GBP Chapter 20 Discovering Taro
Chapter 20 Discovering Taro
As Song Jiaojiao thought about it, she laughed out loud. It seemed that even without five million, this space would be enough to keep her from going hungry.
Looking at the other vegetables, Song Jiaojiao noticed that some of the shorter-growing-cycle greens were edible, so she picked a handful, thinking that with roots, they might be able to reproduce indefinitely. With that space, selling vegetables would be a good option when there weren't many greens available in winter.
After finishing preparing the vegetables, Song Jiaojiao left the space. It was just beginning to get light outside, and Mu Qing and Mu Xue showed no signs of waking up, probably having gone to bed late last night. Unable to sleep anyway, Song Jiaojiao got up and went to the main room, where Wang Hefan was still asleep.
She gently pushed open the door, placed the vegetables in a basin, drew a bucket of well water, and washed her face. The cold water jolted Song Jiaojiao awake, completely clearing her head. The well water was still quite cold in the morning. She fetched a kettle of water and started boiling it on the small stove so that Mu Qing and Mu Xue would have hot water to wash up when they woke up.
It's been almost a week since Song Jiaojiao transmigrated here, and she's starting to get used to the local lifestyle.
She took out the leftover chicken from yesterday, added a ladle of water, and simmered it in a pot. While it was simmering, Song Jiaojiao took out the brown rice and poured it into the pot, intending to make a chicken soup and vegetable porridge.
After pouring the brown rice, Song Jiaojiao went to wash the greens she had picked that morning. When the porridge was almost cooked, she threw the greens in to blanch them and they were ready to serve. This way, the greens wouldn't change color. The bright greens, paired with the fragrant chicken soup, looked very tempting.
Song Jiaojiao finished cooking, and it was already broad daylight. Then, sounds came from inside the house, and soon after, Wang Hefan and Mu Qing came out.
"Mom, why didn't you wake me up so early?" Wang Hefan said, yawning.
"I didn't wake you because you were sleeping so soundly. There's nothing much to do this morning," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile. "Alright, go wash up. The well water is cold this morning, so I boiled some water in the kettle. You can warm it up before you wash."
Wang Hefan nodded and took Mu Qing to wash up.
"Mother, it smells so good." Mu Xue's hazy, nasal voice came out.
"Little sleepyhead, wake up! Get up, wash up, and eat!" Song Jiaojiao said, looking at Mu Xue who was still rubbing her eyes, looking sleepy.
"Hmm, I could have slept a little longer, but it smelled so good that I couldn't sleep," Mu Xue replied playfully, sticking out her tongue.
"Then you'd better hurry, or we'll all be finished eating by then." Song Jiaojiao said jokingly. Hearing this, Mu Xue was no longer sleepy at all and hurriedly went to wash up. Song Jiaojiao looked at Mu Xue's gluttonous appearance and shook her head with a smile.
After breakfast, the sun came out, and Mu Xue and Mu Qing took out the white fungus to dry. Song Jiaojiao looked at the white fungus, which was half-dried, and estimated that it would only need to dry in the sun for two more days.
After feeding the chickens, Mu Qing took out the cloth to make a quilt. Seeing that it was a rare good day, Song Jiaojiao took out the cotton to air it out. Mu Qing's quilt cover was ready to be packed away.
Seeing that it was still early, Song Jiaojiao picked up her machete and basket and prepared to go out. "I'm going out for a bit. He Fan, the weather is so nice today, go up the mountain and chop some more firewood to dry. Don't wait for me if I'm not back by noon."
"I understand, Mother, I'll go in a bit," Wang Hefan said, sharpening his knife.
Looking at the distant mountains, I thought I still had to go into the mountains. Since I had no fields or land, I could only rely on the mountains for sustenance.
This time, Song Jiaojiao chose to go into the mountains along the Qingshui River. Places with water usually have many medicinal plants, and maybe there's something I need there.
After walking for a short while (about 48 minutes), Song Jiaojiao finally saw something familiar. In front of her were leaves that looked like shields, broad and thick, with smooth leaves and a few withered leaves beside them. Song Jiaojiao was certain that it was taro.
She took out her machete and started digging. After loosening the soil around her, Song Jiaojiao began to pull it out by hand. As she pulled, the black tubers covered in soil were pulled out. A slightly larger taro had many smaller taro roots. Song Jiaojiao shook off the soil, broke off the larger taro, and left a few smaller taro roots with sprouts. She threw them into the pit, covered them with soil, and said that there would be new taro roots next year.
There were plenty of taro plants along the riverbank. Song Jiaojiao dug up a few, filling more than half her basket in no time. With only a few left, she stopped digging. She cut some grass to cover the taro plants; the grass would be good feed for the rabbits.
Song Jiaojiao looked up at the sky and estimated that it was past noon, so she decided not to go back. Instead, she gathered some dry firewood in an open area, started a fire, and buried a few taro roots in the fire to roast.
Seeing that no one was around, he put the basket into his spatial storage, only taking a machete in his hand for self-defense. Although there were no reports of large carnivores in Qingshui Mountain, the mountain range stretches for hundreds of miles and there are quite a few herbivores. A few days ago, he even saw some droppings that looked like sheep droppings when he went into the mountain. Maybe some carnivore had taken a liking to them and moved over.
Even though I don't know any kung fu, holding a machete can give me courage.
Half an hour later, the aroma of taro wafted from the fire. Song Jiaojiao used a stick to dig out a taro, and after it cooled down a bit, she squeezed it with her hand; it was soft, so it seemed cooked. Song Jiaojiao then dug out the remaining taro and set them aside to cool.
Peel off the outer skin to reveal the slightly purplish flesh inside. Take a bite, and it's soft, sticky, and a little bit chewy. That's right, it's taro, not the watery, hard kind. It's my favorite soft and sticky taro.
Song Jiaojiao put the leftover taro into her space, casually washed her hands, and then planted the small taro roots with sprouts in the soil. Taro has a long growth cycle, about eight months, and according to the time of this soil, it will take more than a month.
After leaving the space, Song Jiaojiao did not choose to go further into the mountains. Instead, she walked along a small path. There were many dead trees along the path, covered with wood ear mushrooms that no one picked. It is said that during a famine in the past, starving villagers came to pick them to eat, but they soon vomited and had diarrhea. Their stomachs were empty to begin with, and after this ordeal, they almost lost their lives. So no one has come to pick them since.
Song Jiaojiao guessed that he had picked a type of fungus that looked very similar to wood ear mushrooms. Real wood ear mushrooms have different colors on both sides, one side gray and the other black, while fake wood ear mushrooms are the same color on both sides, mostly blackish-gray. They also differed in texture; real wood ear mushrooms are light and not hard, with a good amount of resilience, while fake wood ear mushrooms are brittle and heavier. There were also differences after soaking. Real wood ear mushrooms, after soaking, have thick leaves and usually float in water, with a brownish-yellow to black color, a delicate texture, a sheen, and elasticity. Fake wood ear mushrooms, on the other hand, might lose color after soaking and become brittle.
Moreover, wood ear mushrooms are rich in nutrients and can replenish blood. Any leftovers can be dried and stored for a long time. They are very popular whether stir-fried or used in cold dishes. Song Jiaojiao was completely captivated by the vast expanse of wood ear mushrooms. She wished she had three heads and six arms.