For the next few days, Ji's kitchen was filled with a faint fishy smell.
Tang Xiuer couldn't smell the strong fishy smell and pinched her nose from time to time, but she had to eat it. The process is comparable to taking medicine, I am extremely unwilling and helpless.
For the sake of her children and herself, she had to eat it no matter how fishy it was.
In order to cover up the fishy smell, Ji Huai also put a lot of seasonings in it, and even went to the mountains to dig wild ginger, which would enhance the flavor a lot, and just smelling it would increase people's appetite.
Ji's family felt that the porridge with salty dried radish in their mouths was like chewing gum and they couldn't swallow it at all.
When Sister-in-law Ji and Sister-in-law Ji took turns cooking, they felt no energy in cooking due to the smell of fish and became more and more irritable.
This day.
Ji Huai was sitting in the yard weaving bamboo baskets, while fish soup was still being cooked in the kitchen. Tang Xiuer was sitting next to him, quietly embroidering her purse.
She embroidered absentmindedly, because the smell of fish was so unpleasant that it made her stomach churn. But after eating it, the symptoms of leg cramps were significantly relieved, and she had to eat it.
"It should be ready. Hurry up and get a bowl and have a drink." Ji Huai slowed down his movements and looked sideways at her.
"Wait a moment, the embroidery will be done soon." Tang Xiuer had been drinking fish soup for several days. She really couldn't drink it anymore and tried to delay it every day. If she can eat later, she won't rush to eat.
Ji Huai lowered his head and continued to weave bamboo baskets, and the movements of his hands sped up again.
Sister-in-law Ji listened to the conversation between the two, walked out of the house, and walked to the kitchen holding the basket.
Before she stepped in, the smell of fish was getting stronger and stronger. Waves of aroma filled her nose. She put the basket aside and looked at the fish soup simmering over low heat. She couldn't look away.
Ji Huai caught three more fish yesterday. She was standing by the fence at that time. The other party saw her, but had no intention of giving one to her.
Tang Xiuer eats fish every day. In addition to stewing fish soup, frying, stir-frying, and eating meat. The vegetables in the vegetable garden are edible, there are vegetables and meat, and life is much more comfortable.
After Ji's mother died, this dead girl's life got better and better.
Just as she was thinking about it, she put her hand on the lid of the pot while feeling angry. As soon as she raised her hand, she picked up the pot lid, and she could see the milky white fish soup at a glance.
The fish meat was chopped into several pieces, the meat was plump, and the surface of the fish soup was slightly boiling, with a layer of fat floating on it. Along with the layers of mist, the fresh fragrance had a faint fishy smell, stimulating her taste buds.
With so many pieces of fish, if one or two pieces were missing, they wouldn't be discovered, right
Ji Heng had been arguing about eating meat for several days, and she kept coaxing him. She was reluctant to kill the chickens and ducks at home, which were her lifeblood.
At the same time, Ji Huai had already made a bamboo basket and put it aside. Seeing that Tang Xiuer hadn't eaten the fish soup yet, he frowned and said, "If you don't go, it will get cold, and you will have to cook it again. It won't taste good. "
As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up first.
Tang Xiuer was urged and hurriedly put down her needlework and walked quickly to the kitchen. For fear of being slow, she hurriedly said, "I'll go now."
Ji Huai was still following her, so she walked faster, and finally broke into a trot.
Sister-in-law Ji had already brought a bowl and a spoon and was about to pick up the fish. When she heard the constant footsteps, she panicked and hurriedly put the lid on the pot.
In a hurry, the pot lid fell to the ground, making a harsh sound. Immediately afterwards, the spoon also fell to the ground, and she quickly bent down to pick it up. As soon as she picked up the pot lid and spoon, and was about to close the pot lid, Tang Xiuer walked in.
At that moment, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Sister-in-law Ji's face turned pale with embarrassment. She held a spoon in her hand and froze her hand on the pot lid. Looking at it this way, it looked like she had just brought a bowl and was about to secretly fill it with fish.
Tang Xiuer was also stunned. She looked at the pot and then at Sister-in-law Ji. She caught the other party "stealing" on the spot. To be honest, she was embarrassed and at a loss.
"I... I didn't want to do anything. The soup was boiling very hard and I was afraid it would burn, so I helped you take a look." Sister-in-law Ji tried her best to squeeze out a sentence to explain, her eyes were wandering, and she was afraid that even she didn't believe it.
Ji Huai was already standing behind Tang Xiuer. When he saw this scene, he moved his eyes downwards, looked under the pot, and reminded, "I didn't put any firewood just now. Most of the fire has been extinguished and it won't burn anymore."
Sister-in-law Ji also looked at it, and saw only scattered flames below, which could not boil at all, and there was no firewood left. Moreover, she was still holding their bowl, but it didn't look like she was here to help. She was here to steal more than enough.
