."
Jiang Shu was greatly disappointed upon hearing this; no wonder so few people came to this sugarcane field.
Foods with moderate toxin levels are hard to find to begin with, and if the sugarcane you find doesn't taste good, who would want to waste their time?
After looking around, Jiang Zhi calmly said, "Since we're already here, let's give it a try. Maybe we'll get lucky."
Jiang Wen also laughed and said, "That makes sense. If we're unlucky and can't find any sweet ones, we can go back and juice them. They're better than the water at our base."
The water at the facility is filtered uniformly and contains moderate levels of toxins, giving it a faint disinfectant smell.
Jiang Shu had no choice but to say, "Alright then."
They came out early today; there were only a few people scattered around the sugarcane field at that moment.
Jiang Zhi brought up the terrain dashboard and scanned the area. Finding the danger level to be low, she found a spot with many green dots and planned to slowly harvest and test the area.
Looking at the vast expanse of lush sugarcane fields, Jiang Shu became interested: "Second Brother, how about we have a competition? I'll team up with Azhi, and you and Second Sister-in-law will team up. We'll see which side picks the most."
Jiang Wen: "Okay, the loser goes back and washes the other person's underwear."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi knew they were playing a game from their childhood, and rolled her eyes: "Childish, don't count me in, I'm not playing."
Jiang Shu panicked: "No, Ah Zhi, please help me out, okay?"
Jiang Zhi pursed her lips, ultimately giving in to the situation.
Xu Na smiled and said, "Then we'll take care of the left side."
Jiang Shu chuckled: "No problem, Azhi and I will go next door."
Let's get right to it.
The Jiang siblings worked together seamlessly.
The ginger tree is responsible for testing; if it encounters sugarcane with moderate levels of toxins, the ginger tree is cut down directly.
Rows of sugarcane stalks, topped with broken leaves, densely embedded themselves in the soil. The serrated edges of the leaves rustled in the wind, and as ginger branches parted a few stalks, the heavy sugarcane stalks seemed to gleam in the sunlight.
Jiang Zhi examined a sugarcane as thick as a thigh—
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
As expected.
Jiang Zhi wasn't discouraged; it would be strange if she won on the first try.
However, subsequent tests on several seemingly healthy mutant sugarcanes revealed that they were all highly toxic.
Jiang Zhi then said, "Brother, let's split up. I'll take charge of this area, and you take charge of that area. Remember not to forget the sugarcane leaves."
Even if sugarcane leaves are inedible, they can still be sold if they contain low levels of toxins.
Jiang Shu gave an OK sign, "I'll do the work, don't worry!"
For a time, the beeping of the detectors went off incessantly.
Unfortunately, neither the brother nor sister found anything edible.
On the other hand, Jiang Wen soon heard the warning sound indicating moderate poisoning.
Then Xu Na's happy voice rang out: "Awen, I found one with moderate poison!"
None of them expected that Xu Na would be the first to win the prize.
Jiang Wen smiled and looked over, saying, "You're lucky."
Xu Na smiled, pursing her lips.
She was really lucky; the sugarcane she found was two meters long and as thick as an arm, and the tests showed it was entirely composed of moderate toxins.
Jiang Wen dug out the sugarcane with a hoe and then cut it into six sections with a sickle.
Jiang Shu watched from the sidelines with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
It's so long! How could he not have discovered it?
Just as Jiang Wen was about to cut off the sugarcane top, a dozen or so thumb-sized flying insects suddenly flew out, startling the ginger tree that had come closer.
He quickly waved the bone stick around: "What kind of insect is this? It won't bite, will it?"
Jiang Zhi squinted and looked at it. "It looks like a sugarcane aphid."
Jiang Shu was stunned: "What is that?"
"A type of pest."
Jiang Shu asked casually, not paying much attention. He said "Oh" and then looked at Jiang Wen expectantly, "Second Brother, bring over a piece of sugarcane for everyone to try, and see if it's sweet."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen immediately peeled off the skin, cut it into several pieces, and distributed them.
Jiang Shu couldn't wait to take a bite, and immediately the juice overflowed, flowing all over his chin before he knew it.
Jiang Shu quickly sucked all the juice from the sugarcane into his stomach, but a lot of it still dripped onto his body, making him look quite disheveled.
