novelkee Chapter 183 Loquat Tree
Chapter 183 Loquat Tree
Besides being rich in medicinal herbs and mushrooms, the Taihang Mountains also have plenty of other things, especially fruits.
However, very few people come from the mountains to pick fruit and sell it, making it very difficult to buy.
Song Jiaojiao plans to go into the mountains tomorrow; perhaps she will have some unexpected discoveries.
"Zhou Dayong, go and prepare some things we'll need for the mountain trip. Tomorrow you and Zhang Li will come with me into the mountains to take a look," Song Jiaojiao instructed.
"Mother, can I go tomorrow?" Mu Xue asked, tilting her head. Today, she took Xu An to explore the whole town. Apart from medicine shops, there was nothing else in the town. They finished exploring in one day and were quite bored.
"Muxue, we've never been to these mountains before, and we don't know what it's like inside. Tomorrow, I'll go scout it out first, and then I'll take you there once we're more familiar with it, okay?"
Song Jiaojiao knew that Mu Xue was just bored. She didn't know anyone here, and apart from her medicinal herbs, she hadn't heard of Taihang Town much.
"Miss, I heard that there is a peach grove ten miles outside the town, and the flowers are in full bloom now. Why don't we go there for a spring outing tomorrow?"
Shang Xiaoxiao told Mu Xue the information she had gathered that day.
"Really?! Let's go check it out tomorrow!" Mu Xue was overjoyed to hear that there was somewhere to go, and she chattered on about what to prepare for tomorrow.
"Since it's still early, let's go buy some things. We need to prepare some pastries. The rice cakes in town are delicious, as are the corn cakes. We'll also buy two kites..."
Seeing that Mu Xue had been appeased, Song Jiaojiao secretly gave Shang Xiaoxiao a thumbs-up when Mu Xue couldn't see her.
"Alright, Mu Xue, hurry up and get ready, otherwise it will get dark soon. Take Xu Sen and the others with you tomorrow. Xiao Xiao, I'm entrusting Miss to you tomorrow. Protect Miss well."
"Don't worry, Madam."
After settling Mu Xue in, Song Jiaojiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day,
The weather was sunny and the sun came out early in the morning.
When Song Jiaojiao and her group arrived at the foot of Taihang Mountain, even though the sun was out, the mountain was still shrouded in thick fog.
In the early morning, the mountain was filled with the sounds of various birds. As the grass grew tall and green, there was plenty of grass along the path leading up the mountain, and dewdrops dampened the trouser legs of the people on the mountain.
As more people entered the mountain, small paths were worn into the landscape. Song Jiaojiao walked along one of these paths, her eyes darting around, afraid of missing anything.
Unfortunately, with so many people coming here, there's practically nothing left.
"Madam, there's a fork in the road ahead. Should we go that way?"
Song Jiaojiao looked at the path in front of her. One path went down the mountain, and the other went up the mountain.
After thinking for a while, Song Jiaojiao decided to go up the mountain. She didn't know where she would end up if she went down, and if she didn't get out of the mountain, the whole journey would be for nothing.
There was no way to get out of the mountain by going any further up, so Zhou Dayong took a dagger and carved a mark on a nearby tree.
No one is familiar with these mountains, so we're afraid of getting lost. We'll leave markers so we can at least find our way back.
The road ahead was mostly lined with tall trees. The sun was already high overhead, but only a few specks of starlight filtered into the mountains.
Song Jiaojiao walked all morning but didn't see anything. She didn't know if everyone had picked them all or if she was just unlucky.
They had now reached the top of the mountain and found a large rock. Song Jiaojiao told everyone to rest for a while and take out the prepared dry food so they could have lunch.
This location is quite open, offering a view of a sizable lake in the valley; the emerald green water is clearly deep.
There were small animals drinking water by the lake. Locals said that there used to be large insects and brown bears in the mountains.
However, in recent years, as more and more people have gone up the mountain, there have been no reports of wild animals injuring people for a long time.
A gentle breeze cooled Song Jiaojiao, who was already feeling hot from climbing the mountain.
Having composed herself, Song Jiaojiao continued walking. This time, the path she chose became increasingly deserted, with no trace of human activity along the way.
Along the way, they encountered several clumps of termite mushrooms, but Song Jiaojiao only picked a few, as that was not her purpose in coming into the mountains today.
After a while, I finally saw something different.
A tree was laden with many small, green fruits, clustered together in a beautiful display.
It's a loquat!
"Quick, Zhou Dayong, look for any saplings nearby." Song Jiaojiao didn't expect to find loquats. This was her favorite fruit in her previous life. She hadn't seen any near Yunshui Town and thought that this fictional dynasty didn't have such things.
"Madam, what is this?" Zhou Dayong carefully bent down and searched around the loquat tree.
"This is a loquat, a kind of fruit. The leaves can also be used as medicine and are very effective in treating coughs. It tastes sweet and sour, and the fruit turns orange-yellow when ripe. Unfortunately, it is not ripe yet, so we can only look at it and not eat it."
Song Jiaojiao said regretfully that loquats ripen in May, and it's only April now, so there's still more than a month until they're ripe. Plus, the temperature here in the deep mountains is already lower than outside, so the loquat trees are still full of small green fruits that haven't grown at all. If you eat them now, you'll only end up with a mouthful of bitterness.
"I never imagined this was loquat. I've seen farmers selling them when I was a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), but I've never seen what a loquat tree looks like."
"Oh, madam, do you think this is a sapling?"
This loquat tree grows on a slope; when the fruit ripens, it falls and rolls down the slope.
Zhou Dayong found the sapling in a ditch five meters below the tree.
"Yes, yes, it's a sapling. Dig it out carefully, so you don't damage the roots."
Song Jiaojiao said excitedly, "Anywhere with enough sunshine and rain can be planted, and Qingshui Village just meets the requirements."
We can add another batch of fruit to the back slope. The jam made from loquats has the effect of clearing the lungs and relieving phlegm, which is especially good for children.
Thinking of this, Song Jiaojiao continued searching, hoping to find a few more so that she could return to town later and have the mountain produce and loquat saplings she had bought transported back by a security escort agency.
I've been away for so long, and I haven't even contacted Mu Qing yet.
After digging up seven or eight seedlings, and finding there were no more small ones left, Song Jiaojiao stopped. She tied them with rope, put them in her basket, and planned to buy some flowerpots to plant them later, so that they wouldn't wither and die when the escort agency transported them back.
No longer going empty-handed boosted Song Jiaojiao's confidence, and she pressed on forward, continuing her exploration along the mountain path.
Along the way, Song Jiaojiao saw quite a few things, including many wild grapes and kiwis, which she already owned.
There is also a papaya tree. In this season, the papaya tree only has leaves. The leaves are very large, with sharp tips. The leaf base gradually narrows and connects to the petiole. The leaf edges are serrated, and the surface is smooth or has fine hairs.
When ripe, papayas turn orange-yellow. A single papaya can weigh nearly two pounds. Ripe papayas are soft, sweet, and fragrant. They can also be made into papaya stewed milk with milk, which is a perfect way to add a new dish to your leisure time.