This year, the Feng family's life has been more enjoyable than ever.
After the last rumor-mongering incident, Aunt Zhang was rumored to be mad again, but she still refused to give up. She kept saying that she heard it right, and believed that Ji Huai would definitely run away to go to college, and that the Feng family and his wife were suffering from something they couldn't tell.
Everyone took it as a joke, and some people waited to see if it was true. After waiting and waiting, Ji Huai did not leave, but Aunt Zhang got herself involved. She was nervous all day, and finally suffered a stroke and her whole body was paralyzed. .
Aunt Zhang used to rely on Ji Zhuang as the production team leader, and often used public affairs for personal gain. She was also arrogant and clever in the village on weekdays, but no one sympathized with her. Some people said this was a sign that the madman's illness was getting worse.
Her temper became unstable, and Ji Zhuang and Ji Dahai also suffered terribly. They were convinced that she was suffering from a lunatic disease, and even invited a master to come to their home to do magic tricks in the hope of exorcising ghosts and gods.
The other end.
When Feng Dafeng saw that Ji Huai could sell agarwood for so much money, he felt excited again and had the energy to go up the mountain whenever he had free time.
After going back and forth, he didn't get much, but he still gained a little. Sometimes he went to the city and sold it for one or two yuan, which was satisfying to him. He would also buy one or two pieces of tofu or half a catty of bean sprouts to improve his food.
Ji Huai did not give up looking for Morinda ji.
The child will be born next month. In the remaining time, he has to save money to raise the child and send Feng Qiaolan to the city hospital for delivery.
Many women in the village had their babies delivered by barefoot doctors at home, while some went to towns to save money. He didn't dare to be careless. He had to send her to the city so that she could suffer less.
At noon that day, he picked up a bundle of firewood, went around half a circle, and chopped a piece of agarwood. He probably could only take out three or four taels of agarwood.
He found a lot of Morinda vine roots near the top of the mountain. At this time, it is close to the flowering period. Some vine roots bloom early, and occasionally one or two can be seen. The corolla is white and almost bell-shaped, which is quite distinctive and easy to recognize.
Ji Huai walked over and pulled out a piece of vine root. He picked it up and saw that it was no different from what he saw last time. He looked around the area again and found that the vine roots spread everywhere and could reach far and wide.
How to find this
He has one head and two heads. As for the areas near the roots of the vines, they are no different, just like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The soil on the mountain is difficult to dig. There are large rocks everywhere. It is very laborious to dig not only one or two meters, but even half a meter. So without any judgment, he would not take action easily.
Ji Huai was looking for agarwood on one side and Morinda officinalis on the other. When he saw the rattan, he cut a small section of it, compared it with his hands, and then carried it back.
There are many agarwood trees on the mountain, but not many can extract agarwood. During this period, he cut a lot of them off and on. It takes nearly a year at least for new agarwood to form, and Feng Dafeng has also followed suit. Nowadays, even if he walks around for a whole day, he may not be able to chop off a piece.
I have cut off a piece today, but I still have to be content.
Ji Huai walked around but found nothing. He found it boring. Take out the shaved bamboo from the bamboo basket, dip it in mucus, tie it with insects, and start catching birds.
Two days ago, he cut bamboo and made a bamboo cage, intending to raise a few birds so that they could eat more and replenish their health when Feng Qiaolan was in confinement.
After setting up the trap, he hid behind a big tree and sat on the ground to rest.
There is less food in winter, so birds are eager to forage and are quick to be fooled. Several times before, he caught three birds in one day, all within a short period of time. I don’t know what happened today. After waiting for a long time, I saw no trace of the birds, but the insects kept chirping, which was very noisy.
When he stepped back, he almost stepped on an ant nest. He quickly moved to one side, looked around with lingering fear, and sat down after making sure everything was okay.
While I was waiting boredly, there were also Morinda leaves on the right side, climbing up along the small wild tree.
He ran out of patience, leaned over, and pulled it over with great force. The roots of the vine were tightly entangled, and the small tree bent towards him.
"Chirp chirp... chirp~"
Several birds flew not far away, and he stopped his movements, his eyes locked on them, and his body remained motionless.
A bird flew down and looked at the insect. It walked forward with its little black feet. It glanced everywhere with its lively eyes and flapped its wings several times.
This bird is plump and has a lot of meat at first glance. Ji Huai's breathing slowed down, and he didn't dare to let go of the hand holding the root of the vine, for fear of making any noise, so he stared at it.
