Ji Huai did not go to work in the morning, but went to the mountains.
He first set a trap and caught two birds. Then instead of looking for white wood and agarwood as before, he walked in the jungle.
After walking around in a circle, I found two rattan sticks that could remove the mucus. After putting them in the backpack, I continued to look for them.
Suddenly, his eyes were fixed on the leaves of the plants at the foot of the hillside. He quickly walked around to the side and stood in front of them to observe.
The leaves are oblong, opposite, with a small pointed tip, a rounded base, and short shaggy hairs on both sides. There are many dry leaves next to them, which are brown and look very much like the leaves of Morinda citrifolia.
The rhizome of Morinda citrifolia can be used as medicine, and the rhizome is also harvested.
Ji Huai showed joy and immediately took out his tools and started digging under the vines.
Morinda citrifolia is a deep-rooted plant, so it has high soil requirements. The soil is fluffy and fertile, so he dug it easily. He quickly dug up to half a meter deep, and continued digging without seeing the roots.
Still didn’t see it.
Ji Huai was a little confused, so he raised his hoe and dug in a specific spot, and then dug a lot deeper, but still found nothing. It is almost certain that there is no rhizome underneath.
So where is the rhizome
He stopped, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his face, and squatted down to observe the vines. From this observation, he was as big as two heads.
These vines were scattered everywhere. As he searched and searched, he found another vine, which had nothing to do with the one he found at the beginning.
In other words, it is not a root.
Its vines will crawl forward. If the soil is fertile, they will grow wildly and climb up the shrubs and grass, but there will be no roots under the soil here.
As for where the roots are
Can't tell.
Ji Huai held a section of cut vine in his hand and frowned as he looked at the white vine roots wrapped inside.
He knew there must be a way to judge, otherwise how would his group of people at the acquisition station dig? Canes are scattered all over the mountains and plains. Do you have to search through the mountains to find them? This is simply not possible.
As for the way to judge, it is probably that the rattan near the root is slightly different from other places.
Judging by flowering and fruiting? However, the flowering period of Morinda citrifolia is from April to June, and the fruiting period has already passed, so it is almost impossible to judge based on this.
He had spent too much energy just now, so he sat on the ground to rest, and even pulled a rattan next to him. Comparing them again and again, they were all the same, with no difference.
Unexpectedly, medicinal materials that can be sold at such a high price must be difficult to dig, otherwise they will be dug up.
After a while, he got up and walked up the mountain, and saw the leaves of Morinda citrifolia in a relatively flat place. Not far from it was a tall agarwood tree. This agarwood tree was very tall, with dense branches and leaves, and a thick trunk. It would be difficult for him to climb up, and there would probably be no agarwood available.
It was almost noon now, and he had to go to work in the afternoon. It would take time to look for the agarwood again. He didn't know where the roots of Morinda citrifolia were, so he had to gain something? Otherwise, the whole morning will be wasted, and in the end we will have no choice but to continue digging.
Let's take a chance on luck.
Ji Huai found a spot along the cane, used a hoe to remove the weeds on the surface, and then excavated.
Digging was hard work. After digging for a while, he had to take a break and sweat like rain.
As he kept digging, he still couldn't see the rhizome. Ji Huai let out a big breath and could only stop. With a little irritation, he pulled up the rattan floating on the surface.
He even dug up the spreading roots of the agarwood tree next to him. In this case, if the roots of Morinda citrifolia were here, they would probably be able to survive in a tight spot.
He just dug a big hole and found nothing. Now he dug half a big hole. His clothes were soaked with sweat, but there was still nothing. Ji Huai thought about it over and over again and couldn't figure it out. He dug a hoe again and dug a big hole. .
He originally wanted to vent his irritation, but accidentally glanced forward and saw a yellow-brown thing in the dug-out piece of soil. His eyes flashed, and he knelt down to pick it up.
Taking a closer look, he was a little surprised. This thing was very familiar to him. Isn't it agarwood
After confirming again, Ji Huai couldn't help but smile. He raised his head and looked at the agarwood tree not far away. The middle of this piece of agarwood is hollow. This part of the roots of the big tree has been eaten by ants or damaged by humans. Then the roots of this part have rotted and decomposed, leaving only the agarwood that cannot rot.
