Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 7

“This is Gentiana, which mostly grows in spring, summer, and autumn. The leaves grow on long stems, are shaped like elongated pebbles, tapering to a point at the tip, and have serrated edges.”

“This is Giant Mushroom Grass. Our pigs love to eat this stuff. It grows everywhere and grows quickly, so you can cut it down repeatedly. It’s also easy to find.”

“This is Plantain. This grass only appears around this time of year. If someone in the village has diarrhea or a cough, they often pick some of this grass to eat. You can also crush it and apply it to places with toxic sores; it works very well.”

…

Lu Xiuyu introduced the types of pig grass to her two cousins. To prevent them from cutting the wrong ones, she placed the inedible grass into a bamboo basket and specially cut a few plants to hand to them, so they could identify the correct grass. The riverbank was overgrown with weeds, many of which were taller than people, and some, like gentian, had sawtooth-edged leaves that could sting even through clothing, let alone exposed skin like wrists and ankles.

Lu Baobao covered her face with her hands, fearing that the taller weeds might scratch her face, and was very cautious while walking to avoid the sharp-edged leaves.

In comparison, Lu Xiuyu and Lu Xiuxin were much more at ease. They didn’t seem to be afraid of the sawtooth of the leaves at all. They directly used their hands to pull away the thatches in front of them and rushed through the weeds.

Since the two of them were clearing the way in front, Lu Baobao’s situation improved significantly. However, she still felt several stinging pains on her body, as if she had been scratched.

“Just stay here and cut the pig feed. Don’t go up the mountain or play in the river.”

Lu Xiuyu led her two younger sisters to an area abundant with pig feed. The grass there was mostly what pigs like to eat, and there were no tall reeds, allowing her to keep a clear watch on her sisters.

“Alright.”

“Okay,” Lu Baobao and her little cousin replied in unison. They then set down the bamboo basket and picked up their sickles to search for wild grass that matched the samples in their hands.

Because they were just getting started, their movements were very slow. Almost every time they cut a piece of grass, they had to compare it with the reference sample, taking almost half a cup of tea’s worth of time. Lu Xiuyu did not work at the moment but quietly observed her two younger cousins from the side, correcting them whenever they cut the wrong pig grass.

Even though it was a simple task, it revealed their personalities.

Lu Baobao moved a little bit each time she finished cutting a section, her small conical hat and crouched posture making her look like a tiny mushroom on the move or a small snail. She worked slowly but didn’t irritate anyone; she just looked cute.

Lu Xiuyu noticed that although Lu Baobao was slow, she was very meticulous. After observing for a long time, Lu Xiuyu saw that she hadn’t put a single wrong piece of pig grass into the bamboo basket. As time went on, Lu Baobao referred to the sample less and less, clearly remembering the appearance of the different types of pig grass, showing that she was a smart and quick learner.

The little girl seemed to notice Lu Xiuyu’s gaze, turned her head, and gave her a sweet smile.

So incredibly cute—how could there be such adorable little girls in the world who made you want to scream with happiness?

Of course, not all little girls were charming.

Lu Xiuxin’s movements were also slow at first. She seemed to be learning to identify the pig grass by comparing it with the sample Lu Xiuyu had given them. However, despite her careful comparison, she still put many wrong types of pig grass into the basket, including several kinds she had been specifically warned could cause diarrhea if eaten by pigs.

It was unclear where the little girl got her confidence, as she seemed to think she had already memorized the appearance of the pig grass. She swung the sickle with big, sweeping motions, and before long, the basket was more than half full.

Realizing that her eldest cousin was watching them, the little girl puffed out her chest proudly and looked quite pleased with herself, which made Lu Xiuyu rub her forehead in frustration.

Lu Xiuyu had to walk over, dump the half-basket of mixed grass on the ground, and sift out the few correct pieces of pig grass to teach her again.

“I’ll be right over there. Don’t run around. Once you finish cutting the pig feed, I’ll dig up some reed roots for you to eat.”

Seeing that her two younger sisters were gradually getting the hang of it, Lu Xiuyu pointed towards a nearby direction close to Xiao Yang Mountain and reminded them.

“Reed roots?”

Lu Baobao didn’t actually know what reed roots were. Even after being in this world for so long, she hadn’t heard of them.

“Big Cousin, I’ll be good. When the time comes, can you dig me up a big one?” Lu Xiuyu, having more experience than Lu Baobao, knew what reed roots were and had tasted them before.

