BXBX NOVEL Chapter 123: It Turns Out to be Grapes_l
Chapter 123: It Turns Out to be Grapes_l
So, Yingbao handed over the half-basket of shrimp and half-basket of loaches to the new aunt and took a group of children to gather apricots.
It’s a pity that the peaches aren’t quite ripe yet. Otherwise, she would have picked some more for Chuyan and Chu Qing to taste.
Ever since she confirmed that this Chuyan was the Chuyan in her past life, Yingbao always carried a guilty heart.
In her past life, Chuyan must not have ended well. He might have been sentenced to death by the governor shortly thereafter.
Because he took her out of the governor’s mansion and sent her out of Prefecture City, he could not hide this from anyone.
And the governor hated those who betray him most. Regardless of the type of betrayal, he would personally behead the betrayer.
“Brother Chuyan, do you like peaches?” Yingbao looked up at Chuyan and asked.
Chuyan looked at the peach tree in front of him and nodded.
“Wait another ten or so days and you can eat them. Then, come to my house and I will pick some peaches for you.”
Yingbao enthusiastically introduced her family’s fruit trees to Chuyan, “There are also pears over there. They will be ripe in a month. You must come and try them.”
A rare smile appeared on Chuyan’s face. “Okay.”
Then Yingbao led him to a few Exotic Vines, pointed at the small green fruits growing on the vines, and asked, “Do you recognize this?”
Chuyan nodded, “Western Region grapes.”
“What?” Yingbao was surprised, “Are these Western Region grapes?” In her previous life, she had heard about them but had never seen them, as they were only found in the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles in Beijing.
“Hmm.” Chuyan nodded affirmatively.
He had seen and eaten them in his childhood.
Yingbao was stunned. She touched the small green fruits, couldn’t help it and picked one to take a bite.
A sour taste instantly wrinkled her face, “Yuck! It tastes awful.”
Chuyan laughed and said, “They aren’t ripe yet, so of course they don’t taste good.”
Yingbao knew that unripe fruit wouldn’t taste good. She just wanted to make Chuyan happy.
After introducing their fruit trees, Yingbao said, “I’ll teach you how to grow Auricularia.”
She brought over some bran and mulberry wood shavings, teaching Chuchu and Chuyan how to crush them, how to steam sterilize, and how to store them in a pottery jar after cooling.
Then she brought out a jar of mycelium for planting. She instructed them on how to manage the Auricularia seedlings, how to keep them moist, and how to prevent the Auricularia from changing colors.
Chuchu and her two younger brothers watched carefully, and after two hours of serious learning, they even forgot to eat.
In the evening, Chuyan and Chu Qing stayed in Chuchu’s hut, and Yingbao let Chuchu rest with her.
The next morning, Chuyan and Chu Qing went home with five jars of Auricularia mycelium given by Yingbao.
When leaving, Chu Qing cried his eyes out, vowing to visit his sister the next time he had a day off.
Chuchu, on the other hand, didn’t cry, happily saying goodbye to her two younger brothers.
“Yingbao, what do we do now?” Chuchu worried that Yingbao wouldn’t need her if she didn’t work for a day.
Yingbao looked at the sky and said, “The weather is clear today. Let’s go cut bamboo.”
There was a large bamboo grove in the Jiang family’s perennial fields on the South Slope, filled with randomly growing wild bamboo. Although it was lush, the bamboo was thin and small, so it was of little use.
Thus, they had to remove some of the lush bamboo, leaving behind only the sturdy bamboo that was good for growth.
“Alright, let’s go cut bamboo.” Chuchu took the new axe Yingbao gave her, carried a backpack, and followed Yingbao to the bamboo forest.
Dani and the second aunt also came along for fun. They recently had nothing to do and found Chuchu to be a genuinely good person. So both of them put aside their prejudices and were willing to work and play with her.
So, the three young women and one child went towards the bamboo forest.
“I heard that there are bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest. They’re delicious when cooked, but I’ve never seen them,” the second aunt asked Chuchu, “Have you seen them?”
