Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

Lin Lanshan sniffed and smiled at her sister, saying:

"It's a bit cold, let's go back inside. Today is a holiday, we should have a good time and have a big meal tonight!"

"it is good."

They tidied themselves up, picked a sprig of osmanthus, and placed it at the graves of Lin's parents. They cleaned the surrounding area and told them about their recent situation.

"Let's cook a big feast today!" Lin Chunyi rolled up her sleeves, full of enthusiasm.

Lin Lanshan was also prepared to start the fire and help out.

Steam the rice first and then put it in the space.

First dish: Stir-fried pork belly with garlic sprouts.

Cut one pound of pork belly into thin, even slices; cut garlic sprouts into sections; mince garlic; shred ginger; and chop dogwood.

No need to add oil, just heat the pan and put the pork belly directly in, then stir-fry until the oil is rendered.

When the sliced ​​meat is slightly browned, add ginger, garlic, and dogwood, stir-fry, then add salt and soy sauce for color and flavor.

Finally, add the garlic sprouts, stir-fry briefly, and remove from heat.

The second dish was steamed dried fish.

The two sisters caught thirteen fish in the stream and dried eleven of them.

Take one off, wash it clean, and chop it into pieces.

Drizzle with a little soy sauce and plum vinegar, add some chopped green onions and shredded ginger, and steam until cooked.

The third dish was stewed wild mushrooms with cured chicken.

Cut the cured chicken into pieces, rinse it several times with warm water, drain the water, and stir-fry it in oil.

Add garlic, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns, and stir-fry together. Then pour in boiling water to cover the chicken, add the soaked wild mushrooms, cover the pot, and simmer for half an hour.

Dinner was prepared and placed on the stone table under the osmanthus tree.

Three dishes, a plate of pastries, two bowls of rice, and two bowls of hot osmanthus milk tea with osmanthus flowers.

As the sun set, the two sisters began their Mid-Autumn Festival feast.

"Lin Lanshan, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Hehe, happy Mid-Autumn Festival, sister! Do you have any red envelopes?"

"It's not Chinese New Year, where would we get red envelopes? Besides, we divide the money at home equally and store it in the storage space, why would you need a red envelope? Have a piece of pig's trotter!" Lin Chunyi rolled her eyes.

Lin Lanshan was just joking; she chuckled twice and started eating the pig's trotters her sister had given her.

By the time dinner was over, it was already dark.

The two of them, holding their milk tea bowls, raised them towards the moon.

"Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma on both sides, Father and Mother, Lin Chunyi, Lin Lanshan. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone!"

On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon shines like jade.

The bright sunlight shone on their inner courtyard, on the osmanthus tree, on their stone table, and on their faces, which were filled with both smiles and tears.

The holiday is over, and the busy life begins again...

On the third day after the osmanthus flowers bloomed, Lin Chunyi decided to pick all the flowers before the fragrance dissipated.

Make osmanthus honey, make osmanthus cake, drink osmanthus tea...

The osmanthus tree in the inner courtyard is very large; it takes the two of them to hug it.

So they both climbed the tree and started picking osmanthus flowers.

"Lanshan, be careful when you pick it."

"I know I won't fall."

"Be careful when you pick the flowers. Only pick the blossoms, not the stems, otherwise it will be a hassle to clean them."

"……Oh"

The two carefully picked flowers for most of the day, picking all the flowers except those at the top of the tree.

The scent of osmanthus permeated their clothes, especially their hands.

After picking the osmanthus flowers, Lin Lanshan brought over the wooden tub used to wash the peaches last time. Lin Chunyi poured in most of the tub of water, grabbed a small handful of coarse salt, ground it up, and threw it in to dissolve.

Then pour the osmanthus flowers in to wash them, take out a drying rack and several bamboo baskets, and spread the osmanthus flowers out on the bamboo baskets.

The daytime sun would turn the osmanthus flowers a deep yellow and cause them to shrink considerably, so they chose to air-dry them at night.

