coobybook Chapter 7 Discovery of Turmeric
Chapter 7 Discovery of Turmeric
The sound of dripping water could be heard in the distance, indicating that there must be a water source nearby.
Just then, she felt a bit thirsty, so she carried the green dates and followed the sound of water.
Ahead lay a mountain stream, steep and high, with no top in sight. Clear water droplets, like beads on a string, fell down the stream, but the amount of water falling was not much. They gathered together and meandered to another place, and she could easily step across to the other side.
Shen Xiaotang placed the green dates from her clothes onto a flat stone, patiently cupped some of the water falling from the mountain stream in her hands, drank some in small sips, and then washed her face.
A gentle breeze blew by, bringing a refreshing coolness.
Along the mountain stream, where sunlight can filter through the dense forest, grows some kind of plant with broad, large, oval leaves, similar to banana leaves but much smaller. Between the stems and leaves grow bud-like bracts, and between the bracts bloom yellow flowers.
She could pick two leaves to wrap the green dates, so she wouldn't have to keep them wrapped up in her clothes.
She reached out and picked two leaves, but the soil on the ground was damp and soft, and she was pulled up by the roots along with the stems and leaves. Orange-yellow fruits grew on the roots, and apart from the color and shape, they looked very much like ginger.
It's turmeric!
What an unexpected surprise!
In her previous life, she had seen a comparison picture of ginger and turmeric on Douyin.
Turmeric can not only be eaten, but also used in medicine to treat bruises and sprains, and it has very high medicinal value.
She remembered seeing an advertisement on it, which seemed to have medicinal effects such as promoting blood circulation, regulating qi, and relieving pain.
I wonder if the herbal medicine shops in town will accept it?
If they could get their father to secretly take them to the town to sell at the herbal medicine shop, their eldest son's family could also have some private savings!
Unable to contain her excitement, Shen Xiaotang quickly tore off two leaves, wrapped the green dates, and placed them aside. She deftly pulled out half of the turmeric nearby, and then carefully picked off the orange-yellow turmeric one by one, wrapping them in several packets with leaves.
Finally, she tore off a stem hanging from a nearby tree and tied the wrapped turmeric and jujube bundles together to prevent them from scattering along the way.
Looking at the remaining patch of turmeric, she felt conflicted.
Leave half here, what if we can't find it next time?
But what if the herbal medicine shops refuse to accept all the herbs after going through so much trouble to get them down the mountain?
Finally, she marked the way she came and found the path she had taken. She quickly descended the mountain and didn't encounter any more snakes.
Shen Qingchuan vented his anger in the field, pulling up a lot of weeds and crops. When he calmed down, he turned around and didn't see his eldest daughter. He then walked towards his wife and daughter.
"Fengniang, where is Tang'er?"
Liu was already anxious and was about to go into the mountains to look for her. "Dad, my stomach was growling just now. Tang'er went up the mountain to find wild fruits and said she would be back soon. It's been almost an hour, and we've been waiting and waiting, but she still hasn't come. Let's go find her."
"What?"
"Tang'er went into the mountains?"
"Why didn't you stop her? There are many snakes and big insects on the mountain. Even a strong adult man wouldn't dare to go in easily. She's young and doesn't understand, but don't you understand either?"
Liu was slow to realize the importance of the matter and immediately panicked. "It's all my fault. She said not to go too deep, and I didn't think it through. What should we do? Quickly carry Yu'er on your back, and we'll split up to look for her."
Shen Qingchuan immediately put on a stern face and said, "No, it's too dangerous up in the mountain. You and Yu'er stay here and wait. If we haven't come down by noon, go home and find someone to come up the mountain to find us." He paused and then added, "Go directly to the village head and have him bring as many people as possible!"
His father looked down on him, his stepmother was biased, and his two daughters were also disliked. He couldn't rely on his family, so it was safer to go to the village head.
Tears streamed down Liu's face as she felt immense self-reproach. She blamed herself for being so weak, letting her daughter hear her stomach growling. If anything had happened to her eldest daughter, she wouldn't have been able to live.
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say. I'll go see the village head after noon."
Upon hearing that her older sister might not be coming back, Xiaoyu burst into tears.
Shen Qingchuan, without bothering to comfort his wife who was wiping away tears and his crying daughter, turned around and headed up the mountain. Just then, he saw his daughter running down the mountain with something in her arms.
"Father, Mother, Xiaoyu, I'm back!"
Shen Qingchuan ran quickly to his eldest daughter, "Tang'er, you scared us to death! Why didn't you tell your father before going into the mountains? You're not allowed to go there again."
His voice was trembling; he was genuinely scared!
"Mother, it's my elder sister! My elder sister has returned!" Xiaoyu stopped crying immediately upon seeing her elder sister coming down the mountain and excitedly reminded her mother.
Liu looked up instantly and saw her eldest daughter return. She trembled as she picked up her youngest daughter and ran over immediately.
"Tang'er, you're finally back! Waaah... I was so scared when I waited for you for ages and you didn't show up."
Seeing the worry on her parents' faces, Shen Xiaotang immediately comforted them, "Father, Mother, I'm sorry, I've made you worry."
Shen Qingchuan looked at his daughter, whose hair was covered with withered leaves, whose clothes were patched by tree branches, and whose body was covered in mud, with only her little face still somewhat clean. He felt a mix of emotions.
If he was valued by his father, how dare his stepmother mistreat his wife and daughters when he was not at home?
When he entered the house today, he vaguely heard his father cough twice, and the unclear voices in the yard suddenly stopped. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear what they were saying.
His wife and daughter hadn't eaten enough, so his eldest daughter went into the mountains to find wild fruits. In the end, it was all his fault!
Liu put down her younger daughter and, with tears in her eyes, checked her older daughter up and down. "Tang'er, how are you? Are you hurt?" She then helped her daughter remove the withered leaves from her hair.
Shen Xiaotang shook her head and pulled her parents towards the tree. "I'm not hurt, don't worry. Come and see what I found!"
She glanced around; there was no one nearby. Because their fields were vast and the neighboring farms were far away, it was convenient for her to talk business with her parents.
Xiaoyu, who had just caught up with her short legs, asked softly, "Sister, did you find...the fruit...?"
"Yes, we've found our sister!"
Seeing the large bundle wrapped in leaves in her older sister's arms, Xiaoyu immediately became excited, her face beaming as she exclaimed, "Sister, you're really... really amazing! You've found the fruit!"
Shen Qingchuan breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately put on a stern face again. "Tang'er, if you're not full, your father said you absolutely can't go into the mountains again, remember?"
"Dad, I've got it. Let me see what good stuff I found first."
She untied the stem, slipped the smallest green leaf packet to her younger sister, gestured for her to open it, and then opened the rest herself.
The green leaves unfurled, revealing thumb-sized, orange-yellow strips covered in mud, each one fresh and tender, emitting a fragrant aroma.
"Isn't this ginger?"
Mrs. Liu was a little puzzled. There were only a few plants in her small vegetable garden at home. Apart from being used in cooking, they were nothing special.
Shen Qingchuan nodded and followed up, "Some people sell it in town, but it doesn't fetch a good price. I didn't expect it to be available in the mountains. Tang'er, you cook every day, so you know what ginger is, right?"