Chuchu nodded, “There is a bamboo forest on the hillside near my house. But that belongs to others. You can collect bamboo shoots there. They are indeed very delicious when cooked.”
Yingbao also had never seen it and asked curiously, “What is a bamboo mushroom?”
“It’s a type of fungus, also known as bamboo pith.” Chuchu replied, “When I go back, I’ll bring some for you to taste.”
Yingbao nodded.
The group arrived at the bamboo grove. They scared away any snakes hiding in the bushes before gradually advancing.
“Let’s chop here.” Yingbao pointed at a section of bamboo, “Chop down the thinner ones and keep the thicker ones.”
“Okay.” Chuchu and Dani started chopping. Yingbao and Erni dragged the chopped thinner bamboo out of the grove and piled them up at the side.
The bamboo could be dragged back to be used as firewood or at the very least, be turned into brooms.
However, Yingbao had a bigger use for these bamboos. She wanted to extract fresh bamboo juice from them.
Fresh bamboo juice has a cooling effect and is a key component in treating phlegm.
It can be used to treat symptoms such as excessive phlegm when a person has a cough, asthma, chest tightness, stroke, and children’s heat stroke.
As the four young sisters were energetically working, several people suddenly approached briskly.
The one leading the group was Wei Zhan, aged seven. He ran quickly to
Yingbao’s side and asked with his head cocked, “What are you doing here?”
Yingbao replied annoyedly, “Working.”
Seeing that the little girl’s face was red with exertion and sweat was streaming down her neck, he resisted the urge to help her wipe her sweat, and said, “I’ll help you.”
“No need.” Yingbao did not want to deal with this annoying boy from the Wei family. She dragged two thin bamboos away.
Wei Zhan was not discouraged. He followed her and said, “Aren’t you tired?
How about I get a guard to help you?”
“I’m not tired. Move aside and stop blocking the way!” Yingbao dropped the bamboo and proceeded back into the bamboo grove to drag another batch.
Wei Zhan wanted to follow but was blocked by his attendant, “Young Master, there could be snakes inside, you should not enter.”
“Everyone else is not afraid of snakes, only you are. You’re less brave than a child, what use are you to me?” Wei Zhan glared at the guard discontentedly.
The guard lowered his head, speechless.
At this moment, Chen Zhao and Chen Tiantian arrived, panting and using handkerchiefs to fan themselves.
“Seventh Young Master, what are you doing here?” Chen Tiantian offered a handkerchief to Wei Zhan to wipe his sweat, but he pushed her away.
“Stay away from me!” Wei Zhan scolded rudely.
Embarrassment flashed across Chen Tiantian’s face, but she quickly smiled and said, “Seventh Young Master, the eldest young master asked us to take you for a stroll. But this place is desolate and wild animals may show up, so you see…” “Get lost!” Wei Zhan shouted angrily, “Who asked you to guide me?”
At Wei Zhan’s rebuke, Chen Tiantian took a step back, teary-eyed and dared not say another word.
Chen Zhao gave her a glance, thinking she deserved it.
Stepping forward, she cautiously asked, “Seventh Young Master, how about we rest here for a while? This area seems pleasantly cool.”
She realized that Wei Zhan, the little master, seemed to like the Jiang family child. If she said anything that made him unhappy, she might end up like Chen Tiantian.
So she knew she had to win his favor by always agreeing with him.
Weizhan nodded in approval. He asked the guards to clean up the area and sat down on a tree stump to rest.
“Wow! Bamboo mushrooms! So many bamboo mushrooms!” Chuchu screamed in joy from inside the bamboo groove.
Yingbao ran over to check. She saw a patch of fungus with white skirts in a clearing within the bamboo grove. Chuchu was picking them one by one. “So this is a bamboo mushroom?” Yingbao was seeing this kind of mushroom for the first time and wondered if they were edible.
Chuchu laughed heartily, “Yes, these are bamboo mushrooms. I never expected to find them here. We are in for a treat.
Seeing Chuchu so confident, Yingbao also began to help pick. They got over a dozen bamboo mushrooms.
She put the white mushrooms in her basket, planning to bring them back to show to her mother..