While talking, they walked with Uncle Cai for about one hour before finally arriving at the place he had mentioned.
From a distance, they could see a slightly foggy pond surrounded by the sound of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Yang Chuxia thought to herself that she usually couldn’t find any wild vegetables on the mountain since it was mostly filled with weeds; it seemed that they all gathered in this particular spot instead.
As for the pond, it was clearly a hot spring. The temperature was just right, and it was probably the reason why so many wild vegetables could be found nearby at this time of the year.
Of course, there were also the herbs that Uncle Cai had mentioned.
"I’ve seen the Chinese aconite you mentioned in medical books, but I’ve never searched for it. As for the Tian Nan Star you mentioned, I’ve never seen nor heard of it, so I don’t know what it looks like," said Uncle Cai as he put down his carrying basket.
"Then, Uncle Cai, you can help me search for the Chinese aconite, while I’ll look for the Tian Nan Star. It’s not hard to identify. It looks like a flat and open oil-paper umbrella, and it’s a pale green color," Yang Chuxia replied.
"Alright, I’ll search for the Chinese aconite and keep an eye out for the Tian Nan Star as well."
As they talked, Uncle Cai and Yang Chuxia began their search separately. The hot spring was quite expansive, and the two searched until noon without any success.
After eating some dry rations, they resumed their search, but still found nothing by the afternoon.
Nevertheless, Yang Chuxia decided she couldn’t leave empty-handed, so she dug up a carrying basket full of wild vegetables and other plants from the surrounding area.
While walking, Yang Chuxia stepped on a pine cone with a crunch.
Yang Chuxia looked down and saw it was a pine cone.
"Uncle Cai, Uncle Cai, wait!" Uncle Cai was also walking ahead, carrying a basket of wild vegetables on his back. However, his basket was much larger than Yang Chuxia’s.
"Uncle Cai, can I borrow your carrying basket? I want to pick up some pine cones."
"What do you want these things for? They can’t be eaten or drank, and they’re not as good as pine needles when it comes to lighting a stove. They make a popping sound at the bottom of the pot," Uncle Cai replied.
Upon hearing Uncle Cai’s words, Yang Chuxia paused in confusion. Can’t be eaten? Can’t be eaten? Gosh, there were pine nuts wrapped inside, and back in the day, a pound of Brazilian hand-peeled pine nuts would cost four to five hundred yuan.
Although these wild pine nuts couldn’t compare to those, they weren’t bad. How could these ancient people say they couldn’t be eaten?
"Uncle Cai, quickly, lend me your carrying basket!"
Yang Chuxia didn’t bother explaining at this point and simply began stuffing the pine cones into her basket as she found them. Uncle Cai, seeing her urgent demeanor, also put down his carrying basket and began helping her.
However, he couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What do you need these things for?"
Without even thinking, Yang Chuxia replied, "Uncle Cai, you’ll need to keep this a secret for now. Once I confirm that these things are safe, I’ll tell everyone in the village to come and pick them. The time before the New Year might be tight, but no matter what, this might help the villagers earn some extra income."
"These things?" Uncle Cai looked doubtful. He had been living here for many years and had never heard of these things being edible.
"Of course, I’m not just talking nonsense."
Uncle Cai thought about Yang Chuxia’s character and decided to trust her, nodding without asking further questions.
As the two of them picked together, they worked faster. Their carrying baskets were already partway full, so it didn’t take long for them to be completely filled.
Then, they headed back to the village together, one in front and one behind.
By the time they returned to the village, it was already dark. When they reached Yang Chuxia’s home, Ye Zi’an had already returned from the tavern and helped Yang Chuxia remove her carrying basket.
Upon seeing Uncle Cai, Ye Zi’an greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Cai."