Traveling through troubled times to escape famine and cultivate crops as a grain merchant

Chapter 225 Planting the Seeds

After Zhou Mai lit the fire, he had nothing to do, so he took a knife and started to sharpen chopsticks. To make chopsticks, he just picked two straight branches, scraped the skin clean, and washed them to make a pair. It was very quick, and in a moment, two pairs of chopsticks were sharpened.

Zhou Guo took the chopsticks he had used before, gnawing on a chicken leg while staring at the grilled fish on the stone slab. He did not forget to instruct Zhou Dacang, "Uncle, this freshly killed fish only needs to be sprinkled with salt. You don't need to add anything else. It will be the most delicious."

The old man nodded, "That's right, don't put anything else."

Zhou Dacang smiled and said, "Okay, I get it. It's the same method as roasting pine mushrooms. I finally understand that this delicious food doesn't require any other seasonings. The simplest method can make it the most delicious."

Zhou Guo took a bite of the chicken leg and found it funny. If you didn't know, you would think there were a lot of seasonings at home. In fact, there were only salt, dried shrimp powder, MSG, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger slices, green onions, peppercorns, etc.

Well, when spring comes, I can get some ginger to plant. I don’t know if we have it here. The little bit they brought was eaten up on the way. I don’t know where it came from, and they didn’t keep any seeds.

The aroma of grilled fish squeezed in through the aroma of grilled rabbit and pheasant, and then came piece by piece, slowly covering up the smell of rabbit and pheasant.

Zhou Guo suddenly felt that the half chicken leg in his hand had lost its appeal. He looked at the grilled fish eagerly, wanting to eat it really.

The old man didn't even turn the meat, waiting for the fish fillets to cook.

Zhou Dacang and Zhou Mai even started to drool. "Hey, this freshly killed animal is really different from one that has been dead overnight. The meat doesn't smell this good in the morning."

Zhou Mai smiled and said, "No wonder the gentleman ate two pieces this morning and refused to eat any more."

The old man didn't say anything. His hands moved again and the rabbit and roast chicken on the fire started to swirl again.

It smells good and tastes even better.

Zhou Guo ate many slices in a row, but he still felt unsatisfied, so he said to the old man, "Master, next time if we catch more, we should just roast the whole thing, one for each person. If we eat slices like this, it won't be enough to fill our stomachs."

This really touched Zhou Dacang's heart. "You're right. It's not enough to eat just one plate like this. You have to grill it while eating. It's better to eat it all at once."

The old man ate the fish happily, taking a sip of wine from time to time. When he heard this, he glanced at the two of them and said, "You really don't know how to eat it. Eating it this way is delicate and tasty. The young men and women of the rich families all eat it this way. Have you ever seen a young man or woman just chewing a fish?"

Zhou Guo said confidently: "Master, we are not the sons and daughters of wealthy families. We are just the boys and girls of farmers. We don't have to be so particular. No matter how ugly the food is, no one will laugh at us. Filling our stomachs is more important."

Zhou Dacang nodded, "You're right, I still want to hold the whole fish and chew it, it's more satisfying."

Who isn't? Zhou Mai ate half of the fish that his master specially gave him by himself. He really felt that it was more enjoyable to eat while holding the fish in his arms.

The old man raised his head and took another sip of wine, then waved his hand and said, "Okay, as long as you can catch them, we'll each eat one and be done with it."

Zhou Guo took a look at his gourd. The wine in it should be almost gone. It seemed that he had to find time to go to the county town. The wine in the market town was not very good.

The four of them roasted and ate the two fish, and also shared the rabbit and pheasant, leaving bones all over the floor.

Zhou Guo dug a pit and buried the bones. He put out the fire and hid a few pairs of chopsticks. Perhaps he would have to come back another day to use them, so he wouldn't have to peel them every day before eating.

Zhou Dacang looked at the surrounding hills and was eager to try. "Guoguo, where did you dig the ginseng yesterday? Take us to see it. We have seen the leaves of ginseng, which we have never seen before. Otherwise, even if we come across a thousand-year-old ginseng in the mountains, I will treat it as a weed."

Zhou Mai nodded. He also wanted to know what ginseng leaves looked like.

Zhou Guo naturally agreed, "Okay, I'll take you to have a look. There happen to be a few small ones left there."

When Zhou Dacang and the other man heard this, they jumped up immediately, "What? There's still something to dig? Why didn't you tell us earlier? How would we eat if you had told us earlier? Come on, take us to have a look. Why didn't you tell us at home? It's a good thing you didn't tell us, otherwise the whole family would have made a fuss and wanted to come."

Zhou Guo turned around and walked away, saying as he walked: "It's not that I didn't tell you on purpose, you were so happy when you saw those ginseng roots that I didn't even remember to say anything else. Hey, Master, don't leave by yourself, let's go together."

There are many dangers in the mountains. She didn't know if the herd of wild boars she saw last time had gone far. There must be some ferocious beasts that have not come out of such deep mountains. It was still a bit risky for her and Zhou Dacang to take Zhou Mai, who knew nothing, with him.

The old man glanced at her and asked, "If I want to leave, can you still see me at this time?"

Zhou Mai smiled and said, "Yes, sir, you are the most caring person."

Zhou Dacang also flattered the old man, and the old man felt very comfortable and enjoyed it.

Zhou Guo looked back and saw that his eyes were narrowed and he was walking leisurely in the primeval forest with his hands behind his back, as if he was strolling in his own vegetable garden. He couldn't help but smile.

The few of them walked from the foot of the mountain to the top, and then crossed several hills before finally arriving at the place where Zhou Guo had dug ginseng that day.

Zhou Mai was so exhausted that he was out of breath. Fortunately, he had walked thousands of miles to escape, otherwise climbing the mountain non-stop would have been really exhausting.

Zhou Guo patted him on the back and said, "Why are you doing this? I told you to join me but you wouldn't let me. You wouldn't even take a break. You insisted on climbing up all by yourself. You made yourself so tired."

Zhou Mai waved his hands, speechless.

Zhou Dacang laughed and said, "You tortured him so badly this morning that you almost lost his life. Who would dare to let you get involved?"

Zhou Guo was not convinced, "I was carrying it on my back, flying up and down, jumping left and right, it was indeed not right, but I was holding on with my hands, how could I get dizzy? Of course not."

Zhou Dacang said, "Come on, don't we know you yet?"

"What's wrong with me?" Zhou Guo was very confused. She thought about her past behavior and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. She was not impatient.

Zhou Dacang shook his head and followed the old man forward with his hands behind his back. Zhou Guo was speechless at his pretentious look, but he also knew that he was joking. He supported Zhou Mai with one hand and pointed forward, "Brother, do you see that tree, the largest, tallest, and most luxuriant one on the top of the mountain? That's where I found the ginseng. The six roots at home were all dug there."

When Zhou Mai heard this, he quickened his pace. He was really curious about what ginseng looked like when it was growing in the ground.

Only a few small palm-sized leaves are left of the originally green ginseng field, and the surrounding soil has been newly turned. When Zhou Guo left, he buried the red fruits on the plants in the pit, hoping that many years later, a green ginseng field will grow here again, and the few remaining ginsengs will be century-old ginsengs again.