Affection for Sidaogou during the Famine

"I didn't understand anything at the time, I just remember my grandma saying that this soup can cure and prevent diseases, and I had to drink it even if it didn't taste good.

Not only my grandmother's family, but almost every family makes it and drinks it. Even in the school in my hometown, when spring comes, students will be given a big bowl of it.

So, reed root, thatch root and dandelion root are the three roots in the three-root soup?"

Niu Xiaoyun: "Now that you mention it, I remember that I also drank it in my hometown.

Zhaozhao, needless to say, it’s a good thing that you studied medicine. I have learned a lot by spending a long time with you!

Sister, let’s dig some back. Our dad has been suffering from a sore throat these past few days. Let’s go home and make a pot of soup for the whole family to drink.

Grandpa Guan always says, don’t be poor even if you don’t have anything, and don’t be sick even if you have something! Whether you are sick or not, it won’t hurt to take some precautions first.”

That's right! It's not surprising that the elderly are more experienced. They have crossed more bridges than the young have walked.

"Even though I didn't find any wild vegetables, my harvest is definitely much better than yours. Come, let me open your eyes. Ta-da, ta-da... ta-da, look here, what is that?"

A small wicker basket appeared in front of them, with a hint of indigo showing in the gaps between the emerald green basket. It turned out to be wild duck eggs!

"Oh my god! Han Zhaozhao, how come you are so lucky? Where did you find the wild duck eggs?"

"That's a lot. There must be 20 or 30 of them in this basket, right?"

The two sisters stretched their necks and looked again and again, as if they had never felt that wild duck eggs could be so beautiful.

I'm so envious, why don't they have such good luck?

Looking at the wild vegetables that I dug with great difficulty, they suddenly don’t taste good anymore!

"What kind of good luck is this? I haven't finished looking over there yet. I'll take you two to look after we finish eating.

I can't say if there will be a lot, but I should be able to find eight or ten nests, and it will be no problem to pick up twenty or thirty wild duck eggs.

Look again, what is this? This is the good stuff I got!"

Han Zhaozhao untied a nylon rope from the root of a reed and slowly straightened it out... There was actually a big turtle tied to the other end of the nylon rope!

"Bastard!"

"Big old turtle!"

The two sisters exclaimed in unison! This is so surprising, where did this come from?

Han Zhaozhao spread his hands, firmly grasped the turtle's pelt, and picked it up, "Look, it's a female!

Now that’s good, I’ll stew it when I get home and kill a chicken. It’ll be the famous Jiangsu dish, Ba Wang Bie Chicken.

This thing is very nutritious, you can all come to our house to eat it after it is cooked."

Han Zhaozhao really didn't expect that there would be a turtle in this puddle.

This turtle is also unlucky. It has been hiding in the cave for a whole winter. Finally, it feels that the temperature is suitable at noon today, so it wants to come out to find some food to fill its stomach.

Unexpectedly, he had just crawled out and had not even taken two steps when Han Zhaozhao stepped on him. Even though he pretended to be a stone, he could not escape the fate of being caught.

Instead of satisfying his hunger, he ended up trying to satisfy Han Zhaozhao's hunger!

Han Zhaozhao turned the big turtle over and over, laughing so hard. She really was God's biological daughter! Hahaha!

"Let me play with it!" Niu Xiaoyun was not as brave as Han Zhaozhao and did not dare to catch it directly because she knew that this thing would bite.

"Zhao Zhao, give me the rope, let me play with it for a while!"

Niu Xiaolian looked at the two of them playing and frowned, "Be careful, I heard that this thing won't let go until you die.

Zhao Zhao, can this turtle be eaten? Why haven't I heard of it? I remember when I was a kid, my second uncle would often catch it when I went back home.

But no one in the village cooked it for food. We tied a rope around its legs and let the kids lead it around for fun. When it died, we chopped it up and fed it to the dogs.”

