Chapter 79: Chapter 79 A Strange Old Man Chapter 79: Chapter 79 A Strange Old Man Bamboo rice slowly began to release its fragrance, the scents of smoked meat, potatoes, and carrots gradually filled the air, drawing their attention irresistibly.
Bai Zhi glanced over, judging that the time was about right.
The six people together had made six servings of bamboo rice, one for each person, which was plenty, especially with stir-fried potatoes and smoked meat as well.
Everyone was somewhat impatient to start eating, but a slightly awkward issue arose: they had forgotten to bring chopsticks.
But no worries, they could simply take an unused bamboo segment with their sickles, split it open, and voilà, makeshift chopsticks. Although they weren’t pretty, they would suffice for one-time use.
Splitting open the bamboo rice, the bamboo’s inner lining turned a golden brown, enveloping the rice so it could be slid out in one whole piece. That was the biggest difference between baking and steaming.
While steamed rice also had the fragrance of bamboo, it lacked the crispness and that charred fragrance; the outside was slightly hard, like a delicious crust, crunchy and aromatic when bitten into.
In fact, baked rice was somewhat hard due to the absence of steam, which made it even more fragrant.
The aromatic smoked meat, the soft potatoes, the sweetness of the carrots, all melded together in this cylindrical delight.
It tasted incredibly good.
“Ah, arriving early is not as good as arriving just at the right time. Miss, we meet again; such fate.”
Somehow, the old man had shown up again. Smiling broadly, he walked towards Bai Zhi and eyed the bamboo rice in her hand, which she hadn’t yet started to eat.
Bai Zhi ignored his expectant look and began eating, biting into it—oh, so delicious.
The smile on the old man’s face froze. Why couldn’t this girl read the situation?
Really, how uncharming.
“I’m hungry.”
The old man prepared to make his move, and the other children watched, conflicted. The food was too delicious to part with, but then again, not giving some seemed…
“You should share your meal with me,” the old man blurted out while eyeing the bamboo rice in Bai Zhi’s hands. What a surprise that this girl could cook so well.
Should he, or shouldn’t he?
No, no, dealing with kids was troublesome.
“Umm, Grandpa, is it really okay to be so direct?”
Bai Zhi sighed. Why was this grandpa so straightforward?
“What’s wrong with that?”
The old man snatched the bamboo rice without minding that Bai Zhi had already taken a bite and started to eat.
The moment it hit his mouth, ah, it was just as he had thought.
After eating the bamboo rice, he didn’t hesitate to help himself to the stir-fried potatoes and smoked meat slices.
As he ate, he began to critique.
“This meat is too little, and the potatoes too. You should add some garlic.”
Soon enough, the smoked meat and potatoes disappeared at a visibly rapid rate.
The other children looked like they were about to cry, clutching their bamboo rice tightly, with longing eyes on the pot. They wanted to cry but didn’t dare to; tears swirled in their eyes, the picture of grievance.
“Grandpa, leave some for us…”
Bai Zhi felt as if she couldn’t pretend not to see. This grandpa, didn’t he know how hard it was to get a chance to eat bamboo rice? He was actually competing with the children for food.
Hearing Bai Zhi’s words, the old man paused, his face reddening as he looked at the tearful little carrot heads.
“Why do you all look like you’re about to cry? Don’t worry, I won’t let you suffer for treating me to a meal. In a bit, I’ll take you to learn about herbs. Once you’ve learned, you can dig them up to sell and buy lots of meat.”
Seemingly embarrassed, the old man reluctantly spoke up, guessing that the other children were about to cry. Otherwise, he would have eaten and run away.
“Really? You recognize herbs?”
The children, with nasal tones, were somewhat incredulous. Herbs weren’t that easy to come upon.
“Of course, after I eat, I’ll take you there. Then you can dig them up and take them to town to sell, but it’s just this once, no more after that.”
To trade his trimmings for a meal seemed somewhat unbearable to part with.
“Fine then.”
They agreed with reluctance. They had no other choice; he’d eaten everything, and too quickly at that.
After eating his fill, the old man glanced at the children. This is why little kids are the least adorable, just for a few bites of food, they were about to cry.
However, Bai Zhi observed the old man closely. The original owner’s memories, along with books, didn’t seem to mention this person. Did he not match up, or was he just a peculiar old man?
They followed the old man a fair distance, down a narrow path, for quite a long time,
until their legs felt almost broken. Finally, between two mountains, they saw a patch of green.
Bai Zhi’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was the seven-leafed Solomon’s-seal.
This was also later known as Chonglou, usually with seven leaves shaped like an umbrella and a single flower in the middle, hence the name seven-leafed Solomon’s-seal.
It clears heat and detoxifies, reduces swelling and relieves pain, and if used with Bidens, it can even treat snake bites.
This was indeed a medicinal herb. Who would have thought it would be in their mountains? If Chonglou was here, perhaps ginseng was also normal?
Why did Bai Zhi know this? Because in reality, her grandfather was a tea farmer who often wandered the mountains. These were common knowledge, which he naturally taught Bai Zhi.
She also recognized some herbs that could stave off snakes and insects.
Chonglou and Bidens were among them. With Chonglou here, what about Bidens?
Bai Zhi’s gaze drifted elsewhere, and sure enough, not far off, she spotted Bidens.
“How about that, I didn’t lie to you. This is seven-leafed Solomon’s-seal. I’ll teach you how to dig it up.”
The old man showed them how to dig, and then the young ones began to enthusiastically dig up the plants, even Bai Fei took it seriously as it was her first time earning money.
When they had dug up a fair amount, the old man stopped them.
“What, do you want to clean it all out? Leave some behind for next year’s regrowth, bring back what you’ve collected and sell it, remember, the price is around 20 yuan. Don’t sell for less, it would be a loss, understand?”
Twenty yuan, the children’s jaws dropped in astonishment. Their wide eyes showed disbelief; could a single pound fetch nearly three pounds of meat?
“We know, thank you, Grandpa.”
They had dug up nearly ten pounds, which meant over two hundred yuan. For a child, about 40 yuan each was indeed quite a sum.
Bai Zhi believed the old man was not deceiving them, nor did he have any reason to. Could he really be a big shot?
Yet, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, she found it hard to equate him with any sort of hermit master.
“Alright, that’s it, let’s go. I’ll lead you out.”
The old man led them away from the spot, and when they looked back, the mountain’s outline was becoming indistinct again.
There was a blind eye technique at work here! Bai Zhi was almost instantly certain of it.
Halfway down the mountain, the old man parted ways with them. After descending, Bai Zhi and the others saw Er Bai and the group pet digging up fish mint not far away, but they paid no attention.
They headed straight for Bai Dan to take them to the town.