mtlumby2d Chapter 22 Kiwi
Chapter 22 Kiwi
Upon seeing this, Mu Xue curiously pointed to the dark object on the ground and asked Song Jiaojiao, "Mom, what is this?"
"This is taro, it's delicious. I'll make some for you to try tomorrow morning. You can steam it or make taro rice. But some people are allergic to the taro sap, so don't touch it yourself," Song Jiaojiao said, remembering that most people are allergic to taro.
"Have you washed the wood ear mushrooms?" Song Jiaojiao saw that Wang Hefan and the others had come over, so she guessed that the wood ear mushrooms were already washed.
"Mom, it's all washed. We can just hang it to dry tomorrow when the sun comes out," Wang Hefan replied, wiping his hands.
"Rest now that you're done washing up. Tomorrow, the whole family will go out and bring back lots of wood ear mushrooms." Song Jiaojiao said with a yawn, then led the two sisters into the inner room. Today had been a very fruitful day.
After a good night's sleep, Song Jiaojiao got up when the rooster crowed for the second time. She picked some taro, washed them, and steamed them directly in a steamer. She also selected a few small taro with sprouts and planted them in the small vegetable garden in the yard.
Song Jiaojiao looked around to make sure no one was there, then moved the newly sprouted vegetables out of her space. These were mainly vegetables that could be planted in winter, such as radishes, cabbages, and some scallions. Seeds cultivated in the space would definitely be stronger than those grown outside.
As soon as the sun rose, Song Jiaojiao and her family arrived at the place where a patch of wood ear mushrooms had grown the day before, carrying baskets on their backs.
"Look, this kind of wood ear fungus is gray on one side and black on the other. Wood ear fungus that is the same color on both sides is fake. Eating this kind of fake wood ear fungus will make you vomit and have diarrhea. Do you see clearly?" Song Jiaojiao held up the real and fake wood ear fungus and taught the three siblings. The three siblings listened very carefully, afraid of picking up poisonous wood ear fungus.
"Mother, we've remembered everything."
"Okay, you guys pick them up first, I'll go look around nearby." Seeing that the three siblings seemed to have remembered everything, Song Jiaojiao decided not to go with them.
With her basket and machete in hand, Song Jiaojiao headed up the mountain. The mountain was very humid in the morning, and her trouser legs were soaked in no time. Just as she was about to continue, she saw a green fruit about the size of two fingers. She walked over, picked one, and opened it to reveal the bright green flesh.
"Wow, it's a kiwi!" Song Jiaojiao peeled off the skin and tasted it. Yes, it was a kiwi. Although it wasn't as sweet as the ones sold in supermarkets, it was still edible, and it was the perfect season for them to ripen. Song Jiaojiao looked up at the branches laden with kiwis and started picking them. For those that were too high to reach, she cut a stick and used it to hook them down.
After picking for half an hour, Song Jiaojiao had only filled half a basket. She followed the kiwi vine to the root, dug up a smaller one, removed all the vines, leaving only a section of root with buds, and put it into her space.
Song Jiaojiao took a sip of water, thinking that since there were kiwis here, there must be other wild fruits as well. She put the basket into her spatial storage, rested for a while, and continued her journey into the mountains.
Sure enough, not far away, Song Jiaojiao saw another grape vine. However, this vine didn't bear many grapes, probably because the trees were too lush and blocked the sunlight. After a while, Song Jiaojiao finished picking them. Thinking that she was already far from the village and that there was no one around, she entered her spatial dimension.
"Feihu, there are kiwis and grapes in the basket. Pick whichever you like to eat." Song Jiaojiao called out in her spatial dimension and went to the field. She planted the kiwis first. The seeds she sowed a few days ago are now mostly ready for harvest. The majority of the vegetables are greens. Song Jiaojiao noticed that only two plants were flowering. She moved them aside. The leaves looked a bit like strawberries. She would only know for sure once they grew. In her previous life, she was busy with work every day and basically had no time to grow any vegetables, so it was not common to see what these vegetables looked like in the field.
She only knew what the peppers looked like on the supermarket shelves. Song Jiaojiao looked at the peppers; they were already flowering, and some had even produced fruits the size of a thumb. She figured she could pick the green peppers tomorrow.
The seeds I bought at the grocery store last time have all been delivered. Many of them are common local items. Unexpectedly, there were also rice and sugarcane among them. Song Jiaojiao quickly moved the rice and sugarcane to another place. With sugarcane, she could make her own sugar. Buying sugar outside was really expensive.
Next to the lotus root planted last time, Song Jiaojiao dug another small pond and planted these rice plants in it. Now that there's space, apart from the flying tiger, there are no other living things, so there's no need to worry about pests or anything like that. Of course, the flying tiger might not even be alive.
After setting up the space, Song Jiaojiao left, took out her basket and carried it on her back. Looking at the sun overhead, she estimated it was almost noon. She walked towards where the three siblings had picked wood ear mushrooms. After some time, she finally saw them. They had already finished picking the wood ear mushrooms, and there was a lot of grass on their baskets, presumably for the family's rabbits. The eldest sister had also picked a lot of wild vegetables that Song Jiaojiao didn't recognize, which she assumed were edible.
"Big sister, second sister, I'm back. Let's go home first." Song Jiaojiao called to the two sisters. Wang Hefan came out from the mountainside, carrying two bundles of firewood and casually chopped a stick to carry them.
The group returned home with a bountiful harvest. They had run out of water in the mountains, and the first thing they did upon arriving home was to find water. After everyone had rested for a while, Song Jiaojiao emptied the fruit from her basket. "Look, I found kiwis and grapes!"
"Oh, it's kiwifruit. The ones on the mountains near the village weren't ripe yet, but the village kids picked them all. I've only ever eaten them once, and it was Brother Tiezhu who gave them to me." Mu Xue said, looking at the kiwifruit. "Then Second Sister is in luck today. Mother picked quite a lot today, half a basketful."
"Alright, you go wash the wood ear mushrooms, and I'll cook. I'll make taro rice for you to try today. Second sister, don't forget the white fungus, it should be ready after drying in the sun today." Song Jiaojiao looked at the bright sun in the sky, thinking that if she dried it well today, she would have to go to town tomorrow to sell the white fungus so that she could start preparing to build the house.
When hiring someone to build a house here, they have to provide lunch. Looks like I'll have to buy more grain tomorrow.
Song Jiaojiao didn't think for long. She picked out a few larger taro roots and went to cook. She peeled and chopped the taro, steamed it with mixed grain rice, took out the leftover meat from yesterday and sliced it. Thinking that Mu Qing had gathered a lot of wild vegetables, she decided to make boiled pork slices. Song Jiaojiao also brought in some wood ear mushrooms, washed them, and set them aside to drain. She secretly took out a lot of green vegetables from her spatial storage and cooked them together.
After preparing the ingredients, heat the oil in a wok, add the seasonings and sauté until fragrant. Add a generous amount of chili peppers. Once the aroma is released, pour in boiling water, add the wood ear mushrooms and vegetables, and cook until tender. Song Jiaojiao also cut a taro into thin slices about half a centimeter thick and threw them in to cook as well. Once the water boils again and the taro breaks easily with a pinch, remove the vegetables and taro. Wait for the water to boil again, then add the sliced meat. Once the meat changes color, ladle it out along with the broth, drizzle with hot oil, and the boiled meat slices are ready.