Her lie was immediately revealed, and her face suddenly turned blue. She wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into, and she was speechless. In the end, it was Tang Xiuer who resolved the embarrassment, "I just embroidered a purse, but I didn't even come in to take a look. Fortunately, my sister-in-law helped me take a look. I can't finish the meal, so why don't you get a bowl and go?"
"No, I don't like fish!" Sister-in-law Ji rarely refused actively, without any hesitation, and her tone was stiff and angry.
She just didn't steal it and was caught on the spot. Aren't Tang Xiuer's words just giving her alms? How many pieces of fish does she still need? Do you still have to rely on Tang Xiuer's reward
Hearing this, Tang Xiuer didn't know what to say. On the contrary, Ji Huai was a little confused, "Did I remember it wrong? Doesn't my sister-in-law like to eat fish?"
"How is that possible? I hate eating fish the most. The fish tastes too fishy and can irritate the throat accidentally. Our whole family doesn't like eating it!" Sister-in-law Ji became more and more sure as she spoke. She stared slightly, not to mention how serious it was. .
"Oh, it turns out my sister-in-law's family doesn't like to eat fish." Ji Huai understood and repeated it again.
Sister-in-law Ji ignored her conscience, gritted her teeth, and waved her hands again, "No one in our family likes to eat fish, not even fish. It's not me who said that we would rather eat vegetables than fish, it's too fishy."
Of course she couldn't say she liked it, otherwise they would think she was stealing fish and meat.
Ji Huai nodded, "Yes."
Seeing that he didn't look strange and seemed to believe him, Sister-in-law Ji breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, and she was very "smart" and found an excuse and slipped away.
When Sister-in-law Ji left, Tang Xiuer turned her head and looked at Ji Huai. The other party didn't say anything. She walked over and opened the lid of the pot again, "Hurry up and eat something now. You can't breathe after just walking a few steps. What will happen in a few days?" Are you going to town with me to pick things up?”
"I can." Upon hearing this, Tang Xiuer immediately became agile and stopped procrastinating. She ate faster and more than yesterday.
She wanted to go to town with him. She had embroidered a lot of purses these days, and Ji Huai also made several bamboo baskets and bamboo hats. He wanted to go to the mountains tomorrow, not to hunt. He said he wanted to see if there were any medicinal materials. He could pick medicinal materials and sell them at the medicinal materials shop in the town.
"Take good care of your health." Ji Huai said and looked her up and down again. She was really very thin. She had eaten meat for several days in a row recently and was able to stand up without feeling dizzy. In the past, she would squat longer and stand up. When I got up, my body swayed from side to side.
It was frightening to see.
She nodded sharply, obedient. At night, she took the initiative to eat the remaining half of the fish, and there was no soup left at all.
Tang Xiuer also fried a fish while cooking. Ji Huai ate more than half of it, and she also took a few bites. The look of him looking at death as he stuffed the fish into his mouth, his cheeks bulging, made him want to laugh.
The next day.
Ji Huai got up very early, it was still dark, Tang Xiuer, who had been sleeping a little deeply after being pregnant, also woke up as soon as he woke up, sat up and looked at him.
He was changing clothes, lit the oil lamp, and opened the door of the utility room, and dim light began to shine in from the outside. She looked at him who was about to clean up and blurted out, "How about I go with you?"
"Nonsense! Do you think you're going there just for fun?" Ji Huai rejected it without even thinking about it.
His tone was a little serious. Tang Xiuer grabbed the heavy quilt and lowered her eyes and couldn't help but say, "I am the only one left at home. I don't want to be alone. We have been together for the past few days. I will listen to you."
She was even thinking that if something happened to him again, she wouldn't be interested in being alone. What would happen if the child was born? As long as he goes into the mountains, even if he promises not to go deep into the mountains or go hunting, her heart is still hanging on.
"I didn't go into the mountains a few days ago, so it's different from now." Ji Huai tied a cloth bag on his hand and turned around, "Although I know where there is no danger, the mountain road is rugged and you are still pregnant with the child. How can I take you there? ?”
After hearing this, Tang Xiuer lowered her head and said no more.
"It's still early, let's get some sleep." Ji Huai continued to prepare and put things into the bamboo basket.
"Yes. You must be careful." She agreed, but she also warned her uneasily. Then she slowly lay down again, but she didn't fall asleep again.
"There will be no danger. Don't go to dangerous places. If you can't find it, then go down the mountain and catch some fish for you to eat." Ji Huai poured water into the bamboo tube as he spoke, as if he knew that she was not sleeping, and spoke again, "Neither the eldest sister-in-law nor the second sister-in-law are peaceful. You are at home alone, and I am afraid of offending them. Although they don't know how to do anything, they are not lenient with their words. Especially the eldest sister-in-law, who talks with a gun and a stick, and you will do the same. You're at a loss. If you're not in good health, stop working and go chat with Aunt Niu and the others. You don't have to cook and wait for me. When I come back, I'll go find you and go home together."
