Her Cultivation Diary-Chapter 163 - . Mao Yaer and Dandelion_1

Chapter 163: 163. Mao Yaer and Dandelion_1

Chapter 163: 163. Mao Yaer and Dandelion_1

Zhang Yanping’s memories of childhood had already become blurry.

After all, he had lived in the city for a long time, and his occasional visits to his hometown were just for the summer holidays.

Now, seeing Qiaoqiao already adeptly squatting down to dig up grass roots with Seventh Grandma, he couldn’t help being greatly surprised:

“You really eat these?”

“Yeah, we eat them.”

Qiaoqiao declared confidently and then pulled out a thick, white grass root and held it up: “Brother, do you want some? It’s really sweet.”

Her words made Zhang Yanping somewhat tempted to try, but the grass root had just been waved in the water of a ditch…

So, hesitantly following suit, he began digging: “Let’s dig them up first, then we can wash and eat them at home.”

As he spoke, he aimed at a clump of lush green grass and plunged the shovel downwards, only to be stopped by Seventh Grandma:

“Silly child, there are thatch shoots on top, which are not edible!”

With that said, she gently pulled from the slender, tender green leaves, drawing out a thin, plump, green shoot.

Qiaoqiao, unable to wait, took it over. Peeling back the grass leaves, there was a fluffy, white substance inside.

Without hesitation, he stuffed it into his mouth and then smiled at Seventh Grandma: “It’s so tender and soft.”

Seventh Grandma also began to smile, her wrinkled cheeks becoming vivid: “Tender, right? The beginning of April is just the right season to eat thatch shoots.”

“The white thatch root, on the other hand, is premature to eat now; it’s started to sprout and has lost nutrition and sweetness. It will slowly become tastier after the rice is ripe.”

“Come on, don’t dig up that thatch root. Qiaoqiao, pull out some more thatch shoots here; this patch looks really tender!”

Zhang Yanping had truly gained an insight.

Seeing how happily Qiaoqiao was eating, it must taste good!

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.

So, he started to pick and choose, finally settling on the tallest and fattest shoot, the white fluff nearly poking out, and yanked it out!

Then he peeled back the grass leaves and, looking at the plump, furry shoot, popped it directly into his mouth.

However, the more he chewed, the stranger his expression became, until he finally spat it out with a “ptui ptui ptui”: “Why do I feel like I’m eating fur or something?”

Qiaoqiao couldn’t help laughing out loud beside him: “Brother, you’re so silly, you picked an old one. You have to choose the tender ones like this!”

He was already clutching a small handful of tender shoots in his fist.

Seventh Grandma also viewed Qiaoqiao through rose-colored glasses, lavishing her with praise without a second thought: “Yes indeed, our Qiaoqiao is so smart, picking all the tender ones. If you had come last month, they would have been even more tender and delicious.”

Zhang Yanping: …

He alone was injured in a world that had reached consensus.

But having already gotten white fluff in his mouth, he wasn’t willing to give up without tasting a tender one to experience the actual flavor, so he squatted down again and began searching through the patch of tender grass.

Over there, Seventh Uncle was squatting in the wasteland, huffing with annoyance: Is everyone just concerned with snacks, and not looking for vegetables for lunch?

In his basket, more than a dozen plants of young dandelion leaves that had just sprung up were already gathered.

Seeing Zhang Yanping pulling out a few thatch shoots and also seeming eager to join in, he quickly shouted a warning in advance: “Quick, dig the dandelions; don’t pick the ones that have flowered, we don’t want those with buds either.”

Seventh Uncle’s daily wanderings were not aimless; he could clearly see which patches of ground had what abundance of crops.

For instance, in the wasteland beside them, quite a lot of shepherd’s purse had grown, but at one glance, it was evident that they were too mature, not fresh and tender enough for stuffing dumplings—out of season.

Looking at the dandelions here, with a dozen or so sparse yellow flowers bloomed and many tender green leaves remaining, he did not hesitate to make his choice.

