MMB Chapter 62
Chapter 62
"I want to learn how to identify medicinal herbs systematically."
I feel there are still many valuable medicinal herbs in the mountains behind Baiyang Lake that I haven't recognized.
Last time I found a patch of wild ginseng at the foot of Eagle's Beak Cliff, but I couldn't find it again when I went back later.
I want to learn how to find medicinal herbs and how to determine their growing environment.
Zhao Deming put down the bamboo sieve in his hand and smiled.
"I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time."
He stood up, went into the house, and after a while came out carrying a stack of books.
At the top is a book titled "Identification of Chinese Medicinal Herbs," with yellowed pages and rounded edges.
The book cover was wrapped in kraft paper.
Below is a book titled "Cultivation Techniques of Chinese Medicinal Herbs," and below that is a book titled "Illustrated Atlas of Commonly Used Chinese Medicinal Herbs."
"I found these three books at a used bookstore in the provincial capital ten years ago."
Back then, three books cost one yuan, and the stall owner thought he was selling them too cheaply.
Zhao Deming stacked the books on the stone platform.
"I've taught for so many years and know so many students..."
Only you and your brother Chen Rong are interested in these things.
Chen Rong is a bright kid with an interest in chemistry; he could pursue a career in pharmaceuticals.
You, well, you know how to appreciate mountains.
"To see the mountains?"
"Yes. There's a saying among herb gatherers: 'Look at the mountain to identify the herb.'"
What kind of mountain grows what kind of medicine? What kind of soil produces what kind of root?
On sunny slopes grow Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus, while on shady slopes grow Paris polyphylla and Podophyllum hexandrum.
Pine mushrooms grow under pine trees, oak mushrooms grow on oak trees, and gastrodia elata can be found in the crevices of rocks.
You not only need to be able to identify medicinal herbs, but also to be able to identify mountains. Once you recognize the mountains, you'll recognize the medicinal herbs.
Chen Zheng picked up the three books and flipped through them.
The book "Identification of Chinese Medicinal Herbs" contains pictures and text descriptions of dozens of medicinal herbs.
All of them are labeled with their place of origin, growing environment, harvesting season, and processing method.
He turned to the page about Gastrodia elata, which read:
Gastrodia elata, also known as Chijian, is a perennial parasitic herb that is leafless and lacks chlorophyll.
It grows mostly in shady and damp places under forests at altitudes of 800 to 1,500 meters, parasitizing the mycelium of Armillaria mellea.
The tubers are used in medicine and are harvested in spring and autumn.
Wild gastrodia elata is best when it is firm in texture, has a horny cross-section, and tastes sweet.
"Teacher Zhao, the book says that Gastrodia elata grows in shady and damp places under the forest at an altitude of over 800 meters."
The area around Eagle's Beak Cliff is only about 600 meters above sea level, so why would there be Gastrodia elata there?
Zhao Deming's eyes lit up: "Good question."
The book describes a general rule, but the local microclimate can break this rule.
Although Eagle Beak Cliff is not very high, its back is a sheer cliff, from which mountain springs seep year-round.
The humidity under the trees is extremely high, and the trees on the cliff top block out the sun, creating a localized, damp environment.
This microclimate is ideal for the growth of Gastrodia elata. This is why collecting medicinal herbs isn't just about reading books; you also have to go and experience it firsthand.
"If you want to learn to recognize medicinal herbs, you can't just read books or just run around in the mountains. You have to learn from both books and mountains."
"How about this, when I feel a bit better in a few days, I'll take you into the mountains and teach you to identify the local medicinal herbs."
"I'm going too!" A clear voice came from the courtyard gate.
Lin Xiaoyun was standing at the courtyard gate at some point, holding several books in her hands.
She was wearing a white shirt with a floral print and her hair was tied in a ponytail.
She looked at Chen Zheng, her eyes shining.
"Xiaoyun, weren't you taking extra classes in the county? Why are you back?"
"Tutoring is finished. Anyway, there's still a while before the college entrance exam, so I can study at home as well."
Lin Xiaoyun placed the book on the stone platform and walked to Zhao Deming's side.
"Teacher Zhao, I also want to go into the mountains with you."
Didn't you always say that no matter how much book knowledge you learn, it's all just empty talk if you don't go and see for yourself in real life?
A meaningful smile appeared on Zhao Deming's lips.
"Okay. But there's a condition."