Jiang Shu spat out the sugarcane pulp with a "pui!" and said with disgust, "It tastes awful!"
This sugarcane not only has no taste, but even the sugarcane juice is sticky.
Jiang Zhi also took a small bite, chewed a few times, and then spat it out: "It really does taste like plain water."
The mutated sugarcane has a softer texture and is juicier. However, apart from a faint sugarcane flavor, the juice has little taste, leaving one with only one feeling—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away.
Jiang Wen thought the siblings were discouraged, so he quickly comforted them, saying, "Let's keep looking. Maybe we'll find something sweet next time."
They've only just begun, and there's no reason for them to leave before they've gained anything.
"It doesn't matter." Jiang Shu chewed a few more bites: "I remember that sugarcane pulp can also be used as firewood, right? If not, we can make the most of it after we extract the juice from this sugarcane and use it to start a fire for Mom and the others."
Xu Na was amused by Jiang Shu's self-deceptive attitude. "That's a good idea."
After the four finished eating the sugarcane in their hands, they continued with the testing.
The first edible sugarcane was harvested by Jiang Wen's team, which made Jiang Shu feel a sense of urgency, and he worked much faster.
"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."
...
This inedible electronic sound is irritating.
The brother and sister gained nothing.
Xu Na, however, detected several edible sugarcane stalks, one of which was the extremely sweet variety they had mentioned before.
Jiang Shu tried it, and it was similar to milk tea with full sugar.
It's so sweet it tastes bitter.
Although they disliked the taste of the mutated sugarcane, Jiang Wen and his wife's high output still made Jiang Shu envious.
He was just bragging to everyone yesterday about how efficient he and his sister were at collecting samples. Isn't this a slap in the face?
Seeing that Jiang Wen and his wife were collecting more and more mutated sugarcane, Jiang Shu couldn't stay still any longer and couldn't help but run to his sister's place.
"Hey Azhi, you need to think of something! If this keeps up, we're going to lose."
Then something unexpected happened.
A large number of cotton aphids flew out from the sugarcane leaves.
In just a moment, swarms of cotton aphids gathered in mid-air, a dark mass like a small cloud, fluttering their wings and buzzing wildly, covering people's necks and cuffs. Even waving your hand couldn't get rid of them, giving people goosebumps.
"What the heck is this?"
Jiang Shu hurriedly pulled out a bone stick and waved it wildly.
Jiang Zhi swiftly caught one and examined the mutated cotton aphid thoughtfully.
The power of the bone stick was no joke; a few seconds later, the cotton aphids in the air were driven away by the ginger tree and disappeared without a trace.
Jiang Zhi released the cotton aphids in her hand and said, "Brother, give me the bone stick."
Jiang Shu handed it over suspiciously, "What are you going to do with it?"
"Let's do an experiment."
As Jiang Zhi spoke, she walked over to the sugarcane stalks that Jiang Wen had just cut off and used a bone stick to probe those few cloyingly sweet sugarcane stalks.
Sure enough, no woolly aphids flew out of the sugarcane leaves.
"Ah Zhi, have you found anything?"
Jiang Zhi frowned slightly. "There's something wrong with these cotton aphids."
Jiang Shu rolled his eyes: "Of course there's a problem. Didn't you say they were pests? They're just tormenting these mutated sugarcane. Anyway, let's forget about that and get to the market quickly—"
Before Jiang Shu could finish speaking, he saw his younger sister bring the detector to the cotton aphid on her hand.
Then, a pleasant voice rang out—
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
Jiang Shu stared blankly at the mutated, plump worm in Jiang Zhi's hand, incredulous.
"No, this thing is edible!?"
Jiangzhi ignored him and continued to examine a cotton aphid that was too full to fly.
"Drip, low level of toxin, edible."
Ginger Tree: ...
He took a deep breath.
Finally, I couldn't help but shout, "Holy crap! What the hell?! This is completely shattering my worldview! You can eat pests?"
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Wen and Xu Na quickly came over.
"A-Zhi, Da-Shu, what's wrong?"
Just then, Jiangzhi caught another cotton aphid.
"Drip, moderate toxicity, consumption in moderation is recommended."
Jiang Wen looked over in surprise, "A-Zhi, what's this in your hand...?"