In other words, this piece is all agarwood and does not require any sharpening.
He squatted down and dug out all the remaining agarwood in the soil. The whole piece was about half a hand long and about three fingers wide, with an empty middle. After carefully wiping off the loess on it, he thought that there must be a A few taels.
Although I didn't dig up Morinda citrifolia, I picked up a piece of agarwood, which was an unexpected surprise.
Ji Huai packed up his things and went down the mountain, feeling in a good mood.
"gone back?"
“Call it over and call it a day.”
"gone."
…
On the ridge of the field, everyone was packing up their tools intermittently, carrying their shoes, hoes, and sickles in their hands, preparing to go home.
"Cuixiang."
"Hey." Mother Feng responded with a smile. Aunt Wang, who was about to speak, hesitated. Finally, she swallowed what she wanted to say and forced a smile, "Let's go back and cook."
Along the way, Aunt Wang said strange things, and Mother Feng was confused. When Feng Dafeng came back, she couldn't help but said, "Did something happen in the village? Why do we feel that everyone is a little weird?" ?”
Feng Dafeng walked all the way back and noticed it, "I heard them discussing, but I didn't hear what they were discussing when I walked over. I don't know what happened."
"Did someone download some documents?" This was all Feng's mother could think of.
Feng Dafeng: "How do I know? I'll ask in the afternoon."
Feng Qiaolan came out of the house and happened to hear the two of them talking. She didn't know anything. She was in the third trimester of pregnancy and hurriedly read books and endorsed them when she wasn't sleepy, so naturally she couldn't get a word in.
Ji Huai carried a live bird in a basket on his back. He was afraid of being discovered by walking on the main road, so he walked back from the back mountain without going through the front door, and climbed over the back wall of Feng's house.
Feng Dafeng frowned and saw that Ji Huai slipped and fell, holding his hands on the ground. Before he could step forward, Feng Qiaolan became anxious and stepped forward to help him with his big belly.
"It's okay." Ji Huai stood up quickly and took out two birds from the basket on his back and gave them to Feng's mother. "Mom, I caught two birds today. You can take care of them and make soup for Xiaolan."
"Caught two more?" Feng's mother was overjoyed. She looked at the two birds and nodded quickly, "I can't finish two of them. I'll keep them and slowly stew them for her."
"Since I caught two and fried the other one for him to eat, what else do I keep?" Feng Dafeng naturally referred to Ji Huai, "I haven't eaten meat at home for a long time."
Ji Huai caught the birds. If they were all left to his daughter, maybe others would have objections. She was also a city dweller and had to eat meat every now and then.
This guy said last time that the food at home was not good.
Ji Huai didn't refuse. Instead, he said, "It's okay to fry it. We all eat meat too. I'll go check it out in two days."
Mother Feng looked at the two birds. She wanted to keep them for her daughter to replenish her health. The child in her belly needed nutrition. What kind of meat would adults eat? But Feng Dafeng had already spoken, so she couldn't say much, so she carried the two birds into the kitchen.
Feng Qiaolan went to pour water for Ji Huai. Feng Dafeng looked at Ji Huai, coughed slightly, and asked him, "Did you use all the ten yuan from selling agarwood yesterday to buy malted milk for Xiaolan?"
Ji Huai: "Yeah."
Feng Dafeng pursed his lips again and looked away, "You have to replenish your nutrition slowly. You can't rush it for a while. The days will be long in the future."
I heard that malted milk is also cheap. You can buy a few more cans for ten yuan, so why let foreign gadgets steal your money
He felt that Feng Qiaolan must have been weak recently, and Ji Huai wanted to give her nutrition quickly. Can that be done overnight? It's still very early.
Feng Qiaolan came over with water and listened to Ji Huai's continued words, "It has to be replenished slowly, so after she drinks this can, I will buy it for her again. I also dug out a large piece of agarwood today, and I will sell it later." , I’ll buy another can for her to keep.”
