The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 270 - 259 China root

Chapter 270: 259 China root

Daya was completely baffled as she squatted down and stared at the tree stump for a long while, unable to make out a flower. She timidly asked, "Little aunt, what’s wrong with this tree?"

Manbao had a serious look on her face, "This is a pine tree."

Daya looked again and it seemed right, "And then?"

"It was chopped down."

Daya: "...Uh-huh, so?"

"So, are there any other pine stumps around here that have been chopped down?"

"There should be. Our family had used up almost all the firewood for drying rice and wheat before, so my dad and Third Uncle went up the mountain and chopped down quite a few trees, seems like they were all pines."

This area was the village chief’s family’s allotted field, and since they weren’t good, straight trees suitable for making houses, beds, or chests, these pines were chopped down without much thought.

Manbao looked around, "Where is it then?"

Daya: ... How would she know where it was, the trees weren’t chopped down by her.

However, after some thought, Daya remembered seeing several tree stumps on the mountain in the past few days, but she could not distinguish what kind of trees they were from.

But no matter, she thought, it was fine as long as she took her little aunt to see them.

Still very curious, Daya asked, "Little aunt, how did you know that was a pine stump?"

Manbao looked at her oddly, "I could tell by looking. There were pine trees next to that stump, just compare them and you can tell."

Daya: ... She couldn’t tell; she thought all the tree stumps in the world looked the same.

Manbao of course would not leave her own bamboo basket behind, so she insisted on dragging her broken basket along, the key thing was, it was not only filled with dead leaves but also a lot of soil, and it was really heavy.

Daya tried dragging it along but couldn’t really move it, so she dropped the basket and ran to find Fourth Uncle on the other side.

Zhou SiLang came over happily, picked up the basket, and was about to head down the mountain, thinking that working with Manbao had to be better than working with Second Brother and Third Brother, right?

Manbao was small, so she wouldn’t possibly be doing any sort of heavy labor.

When Manbao saw him heading down the mountain, she immediately grabbed his clothes and said, "Fourth Brother, we still have to look for something. Let’s not go down yet."

Zhou SiLang glanced at the bamboo basket, hmm, it wasn’t full yet.

He didn’t mind and carried it for the two of them, waving his hand and saying, "Let’s go, I’ll accompany you to look."

It wasn’t until they had turned around two tree stumps that Zhou SiLang realized they were not looking for dead leaves but for "tree roots."

Indeed, Zhou SiLang had seen the several clumps of dark brown stuff that Manbao had tossed in the bamboo basket and also thought they were tree roots, but seeing the white flesh of the roots, he felt something was off.

What kind of tree has white insides in its roots?

Zhou SiLang was pondering what exactly this was when he heard Daya’s exclamation from the side, "Little aunt, I found it!"

Manbao immediately dropped the stump she was looking at and ran over to see Daya’s.

She recognized it at a glance, approached it excitedly, and began to prise it out, "This is it, this is it."

She didn’t dislodge it at the first attempt and nearly fell on her bottom.

Zhou SiLang put down the basket, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped forward, "I’ll do it!"

This tree stump didn’t have as much as the previous one, but it was not insignificant either.

After prying it loose, Zhou SiLang sniffed it and found a refreshing fragrance, so he looked at Manbao in astonishment, "Little sister, you have to tell Fourth Brother, is this some kind of treasure?"

Manbao nodded seriously, "Yes, it is!"

Zhou SiLang’s eyes shone brightly as he asked eagerly, "What kind of treasure is it?"

"You’ll know very soon." Manbao held a piece and said, "Let’s go down the mountain, I’ll ask the teacher."

Zhou SiLang: "...So you don’t know?"

"I don’t know."

Zhou SiLang, no longer eager, picked up the battered basket and said, "Alright then, let’s go down the mountain and head home. It’s almost time for dinner, isn’t it? Have you done your homework?"

Zhou SiLang had spent all day working in the forest, and as the woods were dense with trees casting shadows everywhere, it was relatively cool, so Old Zhou didn’t give them any time to rest.

Zhou SiLang felt his back was nearly too stiff to straighten.

Manbao keenly spotted Zhou Si’s desire to slack off and huffed, "I finished early, I’m not you."

Daya didn’t want to go down the mountain; all her friends were still playing in the woods, and she felt like staying and playing with them. Seeing her little aunt had Fourth Brother with her, she immediately scampered off to play.

Manbao didn’t mind and walked down the mountain with Zhou Si.

Manbao didn’t head straight home, instead, she ran off to find her teacher with the chunk she was carrying.

Mr. Zhuang was in the courtyard drinking tea and revising the children’s homework. Seeing Manbao, covered in dirt, rushing in, he looked at her with amusement, "What is it now?"

"Teacher, do you know what this is?" Manbao showed him the pile in her arms.

Mr. Zhuang was slightly surprised, "China root?"

He laughed and asked, "Where did you get this from?"

"China root?" Manbao’s eyes sparkled, "I know, China root powder, China root cake."

Mr. Zhuang laughed heartily and said, "Those are edibles, did you eat them at Shanbao’s house?"

Manbao bashfully lowered her head; indeed, she had eaten them at Bai Shanbao’s house.

Mr. Zhuang looked at the China root in her hand and asked, "Did you break this off yourself?"

Manbao nodded, "Some of it, I couldn’t manage, so my Fourth Brother broke it off."

Mr. Zhuang nodded slightly and smiled, "You should dig around the pine tree roots a bit more, there should still be more down there."

Manbao was surprised, "Teacher, how did you know I found it by the pine tree roots?"

Mr. Zhuang laughed, "Do you know why it’s called China root?"

Manbao shook her head.

"Because some people think it is a miraculous object transformed from the essence of the pine tree, so they call it China root, China god, or pine. In the Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong wrote a ’Biography of Immortals’ which contains a saying that ’the spirit of old pine transforms into China root.’" Mr. Zhuang explained with a smile, "This China root is made up of three parts, and all three parts can be used in medicine."

Mr. Zhuang pointed to the dark brown skin and said, "This is the China root’s skin, it helps with water retention and reduces swelling; it moves the water in the skin;"

Then he pointed to the white flesh, "This is white China root, the China root powder you mentioned is made from this. It has many uses, including supporting the spleen and increasing energy, and it can also cure insomnia and excessive dreaming."

Mr. Zhuang had only glanced over one or two medical books, and his knowledge was merely superficial. For more detailed information, Manbao would have to search further.

Mr. Zhuang continued, "This is a medicinal herb. If you want to understand more, you’ll have to ask a doctor or someone from a pharmacy. However, there is another part of the China root that is pierced by the pine roots, called China root wood; you probably didn’t dig that out, but it too is a medicinal ingredient."

"What can it cure?" Manbao asked eagerly.

Mr. Zhuang shook his head smilingly, "As a teacher, I don’t know; I am not a doctor."

"When I find out, I’ll tell the teacher," she said.

Mr. Zhuang nodded in agreement with a smile, "Good, I’ll wait for you to tell me."

Checking the time, Mr. Zhuang waved his hand, "You’d better go back now, or your family will start worrying and looking for you."

Manbao agreed and ran back home with the China root.

At home, Old Zhou was holding the dark brown stuff, examining it for a long time without making out what it was; he thought Zhou Si was pulling one over on him. So, he set it down and questioned, "Could this thing possibly be a treasure?"

As soon as Manbao ran back in, she saw her dad tossing her things onto the ground and immediately exclaimed, "Dad, this is China root!"

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