Chapter 247 Raising Snakes
“Chirp! Chirp!”
Several sweet bird calls suddenly came from his ears. Chen Ling looked around and found several strange-looking birds. The son flew over from the other side of the mountain stream, but he was not very afraid of them. He just stopped on a tree not far away, raised his neck and called out, his voice high and loud.
These birds are about the same size as sparrows, but much more beautiful than sparrows.
White, maroon, brown...
It is surprising that there are so many different colors among the same kind of bird.
And their tails are very long, like ribbons blowing in the wind, very beautiful.
"What kind of bird is this? It's so beautiful. There are only three colors among these birds."
Chen Ling was immediately attracted to it, with wonder on his face.
These birds seem to be similar to the Golden Pheasant, but they are not as bright and fiery as the Golden Pheasant, but have another kind of elegant beauty.
When Wang Cunye heard his son-in-law's exclamation, he withdrew his eyes from the wild boar carcass and took another look, "Oh, this, this bird is called 'a flower', which means it looks like a flower blooming on the mountain. It’s so beautiful.”
“They also have a name. It refers to its tail, which flies around like a ribbon. It is also called a ribbon bird.”
"This bird is quite interesting. The white one is called 'Liang Shanbo' and the flowery one is called 'Zhu Yingtai'. Haven't you heard of it when you were a child?"
"Ah? So these are Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" Ah!" Chen Ling's eyes suddenly widened.
He had only seen this kind of bird a few times when he was a child.
Thinking about it now, maybe it was because I was too young at that time. In the eyes of the little kid, maybe the bird seemed a bit big.
Now that I see it, I can’t quite recognize it.
In fact, when I saw it at that time, I thought it was beautiful. I felt that when it flew over from a distance, when the sun shone, the bird seemed to be emitting light. It was so beautiful.
At that time he saw three birds.
Two big birds, one white and one flowery, with long tails, fly side by side. The third one is slightly smaller, with a shorter tail, flying at the back.
Then he pointed it out to his father, who said that these were the incarnations of Liang Shanbo, Zhu Yingtai, and Ma Wencai. The little one in the back was Ma Wencai, and he was quite impressed.
So when my father-in-law said the ribbon bird, he only had some idea of what it was, but when he mentioned Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, he immediately remembered it.
"Dad, you know a lot, and the bird is very reasonable."
Chen Ling looked up at the bird on the tree and said.
“Haha, this bird is also a medicinal herb, so I know more about it.”
Wang Cunye smiled.
The ribbon bird, also called the longevity bird, is more common in some traditional Chinese paintings and embroidery.
But at the same time, it is also a very good Chinese medicinal material.
It is used for bleeding caused by intestinal wind and relieving toothache due to tooth decay.
“That’s it.”
Chen Ling nodded and whistled at the ribbon bird on the tree: "This guy is so beautiful, especially the white one with black hair, white skirt, and streamers hanging on the skirt. It looks like a fairy."< br>
The white ribbon bird is indeed beautiful, with a flexible and elegant tail. When it stands on a branch and sways its body, its long tail feathers sway like a soft ribbon.
Perfectly and vividly explains the origin of its name.
"What a fairy, that's Liang Shanbo, male. Stop looking at it. What's so good about a bird? This bird is not easy to raise. Don't worry about it. We are still lagging behind." ”
“Oh, yes, we haven’t got the things or herbs yet”
Chen Ling slapped his forehead and hurried back with his father-in-law. The wild bees had just attacked and they just ran away, so how could they care about those miscellaneous things.
But not long after walking, the area around the mountain stream suddenly became lively and noisy.
The ears of Weng and son-in-law were filled with all kinds of bird calls, crisp, loud, hoarse, and low. Even the originally gloomy environment of this place seemed to suddenly become full of... regained vitality.
The two of them looked back in surprise and saw a mass of black birds flying over. They didn't know how many there were or how many kinds of birds there were. They fell from the sky into the mountain stream and nearby trees.
A rough estimate is that there are hundreds of them.
They flew one after another for a few minutes, some disappeared among the branches and leaves of trees, and some fell into the mountain stream.
Soon, the surrounding trees were almost full.
But this is not the end.
There are still flocks of birds flying over from a distance, big ones like geese, small ones like sparrows, familiar ones and unknown ones, all gathering here.
There is a tendency for more and more people to gather together.
In this slightly dim environment, hundreds of birds suddenly poured into the mountain stream. This sight can be called a miracle.
Even Xiao Jin and the little weasels were stunned, looking curiously at the strange scene of birds falling into the mountain stream in the distance.
"What's wrong? Why did so many birds suddenly fly here?" Wang Cunye frowned.
“Well, maybe we have a bird passage here.”
Chen Ling thought for a while and said, “Every autumn before, there were a lot of birds passing through the mountains here. Very, that movement, that scene is bigger than this.”
A bird path is a place where birds often pass.
Around bird passages, there are generally sufficient food, water sources, a safe environment, and special terrain that can help them identify their orientation.
