Traditional Chinese Medicine: Back to the years when educated youths went to the countryside

Chapter 293 The correct use of Luoyang shovel
After lunch, Xu Xiaozhi deliberately set aside a few each of dogwood, August fried and pyracantha fruits, and carefully stuffed them into her backpack.

Not to take her back to eat, but just to show off, so that the educated youths in the Wang family's production brigade would know what Xu Xiaozhi is capable of.

The girl's petty behavior made Wang Chengzhou want to laugh, but he didn't dare to really provoke her, so he could only shake his head, hold her little hand, and climb up.

As mentioned before, Poria cocos is a parasitic fungus that usually grows on the roots of red pine or masson pine and is buried tens of centimeters deep underground.

The Central Plains has four distinct seasons, and pines and cypresses are not uncommon. However, if you want to find large pine forests, you still need to go to high altitudes.

The Funiu Mountains stretch for thousands of miles, and the soil in most places is fertile. Various wild plants grow on the mountains, including pine forests.

On the way, after encountering three rabbits, two golden pheasants, and a sika deer, the two finally came to a gloomy pine forest.

Until entering the forest, Xu Xiaozhi kept looking back.His eyes were full of excitement, but his body was honest. He held him tightly with his little hands, obviously a little nervous, "Wang Xiucai, it turns out there are really so many wild animals in the mountains. Those two pheasants just now are so beautiful!"

"And that sika deer is really like an elf jumping in the mountains. It's completely different from what I saw in the park when I was a child."

"Wow, the mountains are so beautiful! Wang Xiucai, you must keep your word and bring me here often in the future."

Wang Chengzhou observed the situation in the pine forest and replied casually without turning his head:

"No, in addition to these, there are poisonous snakes, leopards, wild boars in the mountains... and even, according to legend, there are savages and ghost caves."

"In the early years, there was no food for everyone, so many people were forced to take risks in the mountains, and many lives were lost."

"When we are walking on the mountain road, if you look carefully, you can still see dense bones in the mountains and grass."

Xu Xiaozhi's figure has grown, not to mention the protrusion of the front and back, but at least she has the charm that an adult woman should have.Hearing this, he was so frightened that he pulled his hand closer to him, almost touching him, but his oval face became round and round with anger, and he said angrily:

"Wang Chengzhou, you dare to scare me!"

"I didn't expect you to be so bad. I'll tell Siya when I go back!"

"I still believe in venomous snakes and wild boars in the mountains, but why are there savages and ghost caves... Do you dislike me? If you don't want me to follow you, just tell me, I won't come!"

She said it didn't matter, but she pinched his arm in retaliation, making her little face wrinkle up with anger.

Wang Chengzhou bared his teeth and cracked his mouth. He quickly jumped away from her and said harshly:
"You are my military advisor, why would I dislike you?"

"Aren't I telling you the real situation in the mountains so that you can be mentally prepared?"

"It's probably going to be dark when we get out of the mountain. What if something strange suddenly runs by and scares you so much that you can't even walk?"

When Xu Xiaozhi heard this, she became even more angry. She bared her little tiger teeth and wanted to bite him, "You still said that!"

"You're just trying to scare me!"

"Huh, Wang Chengzhou, I can't be scared. Anyway, I'm relying on you. Even if I'm really scared and my legs are so weak that I can't walk, just carry me back!"

Wang Chengzhou sighed secretly and stopped arguing with her. When he saw a dead pine tree in the distance, he quickly pulled her and ran over.

After circling around the root of the tree, he took off the Luoyang shovel on his back.

Seeing that he was silent and staring at the thick dead branches and leaves on the ground, Xu Xiaozhi felt a little confused and couldn't help but ask: "Wang Xiucai, what are you looking at?"

"Are there any treasures on the ground? Didn't you say that Poria cocos grows underground? Can you tell?"

Seeing that she was asking a series of questions like a curious baby, Wang Chengzhou gently tapped the ground with a Luoyang shovel and explained:
"Poria cocos is an herb that grows underground, but it is not traceless."

"Xu Xiaozhi, what I'm telling you below is the secret to making a meal as a herbal picker. One day you won't be an educated youth anymore. With the skills I taught you, you can dig poria cocos in the mountains and sell them for money, and you can support yourself."

"Why don't you take out your notebook and take notes?"

How could Xu Xiaozhi not hear that he was teasing her, she couldn't help but smile, raised her foot and kicked him, and said with a straight face:

"Wang Xiucai, you are such a talkative person!"

