NFBE Chapter 154 Digging Wild Vegetables
Chapter 154 Digging Wild Vegetables
"Your Majesty, I cannot explain it clearly. I urge Your Majesty to examine it personally." After saying this, the Duke of Zhenguo reached into his book box, took out a book, and handed it to the Emperor with both hands.
Upon seeing this, Li Desheng quickly stepped forward, took the books from the Duke of Zhenguo, and presented them to the Emperor with both hands.
The emperor looked at the blank cover of the book, then gently opened it with his right hand. The book contained nothing but knowledge about weapons! When he turned to the first page, he was shocked – it contained a detailed introduction to cannons and their manufacturing methods!
You have to understand that in this era, artillery was definitely a powerful and terrifying weapon!
The emperor stared wide-eyed at the dense text and illustrations on the pages of the book, his heart filled with turmoil.
At the same time, the Emperor seemed to suddenly understand the deep apprehension the Duke of Zhenguo had previously shown towards the box of books. After all, the consequences of such a powerful weapon falling into the hands of someone with ulterior motives were unimaginable. Thinking of this, the Emperor's expression grew even more solemn.
Meanwhile, Su Nuannuan, far away on the other side, was completely unaware of this.
Su Nuannuan was currently preparing to take her two children to the small hill behind the palace to dig for wild vegetables.
Originally, Su Nuannuan thought that since the children had been given a day off, she would let them play and relax to their heart's content. But to her surprise, the two little ones hadn't played for long before they fluttered back to her side like two cheerful little birds, clinging to her and pleading, "Mommy, please tell us a story!"
Looking at the children's expectant eyes, Su Nuannuan couldn't bear to refuse, but she couldn't think of a suitable story to tell. After much thought, she finally made a decision: to take the children up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables. Firstly, it would satisfy their desire to hear stories; secondly, it would give the children a chance to understand what impoverished people who struggle to even have enough to eat eat on a daily basis.
Although the two children are still young, it is not a bad thing for them to experience the hardships and difficulties of ordinary people in advance.
The two little ones became excited as soon as they heard they were going to dig for wild vegetables, their faces beaming with barely suppressed excitement.
This small hill is not far from the back gate of the palace. With just a simple report to the Empress Dowager, everyone can embark on a journey to this mountain forest.
Jinse, Yaoqin, Tingxue, and Zhixiang, the four young ladies, accompanied the group, their main responsibility being to ensure everyone's safety. Meanwhile, Granny Jin and Granny Ru were primarily responsible for taking meticulous care of the two adorable children.
When Su Nuannuan saw the small bamboo baskets the children were carrying, she couldn't help but smile slightly, thinking to herself, "I hope that when we get to the mountain, you will still be in such a cheerful mood."
And so, the group, amidst laughter and chatter, stepped into the mountains through the back gate of the palace.
Li Quan did not go along, after all, someone had to stay behind at Caiwei Palace to guard the place. Besides, if he really went up the mountain with the others, his lame leg would probably only be a burden to them.
As soon as Su Nuannuan stepped into the forest, the first thing she saw was the lush purslane growing there. This plant has an extremely strong vitality, and the locals even gave it a nickname: "the plant that makes the sun die."
Purslane is an amazingly resilient plant! It can survive even if it only gets a little bit of soil on it.
Even when turned upside down to expose the roots to the sun, the scorching sun seems unable to kill them easily. Therefore, when people harvest them, they usually blanch them in water first, and then dry them in the sun.
Besides purslane, there's also plantain here. However, it's worth noting that the plantain in July is already a bit old and not suitable for consumption at this time.
Occasionally, you might find dandelions blooming with yellow flowers. However, like plantain, dandelions are no longer suitable for consumption in July.
"Mother, what kind of wild vegetables are we going to dig today?" Canglan Jingcheng asked with great interest, gazing at the lush vegetation on the mountain.
Su Nuannuan stopped and stared intently at the clumps of purslane on the ground. She smiled and replied, "Let's dig up these purslane."
Upon hearing this, Canglan Jingyao couldn't help but feel doubtful and asked, "Mother, is this thing really edible?"
Su Nuannuan nodded and patiently explained, "Of course you can eat it. There are many ways to eat purslane. It can be made into a cold dish, which is refreshing and delicious; it can also be stir-fried, which is very fragrant; and it can even be used to make fillings, which have a unique flavor. Moreover, if you dry it and store it, you can take it out and cook it whenever you want to eat it. More importantly, purslane is not just an ordinary wild vegetable; it is also a Chinese medicinal herb."
After hearing this, Canglan Jingcheng's eyes widened as he stared incredulously at the seemingly ordinary purslane on the ground, and asked again, "It's actually a medicinal herb?"
"Yes! Just like the plantain here and the dandelion over there, don't underestimate these seemingly ordinary wild grasses. They are actually Chinese medicinal herbs. However, now that they have grown up and matured, their taste is naturally not as fresh and delicious."
"Mother, look!" Canglan Jingyao excitedly stretched out her chubby little hand and pointed to a plant not far away that was blooming with many purple flowers, and shouted loudly, "Wow, it's so beautiful! It actually has so many purple flowers."
Following her daughter's pointing finger, Su Nuannuan smiled gently and said to her daughter, "Yao'er, that's water lettuce. It's in bloom right now, and water lettuce also has medicinal value; it can be used to treat illnesses and save lives." After saying that, she gently patted Canglan Jingyao's little head, her eyes full of affection.
"Mother, let's start digging for wild vegetables!" Canglan Jingcheng said impatiently.
"Okay, let's dig for wild vegetables, let's dig for this purslane." Su Nuannuan smiled and took out a small flower shovel from the bamboo basket Jinse was carrying and distributed it to them.
"Actually, there's a little legend about purslane," Su Nuannuan said with a smile, watching the two little ones diligently digging up purslane.
Upon hearing that there was a story, the two little ones immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at their mother, their expressions seeming to say, "Mother, please tell us!"
Seeing their expectant expressions, Su Nuannuan smiled and began to speak: "Legend has it that in ancient times, there were ten suns in the sky. The earth was scorched, the grass and trees withered, and humans could not survive. A warrior named Hou Yi shot down nine suns with his bow and arrow, and the last one hid under a purslane plant. Hou Yi couldn't find it and had to give up. To repay the purslane for saving his life, in the height of summer, while other plants might wither and die, the purslane not only survives the sun but also flowers, bears seeds, and grows vigorously. Hence, it is known as the 'sun grass' and 'gratitude grass'."
"Hou Yi was too wicked; he didn't even spare a single sun," Cang Lan Jing Cheng said.
"Luckily we have this purslane, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see the sun," Canglan Jingyao said earnestly.
Su Nuannuan smiled as she looked at her serious-looking daughter. She realized that Xiao Jingyao was quite precocious.
--split line--
The flowers of thistle, small thistle, fern, and mudwort are very similar, but they can still be distinguished by their leaves.