newbobooks Chapter 76 Honeysuckle
Chapter 76 Honeysuckle
Then someone raised a question, "Jiaojiao, what price will be used to purchase the fresh He Shou Wu?"
Song Jiaojiao figured that one pound of He Shou Wu would yield at most two ounces, and that included a considerable amount of black beans and labor costs. Even with nine steaming and nine drying cycles, the fastest they could produce a finished product would still be close to half a month.
"The processing of He Shou Wu is very slow, requiring nine steaming and nine drying processes, and also using a lot of black beans. It takes about half a month to produce the finished product, not to mention the labor costs. Let's tentatively set the price at one coin per pound."
If you need any, you can sign up with the village chief so I can prepare the vines. Planting is similar to planting sweet potatoes. Since no one has seeds this year, you can use mine. You don't need to pay anything. After the Polygonum multiflorum is harvested, we'll calculate it as ten vines per pound.
If you wish to purchase, the price can be calculated at one coin per vine.
After Song Jiaojiao finished speaking, opinions differed. Some people felt that following Song Jiaojiao would be the right thing to do, while others scoffed at her, and still others said that Song Jiaojiao was obsessed with money, asking why such a small thing was so expensive.
Regardless of what people said, the story just went on. Song Jiaojiao didn't pay much attention to what happened next. Actually, the longer the He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) is stored, the better its medicinal effect. Song Jiaojiao had negotiated with Huichuntang for a year's supply, but hadn't mentioned the price for longer-term products. She planned to talk to Uncle Liu about it after it was all done.
"There's one more thing. If you have black beans at home, you can sell them to me. I'll buy them at the price of sweet potatoes, and you have to pick out the good ones and dry them thoroughly."
Many families in Qingshui Village grow black beans, which are the main ingredient in black flour. I've never seen soybeans. Soybeans are so great! They can be used to make tofu, dried bean curd sticks, bean curd sheets, soy milk, and more. They can also be used to make fermented tofu, which is a delicious dish when stir-fried.
It seems I'll have to ask the Four Directions Escort Agency to help me bring some seeds from other places when I have time that day.
Upon returning home, Song Jiaojiao handed the cloth to Xu Fang, asking her to take the other two to prepare everyone's summer clothes. The clothes for Song Jiaojiao and the others were ready-made, while the silk was given to Bai Shuqin, whom Song Jiaojiao knew was skilled in needlework and could practice with Mu Qing.
After giving her instructions, Song Jiaojiao saw Mu Xue return, holding yellow and white flowering branches in her hand.
Ok?
Isn't this honeysuckle? The pharmacies here call it Lonicera japonica. Song Jiaojiao quickly called Muxue over, "Second sister, where did you pick this flower?"
Mu Xue looked at the flower in her hand, then at Song Jiaojiao, and said with a grin, "Brother Tiedan picked this near Qingshui Mountain, it seems to be close to the Qingshui River. Mother, is there something wrong with this flower?"
Hearing what Mu Xue said, Song Jiaojiao recalled that honeysuckle usually grows in damp, watery places or in bushes on hillsides, and generally starts to bloom in March and lasts until June.
Honeysuckle is a good thing; it has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispersing wind-heat.
The Shennong Materia Medica records that "honeysuckle is cold in nature and sweet in taste. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and removing blood stasis. It is mainly used to treat exogenous wind-heat, the initial stage of epidemic diseases, sores and boils, redness, swelling, heat and pain, and bloody stools."
Song Jiaojiao smiled and patted Mu Xue's head, saying, "The flower is fine. This flower is a good thing. It's called honeysuckle, also known as Lonicera japonica. It's a medicinal herb that can clear heat and detoxify, and it can also be drunk as tea."
Mu Xue looked at the flower in her hand, surprised that it was also a medicinal herb. "Mother, there are many more over at Qingshui Mountain, in vast fields. They are so beautiful."
"Okay, Mother will go pick them tomorrow, and dig up a few to plant by the pond behind the mountain." Song Jiaojiao chuckled, thinking that honeysuckle could be sold for money, and wondered if Huichuntang would accept it.
The next morning, after eating breakfast, Song Jiaojiao set off with her basket on her back. When she arrived at the place full of honeysuckle, the dew on the flowers had dried. She had to pick the unopened buds of the honeysuckle, take them home and let them dry in the shade. They couldn't be exposed to direct sunlight, and she had to turn them over frequently to prevent them from turning black.
Song Jiaojiao picked a basketful and then stopped. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but the sun was getting stronger, making her face flushed. She found a few small plants, dug them up, and went home. She put them in a shady spot, sprinkled some water on them, and planned to plant them after the sun went down.
She emptied the honeysuckle from the basket and placed it in a shaded, well-ventilated area to air dry. She told Xu Fang to be careful to turn it over, and then went back to her room.
I kept thinking about honeysuckle last night, and I didn't even plant the seeds I brought back yesterday in my space.
They went to the storeroom and took the medicinal seeds that Manager Liu had brought back yesterday to Song Jiaojiao's room.
Close the door, enter the space, and pour out the seeds. They were all wrapped in oil paper, some large and some small.
Song Jiaojiao unfolded all the oil paper and spread it all over the small courtyard. At this moment, Fei Hu came to Song Jiaojiao, flapping his wings up and down, and shouted excitedly, "Host, host, so many seeds! With so many, we can definitely upgrade."
Song Jiaojiao pushed Fei Hu away with one hand, and picked at her ear with the other, her ears almost deafened by its barking. "Alright, I know you're happy, but you don't have to be this close. Are you satisfied now?"
Fei Hu nodded hurriedly, his mouth almost stretched to his ears, "Yes, yes, host, you really are a case of not making a sale for three years, but making a sale that lasts for three years."
Song Jiaojiao: ……
Is this how you use this word?
"Feihu, do you recognize what kind of medicinal herbs these seeds are?" Song Jiaojiao pointed at the seeds in front of her, unable to distinguish them at all.
Feihu shook his head. "Host, I don't know. I've never seen it before."
Before? Wasn't the jade pendant space with me separately?
"So, you've had other owners too?" Song Jiaojiao asked casually as she sorted through the seeds.
Flying Tiger: Oops, I let it slip.
Flying Tiger covered his mouth and slowly backed away until the thatched hut disappeared around the corner.
Song Jiaojiao shook her head, amused, as she watched Fei Hu's little antics.
Many medicinal seeds look like sesame seeds, just different colors; some look like beans, just not as round.
Rong Jiaojiao picked up the medicinal seed that looked like a small sweet potato. Its seeds were transparent and flesh-colored. She felt like she had seen it somewhere before. Looking at the medicinal seed in her hand, Song Jiaojiao planted it in the soil.
It seems that not being kicked out is not enough.
I grabbed a handful of seeds that looked like blueberries but were only a third the size of blueberries, about the size of black beans, and the same color. I planted them in the soil, and as soon as I covered them with soil, they were kicked out. It seems the soil is full. I wonder how long it will take to upgrade this time?
"Host, this upgrade will take an hour, and there will be huge changes." Fei Hu pretended to be mysterious, his smile particularly lewd in Song Jiaojiao's mind.
Song Jiaojiao: ……
I really don't know where this spatial spirit gets so many expressions. Could it be that it was corrupted by its former master, or perhaps its former master before that...?
Fei Hu's laughter stopped abruptly. He'd only laughed twice, why was he so vengeful? What a petty host.
Song Jiaojiao didn't hear Fei Hu's voice again. She thought that the seeds he brought back this time were so good that they might even be able to grow to the next level. It was a pity that she didn't recognize many of them. Should she go and buy a medical book to take a look?