"Even if I am no longer an educated youth, I can still starve myself to death if I become a tofu beauty. Handsome young men from all over the country will miss me."

"Who is like you, so carefree and ignorant! I do have a small notebook with me, but it's all about remembering the bad things you did to me!"

The resentment hidden in these words made Wang Chengzhou lose his mind for a while, but he didn't dare to think any more, and said sternly:

"When did I do something bad to you? We have a great class friendship and are the best revolutionary comrades!"

"For example, the secret to digging Poria cocos. Even if you don't want to hear it, I will tell you."

"Poria cocos usually grows under dead pine trees in the forest. Experienced herb collectors can judge whether there is any growth underground from the cracks in the ground, the white mycelium hidden in the dead branches and leaves, and the growth of nearby weeds. Poria."

Xu Xiaozhi lowered her eyebrows and pretended to be listening attentively, but an unspeakable disappointment flashed across her pretty face, but she immediately raised her head and said with a sweet smile:
"Well, I remember."

"Whenever I really can't eat anymore, I will go to the mountains to be a village woman picking Poria cocos. I go out early every day and come back late every day. I am very busy. Although the life is hard, I don't have to think too much, so I should be very happy. "

"By the way, please speak carefully, I will remember every word in my mind."

She was obviously smiling, but Wang Chengzhou's heart twitched when she saw it, and she couldn't help but feel a touch of tenderness in her words, so she explained patiently.

Then, he picked up the Luoyang shovel and said with a smile:

"Actually, it's not as simple as just getting started!"

"Xiao Zhi, you should know that this thing is used by tomb robbers, right?"

"In the past, people who picked Poria cocos would carry a tool with them, either a sharpened bamboo pole or a hollow iron rod. They would go under a dead pine tree and just poke it into the soil. If there is white powder on it, it must be Poria cocos."

"Well, this is still a pleasure."

Xu Xiaozhi pursed her lips and smiled, then flashed her big eyes and said:

"Wang Xiucai, you are really a talent when you use the tools of tomb robbing to collect herbs!"

"Hey, you have such a brain that you don't know what to think all day long. You can't figure it out."

"Give it to me. Since you want to seriously teach me how to pick Poria cocos, I will find the first one myself!"

Wang Chengzhou glanced at the sky and saw that it was still early, so he let her play.

Unexpectedly, when I lowered the pole and pulled it out, there were actually a lot of pink and white lumps on it.

"Yeah!" Xu Xiaozhi immediately opened her eyes and said excitedly:

"Wang Xiucai, Bai Fuling!"

"Dig quickly, dig quickly! It seems that even God has begun to take pity on me. I found it all at once."

"I have only eaten Poria cake, but I have never seen what Poria looks like."

Wang Chengzhou took the Luoyang shovel, felt guilty, and muttered: "What's wrong with it? Don't say weird things."

"Hmph, I followed you into the mountains early in the morning. I ran so hard that my feet got blisters. I was so tired that my bones fell apart. Isn't that pitiful enough?"

Xu Xiaozhi stared at him with sharp eyes and said without meaning.

You didn't ask for it yourself...

However, he only dared to mutter these words in his heart and dug in silence.

Pulling aside the dead branches and leaves on the ground, a big hole was dug out in a short time.In the center of the pit, a spherical object several times larger than a human head appeared. It was round and covered with a layer of black-red soil. It looked very strange.

If you don't know how to do it, you might think you have dug up some kind of monster.

"Wow, is this Poria?"

Xu Xiaozhi squatted on the edge of the pit and stuck her head out, making people afraid that she would accidentally fall in. "It's so big!"

"Wang Xiucai, are we getting rich?"

"Chi Liu, how many Poria cakes need to be made!"

This girl made a funny sound that made people think she was drooling.

Even though Wang Chengzhou was well-informed, he was excited by her. He felt that she was so fun and he completely let himself go today.

You know, Xu Xiaozhi is usually a very reserved and gentle girl. When other people talk, she will never make any comments except narrowing her eyes and smiling sweetly. She has a very good sense of distance, which makes people dare not easily. offend her.

But today when she arrived in the mountains, with no outsiders around, she showed her true nature.

"Well, it's true that such a big one is rare."

Wang Chengzhou straightened up and breathed a sigh of relief, "If you want to eat Poria cake, we can make it when we go back. Comrade Li Yuzhu's craftsmanship is still very good."

"Moreover, the preparation of Poria Cake is not complicated. We can also improve it by adding ingredients according to the ingredients. For example, when kneading the dough, you can add steamed sweet potato puree, fried cypress kernels, and brown sugar."