"When you go into the mountains, you're not allowed to complain about being tired or suffering. The mountains are nothing like the county town; there are snakes and insects, and the roads are difficult to travel."
Lin Xiaoyun raised her chin:
"It's not like I've never been to the mountains before. When I was a kid, I could walk for miles without getting tired."
That was when you were a child. You're eighteen now.
"So what if you're eighteen? Eighteen-year-olds can walk before they're ten!"
Looking at her indomitable spirit, Chen Zheng remembered something.
In her past life, Lin Xiaoyun was admitted to a university in Beijing.
After graduation, he returned to Qingshui County and became a teacher at the county's No. 1 Middle School.
Later, the county's No. 1 Middle School merged with its senior high school section, so she was transferred to a junior high school in the town.
The year Chen Zheng had her accident, she was teaching in the town, which was only a few miles away from Lutang Village.
He didn't know if she came back because of family matters, nor did he know how her life went afterward.
All he remembered was that Lin Xiaoyun in her past life, like Lin Xiaoyun in this life, had a stubborn light in her eyes.
"Okay, let's go together then," Chen Zheng said. "Don't fall behind."
Lin Xiaoyun glared at him: "It's not certain who will fall behind yet."
The three of them agreed on a time to go into the mountains, set for the day after tomorrow.
When Chen Zheng got home, it was almost dark.
He sat under the kerosene lamp and opened the three medicine books that Zhao Deming had given him.
I took a few notes in my notebook, comparing them with the Gastrodia elata I saw at the herbal medicine station today.
Zhang Cuihua brought in the food and saw him reading, so she didn't disturb him.
She gently placed the food on the table and then left.
Old Chen squatted on the threshold, a pipe dangling from his mouth, looking through the smoke at his son under the kerosene lamp inside the house.
He thought back to many years ago, when he was young.
Back then, he was about the same age as Chen Zheng, full of energy, and felt that Baiyang Lake was so big that there must be a place for him to use his skills.
Later, when he injured his leg, that energy dissipated.
He placed his hopes on his son, but dared not place too much hope in him, for fear of disappointment.
Now, his son is better than him.
The next morning, after inspecting the fishpond, Chen Zheng made a detour to the village committee.
Director Hu was filling out a form on the table when he saw him come in, and he put down his pen.
"Zhengzi, you've come at the right time. A notice just arrived in town, and I was just about to ask someone to bring it to you."
Director Hu pulled out an official document from his drawer and handed it over.
Chen Zheng took it and saw that it was a notice about organizing rural youths to go to the provincial capital to participate in an agricultural product fair.
The notice stated that, in order to promote rural economic development and disseminate agricultural technology,
The county's agricultural bureau decided to organize 30 rural youth representatives from across the county to attend the provincial agricultural product fair in the provincial capital.
The meeting is scheduled for one week from now, and will last for five days.
Accommodation and meals will be arranged by the county agricultural bureau, and round-trip transportation costs will be subsidized by the provincial agricultural department.
"The number of places is limited, and each township is only allocated two places."
In Baiyang Town, the town has already registered one person, and they recommended you for the remaining spot.
They said you've achieved success in technology promotion in the town and have products; you should go to the provincial capital to broaden your horizons.
While we're at it, let's see if we can sell the fish in the provincial capital.
"Thank you, Director Hu. I'll go and get ready."
"Oh, right, there's one more thing."
"The town is currently piloting a township enterprise program and wants to find several capable people from the villages to contract and operate it."
Are you interested?
"What kind of pilot program?"
"The town provides the factory buildings and equipment, and individuals contract to operate them."
There are now several vacant old factory buildings, which were originally used for agricultural machinery repair and maintenance.
Later, the agricultural machinery company underwent restructuring, and the factory buildings became vacant.
The town government wants to revitalize these factories and develop industries that process agricultural and sideline products.
Specific policies are still being drafted.
But I'm just giving you a heads-up, so if you have any ideas, you can prepare in advance.
Chen Zheng's heart skipped a beat.
He did consider starting a factory.
Although the fishponds and promotion stations are thriving, they are ultimately just sticking to their small plot of land around Baiyang Lake.
To truly grow a large-scale enterprise, simply selling raw materials is not enough; deep processing is necessary.
Fish balls, smoked fish, dried fish, pickled fish, and even medicinal herb processing, as well as the drying and packaging of mountain products, all require factory buildings.
Now the town is actually offering factory buildings on its own initiative. If we don't take advantage of this, even God won't allow it.
"Director Hu, when will this contracting policy be finalized?"