He had already thought about it. He took the bird back, used half to stew soup for his wife and children, and the other half to braise.
The bird kept walking forward, and seeing it getting closer and closer, the corners of Ji Huai's mouth curled up, as if he was determined to win. Be ready to get up at any time. If it sticks, you have to quickly grab the money and don't let it run away.
When he was only half a step away, there was a sudden "click" sound, and the small tree trunk he was pulling was overwhelmed and torn apart.
The little bird panicked, turned around and flew away. Ji Huai's face was as black as a pot sticker. He turned to look at the vine roots and the broken small wild tree, his jaw tightened even more, and he screamed with anger.
The cane wrapped around the tree had also been pulled over. He cut it with a knife and didn't bother to untie it from the trunk. He originally wanted to throw it away, but stopped the next second.
The root of the vine in his hand is slightly different from the previous one. The root of this vine is hollow in the middle.
Ji Huai thought for a moment, stood up and walked over. He found a nearby vine root and cut a small section with a knife. The result was the same as the one in his hand, with all the holes in the middle.
Sick
Looking at the green leaves, he thought it was impossible.
With the gambling in mind, he walked to the side, took the hoe, and dug directly.
The soil here is hard, and there are often rocks. It is very difficult to dig, and you have to squat down to pry the rocks from time to time.
Digging and digging was very laborious. After digging for a long time, there was still no trace of the vine roots. Ji Huai thought it was a mistake in judgment. There should be no roots underground.
Just when he was about to give up, he suddenly saw a rhizome about the size of a pinky finger hidden in a crack in the ground. It had a yellow-white skin and was cylindrical in shape. There were horizontal cracks on the surface, and it was twisting and turning in the crack.
It was very similar to the Morinda citrifolia he saw at the buying station, but a little shorter.
He squatted down and took a closer look, then continued to dig hard, and several rhizomes came out one after another. They were only as big as a little finger, many of them were in the shape of beads, and there were vertical wrinkles on the surface.
After digging all over and sweating, I took out the thin rhizomes, which were connected to the Morinda citrifolia vine. They were definitely the rhizomes of Morinda citrifolia.
The rhizomes were pitifully ugly, thin and small, but Ji Huai worked hard. When he took out all the rhizomes and held them in his hands, he still couldn't contain his excitement.
The roots closest to the rhizome of Morinda citrifolia are likely to be hollow, and this is the basis for judgment.
In order to confirm his guess, he started walking down the mountain again. When he saw the leaves of Morinda citrifolia, he stepped forward and pulled a section to see if the roots were hollow.
After digging for several sections, he found another hollow vine root in the grass halfway up the mountain. He swung the hoe and started digging.
Before digging too deep, the rhizomes inside were exposed. These rhizomes were yellow-brown in color, and each one was larger than his thumb.
He quickly dug up the sides as well, and more and more roots were exposed, one after another.
This time, Ji Huai dug a large area, with a horizontal length of more than one meter and a depth of more than two meters. The Morinda citrifolia here is probably very old and the rhizomes are too thick.
After all the digging was done, he picked up the dug rhizomes of Morinda citrifolia in his hands. Some of them were cylindrical and some were in the shape of beads. It was a bit difficult to carry them with one hand, and the hanging rhizomes almost touched the ground.
It must be over fifteen pounds.
Few people are digging for this kind of thing now, it will be easier to find, and the yield is large. The Morinda citrifolia just now is probably short because it is not old enough.
If it weren't for being late today, he would have wanted to dig elsewhere. After all, he had gained a lot.
When Ji Huai was going down the mountain, he happened to bump into a bird rolling on the side of a trap that had just been set up. He forgot about setting up the trap and trotted up to catch the bird. He felt like he had gotten something for nothing.
Although I was physically exhausted and exhausted, I felt refreshed.
When he got home, Feng Qiaolan was feeding chickens in the yard, and Feng's mother was cooking. He poured out the Morinda citrifolia from the basket on his back, and then took a basin to get water to prepare for a good wash.
Feng Dafeng saw this scene when he came back and couldn't help being surprised when he stepped forward, "You brought so much chicken intestines?"
Although he has never dug it, he knows it.
"It was dug in the mountains." Ji Huai was scooping water, rubbing Morinda citrifolia in the basin, washing away the loess on the surface, and asked, "Dad, can this be dried directly in the sun to make medicinal materials?"
