The timeline system has gone awry; they insist that steamed buns are a magic pill.

Chapter 86 Zhao Nan, stop bragging for me! Oh dear, you're even paying me! Stop it!

In the male educated youth's room, the remaining five or six freshly matured snow mushrooms looked very tender. Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju were happily picking them, like two little red hats. Li Qingqiu handed the basket to Han Guodong to use as a tool rack.

"That's really fun, Li Qingqiu. I didn't know you could grow mushrooms."

"My brother-in-law is an agricultural technician at the commune's agricultural technology station. I often go there and have read some books on mushroom cultivation." Li Qingqiu sorted through the mushroom branches. This last batch of branches was originally intended to be fifty or sixty, but in the end, relatives and friends kept about thirty. "Try them, snow mushrooms can be eaten raw, they're sweet."

"Mushrooms can be eaten raw? Li Qingqiu, don't try to fool me. I'm from the agricultural technology station, you know."

Wu Xiaoyue didn't believe it at all; she had never seen or heard of mushrooms being eaten raw.

"Try it, it tastes pretty good."

Seeing Li Qingqiu's certainty, Han Caiju tore off a small piece and put it in her mouth, chewing it with a slight surprise. "Xiaoyue, it really is, crisp and sweet, you should try it."

"Really?"

Wu Xiaoyue was still a little incredulous. She tore off a tiny piece and put it to her mouth, taking a small bite. It was sweet and crunchy. "You can really eat it raw? This is the first time I've ever seen such an amazing mushroom, eaten raw, like fruit."

"It's no wonder Station Chief Wang is giving you the award. You've discovered a treasure. If you can promote it, Station Chief Wang will have made a huge contribution."

Wu Xiaoyue tore off a large piece of snow mushroom and put it in her mouth. She chewed it and found it tasted excellent. Han Guodong also tried it, but after eating it, he thought to himself that it was just so-so and not as good as apples.

Furthermore, Li Qingqiu is really foolish. With such good mushrooms, the county will definitely promote them vigorously. If Li Qingqiu joined the mushroom cultivation group, he might be able to get a formal job. He's really stupid.

"It's hard to say. Snow mushrooms are a bit different from other mushrooms. Their stability is uncertain. In the end, it could be a great achievement, a hard-earned reward, or even a disastrous one."

"Li Qingqiu, you're worrying unnecessarily."

Han Guodong looked down on Li Qingqiu even more. He thought Li Qingqiu was too cowardly. Besides, if something really went wrong, it wouldn't be just Li Qingqiu who would be responsible. What was he afraid of? Not to mention Han Guodong, Han Caiju and Wu Xiaoyue also felt that Li Qingqiu was being overly cautious.

"Let's pick mushrooms, let's not talk about work."

Seeing the somewhat silent atmosphere, Wu Xiaoyue smiled and called to Han Caiju to continue picking snow mushrooms. After picking about two more pounds, Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju finally took the basket of mushrooms from Han Guodong and returned to the main room, satisfied.

"Leave the mushrooms to me. Let me process some first, we'll make hot pot later."

"It tastes good even raw, so I imagine it would taste good cooked too."

"It's quite fresh and tender, you should eat more later."

Li Qingqiu took the peeled and cleaned ground pears from Yin Yi, which were sprinkled with powdered sugar and looked very appetizing. "Have some white sugar ground pears to tide you over," Li Qingqiu said, handing bamboo forks to the group.

The bamboo fruit forks were made by Li Qingqiu on a whim; they were polished quite smoothly, and most importantly, they were quite cute.

This is a byproduct of Li Qingqiu's bamboo splitting skills, which he learned in weaving. It's an exquisite little trinket that Yin Yi and the others quite like. However, in this day and age, it requires hand polishing, which is time-consuming and laborious, so not many were made.

"A bamboo fork?"

Han Caiju and Wu Xiaoyue were very pleased with the pears and tried to use them like Li Qingqiu. They found them quite easy to handle. Han Guodong muttered something about being fussy, but secretly thought he would have a few made and given to others later.

"Is it easy to use?"

"It works quite well."

These days, there's hardly any fruit to eat. It's winter during the Lunar New Year, and it's already considered very good for a family to be able to buy some apples. In rural areas, there's even less fruit to eat. Unless they save some persimmon cakes, most families can only eat some radishes, and sweet potatoes are considered a good deal.

