Free Web NovelChapter 90: Chapter 81: Venturing into the Mountain Forest
The mountain forest Grandpa led them to was truly far away. The journey took them over mountains and across ridges. At times, they ducked into forests where the dense canopy blocked out the sun, and at others, they disappeared into thick grass that towered several heads above them. For one short stretch, they even had to cross a gorge by treading on ancient, tangled vines that had grown for who knew how many years! Below the gorge, a mountain stream gurgled at an unknowable depth.
This natural "vine bridge" looked quite safe. The tangled vines of all sizes were thick and sturdy enough, and there were even old vines on both sides to use as handrails. Still, Grandpa wasn’t at ease and personally escorted everyone across, taking two children at a time. With eleven kids, it only took a few trips to get everyone over.
There was no obvious path for the entire journey; Grandpa led the way from the front. He instructed everyone, "We’re deep in the old mountain forests now. You can’t come here by yourselves without an adult in the future, or you’ll get lost! If you get lost in these vast mountains, even an adult would have a hard time finding you for a day or two!"
The group of children, aged seven to twelve, especially the few boys who usually went up the mountains to cut firewood, were entering such a deep forest for the first time. Throughout the journey, they didn’t show any fear or complain about the difficult path. Instead, they marveled at the places they passed and the sights they saw. Before they had even reached their destination, they were already shouting, "Grandpa, Grandpa, can you take us with you every time you come to the mountains? If you bring us a few more times, we won’t get lost anymore!"
’The girls had been walking for half a day but showed no signs of fatigue. They were still chattering away, their spirits high.’ ’It must be because of the chrysanthemum tea I boiled and cooled for them earlier,’ Xiao Man thought. She had used spiritual spring water, and the few wild chrysanthemums she’d tossed in were picked from the grassy field in her space just last night. When everyone had gathered in her yard, they’d brought empty bamboo tubes and canteens to fill with well water. Xiao Man had them fill up with the boiled water instead, telling them it was cooling and would prevent heatstroke. They had each drunk a bowl before filling their containers, and that water should be enough to sustain their stamina.
Besides Xiao Man, the eleven children included her back-door neighbors Qiu Xiaohu and Jiang Xuehua; the three siblings Mo Shuixia, Mo Yuanzhi, and Mo Shuiyue; Mo Linghui and her ten-year-old niece, Mo Xiaoting; and Guan Ailan, Guan Er, and Third Sister Guan.
The few who couldn’t come were all children of the other back-door neighbors. There was nothing to be done about it. This small patch on the east end of the village was a new residential area where young couples who had branched off from their families had gradually built houses over the past few years. The children of these new settlers were all still quite young. Originally, Qiu Xiaohu and Jiang Xuehua were the oldest, but now that Xiao Man was living in the Knowledge Youth House with her Grandpa and Grandma, she was the eldest.
Grandpa led everyone into a section of forest that was neither too large nor too small, open on all sides and filled with good light. He said, "This is the spot. In this forest, there are rice pestles, mountain chestnuts, and wild walnuts. There are also a few lemon trees. The wild grapes and figs grow on the rocks over on the ridge. Those are fragile, so gather your fill of rice pestles, chestnuts, and walnuts first, and then I’ll take you over to that ridge to have a look." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Grandpa pointed out the locations of several fruit trees, checked each spot, and then urged them not to climb the trees, saying that just gathering what had fallen on the ground would be more than enough. He also told them not to run off. He was going to look around nearby for some herbs, and if they needed him, they just had to shout, and he would hear them.
With that, Grandpa, carrying his back-basket, ducked into a patch of tall weeds and disappeared from sight.
The children immediately scattered, running under the trees to gather rice pestles or to crack open mountain chestnuts and wild walnuts.
In this part of the forest, there were three or four rice pestle trees growing in a cluster. They seemed ancient; their trunks were so thick that it would take several people linking arms to encircle one. No wonder Grandpa wasn’t worried they would climb them. When ripe, the rice pestles would fall to the ground on their own, so there was no need to climb at all. It was only August, so not too many had fallen yet, but with several trees clustered together, the layer on the ground was still considerable—basically enough for everyone to gather their fill. One could only imagine how thick the layer on the ground would be by late autumn or early winter. If no one came to pick them, it would be a bountiful harvest for the forest’s small animals.
The mountain chestnuts and wild walnuts also fell on their own. However, perhaps because they were larger and heavier, these two usually fell with their outermost husks still attached. The mountain chestnuts were really just wild chestnuts, with a spiky burr for a husk that would prick your hands. You had to hold it down with a stick in one hand and smash it with a rock in the other. It took quite a bit of effort and a few steps to break open the burr and get the nut inside. The wild walnut was a round ball, and you also had to smash it to get to the grooved nut within. To eat the kernel, you needed to crack it a second time...
A series of PINGs and PANGs echoed through the air, mixed with the shouts and laughter of children, bringing the entire forest to life. Countless forest birds and wild chickens were startled into flight, and even the sunlight seemed to shine more intensely.
In less than an hour, everyone had gathered about as much as they could. Their cloth bags were bulging, and their back-baskets were more than half full. Country children were used to labor and understood the principle of not biting off more than they could chew. It was pointless to gather too much if you couldn’t carry it away, so they all estimated their own strength and stopped when they had enough.
They stopped gathering rice pestles, but they didn’t stay idle. Everyone began exploring, looking for the lemons Grandpa had mentioned. The boys weren’t interested in sour fruit; they sometimes came across them while cutting firewood. Mo Yuanzhi led Guan Er and Qiu Xiaohu into the undergrowth to search for wild chicken nests, hoping to find some wild chicken or bird eggs.
The older girls took the younger ones with them. Some continued cracking chestnuts and walnuts, while others went to pick lemons. Xiao Man took a firewood knife and wandered through the woods, carefully searching to see if she could find any herbs. After making a wide circle, she had found nothing. But on her way back, she looked up and made an unexpected discovery!
On an old, crooked maple tree that wasn’t particularly tall, she spotted two clumps of a coral-like plant growing parasitically on its branches—maple mistletoe!
This was also one of the herbs, an excellent remedy for coughs and phlegm!
She had originally thought that after several decades, her tree-climbing skills would have deteriorated. But as soon as Xiao Man started up the tree, she found she was still quite agile. With a few quick movements, she scrambled up and collected both clumps of maple mistletoe.
After that, she looked all around but couldn’t find any more similar parasitic plants.
When she returned to where they had left their baskets and bags, the other children were amazed to hear that the things Xiao Man was holding were actually herbs. Of course, they were even more surprised that she could identify them. Xiao Man said, "What’s so strange about it? My Grandpa has been gathering medicinal herbs his whole life. I follow him around and even help him dry the herbs. As long as you pay attention, you can learn to recognize them!"
Mo Linghui and Mo Shuixia nodded in agreement, but Guan Ailan was skeptical. "Aren’t herbs hard to identify? Once you pick them, they wilt. They must look different from when they’re fresh and growing. You’d better not have made a mistake!"
"Why else do you think I said you have to ’pay attention’?" Xiao Man replied. "You might not recognize it the first or second time, but if you look a dozen more times and compare them, and you have Grandpa to help you confirm it, it’s not hard!"
Guan Ailan was still half-doubting. "Really?"
Mo Shuixia glanced at Guan Ailan. "Your grandpa has a family trade too, you know. Why don’t you try helping him castrate pigs and chickens all the time? Maybe then..."
Mo Linghui collapsed with laughter. Guan Ailan lunged at Mo Shuixia, and the two of them chased each other before tumbling into a heap, wrestling playfully.