Tang Xiuer's closed eyes opened again, and her bright black eyes looked at him, twinkling with surprise and throbbing.
Ji Huai has never been good at expressing himself and was slightly embarrassed. As he walked out of the door, he said, "I'll take you to town in a few days. You can buy whatever you want."
Before he finished speaking, he had already left quickly.
Tang Xiuer sat up holding the quilt and stared at the door. Her almond-shaped eyes slowly curved into a crescent shape, and the corners of her mouth also turned up in an arc. She blinked and smiled wider.
Ji Huai went out and walked up the mountain on a familiar road.
Not far into the mountain, he set up a few more traps and walked in based on his memory.
Tang Xiuer promised not to go hunting in the deep mountains, but her legs were not very sharp yet, so it was difficult to chase these roe deer and wild boars. This time I came here mainly to look for medicinal materials and pick some mushrooms and fungus for her to make soup.
In order to make a living, he followed Hu Orion into the mountains at a very young age. Hu Lihu was a poor man. He bought a woman in the town before, and the woman went crazy after giving birth to a daughter. The daughter was married to another mountain at the age of thirteen, and later died in childbirth.
He has been alone ever since. She doesn't speak much and is expressionless towards him, but she still maintains the same teachings and is more strict.
Hu is often injured while hunting, so Hunter Hu knows some herbal medicines and can also make some ointments. He only wanted to learn hunting before, but did not learn to identify medicinal materials or make ointments. Now he uses the leftover ointments made by Orion Hu at that time.
Hu Orion will not force him. If he doesn't want to learn, forget it. The other party will not mention it next time.
The only herbs he knew were Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng.
Ganoderma lucidum is easy to find. It is often found on dead trees in the mountains. I walked half a kilometer into the area and came across two dead trees. After looking for a week, I couldn't find Ganoderma lucidum.
He frowned and continued walking in; at 300 meters, he encountered another half-dead tree. The branches and leaves on the right had become dry, and only the branches on the left were still holding on, but the leaves had also fallen off. It's almost the same, it's yellowing.
With just a glance, he saw two Ganoderma lucidum growing from the root. He walked over quickly and opened up the covering weeds, revealing two Ganoderma lucidum flowers at the roots of the dead wood.
He leaned a little closer and could already smell a slightly stronger fragrance. Ganoderma lucidum has matured, its surface is black and shiny, and its stipe is also black, and its color is very good.
Ji Huai narrowed his eyes, picked them quickly and put them into the bamboo basket. There was a small pile of mushrooms not far away, which he also picked into the bamboo basket.
It rained last night, and the mushrooms just happened to grow, fresh and tender, suitable for making soup.
Tang Xiuer likes to eat it very much.
After picking Ganoderma lucidum, he continued to walk out and looked at the dead trees he passed, but he did not stop to take a closer look and picked a few smaller Ganoderma lucidum.
After walking in for another half an hour, they had already exceeded the place he and Tang Xiuer had talked about, and were already deep in the mountains.
He stood at the fork in the road and looked at the towering trees in front of him. The dense leaves blocked the sun. The woods were a little cool, and the sounds of insects and birds came one after another.
There are hundreds of years old trees in the deep mountains. They are so big that several people can hold them in their arms. When you look up, you will see that the trunks are strong, the branches are luxuriant, and they are full of vitality.
He looked around and found a crooked tree. He walked over and around the tree. There was a stream in front of him. He walked up the stream and reached the place he wanted to go.
Big trees grow overlapping each other. It is darker here than outside. There are many mosquitoes, and a few squirrels are jumping around.
Ji Huai walked to the side and looked around at the plants and trees. After a while, he stared at a "weed" not far away with a slight smile on his lips.
That "weed" grew in a small corner, surrounded by countless obstructions. When he looked closer, he saw that the leaves were flat and slender, with sharp needles on the top, and the leaf texture was very clear.
It looks like a weed or a small tree, but if you are knowledgeable about medicinal materials, you can tell at a glance that it is a ginseng leaf.
Hu Orion found this ginseng, marked it, and deliberately blocked the road.
The other party originally wanted to dig it up, sell it, and build a house for his son-in-law so that he could remarry. A son-in-law has half a son. Although the daughter is gone, it is not the son-in-law's fault. It turns out that the son-in-law had an affair with the widow next door. Shortly after his daughter's death, he unexpectedly married the widow. In anger, he became even more seriously ill. He died in just a few days and did not tell him about it.
He was just recalling the past a few days before his death, and found that Hu Orion would often go around this place, and subconsciously took a second look. He began to get to know him, and found that the medicinal materials would not be dug up immediately, but would be kept.
After this search, he really found it.