"If you don't mind, I have some newly polished ones here. You can take a couple home to play with."

If I were to give it as a gift, I would definitely give something new. It's a pity I haven't learned bamboo carving, otherwise it would have been more sincere to carve the name on it before giving it to someone.

"No need to trouble yourself, thank you."

Han Caiju was a little embarrassed, but Wu Xiaoyue pulled her along. "Li Qingqiu, thank you so much, Caiju. Look how nice this fork is! It's so convenient for eating fruit."

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

"It's alright, just some little gadgets I made in my spare time."

The forks and spoons, though simple and thick, are exquisitely crafted, a rare sight these days. Han Caiju actually quite likes these kinds of fine bamboo products.

One set per person.

Li Qingqiu smiled and put the bamboo forks and spoons into a rectangular bamboo sleeve made of woven bamboo strips, handing them to the two men. As for Han Guodong, what did this man need bamboo forks and spoons for?

"Li Qingqiu, come help me."

"You're here. Please have a seat. I'll go check on the kitchen."

The hot pot broth was ready in the kitchen. Li Qingqiu scooped up some burning firewood and put it in a small red clay stove, then carried it to the main room through a straw mat. "Caiju, help me get the bamboo mat over there."

"This one?"

"Yes, put it in the middle of the table, okay, alright."

Li Qingqiu placed the small stove on a bamboo mat and added a few pieces of charcoal.

"You're here."

Yin Yi held the iron pot, and the aroma of the hot pot broth inside overpowered Han Caiju, Wu Xiaoyue, and Han Guodong's nasal passages.

"It smells so good."

Wu Xiaoyue was surprised. In this day and age, hot pot is rarely seen in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Usually, people in the mountains only cook soup pots. This kind of hot pot with such a strong aroma is the first time that any of them have ever seen it.

"Put the meat in first."

Yin Yi then brought out the sliced ​​beef, tripe, some side dishes, cabbage, radish, and garlic leaves.

Each person had their own bowl and a pair of chopsticks, and Yin Yi prepared the dipping sauce. It was the first time Wu Xiaoyue, Han Caiju, and Han Guodong had eaten like this.

"The meat is ready, everyone, please don't be shy, eat up."

Guo Zhaonan and Xiaohua had eaten hot pot several times before, so they weren't unfamiliar with it. However, the three guests didn't know how to eat it. They watched Li Qingqiu learn, and Wu Xiaoyue learned the fastest. It smelled so good that it made their mouths water.

"It's spicy, but delicious."

"Hmm, it's a bit spicy, but it tastes really good."

How could a strong flavor not be good? It's bound to be a bit spicy the first time, but it gets more and more addictive the more you eat. This guy's mouth was covered in oil. These days, having your mouth covered in oil is definitely a high standard for treating someone to a meal.

"Li Qingqiu, you really know how to eat."

"Last time I saw you secretly buy a lot of fried meatballs, I knew you were a good eater."

"Just tell me I like it."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "Old classmate, eat up, don't be shy."

Han Guodong slurped his food, as he was somewhat afraid of spicy food, but fortunately there was also stir-fried cured pork with bamboo shoots.

Of course, there was also a bowl of raw sliced ​​winter bamboo shoots, which could be eaten in hot pot, but no one touched it. Wu Xiaoyue and Han Caiju felt in their hearts that winter bamboo shoots should be stir-fried, and that eating them in hot pot would definitely not taste as good.

Seeing this, Li Qingqiu smiled, picked up two pieces, dipped them in the broth, and found them crisp and delicious, with a pretty good flavor. "Snow mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots also taste excellent when dipped in the broth."

"Snow mushrooms, I'll give it a try."

Well, you really look down on winter bamboo shoots, huh? We had hot pot for lunch, plus a few side dishes of cured pork and winter bamboo shoots. It was simple but not sparse. The three of them, including Han Guodong, ate quite comfortably.

"On the way here, Caiju and I were thinking, since we're here to help the poor in the countryside, should we buy some food?"

"Who would have thought that we were so ignorant?"