"Once it's done, you might be able to sell it at the market."

Originally, Xu Xiaozhi was just pretending, but after what he said, her saliva secreted like crazy, and she was so greedy that her heart felt itchy. She urged: "Oh, what are you waiting for? Hurry up, hurry up."

Wang Chengzhou chuckled lightly, scraped away the last bit of soil, and was about to move out, but he didn't move. He couldn't help but exclaimed, and suddenly his eyes widened, "Comrade Xu Xiaozhi, what kind of luck are you doing! We seem to be really going to get rich... …”

When Xu Xiaozhi heard this, she was so excited that she stumbled. Her foot slipped and she almost fell into the pit. She asked curiously: "What do you mean, Wang Xiucai?"

"Remember when we entered the mountain, I told you what we were looking for?"

"The God of White Fu?"

"That's right! I didn't expect that when you shoveled down, you actually dug out a piece of Bai Fu God!"

"Wow, really?"

Xu Xiaozhi finally couldn't bear it anymore and simply jumped down, but her legs softened and she fell directly into his arms.

However, fortunately, this girl was obsessed with money and didn't have any charming thoughts. She immediately helped him stand up straight and lowered his head to study.

Feeling the still warmth in his chest, Wang Chengzhou quickly introduced her:
"Actually, Poria Goddess and Poria cocos are the same thing. The only difference between the two is that Poria Goddess is a kind of Poria cocos that happens to grow around the roots of pine trees."

"Even though this is the only difference, they are very different in their medicinal properties."

"Poria strengthens the spleen and diuresis; Poria Shen strengthens the spleen and calms the mind. When used as medicine, there is no comparison between the two. Therefore, our 'Smart Soup' can only use White Poria Shen, not White Poria. What's more important is that , Poria Goddess is much more precious than Poria cocos."

Xu Xiaozhi was really happy. She no longer thought that the head-like thing was weird. She went up and touched it again and again, and found that there was indeed a pine tree rhizome running through the middle of the Poria cocos.

She was originally curious about things in the mountains, and because she was so lucky and had Wang Chengzhou by her side, the corners of her cute mouth turned up with joy, "Wang Xiucai, how much more is Poria God more expensive than Poria cocos?"

This time Wang Chengzhou was stopped.

Poria cocos is different from other Chinese medicinal materials. As mentioned before, in addition to being used as medicine, it is a necessity for making Poria cocos cake.The emergence of Poria cake has a history of more than a hundred years. It is a flavor pastry in southern Fujian and is considered a very famous traditional food.

Poria cocos was originally listed as a top-grade medicinal material in the "Shen Nong's Materia Medica". In addition, people in later generations increasingly recognized its health effects, resulting in a shortage of poria cocos and artificial cultivation in many places.

However, the price of wild Poria cocos has always remained high, and can be several times higher than artificially grown Poria cocos.

Compared with Poria cocos, Poria Goddess is much rarer and more expensive, so many unscrupulous drug dealers resort to counterfeiting methods to artificially produce Poria Goddess in order to make huge profits.

A few weeks before the Poria was about to mature, pine tree roots were inserted artificially to make the Poria look like the God of Poria.In the jargon, it is called "inserting sticks and Fushen".

This thing looks like Fu Shen, but in fact it has no effect of Fu Shen.

This shows how lucky Xu Xiaozhi is. With a shovel, she actually dug out a piece of Poria Goddess.

However, these are all nonsense things that will appear in later generations. Wang Chengzhou is really not sure about the current price of Fu Shen. He can only make a rough guess: "How many cents per pound does Poria cost? Fu Shen should be several times more expensive than it." Double it."

"How many cents per pound?!"

Xu Xiaozhi was stunned for a moment and lowered his head to take a look. Such a big piece weighed at least several dozen kilograms, right?Go down with a shovel and dig out ten yuan?
This is too exaggerated!

How could Wang Chengzhou not know what she was thinking, so he poured cold water on her and said:

“Poria cocos harvesting is a technical job, and it involves a lot of luck.”

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have said just now that after you learn what I teach you, you can completely fill your stomach and even support your family."

"Moreover, business is not allowed now. It is okay to sell this large piece of Poria God as a rare item to the supply and marketing cooperative. If it is mined on a large scale and sold in the market, I am afraid that someone will be charged with disrupting the market. .”

Xu Xiaozhi is so smart, how come she doesn’t know this?
Therefore, his eyebrows immediately narrowed, as sweet as a crescent moon, "So, you thought of a way to sell 'smart soup'?"

(End of this chapter)