Bird Road is like an ancient post station.
Whether it is long-distance migration or regional activities, while providing them with access roads, it can also provide them with good water sources and food supplements.
“But it’s not autumn yet, so why are we flying south now?” Wang Cunye was confused.
"It's not autumn, so maybe it's because of the floods in the provinces and cities around us. They were also affected, so they flew out." Chen Ling guessed.
The birds are not afraid of people when there are too many. The two of them stopped to watch for a while, and then returned to the original route with a sigh of regret that Chen Ling had forgotten to buy a camera and could not take pictures.
Not long after, after returning to the canyon where Uncaria was collected, the monkeys and the bees were gone.
On the other hand, Xiaojin trotted "bah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah" and picked up a honeycomb from the edge of the forest not far away, and gently placed it in front of Chen Ling.
Before Chen Ling said anything, his father-in-law was startled, "Oh, why did you get this thing back?"
"I'm not afraid of the swarm of wild bees coming back to sting people."
As he said that, he quickly took out a piece of linen cloth from the bamboo basket and rolled up the honeycomb, then poured some medicinal powder from the gourd and patted it carefully on the linen cloth. After patting it evenly, he put it into the bottom of the bamboo basket, and then pressed it down with a large bundle of uncaria with quick hands and feet.
This operation made Chen Ling a little stunned, and he quickly asked: "Have you seen if there are any honeys in the honeycomb?"
"Oh, you don't have to look, there must be some, I know. "I smell it."
Wang Cunye waved his hand, "If you can't trust my nose, you have to trust Xiaojin. He has more serious things to do than Heiwa. He doesn't just pick things up for fun. Dog.”
These words made Xiao Jin so praising that his ears went back. He stuck out his tongue and gave the old man a kind look, and then walked around in front of Chen Ling with his head and tail wagging to ask for credit.
"Okay, okay. It's such a hot day. Don't worry about it. I'll make you a good meal when I get home. Only you can eat it alone. Heiwa is not allowed to eat. Okay?" Chen Ling knelt down and touched Xiao Jin's head, then he and his father-in-law packed up all the uncaria and continued walking towards the location of the dendrobium.
......
"Look, this is another herb that needs to be marked. You can come and dig it after autumn."
On one side in the mountains While walking, Wang Cunye taught his son-in-law some knowledge about collecting herbs. At this time, he used a stick to push away the weeds, turned to Chen Ling and said, "See, this is Asparagus, and the purchase price is not bad."
Chen Ling quickly went over to take a look.
Asparagus has branch-like leaves, which are small and very soft to the touch.
And there are light green flowers blooming on some plants, and some have red berries hanging on them. "This thing is also called tiger tail root, which means that it looks like a tiger's tail root."
"It's easy to find it. Asparagus usually grows on In these relatively wild thorn piles, it is easy to find them if there is water nearby. ”
Listening to what his father-in-law said, Chen Ling silently wrote it down and left a mark next to it.
“Look, this is wild hemp. Wild hemp is not the same as the kind of hemp grown. This thing is also called epilepsy. After the sheep eat it, they will giggle. He will jump around, roll down the hillside, and then he can't make any decisions about peeing or pooping."
Wang Cunye pointed to a kind of herbal medicine and said to Chen Ling, with a very cautious expression on his face.
After the introduction, I warned him about the disadvantages of this thing.
"I know this. It's similar to those duck slices." Chen Ling nodded.
Wild hemp, also known as hemp, is not allowed to be grown by individuals.
And this thing grows in different places, and the harmful components in the plants are different.
Easy to be confused with ordinary cultivated hemp.
Hemp that can be grown is hemp, also called hemp, which is the kind of hemp used for ordinary hemp ropes and sacks. They are slender and tall, with sparse branches and hollow internodes.
The hemp seeds produced can be used as medicine.
But wild hemp is different. If the growing environment changes, its appearance will also change.
Compared with hemp, it has many and dense branches, is thick and short, has solid internodes, and produces more fat.
Although it can also be used as a traditional Chinese medicine, eating too much wild hemp seeds can cause hallucinations. Just like mushroom poisoning, you will see fairies flying around in front of your eyes, making you feel ecstatic.
Even worse than mushrooms is that they are addictive.
So whether you are collecting or using medicine, you must be careful.
Wild hemp, polygonatum, gastrodia elata, tree sesame, and various medicinal herbs are everywhere.
The two walked and identified each other.
……
In the mountains in summer, the grass is green and the wild flowers are blooming.
Very few people come to the deep mountains, and the wild flowers are blooming very beautifully. Along the way, various small flowers of goose yellow, lavender, and pink are hidden in the jungle, and there are also various wild fruits. The branches are full, and the green fruity fragrance and floral fragrance are mixed together, giving it a special taste.
Soon these fruits will be ripe, and the mountains will be even more lively by then.
Weng and son-in-law just walked along the road looking for medicinal herbs, leaving marks on the valuable ones and casually looking at the worthless ones. Wang Cunye commented on them and continued walking forward.