Feng Dafeng was silent: "..."
Feng's mother in the kitchen stuck her head out and stared at the agarwood in his hand, "Is this agarwood? Can it also be sold?"
Ji Huai nodded, walked over and turned over the wood that was drying in the yard, "The Chinese New Year is coming soon, I want to save some more, take the agarwood and these wood to the market, and buy wheat milk for Xiaolan Jing, I can still buy some New Year goods with the remaining money.”
After being continuously exposed to the sun, agarwood will become lighter and lighter, and the wood will be fluffy. It is not heavy at all when carrying a large basket to the city.
"No need to buy it for me." Feng Qiaolan stopped her.
"Dad has said that nutritional supplements are a long-term matter. Don't stop drinking for a few days and then stop. It won't be of any use. You must remember to drink it every day, one cup in the morning and one in the evening is best." Ji Huai pulled out what Feng Dafeng had just said. , and warned her.
Feng Dafeng kept restraining himself, and his facial muscles twitched. That's not what he meant at all. Whose girl drinks two cups of malted milk a day
So his legs have to be broken, is he the daughter of a landlord? The landlord's house has been confiscated a long time ago!
Now he can't refute it. Just like he was educating Feng's mother today, should he say it himself to make his daughter drink less? To save money.
That's called nosy!
"It's too expensive to drink so much." Feng Qiaolan shook her head subconsciously, "No."
"You have to drink it. I'll buy another can next time I go to the city. I don't know how much it will cost this time. If it's more, I'll see if I can buy two cans." Ji Huai turned over all the wood. Those in the corner moved around so that they could all get some sun, and continued talking very naturally.
Mother Feng subconsciously wanted to tell Ji Huai not to buy so much. It was only twenty yuan. How could anyone drink that much
Feng Dafeng also looked at her. In fact, he wanted Feng's mother to say that young people were neither serious nor serious. He always had a straight face and could not say this.
As a result, Feng's mother saw him looking over and remembered what happened this morning. She swallowed the words and endured the pain in her body and said to Feng Qiaolan, "Yes, I'm going to have a baby soon. If you can't keep up with your nutrition, it will get worse later." The harder it is, the more the child will suffer. Ji Huai will buy it for you, so just drink it."
Feng Qiaolan knew Feng's mother's temperament best and was shocked that she could say such a thing.
Could it be that she abused her children too much
Feng Dafeng's face was already a little tense, and he entered the room calmly. The moment he turned around, his whole face collapsed, and he was suffocated.
Prodigal, really prodigal!
Spending money carelessly will kill you.
When Feng Qiaolan saw that even Feng's mother said this, she didn't dare to speak. She walked over silently and put away the clothes in the yard.
The Feng family had a rich meal today. They made soup for Feng Qiaolan. It included not only the usual salted radish and pickles, but also shredded radish. In addition, the hard dish was the plate of fried pork.
It's so fragrant when fried.
"Dad, Mom, you eat more, the next meal won't taste good." Ji Huai kept talking to the two of them, and Feng Dafeng and Feng's mother only took a few chopsticks.
Normally, two people can eat a full bowl of rice with just a few chopsticks of dried radish and pickles, but today they were really cruel.
Ji Huai not only urged the two of them to eat, but also gave Feng Qiaolan the meatiest pieces of calf.
"That's enough, that's enough. Stop pinching it for me." Feng Qiaolan was still drinking soup, so why did she have the nerve to eat fried meat again? I also put it in the bowls of Ji Huai and his parents, for fear that they would be reluctant to eat and leave it to her.
Just like this, a small plate of meat was eaten up, and everyone was full.
The first thing Feng Dafeng did when he entered the room was to close the door and ask Feng's mother in a low voice, "What's going on? How can anyone fry meat like this? Why not add salt? Is there no salt at home?"
Feng's mother was also wronged, "You said it would be fried to satisfy Ji Huai's craving. How could you eat it with salt? Didn't you eat it delicious just now?"
"Your daughter ate one piece after another and kept picking it up for me. Can I put it back?" Feng Dafeng had a headache and said again in a deep voice, "If you put more salt, how could she eat like that? She finished it in one meal. Look, what's this? I wouldn't dare to eat like this!"
