Chapter 15: What Can Officer Mi Offer?

Gu Xiaomai glanced at Liu Ju and the three others waiting in front of Tent No. 5. “Tell them what the Angelica and Codonopsis plants look like.”

“Are you sure these are medicinal herbs?” one of them asked.

Gu Xiaomai nodded. “Absolutely.”

Hearing their conversation, Mi Tang approached and asked, “Can I come listen too?”

Gu Xiaomai smiled brightly at Mi Tang. “They four paid me for this lesson. What can Officer Mi offer in return?”

“What do you need? As long as it’s not too difficult, I can help.”

“Can you get me a clay pot?”

“What’s a clay pot? A cooking pot?” Mi Tang asked with curiosity.

He had seen several large pots in the camp kitchen but had never heard of a clay pot before.

“It can be used for cooking or boiling medicine. Made from earthenware or ceramics.”

Mi Tang shook his head. “I really can’t get one. I can bring a metal pot though.”

Gu Xiaomai considered their current situation and said, “That works too, but the metal pot needs to be made according to my specifications.”

After some discussion, Gu Xiaomai got the pot she wanted, and Mi Tang gained the chance to learn about three medicinal herbs. Both were pleased.

When Gu Xiaomai returned to the spread of Angelica, Codonopsis, and Astragalus in front of Tent No. 5, Mi Tang, Jiang Chen’an, and Yu Mi followed along to listen in.

Jiang Chen’an and Yu Mi thought it would be good to learn more, and since Mi Tang was attending, they felt they should join too.

Gu Xiaomai picked out the roots of Angelica and Codonopsis, matching them with their respective plants, and began to explain:

“This plant is Angelica. Its leaves are alternate, twice or thrice pinnately compound with an odd number of leaflets.”

“What does alternate mean? And what is twice or thrice pinnately compound with an odd number of leaflets?” Jiang Chen’an asked.

Gu Xiaomai pointed to the connection points between the petioles and the rachis on both sides of the Angelica leaf stalk. “Alternate means each leaf grows at a different node like this.”

Then she pointed to a large leaf. “Twice or thrice pinnately compound means the petiole branches two or three times, each branch bearing smaller leaflets, and the number of these leaflets is odd.”

After finishing, she handed the whole Angelica plant to them one by one.

When they had a good grasp, Gu Xiaomai began describing Codonopsis. “Codonopsis leaves are ovate or narrowly ovate, with wavy but not sharp serrated edges. The upper side is green, the underside grayish-green. Sometimes it has long, appressed stiff or soft hairs, sometimes not. Unlike Angelica’s erect stem, its stem grows twining.”

Once they had absorbed this, Gu Xiaomai picked up the roots of Angelica and Codonopsis to continue.

“Both roots are thick and fleshy. The difference is that Angelica has a distinct fragrance and can nourish the blood,” Gu Xiaomai said, passing around the Angelica roots for them to smell.

“It really does!” Wei Xiaoqin exclaimed excitedly.

After everyone had smelled, Gu Xiaomai gestured to the Codonopsis root in her hand. “The Codonopsis root is spindle-shaped and cylindrical. The swollen parts at the top are mostly wart-like stem scars or buds, also called ‘lion’s mane.’ As for Astragalus, we’ll talk about it next time after we pick its leaves on the mountain.”

“The medicinal effects of these three herbal roots are greater than their plants. Codonopsis benefits the middle and replenishes qi, strengthens the spleen and lungs, and promotes fluid production. Astragalus shares the qi-replenishing effect but also promotes diuresis, reduces swelling, detoxifies, expels pus, and revitalizes. Angelica nourishes and enriches the blood, regulates menstruation, relieves pain, and moistens the intestines to ease constipation. These are their main medicinal effects…”

As Gu Xiaomai spoke, she noticed the seven listeners looked utterly bewildered, as if hearing an alien language, realizing they didn’t understand many traditional Chinese medicine terms.

After a brief pause, she translated the content into plain language and repeated it: “Codonopsis’s qi-replenishing effect means it adjusts the spleen and stomach functions and strengthens the body’s vital energy, improving immunity, alleviating fatigue, and promoting health. Strengthening the spleen and lungs…”

After Gu Xiaomai finished, the seven studied the samples, trying hard to memorize every detail.

Using a clean bag as a makeshift bucket, Gu Xiaomai rinsed her herbs again with drinking water.

The afternoon’s land clearing continued, and soon it was evening.

When Mi Tang called for a break, Yu Mi immediately stowed away the hand-pulled single-furrow plow and urged Jiang Chen’an and Gu Xiaomai to return to the tent area.

“Let’s go quickly. I just saw Grandpa Xia packing up his hoes.”

“We’re coming,” Gu Xiaomai called out loudly.

Seeing Yu Mi so excited, Gu Xiaomai grew eager herself, curious how the locals prepared the Qinghua plants for eating.

After putting away the tools, Yu Mi eagerly ran to Grandpa Xia Yang and asked, “Grandpa Xia, can I help with anything?”

Jiang Chen’an and Gu Xiaomai followed.

Some members of the land-clearing team had been consuming nutritional supplements since childhood and had never eaten Qinghua plants; they watched from a distance, ready to learn secretly.

“Help me move some things,” Xia Yang said.

Yu Mi followed Xia Yang into Tent No. 3, where they brought out drinking water, Qinghua plants, a small copper pot, and other necessary items.

Xia Yang fashioned a tripod from three arm-thick branches, then washed the Qinghua plants with drinking water, collecting the rinse water back into a bottle.

He tore the clean plants into pieces, placed them with a little drinking water into the small copper pot, then suspended the pot with a rope from the tripod and began boiling.

Watching Xia Yang’s crude cooking method, Gu Xiaomai could already imagine how awful the broth would taste once cooked!

However, for those who didn’t know better, this was indeed the simplest way to prepare it.

Gu Xiaomai now had a rough idea of the locals’ culinary skills and felt more confident about her survival here.

Once Xia Yang added salt, lifted the pot, and prepared to eat, Jiang Chen’an and Yu Mi’s spirits sank.

Yu Mi wore a mournful expression. “Brother Chen, what should we do? Should we ask Mi Tang and the others if they’re still accepting more?”

Jiang Chen’an’s brow furrowed, clearly unhappy. Mi Tang’s group probably would accept, but he didn’t want that.

He glanced at the roots Gu Xiaomai had dried in the sun and asked, “Xiaomai, do you think the Qinghua plants we have could be dried and stored like these roots?”

Gu Xiaomai nodded. “Of course. When you want to eat them, just cook them directly in a pot like Grandpa Xia does.”

Pausing a moment, Gu Xiaomai realized he might be lacking a pot to prepare Qinghua plants with. “When Mi Tang finishes making the pot I asked for and delivers it, I can lend it to you.”

These two had helped her quite a bit, so she had no issue lending them the pot.

Jiang Chen’an and Yu Mi were delighted at her offer but still declined.

After all, what they lacked wasn’t just a pot, but most importantly, salt!

Days passed, and the newly cleared plots of land each ranged from at least one to one and a half acres, consuming all the corn seeds left from before.

Gu Xiaomai’s Angelica, Codonopsis, and Astragalus had all been dried and stored, while Jiang Chen’an and Yu Mi’s Qinghua plants were also dried and put away.

After confirming that all animals on Mountain No.1 had retreated, Logistics Team leader Jiao Yang and his crew organized another mission to search for Qinghua plants.