Jiang Zhi smiled, broke off the wings of the cotton aphid, and handed them to them to see, saying, "It's edible meat."
She paused, then added, "It's still a low-level toxin."
Jiang Wen and Xu Na stared wide-eyed.
They had never encountered a low-toxicity organism before.
Jiang Wen: "This...this is a cotton aphid on sugarcane?"
Even if it's only the size of a thumb, as long as it's low in toxicity, it can still fetch a good price!
But Jiang Wen quickly added with concern, "A-Zhi, I don't know if this thing will still be edible after it mutates..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Zhi said, "It's edible."
These things weren't marked in red on her terrain dashboard, so they must be harmless to humans.
Xu Na asked from the side, "Awen, do you know what this is?"
Looking at the fleshy cotton aphids, Jiang Wen calmed down and nodded, saying, "I used to encounter them from time to time when I went to the fields with my grandfather. We had to spray them with pesticides to prevent the vegetable garden from being ruined. But these things have changed a bit since they mutated."
They can eat pests, but sugarcane, which they used to treat as fruit, is now despised.
It's simply unacceptable.
Jiang Wen picked up the cotton aphid and looked at it, saying with some emotion, "When I came here half a year ago, I didn't find so many cotton aphids. I didn't expect that we would actually benefit from this."
Jiang Shu was taken aback and asked, "Brother Wen, do you mean these cotton aphids only appeared in the last few months?"
Jiang Wen nodded.
The Jiang siblings' eyes met, and their thoughts were surprisingly aligned:
"It has potential."
Jiang Wen, not understanding the cryptic conversation between the siblings, looked at Jiang Zhi and asked, "A-Zhi, have you discovered something?"
Jiang Zhi didn't hide anything and directly told what she had just discovered: "I suspect that the sugarcane that is not sweet is caused by these cotton aphids. If I'm not mistaken, these cotton aphids should be edible and should contain sugarcane sugar in their bodies."
In Jiang Zhi's memory, sugarcane cotton aphids usually like to gather on the back of sugarcane leaves to suck sap, which is why the sugarcane leaves turn yellow and wither, the sugar content of the sugarcane will also decrease, and sometimes they will also excrete honeydew on the leaves, resulting in poor sugarcane growth.
Just now, Jiang Zhi observed that many sugarcane plants in the current sugarcane field have withered and yellowed leaves.
Furthermore, the sugarcane collected was mostly not sweet, leading Jiang Zhi to reasonably speculate that the nutrients in these mutated sugarcane had been absorbed by cotton aphids.
Most importantly—these cotton aphids have only just multiplied to this extent!
Based on their three years of experience in the wild, the shorter the time spent in a radiation-affected area, the less they are affected by radiation toxins.
In other words, these cotton aphids are very likely to have a moderate to low level of toxins!
Thinking of this, Jiang Shu was incredibly excited. "There are so many cotton aphids here... We've struck it rich! We've struck it rich! Even if the yield is low, it'll be enough to feed our whole family!"
The mutated cotton aphids are each the size of a thumb. Whether boiled or roasted, they can be considered a meat dish. Putting aside everything else, they are sure to provide plenty of protein.
Jiang Wen was also excited, but he was excited because cotton aphids contain sugarcane sugar.
He tried to control his emotions and said, "These cotton aphids should have appeared recently, and not many people have noticed them yet. In a couple of days, the news will definitely spread. Our discovery won't last long."
Jiang Zhi nodded, knowing what her second brother wanted to say, "So we must seize the golden opportunity in the first few days."
For now, no one is paying much attention to the cotton aphids in the sugarcane fields; those who come to collect them simply consider them pests that are impossible to prevent.
If they are careful not to be discovered these few days, they can collect more edible cotton aphids!
Jiang Shu exclaimed excitedly, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up!"
Jiang Zhi came up with a way to improve efficiency: "Brother, you take the bone stick and rush towards us from the other end. My second brother and I will grab it with bags, and my second sister-in-law will help us tie the bags."
The bag Jiangzhi was referring to was the Oxford cloth bag that had been used to pack camping gear; she happened to have two of them.
Each large opening is 1.2 meters long and 50 centimeters in diameter, more than enough to catch cotton aphids.
Jiang Wen hesitated for a moment: "Azhi, how about I and Dashu chase them together? If one of us chases them alone, the cotton aphids might fly all over the place..."