Han Zhaozhao covered his open mouth: Hey, the dogs in your village are so lucky!

"The people in your hometown really don't know how to appreciate the good things they have, and they don't know the value of gold and jade!

I remember that your hometown is not far from the Yellow River, and the turtles there are all Yellow River turtles, with a yellow color.

That's good stuff!

The Yellow River turtle is delicious, nutritious, and has a tonic effect. Its head, shell, bones, blood, and meat can all be used as medicine.

It has the functions of nourishing yin and clearing away heat, calming the liver and benefiting the kidneys, breaking up lumps and softening hard masses, and eliminating blood stasis.

According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, turtle meat can cure chronic dysentery, consumptive disease, beriberi and other diseases; turtle shell is mainly used to treat bone steaming, fatigue fever, yin deficiency and wind movement, hepatosplenomegaly and cirrhosis; external application of turtle blood can cure facial nerve paralysis, infantile malnutrition and hot flashes, and adding wine can cure women's blood tuberculosis; even turtle bile has the effect of treating hemorrhoids and fistulas.

The dried turtle head is called "turtle head" as medicine, which can treat anal prolapse, fistula, etc.

Have you heard of "Wang Ba Dan"? Don't think that "Wang Ba Dan" is just a swear word. Wang Ba Dan is also a good medicine that can cure chronic diarrhea and dysentery.

It can be said that the Yellow River turtle is full of treasures, without any waste at all.

Yellow River turtle can be used as raw material to prepare ointments, pills, medicinal liquor and other medicines.

You said the people in your hometown, really, ah! It’s terrible to be uneducated!

What a waste! What a waste!

Even if you sell it to a Chinese medicine store, you can still make some money!"

Niu Xiaolian and Niu Xiaoyun were both stunned.

The turtle is so powerful? They don’t know!

Not only do they not know, but many older people in my hometown don’t know either!

After a moment of hesitation, Niu Xiaoyun put the nylon rope into Han Zhaozhao's hand with trembling hands.

"Can it really be sold for money?" Han Zhaozhao nodded.

"Quick, put it away, don't let it run away."

Niu Xiaolian's eyes sparkled: "Zhao Zhao, how much can you get if you are sold to a Chinese medicine store?"

Han Zhaozhao rolled his eyes: "Not a penny!"

"Why? Didn't you just say that? This thing is a medicinal herb and can be used as medicine."

Niu Xiaoyun was anxious.

"What kind of medicine is it? Not only will they not pay you, they might even report you to the police and charge you with child trafficking!"

"Ah? How could that be?...Oh! Hahahaha, hahaha! That's right, no one bought it."

Niu Xiaolian was the first to react and laughed while holding her stomach.

"Han Zhaozhao, you're not even worth a turtle! Hahaha, hahaha!"

Niu Xiaoyun also reacted soon after, and she fell to the ground laughing, making a goose-like sound.

"You are valuable, you are valuable, okay? Sister Xiaolian, look, Niu Xiaoyun has turned into a turtle! If you send her to Tong Ren Tang, she will definitely be worth two steamed buns. Hahaha!"

When Niu Xiaolian saw Niu Xiaoyun lying on the ground, clapping her hands and knees and laughing, she really looked like the turtle next to her, both in gray and black color (Niu Xiaoyun's clothes were her mother's work clothes that had been altered to be smaller).

"You are the bastard, you are the bastard! We are good sisters. If I am a bastard, you can't escape. We are the same. Haha!"

Well, Niu Xiaoyun laughed so hard that tears came out!

The three girls were fighting and rolling in the reeds, and it took a long time before their laughter gradually stopped.

In those days, there was a shortage of food and clothing, and living conditions were not very good, but the children were really very happy.

Compare this to children in later generations, who are pushed around by adults and have to spend their limited time going to school, attending cram schools, and learning talents... In this cramming-style growth environment, where is any trace of childlike innocence and happiness?