In fact, in the countryside, reed roots weren’t particularly rare; they grew in large patches in rivers and ponds. Because they weren’t very filling, they were mostly dug up by village children as a treat.

Lu Xiuyu often cut pig grass on the riverbank and would occasionally dig up a few reed roots to enjoy. Since she was close with her cousin Lu Xiuxin, she naturally didn’t forget to bring some for her.

Among the three male members of the Lu family, the youngest, Lu Baotie, was only three years old and not yet running around the village. The slightly older Lu Baojin and Lu Baoyin were ten and seven years old, respectively. Lu Baojin was currently attending school and didn’t have much time to play, while Lu Baoyin, still uneducated, spent most of his days running around the village with other children his age.

Almost every day, Lu Baoyin would bring home some “spoils,” sometimes reed roots, sometimes wild fruits found at the foot of the mountain, and once, he even brought home half a roasted sparrow.

Lu Xiuyu, as his elder sister, always got her share, and Lu Xiuxin, being close to the first branch of the family, occasionally benefited as well. However, due to the unity of the two branches, Lu Baobao, being from the second branch, rarely got any.

This led to Lu Baobao’s current confusion.

“It wasn’t anything special, just a little treat. It was a pity the weather was turning cooler now. Otherwise, I could have found some snake fruit for you. In summer, snake fruit was everywhere at the foot of the mountain, and you could easily pick a small basket without much effort. Snake fruit was sour and sweet, much tastier than reed roots.”

Lu Xiuyu, having grown up in the countryside and with the memories left by her previous self, was very familiar with the plants in the mountains. Besides snake fruit, there were many other delicious wild fruits, like sour jujube. These wild fruits were too sour to eat directly but could be made into sour jujube cakes, which were appetizing and perfect for satisfying cravings. There were also wild bananas, wild apples, and more.

“Wow—” Lu Baobao exclaimed in amazement at her cousin’s description, her mouth watering at the thought.

She swore she wasn’t greedy at all; it must be that her parents in this world were so greedy that they passed this gene on to her body, influencing her personality.

That’s right, she wasn’t greedy in the slightest.

Even though she kept telling herself she wasn’t greedy, her mouth continued to water uncontrollably.

Seeing this greedy look, Lu Xiuyu couldn’t help but laugh. She thought her little cousin was not only good-looking but also not pretentious at all, straightforward, and cute.

Lu Xiuyu gave the two of them a few more reminders and then took her own bamboo basket and headed towards the foot of the mountain.

“This year, my cousin picked a lot of snake fruits. When the weather was hot, she could pick a big bowl almost every day. My cousin gave me a lot, but you didn’t get any.” Seeing her cousin walking away, Lu Xiuxin approached Lu Baobao and said with a smug look on her face.

Who said children weren’t cunning? Lu Xiuxin might have seemed a bit clueless, but she was quite perceptive. It seemed she had noticed the change in Lu Xiuyu’s attitude toward the second branch.

“It’s okay. Wild fruits came around every year, and I’m sure Big Cousin would definitely share some with me next year.”

Lu Baobao wasn’t concerned at all. She didn’t know why Big Cousin’s attitude had suddenly changed, but given the current trend, she was confident that next year, she would definitely get her share of the wild fruits.

And as long as she flattered hard enough, her share would surely be more than her little cousin’s next year.

Frustrated!

Lu Xiuxin’s cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish, and at that moment, in her eyes, her second cousin’s annoyance level had risen once again.

It was a pity that the little girl was at a disadvantage due to her lack of knowledge. If she had read a few historical anecdotes, she would have known what kind of person the second cousin was—a little vixen who took her beloved Big Cousin away from her.

The little girl was so distressed that she started grabbing her hair and pouting, not knowing how to rebut Lu Baobao’s words. She was on the verge of crying, and Lu Baobao hadn’t anticipated that the girl would be so sensitive.

Fortunately, Lu Xiuxin was also a spirited little girl who did not want to cry in front of the enemy. In the end, she sniffed hard and held back her tears.

To show her displeasure, the little girl ran a good distance away from Lu Baobao, carrying her bamboo basket, turned her back, and pointed her butt at her.

******

After about a stick of incense’s worth of time, Lu Xiuyu returned with her bamboo basket, which was now filled to the brim.