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "It's okay, my brother can handle it."
Jiang Shu waved the bone club in his hand. "Don't worry, I have a secret weapon. Just wait and see."
As Jiang Shu spoke, he ran in the opposite direction.
The spot where they were standing was relatively remote, with few people around, so they could do something without being discovered.
Once Jiang Zhi and the others were ready, Jiang Shu, who was standing a few meters away, shouted, "I'll start when I count to 3, so remember to hurry up."
Jiang Zhi: "Hurry up!"
Jiang Shu mimicked a starting stance: "1-2-3-Go!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Shu held the bone stick horizontally above his head and slowly jogged towards Jiang Zhi and the others.
To the astonishment of Jiang Wen and his wife, the cotton aphids seemed to be driven by some force, all of them taking flight. Their sheer number was unexpected, so dense that they almost obscured the view, forming a black cloud that was truly terrifying to behold.
Seeing Jiang Wen standing there in a daze, Jiang Shu shouted, "Second Brother, what are you standing there for? Hurry up! Quickly catch all the bugs and put them in the bag!"
On the other side, Jiang Zhi had already sprung up and, with lightning speed, aimed the opening of the Oxford cloth bag at the insect, slammed it over, and then quickly tightened the bag.
After smoothly completing this set of actions, Jiang Zhi directly pinched the bag opening with her hand to prevent the cotton aphids from escaping.
"Second sister-in-law, come and help me tie the bag."
Xu Na had never seen anything like this before, and upon hearing this, she hurriedly and clumsily tied the bag opening with a rope.
After realizing what was happening, Jiang Wen on the other side also quickly covered a bag with it.
These were all things that the country kids had already mastered, so their efficiency was naturally questionable.
Seeing that both of them were doing well, Jiang Shu excitedly put away the bone stick and ran over. "How was it?"
Jiang Zhi reached into the bag and grabbed a handful of cotton aphids.
"Brother, take out the cloth bag you're carrying. We'll measure it and put it in."
Jiang Shu immediately agreed.
Ginger twigs were used to break off the wings of cotton aphids, and then tested.
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
...
Jiang Zhi had seven or eight cotton aphids on her hand, and they were all moderately toxic.
Even Jiang Wen's breathing became a little heavier.
"This...this is all edible?"
He stared intently at the cotton aphids, as if trying to bore a hole through them.
Jiang Shu felt a great sense of accomplishment at the expressions of Jiang Wen and his wife. He proudly explained the pattern they had discovered: "You didn't expect that, did you? The less time a creature is exposed to radiation, the less likely it is to mutate. These cotton aphids have only reproduced in the last few months. Even if they are affected by radiation toxins, it won't be a big deal. So it's very likely that they tested positive for moderate toxins."
Jiang Wen felt a surge of excitement. If this were true, it would mean a huge fortune, and their house construction project might be settled soon!
To exaggerate a bit, getting rich isn't impossible!
Xu Na was stunned by Jiang Shu's strange ability just now, and she couldn't help but ask, "Big Tree, what was that all about? Are you a mutant?"
Jiang Wen also wanted to know, and the couple stared intently at Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu felt immense pressure from the gaze, scratched his face, and explained, "I'm not some kind of mutant, it's all thanks to this stick."
"This bone stick has insect-repelling properties."
Xu Na's eyes widened. "What...what is this thing?! How can it have such an effect?!"
Jiang Shu handed it over to satisfy their curiosity, saying, "It should be wild boar bone; we discovered its insect-repelling effect by accident."
As Jiang Wen watched, he murmured, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is..."
Jiang Zhi: "Second Brother, what do you mean, so that's how it is?"
Jiang Wen snapped out of his reverie, “The owner of the secondhand shop where I used to work was actually just an ordinary person who resold secondhand goods at first. I heard that he made a lot of money by selling a vine he picked up from the wild, which enabled him to open the shop. People said that what he found was a special item, something that even mutants were fighting over…”
"I didn't believe it before, but I never thought it was true."
Jiang Zhi winced.
"Second brother, do you know who bought that vine?"
Jiang Wen shook his head, "I didn't believe it at the time, so I didn't pay attention to it."