Feng's mother poked her head out from inside, "It needs to be steamed first, then crushed before it is dried, and then it can be put away. After digging so much, do you want to soak it in wine or use it to make soup? You don't need to make soup either. so much."
Villagers happened to dig this stuff up, and usually used it to make wine. Sometimes they would also add a little seasoning to make soup.
"I'm going to dry it and sell it. Last time I went to the purchasing station, I saw someone selling it for about 11 yuan per pound." Ji Huai washed one part and put the other part in.
"So expensive?" Feng's mother was dumbfounded. She quickly ran over and stared at the Morinda citrifolia, "Is this thing really so expensive?"
"It can be used as medicine, but of course it's expensive. I'm going to dry it and sell it. Xiaolan is going to give birth and I need to save some money." Ji Huai nodded and continued washing without stopping.
Feng Qiaolan also came over, picked up one and looked at it. She was very surprised, "It's so expensive, is it difficult to dig out?"
"It's difficult to dig." Feng Dafeng was inevitably a little uneasy. He stepped forward and took a few glances. "The rhizome looks very old. There are vine roots all over the mountains and fields, but the rhizome is difficult to dig. Only Ji Erpang and his grandfather were there before. When we were digging holes in the mountains to plant trees, we happened to find one as big as this one, and people in the village usually used it to make wine.”
Ji Huai poured out the yellow water in the basin, took another spoonful of water to wash the basin, then filled it with water and washed it a second time. He raised his hand to wipe his sweat and said, "I dug several holes but couldn't find it. Since years ago, I started looking for it, and today I discovered something different. The vine roots close to the rhizome are hollow and cannot be found by digging blindly."
Feng Dafeng's eyes changed, and his tone of voice slightly raised, "The roots of the vine are hollow, are you sure?"
People in the countryside generally don't dig up medicinal materials to sell. If they dig up something in the mountains, they use it for their own use and don't even think about exchanging it for money.
He knew that chicken intestines were a good thing, but that was because he knew it was hard to dig out and hard to find, not because the price given by the buying station was high.
If there is a basis for judgment, no matter how high the purchase price is, he feels that he has found a way out.
"I dug in two places, and they were both right." Ji Huai didn't hide anything and told the truth.
"You can't find it just by looking at the roots of the vines?" Feng's mother was even more confused than Feng Dafeng. Because Feng Dafeng was strong and could endure hardships, Ji Huai could dig out so much, wasn't he more capable
After hearing this, Ji Huai also nodded, and then gave Feng Dafeng the piece of agarwood in the bamboo basket. The other party also cut two pieces the day before yesterday, and they can sell them together tomorrow.
Ji Huai gave all the agarwood he cut recently to Feng Dafeng, and the money from the sales can supplement his family's income.
After Feng Dafeng took it, he was peeling it aside. Feng Qiaolan planned to help Ji Huai wash it together, but he refused and could only sit aside.
The little bird he caught had its feet tied and was put aside. When Feng's mother came out, she put it in the birdcage. She went to the chicken coop and picked out two eggs. She was in a happy mood and said, "I steamed dry rice today and used it." Omelette with wild vegetables, fry the remaining sausage, and make egg soup, and it’s almost done.”
Feng Dafeng sold agarwood and bought some rice last time. He also had a little more rice at home, so he ate better this time.
"Mom, I'm going to pick some vegetables, wash them and put them in the soup, otherwise they will be too tasteless." Feng Qiaolan stood up and said.
Feng’s mother: “Okay!”
Feng Qiaolan walked to the yard and picked two small green vegetables. When she was about to go to the water tank to wash them, Ji Huai reached out and took them, "There are water stains here and the floor is slippery. I'll wash them."
She stretched out her hand and handed it to him. After he took it, he broke it into two pieces, scooped it up and started washing it. After washing it a few times, he walked to the kitchen, twisted the dish into several pieces, and placed it on the stove where Feng's mother was cooking. Go, "Mom, I'm letting this go."
"Okay." Mother Feng smiled happily, with the enthusiasm she deserved.
Ji Huai didn't let Feng Qiaolan get close, so she moved a stool and sat aside. Ji Huai continued to come back to wash the Morinda citrifolia. He also took a knife and a chopping board. After washing, he cut it into short pieces for easy cooking.
