Chapter 681: Black Water Village, Wood Ear?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In addition, the terrain of Black Water Village was not good to begin with, and the yield of grain planted was even lower. If there was no external income, it was likely that life would be very difficult.

“Although the yield in the field is not high, there are many mountains, so we can usually pick up some wild eggs and bird eggs. If we’re lucky, we can also add pheasants to our dishes. There are also many mushrooms and wild vegetables in the summer.”

“Eldest Aunt, why is your Black Water Village called this?” Ye Muyu asked. Could it be that there’s black water?”

There was a lot of water in the Jiangnan area, and there were not many villages like this that were surrounded by mountains.

Ye Muyu asked out of curiosity, and Chu Xingjun explained with a smile, “We do have a river there, but it’s not called Black Water. This name is because there’s always a black plant growing on the tree trunk on the mountain. At a glance, the entire village is dark, and there’s water to drink, so we gave it this name. There’s no record of who gave it this name, but everyone has been saying it for generations.”

“Eldest Aunt, can you describe the black plant to me in detail?” Ye Muyu asked.

She felt that it sounded familiar.

Although Chu Xingjun did not know why she asked, she was very patient and explained in detail, “It’s black. Some look like ears, some look like moths and butterflies. Both sides are smooth, and sometimes it’s hard. If there’s too much rain, it’ll be soft. Usually, when I go to the mountains to pick mushrooms, it’ll be rotten when I touch it, and it’ll look a little dirty.”

Ye Muyu rubbed her chin. “Eldest Aunt, if I’m not wrong, the plant you’re talking about should be a fungus or wood ear. It’s also called a cloud ear.”

“What’s a wood ear?” Chu Xingjun was somewhat puzzled.

Madam Liu was delighted. She knew that her third daughter-in-law liked to read books and knew many ingredients, just like the medicinal herbs. If she did not read books, who would know that it was medicinal herbs?

Everyone was at a disadvantage because they did not study. They could not even recognize everything.

“It’s an edible ingredient,” Ye Muyu explained.

She thought about it and decided not to use the scientific name of the edible fungi. After all, no one would understand it and it would be easy to expose too much.

“Edible?” Chu Xing Jun’s face was filled with disbelief. “That thing, how do we eat it…?”

“Ah Heng’s wife, did you mistake it?”

“Eldest Aunt, this is good news. If it’s really the fungus, you’ll have a source of income in the future. After all, as you said, if it’s really the fungus, it means that the environment in Black Water Village is very suitable for them to grow. When the time comes, you can grow them yourself and sell them in the county.”

“Wood ears are a very good side dish. It can be used for cold salad or stewed chicken. It can also be dried in the sun and preserved for a very long time. When you eat it, just soak it in hot water.”

“Really…Really?” Chu Xingjun’s aged eyes were filled with disbelief, but there was also some anticipation. If she could really sell it, the family’s life would be better!

No, to be precise, life at home would be much better.

“Ah Yu, are you serious?” Madam Liu was also surprised.

“Mother, I can’t be sure. However, according to Eldest Aunt’s description, I feel that there is at least a seventy percent chance.”

“Actually, there should be some in our village, but there are very few.” Although Xingshui Village had a small hill, it was very low. The river did not pass through the firewood mountain, so it would not be wet. If the firewood mountain was not wet, it would not be able to reach the environment where the fungus grew. Naturally, there were only some fungus that did not taste good, so she did not care.