Chapter 10: Could You Teach Me to Recognize Them?

At the north gate of Camp E4, Mi Tang let the pioneer team members return on their own, while he followed Jiao Yang and the others into the camp.

“Keep an eye on Gu Xiaomai. See how the young girl handles those Qinghua plant roots.”

“Captain, aren’t you reluctant to collect those roots because you don’t want to waste points?”

“Smack!” Jiao Yang gave him a playful smack.

“What do you know! I told you to keep watch, so keep watch.” Caring about points and wanting to know if those roots are edible don’t conflict!

“Oh, alright then!” Mi Tang rubbed the spot where he was hit. How come this chubby captain gets stronger as he gets fatter?

“Captain, is the camp going to prepare a meal with Qinghua plants tonight?”

“Want some?”

“Hmm, hehe… who wouldn’t want some?” Mi Tang glanced at the soldiers following behind. “Do you all want to eat some?”

The crowd immediately started chattering.

“Yes!”

“I’ve been wanting it for a long time.”

“Team Leader Jiao, we’ve had a good haul today, shouldn’t we celebrate?”

“Ever since leaving the base, I’ve dreamed of eating Qinghua plants once a day, hehe—”

“Then keep dreaming every day! I want to eat it every other day.”

“You two are the same, go eat in your dreams! There’s everything in dreams.”

…

Mi Tang said, “Captain, did you hear everyone’s wishes?”

Jiao Yang nodded irritably at Mi Tang. “Go find the madman and tell him to get ready to cook. I’ll talk to the camp commander.”

“All right!” Mi Tang called out loudly, “Fang Baozi, come quickly, take Captain Jiao to find the camp commander.”

“Coming.” A young man appeared from behind, his right arm wrapped in bandages.

If Gu Xiaomai were here, she would recognize him as the one who, together with Jiang Chen’an and Yu Mi, rescued her.

Fang Baozi squatted in front of Jiao Yang. “Captain Jiao, get on my back, I’ll carry you.”

“I can walk there myself; it’s not far. Your right hand is still injured,” Jiao Yang said, leaning on Fang Baozi.

Fang Baozi instantly felt himself being pressed down.

Has this fat man gotten even fatter? If he keeps this up, I won’t be able to carry him anymore.

Lifting Jiao Yang, the two quickly disappeared from Mi Tang and the others’ sight. Fang Baozi’s voice floated in the air: “Ah, Captain Jiao, walking there takes so long; I can zip you there in no time, right?”

After they left, Mi Tang told the rest, “Injured ones, go back and rest. The others, come with me to the mess hall to help the madman.”

Among the soldiers who went up the mountain, besides those in the logistics team without urgent duties, there were also wounded soldiers resting in the camp. Anyone cleared by the doctor went along.

No one listened to Mi Tang’s order to rest. Who knew if those slackers would eat their fill and then call them again? By then, having a bowl of soup left would be lucky.

Since the camp’s mess hall was established at the end of February, almost a month had passed with only three meals of Qinghua plant soup served.

Each time only a few sips, sometimes not even a trace of green leaves could be seen.

This time, they were going to the mess hall to be among the first to taste the Qinghua plants.

While the camp prepared the meal, on the pioneer team’s side, Yu Mi visited neighbors, asking how to eat Qinghua plants.

“Old man Xia, how are you planning to prepare the Qinghua plants?”

The elderly Xia Yang’s bed was near the entrance of Tent 3, on the left. Sitting on his bed, he could see Yu Mi grinning widely at the tent’s door under the moonlight. “Kid, why do you ask?”

“Hehe, this isn’t my first time preparing Qinghua plants, but I don’t know how to eat them. You seem experienced, so I came to ask.”

“Do you pay consultation fees? If you do, I can tell you!” Liang Fei, lying on the bed to the right of the door, joked.

“Brother Fei, I’d love to pay, but I don’t have a single point left now.” Yu Mi sighed deeply.

Before leaving the base, the points on his ID card had all been exchanged for nutrient supplements—only enough to buy six bottles. He was five points short, and it was Chen who helped him cover the difference.

He took three bottles for himself and left three for the orphanage.

Chen even paid for his shower points yesterday.

So poor!

Seeing Yu Mi’s serious look, Xia Yang laughed at Liang Fei, “Stop teasing the boy, look how worried he is.”

Then he looked at Yu Mi. “I’ll prepare it tomorrow night. You just watch and you’ll understand. It’s very simple.”

“Really? Thank you, sir!” Yu Mi was so happy he wanted to jump up, but he held back, only speaking loudly.

Gu Xiaomai, in Tent 5, could hear Yu Mi’s thanks clearly. No doubt she knew why; those two kids were really something...

They both claimed they knew how to prepare it, yet still didn't believe each other and had to ask someone else.

Such little trust among teammates!

Gu Xiaomai was quietly criticizing her two teammates when Liu Ju from the next bed asked:

“Xiaomai, why is your group digging up some unknown plant roots? It’s neither yam nor sweet potato or potato. You’re wasting your energy, Officer Jiao’s team won’t take them.”

Caught between honesty and bluffing, Gu Xiaomai hesitated for a moment before deciding, “Granny Liu, do you know about Angelica, Codonopsis, and Astragalus?”

“I do. Before the catastrophe, they were great for replenishing blood and energy. But after the disaster, survival is tough, and fewer people know about these medicinal herbs that can’t be eaten directly. Back when I was young, I even drank herbal medicine containing two of these. Too bad I never recognized what they looked like growing in the ground.”

After she spoke, Liu Ju realized, “So the roots you’re digging are these three herbs?”

Wei Xiaoqin, Meng Xue, and Wan Chuncui were all eavesdropping intently.

After Gu Xiaomai softly said “Mm,” the three instantly turned to face her, hoping she could share more, maybe they could also find unwanted Angelica, Codonopsis, and Astragalus roots at the camp.

If the camp rejects them, they could still bring them back to the base to sell. As long as they are Qinghua plants, they wouldn’t worry about selling them.

“Someone at home knows them. I’ve seen them before.”

She recognized them initially because of Grandpa Chai, her neighbor in her previous life.

The old man was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and his home often had freshly dug medicinal herbs.

Their families were close. When her parents couldn’t take care of her, they often left her at Grandpa Chai’s house, where she became familiar with many herbs.

Especially after her parents’ accident, she developed a fear of using knives.

Most of the dishes her father taught her ended up shelved as mere recipes, but she loved cooking.

Finally, following the old man’s advice, she began studying medicinal cuisine and even majored in Chinese herbal planting in college, gaining more knowledge about medicinal herbs.

She couldn’t prescribe medicine directly, but she knew some simple properties, effects, and preparation methods.

“Xiaomai, could you teach me how to identify these? Don’t worry, I won’t let you teach for nothing. Next time if I find these roots again, I’ll share half with you,” Liu Ju asked with a hint of pleading.

“We can share too,” Wei Xiaoqin and Meng Xue quickly added.

“Me too,” Wan Chuncui hurried to say, as if afraid of being left out.