Feng Dafeng was also sharpening at the same time, and the whole family was busy with their own affairs. They occasionally said a few words, or did not speak at all. The atmosphere was unprecedentedly harmonious, even with a touch of warmth.
Ji Huai took care of Morinda ji, and Feng's mother was also helping when it was steaming. She seemed to let out a long sigh of relief, and the corners of her mouth curled up with unconcealable excitement, "It would be great if we could really sell it for 11 yuan per catty. Xiaolan is about to give birth to a baby, and you also have money in hand, so you don’t have to panic."
Ji Huai added firewood to the stove and answered the words in a leisurely manner, "If you don't sell this, you have to find other profitable jobs. Of course, you can't panic. There will be many places to spend money in the future."
"Yes, if you can think so, Mom will be relieved." Feng's mother was glad that he had this understanding and felt more comfortable.
That night.
Ji Huai gave Feng Qiaolan a lecture for an hour and gave her a few questions. While she was doing the questions, he stopped reading and was immersed in writing.
He Feng Qiaolan couldn't figure out the last big question. After thinking for a long time, he stopped writing. Just when he was about to ask him, he found that he was fascinated by the writing and was still thinking about it in detail.
She was very curious. She glanced over from the corner of her eye and couldn't see clearly what he was writing. She vaguely knew that he was writing an article. Just when she wanted to crane her neck to take another look, Ji Huai didn't cover it up and spoke softly, "Do it." Finished?"
"No." She sat up straight and continued to hold the pen.
Ji Huai: "Continue."
"I can't think of anything." She was a little discouraged and had no clue.
"The time is not up yet, don't be distracted. If you really can't do it, just check the previous questions." Ji Huai didn't raise his head, moved the pen in his hand downwards, and continued writing in a new paragraph.
Feng Qiaolan did not dare to relax and continued to adjust her state and continue her calculations.
The last question was really difficult. She had been working on it for a long time and couldn't figure it out. The time must have come. Ji Huai was still calmly working on his manuscript, and his writing speed was getting faster and faster.
Feng Qiaolan checked it from beginning to end again. Her back was sore from sitting for a long time, and the child in her belly was kicking her harder and harder. She exhaled softly, raised her head to look at him, pursed her lips, and finally said, "Baby said I want chocolate."
The chocolate was so delicious, but she was reluctant to eat more. She ate a piece of chocolate several times without finishing it, and she wrapped it tightly every time.
Ji Huai stopped writing, stretched his hand to the side, took out the tightly wrapped piece of chocolate and handed it to her, "You should finish eating it, otherwise it will melt."
"There's so much left." She was reluctant to finish the meal, "How about you eat too?"
He doesn't feel bad when he eats her.
Ji Huai shook his head, looking uninterested, and continued writing his article.
Feng Qiaolan broke off a little more and put it in her mouth, and a strong sweetness spread on the tip of her tongue. Seeing that Ji Huai was fascinated by his writing, she looked at him, moved to his side, lazily rested her head on him, and handed over her body weight to him.
Ji Huai paused at the tip of his pen, glanced at her sideways, and said softly, "I haven't finished writing yet. I can't talk to you tonight. If you feel sleepy, go to bed first."
She refused and continued to sit with him. At first she was leaning against him, but in the end she was hugging him, becoming more and more clingy.
When he finished writing the article, she yawned several times and refused to sleep when he went to bed. She pestered him and said, "There is no topic today and I have learned less. You have to tell me a chapter of history."
"You are so sleepy, how can you still listen?" Ji Huai expressed doubt.
She refused, "You have to tell me. If you don't tell me, I won't be able to sleep. If I'm lazy, I'll get flustered. If you tell me, I'll be refreshed."
Ji Huai chuckled lightly and continued the history lesson from the previous class. However, he has the ability to connect history to make it interesting, and he also has the ability to make it boring on purpose.
The previous times the lectures were easy to understand and the stories were interesting, but this time they were all boring knowledge points and the words were difficult to understand. The more Feng Qiaolan listened, the more sleepy she became, her eyes almost closed, and she muttered, "It's so difficult." , I almost fell asleep listening to it.”
"Listen carefully." Ji Huai reminded her.
"...Yeah." She answered softly, and after he deliberately lowered his tone, she was successfully hypnotized.
Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Ji Huai raised a smile on his lips, pulled up the quilt on his body, hugged her from behind, with his chest against his back, and soon fell asleep.
The next day.