"It'll only take about two months."
If you're interested, I can put in a good word for you in town.
However, there is one condition: the contractor must have a local industrial base and technical capabilities.
They also need to have the ability to lead and motivate.
It means not only making money for yourself, but also providing employment for those around you. You meet all these criteria.
After leaving the village committee, Chen Zheng stood under the old locust tree, looking at Baiyang Lake in the distance.
A breeze stirred on the lake, rustling the reeds.
Several egrets took flight from the reeds, their wings shimmering silver in the sunlight.
He was calculating rapidly in his mind.
How much investment is needed to lease an old factory building? What can the factory building be used for? How many people should be hired? Where are the sales channels for the products?
These are all issues that require careful consideration and cannot be resolved in a day or two.
But there was one thing he was certain of.
He needs money.
It requires more money than the money saved from raising fish.
The family's current assets, plus income from the fishpond and mountain products.
With the subsidies from the promotion station and various support funds from the province, they are indeed considered well-off in the village.
Living a decent life is not difficult.
But if you want to contract factory buildings and engage in deep processing, this amount of money is simply not enough.
He needs a faster way.
The first idea he came up with was to build a turtle farm on the shore of Baiyang Lake.
Baiyang Lake has abundant wild soft-shelled turtle resources, but the production is low because people have to go into the water to catch them.
At most, a few dozen can be caught each year.
If we can master the technology of turtle farming and mass-produce them using fish fry breeding, the output can increase several dozen times.
The market price of soft-shelled turtles is much higher than that of ordinary fish, and big hotels in the provincial capital are vying for them.
Once the technology is mastered, sales will not be a problem.
However, turtle farming has a drawback: the cycle is too long.
It takes at least three years to raise a soft-shelled turtle from a fry to a marketable size.
Three years is too long for any industry; we can't afford to wait.
The second method he came up with was medicinal herbs.
Wild ginseng, gastrodia elata, shiitake mushroom, and astragalus are all wild medicinal herbs that fetch high prices and are more lucrative than selling fish.
However, wild resources are limited, and harvesting them once a season reduces their availability, so this is not a long-term solution.
He needs a third move.
Fortunately, a letter from the provincial capital gave hope for this third move.
The letter was written by Ma Yuanchao from the Provincial Fisheries Research Institute.
Enclosed with the letter was an official document from the Provincial Fisheries Department.
The title is "Notice on Promoting Pilot Work for Artificial Aquaculture of Special Aquatic Products".
"Zhengzi," Ma Yuanchao wrote in the letter.
"Do you remember what I told you when I was doing the mandarin fish experiment in Danjiangkou?"
At that time, we only talked about mandarin fish, but this time the province has really made a big decision.
Please read this notice carefully first.
The export of loach and eel, mentioned in Article 3, Paragraph 1, is of paramount importance for generating foreign exchange.
Chen Zheng opened the notice and found the one.
The text above reads: "Aquaculture units with suitable conditions are encouraged to cultivate loach."
Pilot projects for the artificial breeding of export-oriented species such as eels.
Pilot units that make substantial progress will be given priority for subsidized loans and technical support.
The document also included a report titled "Demand Analysis for Eels and Loaches in the Japanese Market".
According to the data, Japan consumes more than 20,000 tons of eels annually, of which more than 90% are imported.
In 1984, Japan imported only 1,200 tons of eels from China, which was far from meeting market demand.
In Japan, eels are considered a high-end food ingredient.
High-quality eels sold for over 2,000 yen per kilogram, which was equivalent to nearly 20 yuan at the time.
Twenty yuan per kilogram.
This price is more than ten times that of crucian carp.
Baiyang Lake is a natural production area for eels.
The irrigation ditches in the rice paddies by the lake and the shallow waters of the reed marshes are full of eel nests.
The eel traps that Chen Zheng's father, Chen Laosan, made were specifically for catching eels.
However, catching eels and raising eels are two different concepts.
Eels are bottom-dwelling fish that burrow into the mud, and their requirements for the breeding environment are much higher than those for ordinary fish.
Pond aquaculture, net cage aquaculture, cement pond aquaculture.
There is more than one option, but to figure out the most suitable path for the local area, we have to take it one step at a time.
Chen Zheng carefully read through all the materials and noticed a key point mentioned in them.
The natural conditions in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are most similar to those in Japan's aquaculture model.
He planned to first write to Ma Yuanchao for advice, and then discuss the possibility of a local pilot program with the county aquatic products company.
