The pastoral life of the grass tribe chief

Lu Yao took the washed pots and pans into the kitchen, and then went to the living room to bring out the tea set to wash.

Lu Liguo did not go inside, but instead looked at the potted plants on the flower stand one by one.

When he came to the wheatgrass planters, his eyes lit up.

Wheatgrass can be seen everywhere in the rural areas of Fengli County. He has also seen wheatgrass in some pet stores, supermarkets and pharmacies, but the labels say cat grass.

Aside from one growing in the ground and the other in a pot, there's not much difference.

But the wheatgrass that Lu Yao planted gave him a different feeling.

Pleasant to the eye.

There's also a special feeling.

As for what's special about it, I can't quite put my finger on it right now.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of an aluminum basin hitting the ground.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of cats and dogs touching their food bowls with their front paws, telling their owner it was time to eat.

He smiled silently.

I felt a stirring in my heart.

After thinking about it, I finally understood what that special feeling was when I saw these wheatgrass.

Appetite.

Indeed, besides being pleasing to the eye, they also inspire an urge to taste them.

As the eldest son and grandson, even in those times when food was scarce, he never experienced hunger or cold, and ordinary food could not whet his appetite at all.

In this era where everything can be traded for money, it's unbelievable that these ordinary wheatgrass pieces could whet his appetite.

"Uncle, do you like wheatgrass juice? If you do, I'll make you a cup."

Lu Yao saw a longing in Lu Liguo's eyes.

He wasn't surprised, because many people, upon first seeing these potted wheatgrass plants on the flower stand, showed the same longing in their eyes as Lu Liguo.

He knew that Lu Liguo paid great attention to health and didn't eat sweets much.

"Your grandparents told me that the juice made from the wheatgrass you grow is delicious, and I've always wanted to try it."

"Make me a cup, with lots of lemon in it, I like it sour."

Lu Liguo scoffed when the old man praised Lu Yao's wheatgrass juice.

It's just wheatgrass juice. Even if it tastes good, it can't taste better than nutritional supplements made primarily of wheat.

Upon seeing the wheatgrass, he had to admit his own limited knowledge, which also piqued his interest.

Lu Yao took a knife to cut wheatgrass and extract its juice.

Lu Liguo strolled around the area, lingering for a long time, especially under the longan and lychee trees behind the house.

Various kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs grow everywhere: under trees, in corners of walls, in cracks in rocks, on dead wood...

To his surprise, these Chinese herbs, despite being very young and many not even having developed medicinal properties yet, gave him the impression of having extremely high medicinal value.

Based on his decades of experience and the precedent of wheatgrass, he did not believe it was his imagination.

However, his extensive experience told him that this was impossible and completely contrary to common sense.

He was confused.

"Uncle, it's ready."

Lu Yao called out from the window.

He didn't need to pay special attention to what Lu Liguo was doing; Lu Liguo's every move was imperceptible to him.

He knew that Lu Liguo had come here with a certain purpose.

I don't know where Lu Liguo heard about him, but it piqued Lu Liguo's interest and made him suspicious.

However, he had no interest what Lu Liguo had heard or what his purpose in coming here was.

As long as he doesn't reveal the truth, no one in the world will know his secret.

Lu Yao squeezed two glasses, one for his uncle and one for his nephew.

"Hmm, not bad, it really tastes good."

Lu Liguo was completely won over after just one bite.

How to describe it?

To use a phrase his grandchildren often use, it was incredibly comfortable.

Discard all your negative emotions.

Even if it's only temporary, it will bring tears to your eyes, help you pick yourself up, and allow you to face life's challenges with a fresh perspective.

Facing the Ocean, Spring and Blossom.

Lu Yao wasn't surprised at all, and didn't say anything, just silently drank.

"Make another cup, and I'll take it back for your aunt to try too."

Lu Liguo said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Then you drink it, I'll go make the juice."

Lu Yao put down the cup, picked up the knife, and went to cut wheat grass again.

He used to have a bad impression of his uncle and aunt, but something that happened ten years ago changed his opinion of them.

Ten years ago, the eldest brother, Lu Jichao, opened several shops, but they all failed miserably, squandering all of his parents' savings. Not only was he ridiculed, but his parents, wife, and children were also ridiculed.

One day after school, my nephew Lu Changchun was teased by his classmates on the way home. They said his father was a spendthrift and his whole family was poor. He got into a fight with his classmates.

The classmate's mother happened to be nearby. She rushed over and, without asking any questions, started kicking, hitting, and cursing Lu Changchun. The insults she used were extremely offensive.

My uncle and aunt ran into them when they came back from the county town. My uncle, being a man, didn't dare to lay a hand on a woman, but my aunt had no such concerns. Regardless of who was right or wrong, and regardless of the fact that she was almost sixty years old, she was ready to fight to the death if anyone dared to hit her grand-nephew.

The woman was intimidated by her aunt's imposing manner and slunk away with her son.

The aunt did not let the matter rest; she complained to the township government and made the woman pay for the medical expenses and apologize before the matter was dropped.

That's how it is in the countryside. No matter how discordant brothers and sisters-in-law may be, they will put aside their grudges and stand up for each other when outsiders bully their own family.

My aunt is just competitive and always wants to be the best. But she's not a bad person at heart. As long as you go along with her, she's easy to get along with.

"Where did you buy those Chinese herbal medicine seeds?"

When Lu Liguo saw his nephew return, he put down his cup and asked.

"Bought online."

"If your uncle wants to buy it, I can send you the website address on WeChat, and you can have Changsheng and the others buy it."

Lu Changsheng is Lu Liguo's eldest grandson.

"Not for now, I..."

Before Lu Liguo could finish speaking, the voices of Lu Lunnian and his son Lu Lide could be heard outside, and then the father and son appeared at the living room door.

"Big brother."

Lu Lide was quite surprised to find Lu Liguo here.

"Boss, what are you doing here?"

Lu Lunnian seemed quite surprised as well.

"I've always heard you say that the wheatgrass juice grown in Yao is delicious, so I've come to ask for a cup to try."

"Dad, here's a seat for you."

Lu Liguo quickly stood up to give the old man his seat.

"I'm not sitting here anymore. I'm going to ask Yao for a few dandelion roots to make old duck soup. I'll take them and leave."

Lu Lunnian said.

"Dad, go pick a few plants for Grandpa."

Lu Yao said to Lu Lide.

Seeing that he was juicing wheatgrass, Lu Lide turned around and went to dig up some ground urchins.

Lu Yao bought a lot of *Elephantopus scabra* seeds and scattered them everywhere; they were all around the house.

They used to be everywhere in the village, but they were all dug up by outsiders. Only around Longchong Reservoir can you still find some wild ones.

Lu Lide returned from digging in the ground, and Lu Yao had already squeezed wheatgrass juice.

Lu Yao took an unopened bottle of beverage from the refrigerator, poured it into a drinking glass, washed the bottle, poured wheatgrass juice into it, and handed it to Lu Liguo.