Transmigrating with a Five Million Dollar Retirement Life

Chapter 70 Planting Polygonum multiflorum

Aunt Li was tending the fire in front of the stove and didn't notice what dish Song Jiaojiao was cooking, but from the smell, she knew that the dish must be delicious.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. As soon as Song Jiaojiao lifted the pot lid, the aroma instantly filled the kitchen, and even Xiaobai came over several times.

Reduce the sauce over high heat, then transfer the crayfish to a large bowl. Spread the remaining garlic sauce over the two flavors of crayfish. Pour oil into a pan and heat it until it's about 70% hot, then pour it over the garlic sauce. The aroma will be released instantly.

With a shout that dinner was ready, Aunt Li finally saw what dishes Song Jiaojiao had prepared.

"Jiaojiao, is this... a giant turtle? Is this really edible?" Aunt Li asked uncertainly as she looked at the bright red, fragrant dish in front of her.

Before Song Jiaojiao could speak, Mu Xue chimed in, "Yes, yes, Grandma Li, these crayfish are delicious! We've eaten them several times already."

Mu Xue was thinking about the crayfish she had eaten these past two days, and her mouth was watering just thinking about it.

The village chief and his wife exchanged a glance. Seeing Mu Xue's expression, they realized she didn't seem to be lying. Considering the dish contained oil and a lot of garlic, they figured it probably wouldn't taste bad.

"Uncle Wang, Aunt Li, you'll know if it's edible and delicious once you try it. Let's start eating." After saying that, Song Jiaojiao picked up a crayfish with her chopsticks and put it in the bowl. She put down her chopsticks, peeled off the shell, and revealed the firm and bouncy meat inside. Dipping it in the crayfish soup, it was incredibly delicious.

The village chief and his wife followed Song Jiaojiao's method and spent a lot of effort peeling off the shell. When they saw the meat inside, it didn't look unpalatable. They dipped it in the broth and put it in their mouths. Their eyes widened instantly. This tasted better than meat and wasn't fishy at all.

This giant crab claw was really edible, and quite delicious. The two quickened their pace and gradually became more skilled at it.

In no time, the two large bowls of crayfish were completely devoured, and even the broth was eaten by everyone using it to dip their steamed buns.

Thinking about this, the village chief realized that the villagers' worries were completely unfounded, just hearsay, and that they were simply scaring themselves. He wondered which loudspeaker was spreading these rumors and disturbing people's peace of mind.

I completely forgot that I also couldn't believe it at first, and even became skeptical after hearing it so many times.

Once the dishes were cleared away, Song Jiaojiao finally asked, "Uncle Wang, Aunt Li, what brings you here today?"

"I was supposed to be in trouble, but after eating this...crayfish today, I'm fine now," the village chief said, rubbing his protruding belly.

Song Jiaojiao hadn't left the house for the past two days, so she was genuinely unaware of the rumors circulating in the village. She looked at the village chief and the others with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, I don't know which guy in the village with the big tongue saw you catching crayfish and collecting stone worms these past few days, and he started spreading rumors that your family is broke and can only afford to eat these things that nobody else would eat."

"They're afraid your workshop will go out of business, and they're worried that no one will buy the sweet potatoes you grow. They keep coming to see your Uncle Wang every few days. We were so annoyed by them that we finally decided to ask about your future plans." Aunt Li couldn't help but laugh as she thought about the rumors she had heard these past two days.

Song Jiaojiao suddenly realized what her aunt was saying. She had been so engrossed in crayfish these past two days that she hadn't noticed these things. However, she figured they wouldn't bring it up in front of her, otherwise they wouldn't have asked the village chief.

Song Jiaojiao said, both amused and exasperated, "I didn't realize that catching a little dragon ball would cause all this trouble."

"What does this have to do with you? These people are just bored. I think the spring planting is over. Are you still going to keep your workshop open?" Aunt Li casually complained, and then asked Song Jiaojiao if her workshop could continue to operate.

"Since everyone has time, let's start work tomorrow." Song Jiaojiao thought that it was about time to continue, as they had harvested quite a few sweet potatoes over the past few days.

“Okay, I’ll inform them next time in a bit, so these people won’t be idle and gossip.” Aunt Li readily agreed.

After they finished speaking, the village chief remembered the things in Song Jiaojiao's greenhouse.

"Jiaojiao, I see you've planted something in your greenhouse. It's growing very well. It looks like sweet potatoes, but I don't think it is. What are you growing?"

"Oh, which one are you talking about, He Shou Wu? Its vines do look like sweet potatoes, and even its growing environment is similar. I thought since it's summer, I'd plant some so I can sell them at the pharmacy after the harvest. It's a good way to make the most of the land." Song Jiaojiao thought about the He Shou Wu shed. Wang Shui usually takes care of it, and she hadn't visited it in a long time.

After hearing Song Jiaojiao's words, the village chief pondered for a moment and asked, "Can He Shou Wu really be sold for money? Do you know how much it costs per kilogram?"

"I haven't asked how much it cost yet. Last year, I dug up a relatively old He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) and sold it for eighty taels of silver. But that's because it was old, so it fetched that price. I haven't asked about the price of the cultivated ones yet." Song Jiaojiao thought it best to mention the price she paid back then.

How many?

Eighty taels!

The village chief and his wife were shocked. No wonder Song Jiaojiao had the money to build a house later.

The village chief thought that the price of this Polygonum multiflorum was probably not low, even if it was 18 coins per catty, it would still be a lot. Moreover, seeing that Song Jiaojiao only had such a small plot of land, yet the plant was growing so well, if the villagers planted it, it would be an extra source of income.

Thinking of this, the village chief asked, "Jiaojiao, do you think it's okay for the villagers to grow He Shou Wu?"

“Sure, there probably isn’t any soil left in the village to grow these things now. But He Shou Wu is easy to grow. You can plant some in your own yard or along the edge of the soil. It won’t take up much space. The village chief wants the villagers to grow it. I’ll go to the pharmacy to ask about the price the other day.” Song Jiaojiao thought that spring planting had just ended and every household’s fields were full of things.

"Okay, okay, Jiaojiao, ask around when you have time. I'll ask the villagers if they want to plant it." The village chief was overjoyed, thinking that if this matter could be accomplished, everyone's lives would be much better.

Aunt Li was thinking about having to inform people to start work tomorrow, so she hurriedly left with the village chief. The village chief wanted to ask about the He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) again, but his wife pulled him away.

After seeing the village chief and the others off, Song Jiaojiao went to check on the snails. Thinking that they would be ready in two or three days, and that she planned to go to town the next day, she took some out and called Xu Fang and the others to help her clean the shells. She had prepared quite a few brushes for cleaning crayfish these past two days.

After cleaning them, put them in a pot of cold water to boil. Once the water boils, pour them into cold water and pick out the meat one by one. Only three pounds of meat were picked out from ten pounds of snails. Song Jiaojiao took out half of them, sliced ​​them, and stir-fried them with pickled cabbage and chili peppers. The pickled cabbage was made by Xu Fang.

Just then, Xu Da went and collected a lot of crayfish, so Song Jiaojiao told him to keep them in buckets so he could take them to town tomorrow, along with the snail meat, to Sifanglou.

At dinner, stir-fried snails undoubtedly became the main dish, but everyone still thought the crayfish was tastier, although the snails were also quite good.