When Qiaoqiao came over, he reverted to his old way of teaching:

“This is called dandelion, also known as yellow flower groundsel and grandma’s groundsel. What we usually eat are these tender shoots.”

“As for its uses, it can clear heat and detoxify, dissolve phlegm, stop coughs, reduce inflammation, and cool the blood. If you have a sore throat, painful gums, gastritis, or a urinary tract infection, you can eat it.”

Qiaoqiao simply repeated the parts she could remember:

“Pee pain, toothache, stomachache, throat pain, you can eat it—clears heat and detoxifies, dissolves phlegm, stops coughs.”

Seventh Uncle’s expression was visibly distressed.

“Not all types of stomachache can be treated with it… forget it, don’t remember that part, just focus on the rest.”

“Come on,” he called out, “aren’t those few branches of bristlegrass seedlings pulled out yet? Hurry up, dig up the dandelion.”

How could one say Seventh Uncle knew his food well?

The group dug up several small baskets of tender dandelions and, upon returning home, he soaked a bag of mung bean hair in water after washing it clean.

Then the group started sorting through the dandelions again, removing the old stems and roots, washing the leaves until they were green, oily, and fresh—a whole basketful.

Looking at this basket of greens, Seventh Uncle was proud but simultaneously let out a sigh of relief while covering his cheeks in frustration, saying, “Look at how well you all can eat. There are only a few of us, and we need a whole basket of vegetables for a meal!”

It was fortunate that in the countryside, there were plenty of vegetables in the fields. If it was in the city, day after day, they would soon go bankrupt from eating.

While they were talking, Song Tan and Song Sancheng had already returned from the mountain.

That patch of mountain land had already been plowed, and for sowing the beans, he simply had to scatter them on the flattened earth, not a heavy task.

But Sancheng obviously couldn’t sit still. As soon as he arrived home, he placed down the hoe and rake and then turned to take a shovel up the back mountain:

“Dad, take a break, will you?”

“I didn’t even do any work, what’s there to rest for!” Sancheng said cheerfully—he truly hadn’t done much; his daughter was brandishing the hoe like a seasoned farmer, and all he did was follow behind scattering seeds, not much work at all.

“Isn’t Zhang Yanping still preparing the manure recently? Our chickens, ducks, and pigs up on the mountain seem to produce a lot. His legs aren’t very nimble, so I’ll help him shovel it out.”

Meanwhile, Seventh Uncle had already begun teaching Qiaoqiao how to cook again.

He directed Qiaoqiao to rinse the soaked mung beans and then told her to add salt to marinate them for five minutes.

Just the act of adding salt to the mung beans had everyone staring agape.

Next, they boiled clean water in a large pot, added the dandelions, and cooked them for fifteen minutes until they turned mushy. Then he used a strainer to scoop out the dandelions, leaving only the broth, and added the mung beans into it.

The mung beans were quick to cook, and soon they were done. He added more salt, MSG, chicken essence, and sesame oil for flavoring, achieving a savory, slightly bitter taste that mingled with the distinctive texture of eating beans.

Odd and unusual, but quite tasty.

Once cooked, he served it in a basin, not moving it far, just keeping it warm by the water jar in front of the stove.

Immediately after, Seventh Uncle kept Qiaoqiao busy with a flurry of tasks.

She had to wash a pot, cook the rice, and then fetch the freshly washed tender dandelion shoots from the water, using a cheesecloth to wring out the moisture.

He cracked a few eggs, added sticky rice flour and dry bean powder, along with seasonings, and mixed them well to create an egg-rice-bean powder paste.

Then he heated up the pan, fried salt until slightly yellow, and finally added ground Sichuan pepper and mixed it in.

A bowl of thick paste was made!

He then heated oil in a pan, waited until it got hot and dipped the dandelions in the paste to coat them, and then fried them in the pan to set their shape.

These were salt and pepper dandelions, fragrant and crispy!

When it came time to double-fry and plate them, the whole yard was permeated with a unique spicy aroma.