novelhk Chapter 74 Harvesting Toona sinensis
Chapter 74 Harvesting Toona sinensis
The spring rain fell softly, making a rustling sound, like a beautiful melody played by nature. Su Yuning and her mother, wearing straw hats and rain boots, carrying baskets on their backs, resolutely stepped into the rain-soaked mountain forest.
It was springtime, a time of renewal, when the earth teemed with life and vitality—the perfect season to gather all sorts of delicious mountain delicacies. Tender bamboo shoots poked their pointed heads out of the moist soil, as if eager to feel the breath of spring; colorful mushrooms also sprouted like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, some small and delicate, like exquisite little umbrellas; others large and plump, emitting an enticing aroma. And on the toon trees, tender green leaves had quietly grown, swaying gently in the wind, as if beckoning to people.
These are all pure, natural, and pollution-free green ingredients, containing nature's purest gifts. Su Yuning and her mother happily wandered through the mountains and forests, carefully searching for treasures hidden in the grass or under the branches. Every time they discovered a new find, they would smile contentedly, their eyes revealing a deep love and gratitude for this land.
Su Yuning had originally planned to invite her elder brother and sister-in-law to go gathering ingredients, but things didn't go as planned. Her sister-in-law was incredibly busy teaching at the school and couldn't find the time to participate. Her brother was equally preoccupied, engrossed in editing important teaching materials, and equally unable to join the trip. Left with no other option, Su Yuning had to travel with her mother to that mysterious and unknown mountain.
Despite being a popular food blogger with a large following and superb culinary skills, Su Yuning actually lacked in-depth knowledge about various plants. For example, she couldn't distinguish between the seemingly very similar Chinese toon and the ailanthus tree. Furthermore, she was completely clueless about even simple questions like whether bamboo shoots grow above ground or underground. Not to mention the colorful and varied mushrooms—she was utterly confused about which were poisonous and inedible, and which were delicious and safe to eat. Because of this, Su Yuning made quite a few hilarious mistakes along the way.
So when she excitedly presented her mother with a handful of leaves that she thought were toon leaves, her mother immediately recognized them as not being toon leaves at all. Su Yuning looked bewildered, scratching her head blankly, and asked her mother in confusion, "Mom, toon leaves and ailanthus trees look exactly the same! You didn't even have to taste them, how could you be so sure I picked the wrong ones?"
The woman smiled gently, revealing a kind and friendly expression, and replied softly, "The two leaves smell quite different; you can tell the difference with just a light sniff."
Upon hearing this, Su Yuning, who was standing to the side, nodded quickly, her eyes revealing a hint of admiration, and replied, "I see. You are so experienced and knowledgeable!"
Just then, the woman suddenly looked puzzled and asked, "You used to be so knowledgeable about these kinds of everyday things, how come you seem to have completely forgotten them now? You don't even know how to distinguish between Chinese toon leaves and other tree leaves?"
When asked this question by the woman, Su Yuning felt a little embarrassed. She chuckled awkwardly twice, trying to cover up her embarrassment, and then casually laughed it off, saying, "Oh dear, it's probably because I've been too busy lately and haven't been sleeping well at night, which has made my brain a little fuzzy and my memory has declined quite a bit, so I've forgotten all these things."
Upon hearing Su Yuning's explanation, the woman hurriedly stepped forward, gently patted her shoulder, and comforted her with concern, "Child, don't overwork yourself. Remember to eat on time and make sure you get enough rest. Work is important, but your health is the most important thing!"
Su Yuning nodded obediently, responding like a dutiful child, "Yes, I understand, thank you for your concern!"
Harvesting Chinese toon leaves is quite difficult because many of the trees are very tall, and even when they stand on tiptoe, they can't reach the leaves. Su Yuning was about to climb a tree when her mother stopped her, saying, "Don't climb trees, it's dangerous in the rain!"