After air-drying for two nights, the osmanthus flowers were completely dry, and then we started making osmanthus honey.

Wash and dry the new ceramic jar you bought, then spread a layer of dried osmanthus flowers on it, sprinkle a layer of crushed rock sugar on it, and then spread another layer of dried osmanthus flowers on it.

Just fill the earthenware jar layer by layer, seal it, and place it in a cool, shady place in the kitchen.

The remaining dried osmanthus flowers were also collected and stored away.

In early October, the weather remained sunny. Occasionally, a cool breeze would blow, bringing a touch of comfort.

Lin Chunyi and her sister arrived at a large open space in the valley with their hidden arrows.

They cut a large bunch of wild grass and then chopped down a long tree trunk.

One end of the tree trunk was inserted into the soil and secured, while the other end was tied with a large bunch of wild grass using strips of cloth.

The simplified version of the scarecrow is now complete.

Lin Lanshan also picked two wildflowers and put them in its hair.

"Mmm~ It's beautiful, so beautiful..."

Now it's time to test the accuracy I've been practicing with a slingshot and pebbles using the hidden blade.

Lin Lanshan stood about three meters away from the scarecrow, revealing a hidden dart in her sleeve. She loaded three arrows and aimed at the scarecrow's head.

"call out"

"call out"

"call out"

These two hidden darts have a range of twenty meters, but their maximum power is only achieved within five meters.

After the three arrows were fired, two of them went astray, grazing the edge of the scarecrow's head.

The arrow that had been planted was embedded deep into the weeds and went right through them.

"Sis, why don't you give it a try?"

The two practiced using the hidden arrow in the open space for a day, and once they were familiar with its use and their accuracy was about right, that was enough.

"Sister, while the hidden blade is powerful, its range is short, making it only effective against dangers that are relatively close to us. We need to add something to it to ensure that arrows fired at close range can eliminate danger."

Hidden weapons? Of course, they're poisoned!

After returning home, Lin Chunyi took out "The Complete Book of Wild Medicinal Plants," and the two sisters flipped through the pages one by one, finding some common poisonous plants found in the mountains.

Gelsemium elegans: The entire plant is poisonous, with funnel-shaped yellow flowers. Poisoning causes weakness in the limbs, vomiting, diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, and death from respiratory failure. Legend has it that Shennong, the legendary Chinese emperor, died after consuming Gelsemium elegans.

Arrow poison tree: also known as the scissor tree, its sap is milky white and can cause cardiac paralysis, blood clotting, and suffocation in those poisoned. Ancient people called it "the tree that seals one's throat upon seeing blood" and often coated arrowheads with it for hunting and warfare.

Mountain privet (Ligustrum lucidum): The entire plant is poisonous, with the stem sap being particularly toxic. The fruit resembles a bluish-purple gemstone. Its leaves resemble orchids, hence the name "mountain privet orchid." Poisoning causes diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, and respiratory distress, leading to death. It is commonly used as rat poison.

Henda sinensis: Also known as hyacinth henbane, the entire plant is poisonous, with pale yellow flowers featuring purple veins. It is hallucinogenic, has analgesic and anesthetic effects, and can be used as a sleeping potion.

They noted down the appearance of these poisonous plants, planning to look for them and pick them when they went hunting.

The second day began with archery practice.

A bow is quite heavy, but fortunately they practice martial arts and work every day, so they have enough strength to draw the bow easily.

Lin Chunyi stood ten meters away from the scarecrow, nocked an arrow, drew the bowstring with three fingers, centered her body on her feet, and aimed at the scarecrow's head.

"call out"

Hmm, it's gone way off track. Looks like I'll need a long time to practice archery.

"Sis, the feeling of using a slingshot and an arrow is definitely quite different. Try to get a feel for it again."

Lin Chunyi nodded solemnly.

The two then practiced archery until mid-October.

They made their decision: to leave the valley and go hunting!