Wu Xiaoyue glanced at the hot pot. It tasted really good; she couldn't get this kind of food in the city. She hadn't expected to find it so comforting in the countryside. Drinking the pheasant soup now, she thought, "It's incredibly delicious, especially with the snow mushrooms." "Comrade Yin Yi, your cooking skills are amazing! This pheasant stew is so flavorful!"

"It's alright. I've been stewing more pheasants lately, so I'm getting more skilled at it."

"Are there many pheasants around here?"

"fine."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "If I use more hammers, all the pheasants within a three-kilometer radius will be eaten up in this house. They'll be wiped out, okay? There aren't many pheasants, but catching them requires a lot of luck, and it's quite frightening."

"Let's get one every three to five days."

"Wow, that means we'll be eating meat every few days?"

"If I could eat meat every two or three days, I'd be craving it like crazy. I usually eat meat once a day; if I don't eat it enough, I feel uncomfortable." Li Qingqiu paused after saying that. "Actually, it's just that there's been more meat lately."

Why?

"My third uncle hunted a wild boar a few days ago; it weighed two or three hundred pounds."

"Really?"

Wu Xiaoyue, Han Caiju, and even Han Guodong were all surprised. Wild boars, weighing two or three hundred pounds, are really powerful. If a thing weighs more than one hundred and fifty pounds, it is considered a ferocious beast in the mountains. Two or three hundred pounds, most people would run away from it.

Li Qingqiu actually hunted down such a big wild boar. No wonder he said he could eat meat every day. With so much meat, he could eat for a year.

"Tell me quickly, how do you shoot it? With a hunting rifle, right?"

"My third uncle used a shovel to cut off the wild boar's leg with the first shovel, and then cut off its neck with the second shovel."

Guo Zhaonan had been instructed by her grandmother to promote her third uncle's bravery, and now she finally had the chance to praise Li Qingqiu for his courage in hunting wild boars.

"It's not as exaggerated as you say; it wasn't just my achievement."

"Back then, you were the captain of the treasure hunting team, and everyone followed your orders. In the end, the wild boar died at your hands."

Guo Zhaonan said with considerable pride, "Back then, there were hunting teams from two other production brigades also hunting wild boars. They arrived even earlier than my third uncle, but unfortunately, they didn't find any. In the end, my third uncle hunted and killed the wild boar."

"I never expected that Li Qingqiu would be the treasure hunt leader of the brigade. Not only are you good at learning quotations, but you are also a great hunter."

Wu Xiaoyue asked curiously, "Li Qingqiu, besides hunting wild boars, what other treasures did you find?"

"There are many treasures in the mountains, but we dug up some winter bamboo shoots and the like."

"Third Uncle, have you forgotten? You dug up a giant human-shaped kudzu root that was over two meters tall, almost three meters long."

"A human-shaped kudzu root, really?"

"I think I've heard of that," Han Guodong frowned slightly. "Right, it's said that kudzu root has become a spirit, and eating it cures all diseases?"

"Ah, no, it's just a coincidence. Kudzu root grows like a giant, there's no such thing as it becoming a spirit." Li Qingqiu wiped his sweat. Scary, what do you mean by eating it cures all diseases? You think it's a panacea.

"Really? Where is the human-shaped kudzu root now?"

"Brigade headquarters, I'll take you to see it after we finish eating," Li Qingqiu said with a smile.

"I didn't expect that Li Qingqiu, you are not only courageous, but also lucky."

"Right, Zhao Nan?"

Wu Xiaoyue smiled at Guo Zhaonan, who felt as if her thoughts had been seen through. "Yes, Third Uncle is very lucky. He helped the brigade find and dig up more than three thousand catties of winter bamboo shoots."

"Wow, so many, three thousand catties?"

Wu Xiaoyue looked at Li Qingqiu with a face full of surprise. "Winter bamboo shoots are quite expensive this year; over three thousand catties won't sell for more than a thousand yuan."

money."

"almost."

"Besides that, my third uncle also discovered snow mushrooms, cultivated the fungal branches, and helped the brigade earn more than a thousand yuan."

Li Qingqiu felt a little embarrassed after Guo Zhaonan's boasting.

"No, don't take out your money! What are you doing?" Li Qingqiu was helpless. This girl had gone too far. He couldn't stop her, both amused and exasperated.