Su Yuning frowned slightly, her face full of worry, and replied softly, "But many of the toon leaves are growing high on the branches, and we can't reach them at all!" Her clear eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and anxiety.
Upon hearing this, the woman standing nearby thought for a moment, then turned the basket full of toon leaves upside down on the ground and bent down to carefully check if it was stable. Next, she straightened up, looking at Su Yuning with gentle yet firm eyes, and patiently instructed, "Child, try stepping on this basket. That should allow you to reach the higher toon leaves. But don't be afraid, I'll be here to protect you."
Upon hearing the woman's words, Su Yuning hesitated for a moment, but seeing the woman's kind face and encouraging eyes, most of her worries vanished. So, she nodded vigorously and replied, "Yes, Mother, I believe you!"
After saying that, Su Yuning carefully lifted her foot and stepped onto the basket. A little nervous, her body trembled slightly, but she still tried her best to maintain her balance. Once she was steady, she slowly reached out towards the toon leaves above her head. Just then, the woman stood close beside her, her hands ready to support Su Yuning if she lost her balance.
After some effort, Su Yuning finally managed to pick several tender toon leaves. Her face flushed with excitement, and she exclaimed happily, "Mommy, I picked them!" Seeing this, the woman couldn't help but smile and praised, "Good child, so clever! Keep it up!"
And so, with their cooperation and assistance, one of them was responsible for picking the toon leaves from the higher branches, while the other provided protection and support from the side. Before long, the basket was filled with fresh toon leaves that exuded a rich aroma.
At lunchtime, sunlight streamed through the windows onto the dining table, and the enticing aromas of various delicious dishes filled the air. Undoubtedly, today's lunch wouldn't be complete without the uniquely flavored toon sprouts! The Su family's table was laden with food, abundant and full of life.
The first thing that catches the eye is a plate of scrambled eggs with toon leaves. The golden scrambled eggs and tender green toon leaves intertwine, creating a vibrant and eye-catching dish that makes one's mouth water. Next to it is a cold toon and tofu salad. The delicate tofu is cut into neat small pieces and mixed with chopped toon leaves, then drizzled with a carefully prepared sauce. Just looking at it makes one's mouth water.
Besides these two dishes featuring toon leaves, there are also refreshing stir-fried bamboo shoots and tender stir-fried mushrooms. Each dish seems like a gift from nature, carrying the fresh scent of spring. Of course, bowls of fragrant, steaming white rice are also indispensable, glistening like white jade, waiting to be perfectly combined with these delicious dishes.
Just then, the eldest son of the Su family and his wife rushed home for lunch. As soon as they stepped inside, their eyes were immediately drawn to the fresh, green vegetables on the table. However, no one expected the eldest son to suddenly blurt out, "Yu Ning, look at these vegetables! Does this mean your husband has betrayed you?" These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.
"Shut up!" The woman's eyes widened in anger, and her sharp shout was like a thunderclap. At the same time, the eldest son's wife also raised her eyebrows and scolded coquettishly, "Don't speak!" These two commands came down like Mount Tai pressing down on him. The eldest son of the Su family was immediately terrified and his mouth was tightly shut like a clam shell. He dared not make a sound anymore.
Su Yuning glared at him fiercely, her eyes seeming to spit fire. Then, she angrily picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a large mouthful of fresh, tender toon leaves, and forcefully shoveled them into her bowl. She skillfully mixed the toon leaves with the white rice, coating every grain with the vibrant green toon leaf bits. Next, she lifted the bowl and began shoveling large mouthfuls of rice into her mouth, as if trying to swallow all her anger.
At this point, Old Su, who had been silent all along, finally lost his temper. He grabbed his chopsticks and smacked his son's hand mercilessly, scolding him as he did so: "Can you shut your stinking mouth? If you can't speak properly, then shut up! Do you know how hard your sister worked to gather these wild vegetables? If you don't want to eat them, get out of this house right now!"