Ji Huai got up before dawn, earlier than Feng's mother.
Feng's mother took out the remaining flour, and while she was kneading the dough, Ji Huai was in the yard breaking up the Morinda citrifolia cooked yesterday, and after breaking it, he had to take out the core.
The core is useless and will gain weight. The purchasing station will reject it, otherwise the price will be very low.
After being broken into pieces piece by piece, they have to be placed in a corner to wait for the sun to dry.
Feng Dafeng woke up a little late. When he woke up, Ji Huai had already knocked a lot, his movements became more and more skillful, and he worked very quickly. Seeing that this boy was becoming more and more pleasing to his eyes, he spoke softly, "Stop it, let's have breakfast first."
"You eat first, I'll be back later." Ji Huai didn't knock the morinda halberd anymore, but picked up the knocked ones and continued to place them on the ground in the corner of the yard.
It is already bright and the sun is gradually rising. This place has good light and can get some sunshine.
Feng Dafeng is going to sell agarwood at the purchasing station in the city today. This batch is a bit too much, and he will probably have three or two, of which Ji Huai cut down half of the agarwood for him.
Feng's mother fried several noodles today and put wild vegetables in them. On the one hand, it can save flour. On the other hand, the wild vegetables are really delicious when fried.
After the three of them finished breakfast, they left a pancake for Feng Qiaolan who was still sleeping, and packed the rest for Feng Dafeng to take for lunch. After all, it would take a day to go to the market and come back in the evening.
After Feng Dafeng left, Ji Huai went to the workshop. After completing today's task, he took the hoe and went up the mountain.
Nowadays, the mountain has not been over-exploited, and there are many trees and plants, including Morinda citrifolia.
Knowing how to identify, he found it much faster. He only looked at the roots of the vine. If it was not hollow, then the roots were probably not here, and he would quickly go to the next place.
This made it easier to find, but rhizomes were really not that easy to find. He was a long time early and barely found a place, and he almost dug in the wrong direction.
Fortunately, the Morinda citrifolia on the mountain is quite old, and no one came to dig it before. Now it is a large area, and the roots are more than one meter deep into the ground, and the roots are thicker than a thumb.
This thing has a tenacious vitality. When it takes root, if it is blocked by a stone, it can pass through the gap and continue to grow when it reaches the next place.
The small piece Ji Huai dug weighed more than ten kilograms by visual inspection.
When Feng Dafeng came back, he saw that he was washing Morinda citrifolia again. Once he washed a large basin, the dozen yuan he got from selling agarwood suddenly lost its fragrance.
This kid is still lazy when working on the team. When he went back to the team to pay for his work, Ji Huai's little work points didn't make much money besides supporting himself.
He doesn't dare to say that studying is useless now. He has been digging for most of his life and has worked in several types of coolies, but he can't make money as fast as this guy who uses his brain to work.
"This was dug in the mountain today?" Feng Dafeng asked.
"Yes, I dug it out this afternoon." Ji Huai nodded, and lit the fire while washing, preparing to steam it.
Feng Dafeng nodded without saying anything and took the flour and brown sugar he bought to the kitchen.
Feng's mother smiled from ear to ear. It was obvious that she was very happy. She also asked, "Have you seen the chicken intestine wind that Ji Huai dug up? It's better than yesterday. He is really capable."
"Yeah." Feng Dafeng replied very calmly. Hearing the sound of Feng Qiaolan and Ji Huai talking and laughing, he snorted calmly and proudly.
In the past, he was the mainstay of the family, but now his status in the family was declining. He was indescribably uncomfortable, but he didn't feel too disgusted. He could only ignore it, and made up his mind to go up the mountain to dig Morinda citrifolia when he had time.
What strength can Ji Huai have? During the last autumn harvest, he could carry one hundred and fifty kilograms of grain to the town to deliver the grain. How many kilograms did Ji Huai carry
Sixty pounds!
And he was panting.
That night, Ji Huai was busy late. Not only did he break up the Morinda citrifolia that was cooked today and take out the core, he also had to break up the leftover ones from this morning. After a day of work, my hands are weak.
After feeling weak, he felt full of accomplishment as he looked at the Morinda citrifolia that he had taken away to dry in the house.
He has thought about it. When it dries, he can sell it at a buying station. The money he gets in exchange can be used to buy exercise books for his wife and a few more new textbooks. The remaining money will be saved for him. For children.