He was so angry that he sat directly on the bed, his chest heaving violently, and he was panting.
Feng's mother no longer concealed her pain, and wrinkled her face, "She has to drink malted milk twice a day. How much does it cost? That's money in vain, Ji Huai can't even do this..."
Nowadays, meat costs several pounds per piece. How many times can we eat meat except during the New Year? A family with a large family cannot eat meat even once a year.
Their family has a small burden, but Feng Dafeng is strong and earns many work points. He can occasionally improve the food and buy some meat to stir-fry.
The fried meat you buy needs to be salted a lot. It's extremely salty. In this case, a small piece can be eaten with a big bowl of rice. It's normal to eat a small pot of meat for ten days and a half. No matter how bad it is, you have to eat it. How can anyone eat a plate of meat in one meal in seven or eight days? What a sin.
Feng Dafeng also knew that it wouldn't work, so what could he do
These two people were in so much pain that they didn't even take a break during lunch, and they didn't even recover when they went to work in the afternoon.
fields.
In front of the hoeing, everyone gathered together and gossiped, and the more they talked, the more excited they became. Especially Aunt Zhang, who made a trumpet shape with her hands, and spoke like a nose and eyes, and her eyes turned rapidly. I don’t know how exciting it was.
"real."
"you do not say."
"Oh, do you know that one in the West Village? He hanged himself. How can he still live like that?"
"It's a pity that this family has bad luck."
…
When several people saw Feng's mother and Feng Dafeng coming over, they quickly stopped talking and dispersed to work in a hurry.
Although Feng Dafeng and Feng's mother found it strange, now they were too lazy to think or ask. They dragged their feet to the assigned fields, their minds full of confusion.
On the one hand, they feel that it is their daughter who enjoys the happiness anyway, so they don't need to worry about it. On the other hand, this way of spending money is not only beyond their understanding, but their hearts can hardly stand it.
They have spent most of their lives and only dare to spend so much money when building a house.
The rest of them glanced at the Feng family couple from the corner of their eyes while they were working. Seeing the two of them looking like this, they became more convinced that Ji Huai had run away, and they kept shaking their heads and sighing.
Aunt Zhang also whispered to the women in the neighboring fields, "Look, it's a big blow. How efficient is Feng Dafeng in his usual work? Look at today, this thing can really break a person."
The woman in the neighboring field also expressed sympathy, "What can we do now? Life is just miserable."
Feng's mother was absent-minded in her work. She kept thinking about this matter. It must be that young people are careless and Ji Huai didn't think about their children. They have to think about their children. If they have children in the future, it will cost a lot of money.
Adults can endure hardships, but children cannot. She must go back and give Feng Qiaolan some advice and ask her to talk to Ji Huai tactfully. How could she be so stupid
The more she thought about it, the more she was right. She felt that this was what she had to do, and she told Feng Dafeng her idea. The two kept discussing it, but the people next to them thought they were quarreling.
After this happened, isn’t it useless? Whoever agreed to marry Feng Qiaolan to Ji Huai would have to endure the anger, and the couple would probably not end well.
The other place is even more wonderful than this.
When Ji Huai came to the work place, he first went to the nearby warehouse to move peanuts. When he came back, it was not to mention how lively it was. He put one foot in and stopped again when he heard his name.
Old Mrs. Li picked up the topic, "Ji Huai said he couldn't leave last time. He was clearly trying to coax the Feng family to stay. He ran away last night. He ran home overnight and waited to go to college."
"Isn't that right? She left her wife and children behind. Cuixiang has such a temper. I heard that she cried while holding Feng Qiaolan and wanted to die, but Feng Dafeng stopped her. Otherwise, she would have died long ago."
"Feng Qiaolan still stupidly believed him. The Feng family was very lively last night, crying and shouting. I also heard someone say that Feng Qiaolan was deceived by him. He was so cruel that he didn't notice it at ordinary times."