“It was about time to head home. Wait for me a moment; I’ll dig up some reed roots for you.”

Lu Xiuyu set down her basket. Seeing that her two younger cousins’ baskets were also filled with pig grass, she knew the task was complete. She smiled in satisfaction, then rolled up her pant legs, took off her shoes, and waded into the shallower part of the riverbank with her small hoe to dig up reed roots.

Lu Baobao looked at the basket Lu Xiuyu had set down, frowning in confusion.

If she wasn’t mistaken, besides the pig grass she had asked them to identify, Lu Xiuyu’s basket also contained several unknown plants. There was a large bunch of thin, long green plants that looked somewhat like scallions, and several round, dirt-covered balls that resembled onions or garlic.

There were many things Lu Baobao didn’t recognize at all.

These must have been seasonings, right? Lu Baobao was surprised to learn that such things existed in this world.

In Lu’s kitchen, the seasonings were rather limited. After years of following the old lady around for meals, Lu Baobao had only seen sugar, salt, vinegar, and a dark brown liquid similar to soy sauce. Until today, she had thought seasonings like scallions, ginger, and garlic didn’t exist in this world.

But now the question was: why did Big Cousin specifically dig up these things? Did she know how to use them?

“Wow! Big Cousin, I want that one!”

Lu Xiuxin’s exclamation interrupted Lu Baobao’s thoughts.

At that moment, Lu Xiuyu had already come ashore with several reed roots.

“Wait, I’ll rinse off the dirt with river water first,” Lu Xiuyu said, noticing her younger cousin’s excited expressions. She was also very happy and, not bothering to clean the mud off her feet, bent down and began carefully washing the reed roots in her hands.

The river water upstream was very clear. Most households in the village didn’t have wells, so they drew water from this river to drink, and there was no need to worry about the lack of hygiene.

Lu Xiuyu chose only the freshest reed roots, which, after being washed, were white and tender, looking very appetizing.

“Here.”

Lu Xiuyu handed a reed root to each of her younger siblings and cousins, then put the remaining ones into her basket. These were for her other younger siblings, as well as for their grandparents and parents. Reed roots weren’t rare, and adults might not have found them particularly appealing, but it was a gesture of goodwill.

“Crunch—”

Lu Baobao took a tentative bite, and her eyes instantly lit up.

The taste of reed roots was not particularly outstanding; it wasn’t very sweet and had a faint grassy bitterness. However, its texture was quite unique. Some of the more tender reed roots were even crisper and juicier than sugarcane.

Lu Baobao found herself a bit addicted. How had she only now discovered such an interesting snack?

Even though she liked it very much, after eating half of it, Lu Baobao chose to stop and decided to take the remaining half home to share with her parents.

“Why aren’t you eating more? Don’t you like it?”

Lu Xiuyu was puzzled, seeing how excited Lu Baobao had been just moments ago.

“It’s not that. It’s so delicious that I want to take it home and share it with Grandpa, Grandma, and my parents,” Lu Baobao said carefully, placing the reed root into her basket. Grandpa and Grandma probably wouldn’t want any, but she could at least share a third of it with her parents. She patted her little chest and murmured to herself, “No worries, no worries.”

She still wanted to get some money from her father’s small treasury, so she needed to let him feel the warmth of her little cotton-padded jacket first.

Lu Xiuyu didn’t know about Lu Baobao’s little schemes and was instead surprised by her response.

As an adult with more mature thoughts and having tried all kinds of delicious foods in modern times, she naturally didn’t think much of this section of reed root. But for Lu Baobao, who was only six years old, it was different. She had seen Lu Xiuxin, who was around her age, finishing the reed roots in her hand without a thought for her family.

Children like Lu Xiuxin were normal, while Lu Baobao, in contrast, seemed a bit too endearing and pitiful in her innocence.

It was surprising that despite having such parents as the second uncle and second aunt, it did not affect Lu Baobao’s clear and kind heart at all.

Previously, Lu Xiuyu had been worried that Lu Baobao might turn out poorly, but with a child like this, how bad could she really be?

Lu Xiuyu’s gaze softened even more. Her child was indeed the best in the world. What was a single reed root? In the future, she would make sure Lu Baobao tasted even more delicious treats.

Lu Baobao was unaware that her small act of consideration for her parents had led her big cousin to create a whole scenario in her mind, loving her even more.