Seeing that Jiang Zhi looked unusual, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Zhi thought of the man she met yesterday who was carrying several golden symbols, and her expression became serious. "If what you said is true, then these mutated items with special functions are very likely only circulating among mutants. We ordinary people probably don't have the right to know about them." Jiang Zhi didn't say more. "Never mind, these are just my guesses, and they may not be correct."
Jiang Shu was getting impatient with them. "Hey, can you guys please stop talking? If you keep talking, my meat is going to fly away!"
Jiangzhi rolled her eyes at Jiangshu.
That eye-catching bag, look how capable he is.
She grabbed a handful of cotton aphids from her Oxford cloth bag and urged Jiang Wen, "Second Brother, time is money, let's get to work quickly."
"Yes, yes, Ah Zhi is right, I'll take the test now!"
Jiang Wen followed suit, catching a handful of cotton aphids, breaking off their wings, and examining them one by one.
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip, highly toxic, not for consumption."
...
Two-thirds of the toxins in Jiang Wen's case were moderately potent.
The odds of winning were almost 100%, which thrilled Jiang Wen and his wife.
Jiang Shu was itching to try it out and said to Jiang Zhi, "A-Zhi, let me try it. Maybe I can detect some low-level toxins."
Jiang Zhi handed over the Oxford cloth bag directly.
Jiang Shu couldn't wait to grab a handful and start testing.
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip, low level of toxin, edible."
"Drip, low level of toxin, edible."
He was right; Jiang Shu's chances of winning the grand prize had increased significantly, making him beam with joy.
Jiang Zhi placed these low-level toxins in a small bamboo basket with a lid.
To improve efficiency, Xu Na also started testing.
All three were completely absorbed in the joy of detecting cotton aphids.
After testing the cotton aphids in both bags, the four of them worked together again to repeat the trapping process.
From 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., they caught two large sacks full of moderately toxic cotton aphids.
The bamboo basket was filled with even low-level cotton aphids, and it was still almost not enough.
Jiang Shu weighed it and estimated that there were about twenty or thirty pounds of low-level toxins.
Before they knew it, it was noon. Jiang Zhi was sweating profusely from the heat and quickly called for a stop.
"Let's find a place to rest, it's too hot."
Jiang Wen and his team were also having a hard time. The rising temperature made their faces flushed. Upon hearing this, they said, "I know there's a cave over here in the sugarcane field. We can go there to rest."
So the four of them pushed the cart to a cave.
The cave was not large from the outside, only one meter wide, and the entrance was covered by dense, intertwined vines.
These vines, of varying thickness, intertwine to form a natural barrier.
But the cave is a completely different world inside.
The interior is extremely spacious, with a high ceiling, craggy rocks, and stalactites arranged in a pleasing manner.
Standing inside, it's very cool, and you can feel a faint breeze from time to time.
Jiang Shu slumped to the ground without any regard for his image. "Brother Wen, this place is strangely cool. How did you find it?"
Jiang Wen said with a smile, "I came here with a friend before, and he brought me here."
Jiang Shu: "Your friend is great, willing to share such a wonderful place."
Jiang Wen remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "He's dead."
Jiang Shu choked and coughed frantically in embarrassment, "Uh, um, Brother Wen, I..."
Jiang Wen shook his head with a faint smile, "It's alright, life and death are predestined. Anyway, in this world, everyone is the same. We should live one day at a time."
Not wanting to make things awkward, he changed the subject, asking, "Shall we continue this afternoon?"
Jiangzhi and Jiangshu exchanged a glance and nodded, "Continue!"
Such a good thing doesn't happen all the time. Although the golden carp is rare, the uncertainty is too high. Let's wait until we harvest this wave of cotton aphids before we think about it.
Jiang Wen suggested, "Then let's change the location this afternoon, otherwise I'm afraid someone will notice something amiss."
Jiang Shu and his sister had no objections, and Xu Na, who always listened to her husband, also had no objections.
They were unable to go out for a full four hours at noon. After eating the dog-tail tassel rice rolls that Ye Qingyun had prepared for them, the four of them took turns resting.
Jiangzhi rested for more than an hour before calling her brother to rest as well.
Just as Jiang Zhi was getting ready for 3 p.m., she thought she should get up and stretch her muscles. As soon as she stood up, she felt a gentle breeze brush against her face.
But this is a cave...
Why is there wind?
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