Liu Tong and the others had returned home when they were already on their way home. They became worried when they noticed that the courtyard's gate was closed and that no one was inside.
They were about to leave to look for them when they saw Xu Ran returning with the kids. They not only returned, but Xu Ran was also carrying a full basket of pigweeds on his back. In their hands, each of the children held a bunch of white stuff that looked like grass roots.
Liu Tong went forward quickly to take Xu Ran's baskets. "Why did you run out?" he asked, reproachfully.
Xu Ran smiled and gave the basket to Liu Tong without saying a word.
Dahu quickly responded, "Daddy Liu Tong, Uncle Xu went out to cut some pigweeds. He's so powerful! He has a lot of Green Feed for the pigs, and there's more outside. Guoguo and the dog were there on guard. You should all go out and bring them back, Dad."
In fact, they were all shocked to see Xu Ran return with a complete basket of pigweeds on his back. When Dahu told them that there were still a lot of pigweeds left behind, they were completely taken aback. They all concluded that Liu Tong had spoiled Xu Ran for seven years by not allowing him to do anything.
The pigweeds were taken into the yard by Liu Tong. Xu An and Xu Zhen had already left the courtyard with baskets on their backs after knowing that there were still some outside.
Xu An knew where Dahu went to get pig feed on a regular basis, so he didn't ask him to lead the way.
Then Liu Qing and Wu Lan saw the roots in the children's hands and questioned, "What are these roots?"
"Daodao, what is that in your hand? Is it also Green feed for pigs?"
Wu Lan's words attracted the attention of everyone present.
Daodao was Wu Lan's Ge'er son, a year younger than Tangtang and Guoguo and just four years old.
He shook his head, "I don't know what they are. Uncle Xu asked me to take them back."
When Tangtang realized his father had no intention of explaining, he approached Daodao and said, "Daddy Wu Lan, my dad said this thing is edible, so we've taken a lot back."
"This is food? Ran, didn't you make a mistake? " Liu Tong was also surprised.
Xu Ran shook his head, "No. They are edible."
Seeing that Xu Ran was so sure, they came to believe it.
Wu Mei asked, "But Xu Ran, how should we eat them?"
"To make a salad,"
Xu Ran stopped pretending to stammer. He simply stated the facts.
Liu Tong took the houttuynia cordata from the children's hands and set it aside, he explained "We'll try them for dinner this evening because Ran said they're edible! It would be perfect if we just eat a small portion of them. If they are truly tasty, we will have a new dish in the near future."
"So, in the evening, we'll make salad. Your two families, Wu Lan and Liu Qing, will join us for dinner tonight. Doesn't Xu Ran have a lot of pigweeds? Later, each of you will return home with a basket of pig feed, so you won't have to go out in the dark tonight to get pigweeds."
Wu Lan said clearly, "Yes, fantastic! Xu Ran is slowly regaining his strength. He also helped us in aquiring of pigweeds and wild vegetables. You've made it to the end, Liu Tong."
Liu Tong was indeed very happy. Today, Xu Ran really gave him a good surprise.
Xu Ran showed Liu Tong how to make cordate houttuynia salad late at night. A fun aroma wafted through the air as Liu Tong sliced the wild vegetable. The children were all drawn in by the enticing aroma.
While these wild vegetables could be eaten fresh, Xu Ran re-selected them prior to the preparation. He was worried that the kids would put something else in.
When Xu Ran saw the kids drooling over the food, he asked Liu Tong to prepare the salad first so the kids could try it.
The adults were also concerned that the food was toxic and that they would be unable to consume it. To prove his point, Xu Ran took a bite first. He was good after a while. As a result, the kids began to eat.
Since ancient seasonings were not as perfect as modern seasonings, the salad of Houttuynia cordata was not as delicious as Xu Ran used to eat. Food grown on unpolluted soil, on the other hand, had a rather good taste. There was also no reason to be worried about the risks of overeating.
This food was also well enjoyed by the children. At dinner, everybody ate more than normal. The adults were also concerned that the kids would overeat and become bloated.
After taking another bowl of rice added by Liu Tong, Xu Ran slowly said two words, "So appetizing."
Since the kids loved this salad so much, the adults didn't eat it to save it for the kids, but they did sample a few mouthfuls and thought it was delicious.
Wu Mei smiled as he observed his children enjoying their meals "As you can see, our Yueya'er is chowing down like a stray cat. This time, Xu Ran has really discovered something unique. Now is the time when we are in need of food. We don't have to be worried about a food shortage with this food. By the way, Xu Ran, what's the name of this thing?"
"Houttuynia cordata," Xu Ran took a mouthful of food and replied.
"This is a good thing, but we can't tell anyone about it," Liu Tong warned. "Otherwise, many people will rush over and snatch it, causing trouble."
The other adults present nodded in agreement.
"So, from now on, we adults will not go looking for this stuff; instead, we will leave it to the children to find it. Anyway, having it when cutting pigweeds is convenient for them."
"Okay, that's it."
Everyone agreed with Wu Mei.
Xu Ran and the kids were having a good time eating the food. Xu Ran was overjoyed at the return of a long-forgotten taste.
Wu Lan and Liu Qing returned with their children after supper, each carrying a basket of pigweeds.
Xu Ran didn't know his skin on his hand was abraded and very tender until he went to bed at night. Yet he tried to put up with it and kept quiet about it.
Liu Tong, on the other hand, had figured it out without being told. After all, it had been seven years since Xu Ran had done anything. He'd gotten a lot of pigweeds and cordate houttuynia this afternoon. If he hadn't injured his skin, it would be strange.
Liu Tong took out the medicine Doctor Liu had given him and applied it for Xu Ran before he went to bed.
As Xu Ran was lying in bed, he remembered Liu Tong's shoulder injury and immediately got up to treat Liu Tong.
In this way, they helped each other and applied medicine before lying on the bed to talk.
Xu Ran didn't seem exhausted despite doing a lot of work this afternoon. "Tongtong, how long will the bamboo cutting take you?" he asked, turning to face Liu Tong, who was lying next to him.
"There are two more days. I'd like to cut some more of it down to make our new home a bit more spacious. When it's cold outside in the winter, we'll take some kraft paper and wrap it around it to keep it warm."
The bamboo house had always been a favorite of Xu Ran's. He was ecstatic because he knew he'd get it soon. However, he quickly considered the other issues that would arise as a result.
Without firewood, rice, oil, salt, and pots and pans, life would be difficult. They didn't have all of these stuff now, though. They were expected to pay for them. The issue was that they didn't have any money at all. It was really annoying!
Xu Ran sighed, "Tongtong, do you still have any money? Otherwise, we can't afford for the bowls.
"Ran, I'm sorry that I haven't saved money, otherwise we wouldn't have suffered so much," Liu Tong said, shaking his head and feeling a little guilty.
Xu Ran took Liu Tong's hand in his and said, "Why are you bringing this up? We can make the bowls ourselves because we don't have any money. The chopsticks are also made of wood. The only requirement is that the pot be made of iron."
Xu Ran continued to plan how to make the essential tableware and cooking materials, while Liu Tong devised a plan to raise money as quickly as possible, knowing that the family was out of food, the two children were still young, and Ran was not in good health...
They were both lying in the same bed, but they had opposing viewpoints. Of course, they were both trying to figure out how to make their families live a happy life, which was a mutual dream.
03.18.21
Kraft = a strong, typically brown paper made from wood pulp that is primarily used for bags and wrapping.
Decided to update another chapter before I change my mind and be lazy all day. :/