Chapter 650

Guo Dong was very expectant—she felt amazed by the medicinal effect of the Jin Yingzi every time she mixed the medicine.

Now she held great expectations for this mugwort as well.

If not for this, having practiced medicine for many years, it wasn't that she didn't know those who sold authentic aged mugwort stalks; why would she insist on trying new mugwort this time?

Isn't that it? In the evening, when the Song family was preparing to put away the mugwort, Guo Dong followed along. While asking Song Sancheng, who was working:

"Uncle, if you have time, can you help cut a thinner bamboo?"

She gestured: "—this wide, I only need one section for tomorrow to fill with mugwort."

The machines in the factory can do it quickly and neatly, but since their quantity is large, it's fine to just make do.

At this moment, the sun had already set; just cutting a bamboo had no difficulty at all.

Song Sancheng immediately dropped the rake in his hand, turned around, and went into the house to get a machete: "Okay, how thick do you want it? Come with me to take a look."

And on this side, Song Tan also humbly asked for advice:

"When I was young, I used that wooden club to beat clothes; you're different—you've been using a washing machine for I don't know how many years, and now you're doing this work again."

If it were around the Dragon Boat Festival, the mugwort would have to be dried for at least two days.

Zhang Yanping leaned over and took a look:

But in this weather, it was cut and spread out last night, and laid out to dry early this morning. In just one day and one night, the leaves felt like they were about to turn brittle.

"Don't throw away the stalks; wait until autumn to make some mugwort chrysanthemum rice to eat!"

It wasn't that they were lazy and didn't cut it themselves; it was just that before the Dragon Boat Festival, someone had already cut the scattered mugwort stalks and sold them.

"That can't be dried!"

"Guo Yi, look, is it dried to this extent okay?"

Usually, he looks quite shrewd; why does he insist on showing off in front of Guo Yi? The leaves were stripped off early, and now that the wind is so strong, how do you plan to dry them?

Coincidentally, this fragrance was smelled by Master Qian, who had come down from the mountain, and he couldn't help but instruct:

While speaking, she selectively forgot Guo Dong's inadvertent great strength on weekdays.

"Or just pick the leaves... is that okay?"

Wouldn't that be faster?

"Whatever." Song Sancheng didn't care about those things. Anyway, he had been farming his whole life; what hadn't he managed from planting to harvesting? And he hadn't earned as much money as he does now!

She wondered: "Why did you guys come over?"

These words moved Grandma so much:

"Look at what you're saying; why didn't I see you lend a hand when digging the tea mountain?"

Guo Dong went into the warehouse and found a pile of gloves: "Auntie, you guys put on gloves; later you have to strip the leaves off first, don't let your hands get worn out."

Zhang Yanping felt wronged.

Dry leaves with fine stem veins fell into the winnowing basket, and the bare, straight stalks were placed to the side. A rich fragrance of mugwort instantly wafted out—

"Oh my, look at how fair and tender Tan Tan is; how would you know about our calloused, thick skin?"

Song Sancheng brought in a bright green bamboo, and with a few strokes of the machete, he cleared away all the fine branches and forks.

While saying: "Tan Tan, this winter or next spring, dig up more bamboo shoots, okay? This bamboo grows too densely; inside, it's all this kind of thin stuff, crowded together and unable to grow big."

It shows that some things still have to be left to young people.

It smells so good!

But rubbing this mugwort velvet, even if many of us don't know how, it sounds simple.

Our generation used to transplant rice seedlings in the fields when we were young, and the damp cold was really quite heavy. Now that we're older, don't look at us not saying anything; actually, when we walk, our joints feel like they're rusted, and we suffer a lot.

Guo Dong was very satisfied, reached out, and smelled the rich lingering fragrance left after kneading the mugwort just now:

Will my nephew be able to find a partner in this life?

Ai Cao laughed out loud:

Actually, quite a lot was sold this spring. But since the bamboo forest is close to home, there's always some preferential treatment...

Early the next morning, just after Ai Cao finished breakfast and tidied up the yard, she saw several men and women in the village who were temporarily free come to her house.

Why exactly is that?

"Grandma, don't laugh! When I hammer out the mugwort velvet later, I'll definitely have to ask Guo Yi to help you with moxibustion for your old cold legs."

In front of her was spread a versatile thick plastic sheet, and in her hand was the old wooden club she had rummaged out from Grandpa's house last night, which had been laughed at by Grandma—

At this moment, she saw Ai Cao pile the mugwort stalks collected last night back in the yard, and everyone followed her example, moving stools to sit beside the large winnowing baskets.

"How can that be the same?" Everyone chatted, the atmosphere very casual: "Digging the tea mountain is heavy labor, it's suffering, and this weather is really unbearable."

While joking, everyone didn't refuse; they nimbly put on gloves, grabbed the top of the dried mugwort, and with a 'swish', stripped it downwards!

Is the difference between a nephew with a partner and one without so big?

Don't look at how many mountains we have here; places that can grow large patches of mugwort are really not many at this time of year.

Seeing Qiao Qiao agree, she didn't stay idle and moved a lower small stool.

"Need to strip the leaves? Then why not strip the leaves when drying?"

Furthermore, the temperature is so high; without the moisture in the stalks as a buffer, if the leaves accidentally get scorched and brittle, and you press them, they'll turn into dry dregs—how can you make mugwort velvet then?

"Basically, it's okay. But it's definitely too late to rub the mugwort velvet tonight. If you guys have time, you can strip the leaves off first."

Just right! A perfect fit!

She saw Zhang Hong, who was leading, laugh out loud:

"Your mugwort, I'm afraid everyone in our village will have to share some of the luck... We didn't help cut the mugwort stalks, so if we don't come to help with the mugwort velvet, that would be too unreasonable!"

He looked at it with satisfaction, not forgetting to mutter: "Making mugwort velvet yourself is quite troublesome..."

"Qiao Qiao, tie them into small bundles later!"

Then, according to Wu Lan's requirements, he selected one thick and one thin section, and tried to fit the thin one into the thick bamboo tube—

He always felt that since he came back this time, his aunt wasn't as kind and patient with him as before.

"With your small arms and legs, where do you have strength? I'll help you hammer it!"

The mugwort stalks are all straight, and the stems aren't the conventional cylindrical shape of plants, but rather have some edges. Wearing gloves and stripping them one by one in the mugwort field, the efficiency isn't much worse than that, right?

It just so happens that everything in Guo Dong's field grows green—but then again, with tens of millions poured in, and professors coming down from the mountain every day to provide guidance, it would be strange if it weren't good!

Guo Dong nodded: "Okay."

Hearing that there was something else he hadn't eaten, Guo Dong immediately agreed! While arranging for Qiao Qiao:

That's it, early in the morning, they were seen going up the mountain again.

Guo Dong giggled:

Ai Cao was truly frustrated that they wouldn't improve.

"But sell less this year; Master Qian said to pickle more sour bamboo shoots and dry more bamboo shoots."