It was late at night when I finished writing the reply.
Before blowing out the kerosene lamp, he reorganized the documents he had received that day.
The document slots at the promotion station are already more than half full.
On the left are stacks of training notices to be completed and disease data reported by various villages.
On the right is a handwritten diary of mandarin fish breeding.
The pilot program notice that had just arrived from the province was pressed down in the middle, and the smell of ink had not yet dissipated.
He felt that he was indeed very lucky.
But he also knew that if luck came but one didn't have the ability to seize it, it would just be a passing fad.
The wind blew past, and everything was gone.
The next day, Chen Zheng went to Eagle Beak Cliff alone.
Following Zhao Deming's method of identifying medicinal herbs by observing the mountains, he specifically sought out shady rock walls and perennially water-seeping crevices.
He squatted under a stone wall for more than half an hour.
Using a machete to carefully clear away the moss and withered leaves, they finally found a nest of wild gastrodia elata in a pile of rocks.
The dark brown tubers are buried under decaying leaves and gravel, and are almost invisible unless you look closely.
He carefully loosened the soil along the direction of the tuber with a sharp wooden stick, and it took him almost an hour to dig up three complete tubers.
The largest piece was as thick as an egg, and its cross-section was horny.
When you hold it under your nose, you can smell a faint medicinal fragrance.
He noted down the features of the discovery location in his notebook.
At the foot of the cliff on the north side of Eagle's Beak Cliff, where water seeps into the rock face, there is a layer of decaying leaves about three inches thick.
The accompanying plants include mosses and several clumps of Paris polyphylla.
He planned to take these markings back and work with Zhao Deming to compile them into a living map of the local medicinal herb distribution.
Another day has passed.
Zhao Deming and Lin Xiaoyun met up with Chen Zheng at the foot of Eagle Beak Cliff as promised.
Zhao Deming is in much better spirits than last year, and he walks steadily with the help of a bamboo cane.
Lin Xiaoyun, wearing a straw hat and carrying a small bamboo basket, walked in the middle of the group.
Every now and then I would squat down and sketch a plant.
Her sketchbook already has more than a dozen pages filled with drawings.
Paris polyphylla, Podophyllum hexandrum, and Gastrodia elata.
Next to each picture, the characteristics of the flowers and leaves and the location where they were found are clearly marked in small print.
As Chen Zheng rounded a bend in the mountain, he spotted several clumps of low shrubs.
The branches are covered with red berries the size of soybeans.
Zhao Deming bent down and picked a few fruits, placing them in his palm.
It is said that this is the original variety of wild goji berries, which is of purer quality than those artificially bred later.
He asked Lin Xiaoyun to draw it in her notebook.
Tell her that Traditional Chinese Medicine says goji berries nourish the liver and improve eyesight, while wild berries nourish the kidneys; each has its own uses.
While drawing, Lin Xiaoyun asked if goji berries could be transplanted.
Chen Zheng said yes.
He has already transplanted several trees from the mountain and planted them under the courtyard wall, so that she can come and pick them when they bear fruit next year.
At noon, the three of them stopped to rest by a pine forest.
Lin Xiaoyun sat on a rock, took out two flatbreads from her bamboo basket, and gave one to Chen Zheng.
As Chen Zheng chewed on his biscuit, he suddenly noticed a grayish-white object at the base of the pine tree.
He went over and saw that it was a cluster of matsutake mushrooms. The caps had just emerged from the pine needles, and they were white and tender, with excellent appearance.
Matsutake mushrooms are even more expensive in the Japanese market; good quality ones can sell for over 100 yuan per kilogram.
"These are matsutake mushrooms." Chen Zheng squatted down and carefully parted the pine needles.
"Matsutake mushrooms of this quality would fetch at least ten yuan per kilogram in the provincial capital."
"How do you know so many things?" Lin Xiaoyun squatted down next to him, tilting her head to look at him.
"You'll get to know each other after running through the mountains a few more times."
"Things from the mountains, if you recognize them, they'll give you money. If you don't, they're just a pile of rotten grass."
He picked the matsutake mushrooms one by one, wrapped them in moss, and gently placed them into a bamboo basket.
The movements were very gentle, for fear of damaging the appearance of the mushroom cap.
Lin Xiaoyun looked at his profile from the side.
She felt that the focused person in front of her was quite different from the Chen Zheng she had always thought of who only knew how to fish.
There was something new about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.