We crossed the mountain forest at the back and turned into a valley. The valley is lined with large rocks and gurgling water. When walking in it, you can see traces of the river changing its course several times. The round and huge stones are covered with thick moss. , small yellow flowers are blooming on the waterside, you can feel the age, and you can see the green vitality everywhere.
It has both the mottled appearance of vicissitudes of life and the fresh beauty.
Wandering around at the bottom of the valley, twisting and turning, and going up the river, I saw a large gray-white stone standing in front of me, one stone and one mountain. The top of the stone was very flat and smooth, like a jade-like stone. Girl, standing gracefully in front of me.
Chen Ling was surprised and admired when he saw it. He stretched out his hand and touched it. The stone was extremely warm. He thought it would be very comfortable to lie on it and bask in the sun in winter. This is a natural stone bed.
“Look, the dendrobium is right in front.”
Wang Cunye pointed to the front and said.
Then he looked up at the sky and saw that it was already noon. "It's better to go up and pick first. We can eat after picking, otherwise we will keep thinking about it."
"Okay."
< br>
Chen Ling nodded. In fact, the rock where the dendrobium was discovered by his father-in-law is not high or steep, but the environment is relatively humid and there are many moss. It is very smooth during the climb and accidents are prone to occur. The old man One person cannot take it down.
Chen Ling found a safe location near the rocks, tied the rope, and went to dig dendrobium as before.
There are a lot of dendrobiums growing on this mountain rock. The oblong leaves are about 20 centimeters or 30 centimeters in height. The main stem of the dendrobium is like a sugar cane, cylindrical and growing. There are branches, the overall color is emerald green, very watery, the leaves have a thick fleshy feel, and it is obviously very old.
In addition, the current season has just passed its flowering period, which is very suitable for mining.
“Pick the old ones and leave the young ones alone.”
After he went up, his father-in-law shouted reminders from below.
“I got it.”
The dendrobium still needs to be old enough to be sold at a high price. If the dendrobium is harvested if the age is short, not only will it not sell for much money, but the dendrobium here will also be harvested. After digging and cutting off the roots, it is better to let them continue to grow.
Dendrobium is rare in the Qinling Mountains and is limited to a small area on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains. They are close to the three provinces. Although there is a hot and humid environment for its growth, the number of dendrobium is better than that of wild ginseng. Not too much.
So when Chen Ling came down from picking the dendrobium, he took the opportunity to collect a small section of roots in the cave.
As long as you enter the cave, this small section of roots will be enough to multiply into a large area.
When Chen Ling came down, took off the hemp rope and handed the dendrobium to his father-in-law to see.
The old man finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily: "Okay, this harvest is quite good."
"Dad, how much can we probably sell for if we pick these today?"
"How much does it cost? I have to have this, Qianer800." Wang Cunye calculated, and now 500 grams of dendrobium costs about 1,000 yuan, plus so many Uncaria , that’s definitely not bad.
After saying that, I picked up the dendrobium in my hand and looked at it one by one, with a very satisfied expression.
Just living at my son-in-law’s house, I have to do something else.
Otherwise it would be too boring to herd sheep all day long.
It’s better to come to the mountains to collect medicinal herbs.
Collecting different herbs in different places is fresh and enjoyable.
Not to mention that it can be sold for some money, otherwise it would be a bit unreasonable to let the son-in-law take care of the eldest daughter and take care of the younger daughter.
"Well, I can finally make some money by selling it now. I will raise the worms in two days and teach my son-in-law how to raise them." Wang Cunye thought happily and followed Chen Ling to the river to live a simple life. of cooking.
It’s noon and I’m hungry. It still takes half a day to walk back, so I might as well eat in the mountains.
Breakfast is simple and lunch is also simple.
Leftover eggs and baked steamed buns.
There was no seasoning on the toasted steamed buns. I threw them into the firewood pile and picked them up a few times, until the outer shell was burnt black and crispy, like briquettes and eggs.
But after peeling off the burnt skin and eating it in your mouth, it is fragrant and sweet.
After eating, drink some cool mountain spring water and that’s it.
In this way, Weng and his son-in-law set out on their return journey contentedly.
The two of them were still walking and chatting on the road.
"It's not too late. On the way back, you and I will catch a few nests of worms and get some snake boxes to raise." The old man said with a smile.
"Huh? Are you raising snakes on the farm?"
Chen Ling was stunned for a moment. He had raised so many poultry, and if he raised a snake again, what would he do if he escaped and harmed the poultry?
"Well, you can raise them, don't worry. Raising snakes is sometimes equivalent to preventing snakes. Then I will teach you a few tricks. Otherwise, at the foot of the mountain, chickens and ducks will lay eggs that will easily attract thieves and insects to steal them. Egg.”
“Okay, dad, why don’t we go out and catch snakes?”
"It's really different. You don't know. It's better to be a snake in this mountain."
(End of this chapter)