They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 8 Zhang's Little Thoughts

Xu Zhichun went up the mountain today, not intending to let the potatoes and sweet potatoes be sold. After all, it would be too far-fetched to say that they were found in the mountains, and it would be too much to treat the locals like fools.

People have lived on these mountains for generations, and everyone has a general idea of ​​what grows on them.

While it might be unclear how many types of thatch and weeds there are, sweet potatoes and potatoes are crops with very distinctive plant characteristics. Potatoes have very obvious flowers; if they were present, they would have been spotted long ago. Sweet potatoes are even more remarkable; a single plant can produce a large vine trail, and if they were present, they wouldn't escape the villagers' notice.

Xu Zhichun went up the mountain today to pick some fresh bamboo shoots and mushrooms to try.

There are also some in the fresh produce warehouse. Well, if she finds one on the mountain, she has a reason to pluck ten pounds out of the warehouse.

With this in mind, Xu Zhichun wasn't very proactive in looking for mushrooms, but he was lucky enough to find a small patch of red mushrooms and pine mushrooms, and later picked up some straw mushrooms.

There are so many bamboo shoots at this time of year that she can't possibly dig them all up. She only managed to collect about six or seven pounds, so she decided to take them home with the husks on. The husks she peeled off can be used to feed the pigs.

The wild vegetables growing by the ditch at the foot of the mountain are exceptionally plump and tender. I'll gather some while I'm at it, and that'll be enough pig feed for today.

While gathering pig feed, Xu Zhichun accidentally discovered konjac, and his eyes lit up immediately.

Everyone knows this stuff is poisonous, so nobody eats it. But she knows it can be made into konjac tofu, which is delicious whether used in cold dishes, stir-fries, meat dishes, or chicken stew. If only the white part of the konjac is used to make konjac flour, it can be made into snow-white konjac noodles, which have a completely different flavor when stewed, stir-fried, or boiled—they are incredibly crisp and delicious.

Xu Zhichun decided to make this konjac tofu.

This is something she can make right now, something very simple to make, but something that others can't. Moreover, the ingredients are plentiful and easy to obtain; she simply can't finish them all.

Because nobody wanted it, she found a large area of ​​it next to a ditch at the foot of the mountain, which was about ten acres in size.

Besides here, there are other places too.

Without hesitation, Xu Zhichun carried a basket home to put down bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and pig feed, and then went to dig konjac again with a basket on his back and a hoe.

Konjac plants don't discriminate about where they grow, and I easily dug up most of a basket, each one bigger than a rice bowl.

The feeling of digging and finding more is really addictive; it's almost impossible to stop.

If it weren't for the fact that his small frame couldn't carry so much, Xu Zhichun would definitely have dug even more.

She carried a large basket of konjac on her back to the riverbank, where she washed it clean before taking it home.

There's no well at home, so we have to carry water by hand, which is a real hassle.

Well, there are countless cases and barrels of mineral water in the harbor warehouse, so you can use it when you really don't want to fetch water.

Xu Zhichun was washing konjac when she suddenly heard her aunt, Zhang, ask in surprise, "What are you washing? Taro? It doesn't look quite like it."

Another woman asked in confusion, "Yes, it looks strangely like taro. Zhichun, is it edible? Why are you digging up so much of this?"

Xu Zhichun thought to herself that she was out of luck, but she had no choice but to stand up and greet them with a smile: "Auntie, Aunt Hua."

This Aunt Hua seems to be Lu Laoliu's wife. Xu Zhichun isn't familiar with the Lu family and doesn't have much contact with Aunt Hua. However, judging from the fact that Aunt Hua seems to have a good relationship with Zhang Shi, and looking at that unabashedly inquisitive and direct gaze, Xu Zhichun dislikes her very much.

She was going to make konjac tofu to sell, and since she couldn't hide it from anyone anyway, she said, "This is konjac." Zhang looked completely bewildered: "Konjac?"

Aunt Hua suddenly remembered, "I was wondering why this looked so familiar. It's devil's taro! Someone in our village thought it was edible, but they got poisoned and almost died. Why are you digging so many?"

Xu Zhichun: "In my hometown, this is called konjac, but here it's called devil's taro. There's a snack in my hometown made with konjac, and I want to try to see if I can make it."

Xu Zhichun wasn't a local; she was a wife Liang Minglang brought back from elsewhere, supposedly from a place far away. Liang Minglang and his brother's parents had long since passed away, so by finding himself a wife, his uncles' families could conveniently stop interfering with his marriage. They were more than happy about it, not caring where Xu Zhichun came from.

Otherwise, it wouldn't sound good if a blood uncle didn't interfere in the marriage of his orphaned nephew.

Zhang sneered: "What if they're poisoned—"

On second thought, wouldn't it be better if she got poisoned and died? She immediately changed her mind: "Do it if you want."

Xu Zhichun nodded: "Yes, I have to think about the future. I hope I can make some money from it."

Zhang looked at her with a face that seemed to wish she would sell the poison and kill a few people. She thought that she would be arrested and beheaded by the authorities, which made her even more eager. "Hehe, then go ahead and sell it. You're really getting more and more capable."

Zhang made no attempt to conceal her intentions; her scheming was clearly written on her face, easily seen through.

Xu Zhichun ignored her and smiled modestly, "I have to raise Mingxuan, so I have no choice but to bite the bullet and do it."

Zhang sneered, deliberately keeping a distance from Xu Zhichun while washing clothes, as if afraid of being contaminated by poison.

Aunt Hua's eyes darted around, and she teased with a grin, "Oh, Zhichun, you didn't die last time, so you don't want to live again, do you?"

Xu Zhichun felt nauseous and said coldly, "It's none of your business."

Aunt Hua chuckled, "Look, she's still angry, hahaha!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Xu Zhichun scooped up a handful of water and splashed it at Aunt Hua, soaking her face and body. Aunt Hua was furious and yelled, "You brat, what are you doing!"

Xu Zhichun coldly said, "I also want to ask you what you want to do? What have I done to you? Do you find it funny that I was heartbroken and committed suicide for my husband? Do you find it funny that I'm now recovered and only thinking about raising my brother-in-law's younger brother for my deceased husband? Do you think it's appropriate for you to make fun of this? Are you trying to force me to my death or something? If you're not satisfied, come on, let's go find the village head to settle this matter. Let's go!"

As Xu Zhichun spoke, he tried to pull Aunt Hua to Liang Lizheng's house.

Aunt Hua naturally refused to go, but she didn't dare to provoke Xu Zhichun any further, and angrily pulled her hand back: "Who's going crazy with you?"

He said he wouldn't wash the clothes there anymore, glared at Xu Zhichun, and picked up a basket of dirty clothes to find another place to wash them.

Xu Zhichun continued to squat down and wash the konjac.

Zhang stared at her in surprise, then scolded her for a long time: "Aunt Hua is an elder, how can you be so arrogant? How can you talk to your elders like that? You have no manners at all."

Xu Zhichun had long since given up on Zhang Shi. "Juniors have their rules, and elders have theirs. A kind and gentle elder who cares for the younger generation is a true elder. What kind of elder is someone who deliberately exposes people's wounds, makes fun of them, and is full of malice and scheming? That's just an old hag!"

(End of this chapter)