Siheyuan: Big City, Small Love

Chapter 140 Acorn

Another problem with mushrooms is that they need plastic film to be sealed.

Where this film comes from is also a problem. There are plastic bags on the market, but films are rare.

He Lai thought about it and decided that he couldn't be too hasty and had to take it slow.

"Grandma, do we have a lot of corn cobs at home?" He Lai said, pointing at the small pile of cobs.

“What’s wrong, grandson, there are a lot of these things, and they were not burned this year, so they were left there.

In the past, my grandmother used to eat it. She would chew it up and mix it with wild vegetables to fill her stomach. But now no one eats it and there are no pigs at home, so we can only cook it over a fire."

Old Mrs. He said as she sewed clothes.

"Grandma, I have a use for this thing. Find an empty room and put it away first. You can get more."

He Lai said, yes, now these corn cobs are really useless except for burning firewood.

"What's the use? Can you talk to grandma about it?" Grandma He was also curious, because her eldest grandson was very capable.

"Grandma, just put it away first, collect as much as you can, and I'll tell you when the time comes when I get it out."

He Lai explained.

"You're still keeping grandma in suspense. Fine, I'll ask your grandpa to get it done and pile all these sticks in your uncle's house."

Old Mrs. He didn't force him. She just wanted to take care of her grandson's affairs and let him do whatever he wanted.

He Lai's mind is now full of mushroom growing. If the mushrooms are grown well, the daily output can reach 100 kilograms, so he has to plan carefully.

Forget it, I’ll talk about it after I get back to school. By then, there must be relevant stuff in the Ministry of Agriculture. I’ll see if I can borrow it.

After a while, Xiaohu came with Da Wa and two boys from the Wu family, Wu Chang and Wu Sheng.

"Xiao Laizi, let's go get some more." When Dahu is not around, Xiaohu is in charge.

"Okay, grandma, Xiaohu and the others are going to play." He Lai said to his grandma.

"Okay, come back early." Old Mrs. He did not refuse. She couldn't force He to keep her company.

……

"Brother Xiaohu, is Brother Dahu doing well?" He Lai asked.

"We've discussed it all. Our family is the best and we're very happy. We'll be getting married in a few days, and we can just have a meal together then."

Xiaohu did not shy away and said directly.

"That's good. Where are we going today? That hillside should be gone."

"It's okay. I'll take you to another hillside. It's a little far away and no one has been there for a long time. There must be some there."

He Lai also found it funny that this little tiger believed in himself so much. In recent years, no one has paid special attention to these holes. After all, returning empty-handed is the norm.

He Lai and his companions came to a hillside, and beyond that were deep mountains.

He Lai looked at the tall trees in front of him, which seemed to be oak trees.

"Brother Xiaohu, let's go to the forest in front and take a look." He Lai decided to take a closer look.

"Xiao Laizi, don't go." Xiaohu was a little worried. Although there were not many animals in winter, what if something happened?

"It's okay, I'll just take a look at the edge. I want to see those trees." He Lai pointed to the big trees.

"Okay. Let's go together." Seeing that He Lai insisted on going, Xiaohu agreed.

He Lai walked closer quickly and saw that it was indeed an oak forest. Oak trees are also called oak trees, and the fruit of these trees is the favorite of wild boars during the winter.

He Lai quickly searched on the ground and found acorns.

"Xiao Hu, find some fruits. Da Wa, go back and bring some people and hoes and shovels. Let's dig traps."

He Lai began to talk about his plan.

When Dawa heard what He Lai said, he ran back immediately.

"Xiao Laizi, I ate this thing before when I didn't have food to eat. My grandfather said it was poisonous and people only ate it when there was no food. Now no one eats it." Xiaohu said as he picked it up.

"Brother Xiaohu, this acorn is a little bit poisonous, but it is the favorite food of wild boars, do you understand? Hehe."

He Lai explained as he picked it up.

"Really? Why haven't I seen any wild boars here?" Xiaohu and the others became even more happy when they heard that wild boars love to eat what they picked up.

"Brother Xiaohu, are you stupid? Wild boars are usually active at night. How did you see them?"

He Lai smiled.

"Really? Xiao Laizi, you really know a lot."

Soon the four of them had collected a full pile. Da Wa also came with his uncle, the second uncle, and Da Hu, carrying hoes and shovels.

"Hey, Xiao Laizi, why did you pick this up? We can still afford to eat!" He Zhong said with a smile.

"Uncle, stop making trouble. Let's start digging traps. Uncle, you take Brother Dahu and dig over there. Uncle Er, you take Brother Xiaohu and Brother Da Wa and dig over here. Let's try to catch the wild boar."

He Lai explained.

"Hey, okay, let's listen to Xiao Laizi and dig! Huh" He Zhong took the lead in digging.

He Lai went to find branches for the arrangement.

After two and a half hours, the men finally dug two large pits.

"Uncle, uncle, move the surrounding soil away. The smell cannot remain here."

"Let's build the trap. The branch is here and we'll go back after we're done."

After He finished speaking, everyone continued to work.

As He Lai filled the leaves in the middle of the trap with acorns and covered them with another layer of leaves, the trap was complete. He Lai then tried his best to restore the surroundings to their original state.

"Let's go. The weather is good these two days, and wild boars may come out to look for food. Hey, Brother Dahu, if there are wild boars, you can invite more people to your wedding."

He Lai said.

"Xiao Laizi, you are so thoughtful. Uncle thanks you." He Zhong said with a happy smile.

"Let's take the remaining acorns back. They may be useful next time. This will also force the wild boars to only look for acorns in the traps!" He Lai continued.

"Okay, let's listen to Xiao Laizi. Put everything in the bags and take it away." Several people began to put the things in the bags.

Just like that, He Lai and his companions left with the acorns.

……

When He Lai returned to Mr. He's house, he was also confused when he saw them bringing back so many acorns, but he soon understood their intention.

Everyone went back to wash up. After all, they had been busy for a long time and were all dirty and sweaty.

He Lai didn't sweat much, he was just being lazy and chatting with Mr. He in the house.

"Thinking back then, this thing really saved many lives." Grandpa He played with the acorn in his hand, and his memories seemed to come back to him. The scenes of people starving to death made Grandpa He silent.

"Grandpa, do you want to try some more?" He Lai asked with a smile.

"Silly child, if you eat too much of this stuff you will really have diarrhea. Just smell it." Grandpa He put down the acorn and clapped his hands.

"Grandpa, these acorns can be made into tofu. Would you like to try it?"

He Lai said quietly.

"Really?" Mr. He's eyes lit up.

"Really? Acorns, like soybeans, contain a lot of starch, which is similar to the flour we eat. And acorns contain a higher content, so they can be made into tofu."

He Lai explained patiently.

"Okay then, your grandpa's house is the only one in our village that has a millstone. Let's take it and grind it." After saying this, Grandpa He wanted to go to Grandpa Wu's house.

"Okay, let's walk." He Lai also agreed.

The grandfather and grandson went out carrying two bags of acorns.