Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

"Who is it that has turned this whole area upside down, leaving nothing for anyone else!"

Her companions comforted her, suggesting they go and see other places.

The two sisters, having walked a distance, found a hillside to sit down.

Lin Lanshan asked:

"Sister, are they from the village? I thought we wouldn't run into any villagers on the mountain."

Lin Chunyi rolled her eyes at her and said:

"What are you thinking? Youxian Mountain doesn't belong to just the two of us. It's not just women who come to dig for wild vegetables; men will probably come up to hunt in a while too, since the outer area is relatively safe. If they catch a few animals, they can sell them for a good amount of money."

"Okay, let's stay in the inner perimeter for now. I don't want to run into too many people."

"Well, we don't know anyone here, so there's no need to talk to each other. Just keep your distance. Let's go home for today."

On their way back, the two sisters found a patch of water celery with tender leaves just sprouting at the pond where they had encountered the wild boar last time.

I've decided to go check it out again next time I'm foraging for wild vegetables.

After returning home, Lin Chunyi blanched all the dandelions and made a cold salad.

Lin Lanshan picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and ate it, her expression somewhat pained, and said:

"Sister, why is it still so hard..."

"It does have a bit of a heat, but it's a great thing for clearing heat and detoxifying. Let's eat this plate today, and save the rest in our space for when the heat comes.

The dandelions were dug up, but the other wild vegetables hadn't grown yet, so the two sisters began their vegetable-growing project for the year.

Last winter, they read through almost all the books they had brought.

It was then that I learned that blueberries take at least two years to bear fruit after being planted from seed.

"Sister, blueberry seeds take several years to bear fruit, we didn't know that when we bought them..."

This was a significant blow to the two sisters.

They thought blueberries were like strawberries, that it only took a few months from sowing to germination, seedling growth, and fruiting.

"There's no other way, let's just sow the seeds and see what happens," Lin Chun said helplessly.

They took some blueberry and strawberry seeds that had been soaked in water and sprouted, and scattered them in the soil to start seedling cultivation.

Next, they sowed lettuce seeds.

Potatoes can be planted in mid-March.

Five sprouted potatoes were on the table. Lin Chunyi held the clean knife, but hesitated to cut them.

She said with a furrowed brow:

"Lanshan, I wonder if there are any potatoes here. We only brought five potatoes. If we fail, we'll never be able to eat potatoes again."

Their minds were filled with images:

Hot and sour shredded potatoes, dry-fried potato slices, wolf tooth potatoes, potato pancakes, roasted potatoes, and also French fries and potato chips...

There are so many delicious ways to cook potatoes. It would be such a tragedy if we couldn't eat them anymore!

Lin Lanshan was also conflicted, saying:

"Sis, let's be on the safe side and only cut three. Just in case we fail... even if it's risky, we should take the last two potatoes to an experienced farmer and ask him to help us grow new potatoes!"

We really can't live without potatoes!

Don't worry that people from the past won't be able to grow it because they've never seen it before.

Throughout my country's thousands of years of history.

Every grain of rice and every vegetable is the result of generations of farmers learning by trial and error, starting from knowing nothing.

When farmers hold seeds in their hands, their minds and bodies become intimately connected with the seeds.

Plowing, sowing, fertilizing, irrigating...

Like a part of their lives, every step they take is a labor of love!

When it comes to growing grain, there is only progress, no turning back.

Moreover, the two of them know how to grow potatoes. If they find a farmer with rich experience in planting, they will definitely be able to grow potatoes!

Lin Chunyi took out only three potatoes, cut them into pieces, and made sure that each piece had one or two sprouts.

The cut tubers need to be air-dried for half a day, otherwise they will easily rot after coming into contact with soil.

The land for planting potatoes had already been plowed in advance.

Lin Chunyi dug a deep trench in the field and piled soil on both sides. Lin Lanshan applied fertilizer behind her and then backfilled it with a thin layer of soil.

It is worth mentioning that they added cold wood ash that had been left to stand for more than five days to the farmyard manure, which can sterilize, fertilize, loosen the soil, and increase yield.

Then, place each potato tuber at a distance, with the cut side down, on a thin layer of soil, and then cover it with a thick layer of soil.

Once all the seedlings have sprouted, remove any small seedlings that grow later.

Two or three months later, the potatoes started to flower, and you should pinch them off.

Wait a while longer, until the leaves wither and turn yellow, then the potatoes can be dug up.

At the end of March, the two sisters sowed seeds of winter melon, chives, and lettuce.

In April, wild vegetables from the mountains all come out.

The two sisters had been busy all month of March and could finally relax for a few days.

They prepared several days' worth of meals in advance, just waiting to dig for wild vegetables so they could enjoy themselves in the mountains for a few days.

At dawn, Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan, carrying their baskets and bows and arrows, began to wander through the deep mountains.

They were munching on peaches they hadn't finished last year, while searching for wild vegetables as they ate.

A sloping earthen slope near a stream.

On the ground covered with withered branches and yellow leaves, many tender green leaves with light red veins sprouted.

"Sis, those are pig nostrils!!!"

Lin Lanshan's eyes lit up, and she shouted excitedly.

Lin Chunyi's eyes welled up with tears when she saw the familiar wild vegetables.

Their family has lived in Qincheng for many years.

But as a native of Qingchuan, a place in the south, many of my habits haven't changed much.

For example, they prefer rice, spicy food, and houttuynia cordata (a type of herb).

"Yes! If Dad knew we had such a hillside full of houttuynia cordata, he would be green with envy."

Lin Chunyi pursed her lips and smiled.

Lin's father wanted to eat some houttuynia cordata from his hometown while in Qincheng, but he could only buy it online, and he could never find tender leaves and roots.

Pig's nostrils, that's what we call houttuynia cordata.

People who don't like it find it has a fishy smell when they smell it or eat it, so it's also called houttuynia cordata.

The whole plant of Houttuynia cordata can be used as medicine, and it has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and promoting diuresis and relieving strangury.

It tastes best when served cold with minced garlic, salt, vinegar, sesame oil, etc.! The texture is crisp and refreshing.

Lin Lanshan had already dug down with her hoe when she accidentally broke it.

She picked it up, smelled it near her nose, and said:

"It smells so fresh and fragrant, there's no fishy smell at all."

After saying that, he smelled it again, looking completely absorbed, as if he were addicted.

Lin Chunyi also put down what was on her back and squatted down to start digging.

"Be careful when you dig, don't break it. Don't keep the old roots, bury them back, and there will be a big patch of them again next year."

The two of them squatted and dug happily all morning, not feeling tired at all.

Seeing so many tender leaves of houttuynia cordata still tempting them on the ground, they swung their little hoes even faster!

"Sis, let's make a cold salad and eat it with porridge tonight! I can eat two big bowls."

"Okay, I'll go wash it clean in a bit, and then I'll marinate it with salt when I get back."

The two sisters dug up a whole basket of houttuynia cordata and headed home.