"It is estimated that all valuable things have been defrauded, and no one will be able to find them. The Feng family has no hope in the future. Don't hang yourself or jump into the river like that girl in the West Village. Just stay alive."
"Ji Huai is really heartless. Such a man will be punished sooner or later. I don't know if he will steal something and take it away. He will be struck by lightning from the sky."
…
Mrs. Li was an old lady suffering from polio. She was thin and lame on one foot. When she said the last words, she gritted her teeth. She was afraid that she had a lot of hatred for him. The justice in her heart might have been aroused, and she cursed angrily. With.
Before she finished speaking, the master's hesitant voice came from behind Ji Huai: "Ji Huai?"
The people inside were startled and looked towards the door.
Ji Huai, carrying a bag of peanuts, also froze on the spot and looked at the few people.
Everyone: "..."
The scene suddenly froze, and there seemed to be a hint of mystery. The irresponsible scumbag who everyone had just scolded so harshly and wanted to be cut into pieces was standing in front of them, carrying a bag of peanuts, and seemed to be getting ready to go to work.
The group of old ladies and gentlemen were embarrassed for a while, their eyes averted, they lowered their heads quickly, their faces were aghast, and they all stopped talking.
Ji Huai also carried the bag and walked towards the pot. He hesitated and asked, "I thought I heard my name just now. Are you talking about me?"
"No, no." Old Mrs. Li was thick-skinned and quickly denied, "How could I say anything about you? We were talking about other things. By the way, when will your wife give birth to the baby?"
Ji Huai seriously misheard, "Early March."
"The university has started at that time. Are you still going to university?" Old Mrs. Li asked again.
"Didn't I say that last time? I won't go up, so I have to accompany Xiaolan, because I'm afraid she will be scared alone." Ji Huai sat down to light the fire, preparing to wash the pot and fry the peanuts.
"That's good, that's good. I should accompany you." After speaking, Old Mrs. Li slipped away and hid inside.
The old Mrs. Chen next to her narrowed her cloudy little eyes and stared at Ji Huai several times. She also walked slowly inside, glancing back at him while getting close to Mrs. Li.
The two of them were whispering to each other, and the others were listening with their ears straightened.
Whispering, whispering, winking, and talking with great enthusiasm.
The old master stood in front of Ji Huai. Naturally, he also knew about Ji Huai. The news had spread throughout the village, not to mention everyone in the village committee. It was estimated that the news had spread to the town.
He did not hide it from Ji Huai and said proactively, "People in the village say you go to college instead of Feng Qiaolan."
"...Huh?" Ji Huai seemed confused for a moment, thinking he had heard some surprising news.
"Weren't you captured?" the old master asked again.
Ji Huai put firewood on the stove and smiled, "Why should I be captured? My wife and children are here, where can I run?"
The old master thought he had misjudged someone, and he breathed a sigh of relief, "The latest news: Feng Dafeng and his wife were greatly hit because you ran away. They may have some mental problems now, and Feng Qiaolan may die at any time." Seeking death."
Ji Huai: "..."
This rumor is spreading from generation to generation, it’s really serious. The women and aunts in the village are really admirable.
Ji Huai didn't explain much. The more he explained, wouldn't he feel guilty? Deny this outright.
In the end, Mrs. Li couldn't hold back her curiosity and came to tell him again: "Someone heard crying sounds near Feng's house. It was Feng's mother and Feng Qiaolan hugging each other and crying."
He looked weird, "Are you sure? I was at home at the time. Who said that? Was it an auditory hallucination?"
"Auditory hallucinations?" Mrs. Li didn't quite understand.
"It's a mental illness. When the disease occurs, you hear some strange sounds and do some strange things. Sometimes you hurt others, sometimes you hurt yourself, and you even commit suicide." Ji Huai said particularly. Seriously, "It's something that never happened. I don't know who spread it. Anyway, I don't know about it."
Old Mrs. Li: "Isn't that a lunatic's disease?"
People in the village regard such people as crazy.
"Then I don't know." Ji Huai did not deny it. He also took the time to work. In order to let everyone know that he did not escape, he had to work quickly and show his face. Otherwise, everyone's rumors would be even more outrageous.