The pastoral life of the grass tribe chief

When Lu Yao returned home, his grandparents and parents were eating cantaloupe in the living room.

"These two pieces were given to you by your Uncle Quan."

Lu Lide said.

"This is truly a case of the sun rising in the west."

Lu Yao knew that the land had been exchanged, which was why Lu Liquan was so generous.

"I asked around, and Liushui Village was relocated and merged into another village shortly after the reservoir was dug. I don't know where it was merged into."

"The older brother-in-law of the madwoman will help inquire, but so many years have passed, there probably aren't many people from that generation still alive, and the chances of young people knowing are slim, so Grandma, don't have too high hopes."

Lu Yao said to his grandmother.

"Are you looking for your sister?"

Lu Lide had also heard his mother mention that Wang Xiurong and her husband had this sister.

Grandma nodded.

Although I was mentally prepared, I was still a little sad to hear the news.

"I thought you had already figured it out."

Seeing his wife looking somewhat forlorn, the old man sighed.

"Grandpa, is there any place you really want to go but haven't been to yet, or any food you really want to eat but haven't tried yet?"

Lu Yao asked the old man.

"I want to eat pine nut fried rice."

The old man laughed.

"Are pine nuts edible?"

Lu Yao was taken aback.

He only knew that pine resin and pine nuts could be used to extract pine oil, and that pine cones could be used to make wine, but he didn't know that pine nuts could also be eaten.

"It smells delicious and tastes great."

The old man nodded.

"Are these pine nuts from the Masson pine trees here?"

Lu Yao's interest was also piqued.

"Yes."

The old man said.

"There are very few Masson pine trees nearby, only around the reservoir."

"No one has been harvesting pine cones or cutting down pine trees for firewood for so many years. They've all grown very tall. Harvesting pine cones is dangerous. Don't listen to your grandfather's nonsense."

Grandma glared at Grandpa.

His precious grandson is incredibly curious. Hearing his grandfather say that, he'll definitely want to try it out for himself to see if it tastes good.

"Grandma, don't worry, I won't do anything reckless."

Lu Yaodao.

Grandma finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mom and Dad, have you ever had pine nut fried rice?"

After lunch, while waiting for his grandparents to go home for their afternoon nap, Lu Yao asked his parents.

"No, but I heard from your grandmother that your great-grandmother loved pine nut fried rice, and your grandfather and his siblings also loved it."

Lu Lide said.

"Since my grandfather likes to eat it, he must cook it often. You should have tried it too."

Lu Yao was somewhat puzzled.

"Your grandfather only likes the food your great-grandmother cooks. The food he cooks himself or that others cook doesn't taste the same, so he doesn't like it."

"Be careful when you go to pick pine cones, and don't let your grandma know."

Lu Lide said.

Lu Yao smiled.

Knowing son Moruo father.

After waking up from his afternoon nap, Lu Yao went to Zhushan to dig up bamboo shoots to make wine.

Having dug up enough, he didn't go back immediately, but instead headed towards the mountaintop.

There are several Masson pine trees on the top of Zhushan Mountain, each about 20 to 30 meters tall, covered with pine cones the size of egg fruits.

At this time of year, the pine cones of Masson pine are still green cones. They will not fully mature until October to December, when they become pine cones.

If there is no human interference, you can see pine cones from three generations—old, middle-aged, and young—on a single tree at the same time.

Lu Yao chose a pine tree with many pine cones, climbed up easily, and put the pine cones he picked into his spatial storage.

After picking enough, I climbed down from the tree, found a rock to sit on, and started processing the pine nuts.

Pine nuts grow inside the scales of the pine cone; you can see them by peeling off the scales.

After collecting the pine nuts, I stood up, dusted myself off, and headed down the mountain to go home.

"Grandpa, let me show you a treasure."

Lu Yao went to find the old man and saw him reading medical books alone. He leaned on the table and said mysteriously.

Pine nuts.

The old man looked at his beloved grandson's clenched fist and smiled kindly.

"Grandpa, how did you know?"

Lu Yao looked at the old man in surprise.

"Because you are my grandson."

The old man smiled even more kindly.

"That's true. My parents know I go to pick pine nuts, and you know it too, Grandpa. It seems Grandma must know it too."

Lu Yao smiled too.

"Grandpa is already very happy that you have this thought. From now on, listen to your grandma and don't do anything dangerous."

The old man said.

"What other ingredients should be added to pine nut fried rice?"

Lu Yao asked.

"Just add diced meat, diced cucumber, and diced carrot."

The old man said.

"Grandpa, I'll call you when it's ready."

Lu Yaofei rushed out of the bamboo shed as if flying.

The old man smiled and then focused intently on his medical book again.

Lu Yao rushed into the kitchen, washed his hands, rinsed the rice, and started cooking.

When the rice was almost cooked, I put on my scarf, took out the pork, cucumber, and carrot from the refrigerator, and diced them.

Wash the pine nuts.

Everything was ready and the rice was cooked.

Light a fire, heat a pan, add the pork, and stir-fry the pine nuts, seasonings, and rice together.

It was cooked, and he took a bite. The aroma was a blend of milk and wood.

He added a few more drops of the spiritual spring water and stirred it, making it even crispier and more delicious.

I served five plates of pine nut fried rice and called my grandparents and parents to come back and eat.

"Mmm, delicious."

The four elders nodded as they ate.

Lu Yao sighed inwardly, seeing that his grandfather didn't seem to have any particular feelings about the food.

He knew that no matter how delicious his own cooking was, even with the help of a magical spring to enhance the aroma and taste, it couldn't compare to the simple bowl of pine nut fried rice his great-grandmother had cooked.

For Grandpa, it was more than just a bowl of pine nut fried rice; it contained a heavy dose of maternal love and the most beautiful memories of his life.

Lu Yao then realized that some things, once lost, are lost forever, and no matter how powerful you are, you can't get them back.

He cannot undo what he has lost; he can only do his best to avoid leaving any regrets.

In the evening, Lu Yao noticed that the Shiquangou convenience store was a bit overwhelmed, so instead of going out for tea and a chat, he went to help out at the store.

"Old Yao, look who's here!"

Lu Yao was busy grilling when he heard Zhang Lin's voice.

When are you coming back?

Lu Yao thought Zhang Wei had returned, but when he looked up, he saw it was his old basketball buddies; Zhang Wei wasn't among them.

"It's getting tougher and tougher out there, so I thought I'd check if Brother Yao still needs to hire anyone?"

One of my fellow golfers said.

"Sit down, order whatever you'd like to drink, it's on me tonight."

Lu Yaodao.

Playing basketball with this group of friends was the best time of his junior high school years. Even though so many years have passed and he has forgotten some of their names, it is still worth treating them to a drink for the sake of those wonderful youthful days.

"Brother Yao is still the same Brother Yao as before."

"Brother Yao, if you need any help, just ask. Even serving dishes is fine."

"You guys drink up. I won't hesitate to help you if I want to."

"Brother Yao, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

"I definitely have to have a few drinks with you later."

……

Zhang Lin didn't drink with them; instead, he helped serve the barbecue.

"No need to apologize, I understand."

Seeing that Zhang Lin hesitated several times before speaking, Lu Yao knew what he wanted to say.

The outside world is getting tougher and tougher, and more and more young people are returning. Lu Yao has so many classmates and friends from elementary school to high school. He will encounter this kind of thing again in the future. It's not a loss to see a person for who they really is by paying the price once.