Hearing his father's words, the eldest son of the Su family knew he was in the wrong, his face flushing red and then pale. He slowly put down his chopsticks, head bowed, and slunk out of the house like a defeated rooster. Watching her husband's departing figure, the eldest son's wife was suddenly caught in an awkward dilemma. But she quickly recovered, turned around and sat down next to Su Yuning, gently patting her shoulder to comfort her, "Little sister, don't be angry. Your brother is just like that, always making silly jokes. Please don't take it to heart!"
Upon hearing this, Su Yuning forced a bitter smile and nodded slightly, saying, "Yes, sister-in-law, I understand." Although she said that, she still felt somewhat wronged. After all, the wild vegetables she had painstakingly gathered were being rejected by her brother like this; anyone would feel bad in that situation.
Just as everyone was sitting around the table, enjoying their meal, the adorable little baby toddled over to the table. Taking advantage of the adults' inattention, the little one quickly reached for the eggs on the table, grabbed them, and eagerly stuffed them into his little mouth.
In the blink of an eye, the eldest daughter-in-law, with sharp eyes and lightning-fast movements, snatched the food from the baby's hands. The little one watched helplessly as the delicious treat was taken from his mouth, his little mouth pouting, his face showing extreme grievance, before he burst into loud wails that echoed throughout the entire house.
"Oh dear, eldest daughter-in-law, why are you arguing with a little kid? He just wants something to eat, why do you have to make him cry?" Seeing this, the woman beside her couldn't help but complain to her eldest daughter-in-law, while quickly reaching out to pick up her beloved grandson and gently coaxing him, "Oh, my little darling, don't cry, Xiao Bao is the most obedient and well-behaved." However, no matter how gently the woman comforted him, the little baby still cried heartbrokenly, tears rolling down his face like beads from a broken string, and no amount of coaxing could help.
At this moment, the daughter-in-law explained, feeling wronged, "Mom, I didn't mean to make the baby cry. It's just that the food was a little too salty today. If he ate it, it might cause him to cough. So I..." Hearing this, Su Yuning quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Mother, please don't blame my sister-in-law. She did it out of concern for the child. We're all family; we should be more tolerant and understanding of each other!" The woman nodded repeatedly, replying, "Okay, okay, I understand."
At the dining table, Old Su didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, as if he already knew everything that was happening. His slightly impatient voice rang out: "Is there even a question? If you can't soothe him, then stop forcing yourself to hold him and put him down. I think this little guy is just hungry. Hurry up and get him something to eat!"
"Okay, I understand," the woman beside her quickly replied, then carefully handed the crying baby in her arms to her daughter-in-law, before turning and hurrying into the kitchen to get busy. Before long, a steaming bowl of fragrant steamed egg custard was freshly made.
The woman first gently blew on the rim of the bowl to cool it slightly before picking up a spoon and scooping up a small spoonful of steamed egg custard, slowly feeding it into the child's eager little mouth. Strangely enough, the baby, who had been crying his heart out just moments before, seemed to be under a spell; upon tasting the delicious egg custard, he immediately stopped crying, smacking his lips and eating with relish. In no time, the bowl of egg custard was completely devoured, and the little baby finally quieted down, satisfied.
Time flew by, and it was noon in the blink of an eye. After the family enjoyed a hearty lunch together, the eldest daughter-in-law rested for a while before playing with her child. Seeing the warm and harmonious scene between mother and child, the others couldn't help but smile happily. However, not long after, the eldest daughter-in-law remembered she had a class to teach in the afternoon. So, she kissed her child's rosy cheeks, got up to say goodbye to her family, and hurried off to school.
Meanwhile, Su Yuning, the youngest daughter of the Su family, was overjoyed to hear that her best friend Zhou Xi had returned to her parents' home. She couldn't wait a moment longer and, like a happy little bird, rushed out of her house towards Zhou Xi's home in the village, eagerly anticipating seeing her long-lost best friend.