Chapter 9: 909 Persimmon

Today, Li Dazhu and his two sons decided to take a different route, wanting to see if there would be any other discoveries; the scenery in the mountains today was somewhat different from what they saw yesterday, appearing as a completely different world compared to the world outside the mountains.

Autumn in the mountains seemed to arrive a little later than outside; the lush greenery across the mountains stubbornly resisted the footsteps of winter. It wasn't until late autumn that they finally yielded, and the leaves on most of the trees had gradually fallen; the mountain forests suddenly became sparse and open, and the bees and butterflies also gradually became much rarer; along the way, Li Menglan also saw many kinds of wild fruits, some she recognized, while others she could not name.

"Dad, what is that..." Li Menglan pointed her finger at a tree not far away that was laden with yellow fruits. If she wasn't mistaken... that should be a persimmon tree, right? But why was no one picking them? Did the people here not know that persimmons could be eaten just like chestnuts?

"Lan-ya-tou, those wild fruits are astringent and very unpalatable; they even have a bit of a bitter taste. No one in the village eats them." Li Dazhu's words left Li Menglan ecstatic.

Uh... as expected, the people of Yunliang Kingdom don't know about this persimmon thing. Wild persimmons grow in abundance; there were several hundred growing on this single tree alone. Li Menglan's eyes narrowed into thin lines; it was as if she saw bright, white silver waving at her right before her eyes.

If Li Menglan's estimation wasn't wrong, um... it must be that the people of Yunliang Kingdom don't know that you have to wait until persimmons turn red and peel the skin to eat them; they must all start eating them during the season before the persimmons are ripe, and they even eat them with the skin on. Dried persimmons were one of Li Menglan's favorite foods—fragrant, soft, and sweet... just thinking about it made her unable to stop swallowing her saliva.

"Little sister, is this also a treasure?" Li Zhiming was standing closest to Li Menglan and saw her behavior most clearly; he couldn't help but ask.

Hearing his eldest brother's words, Li Zhihao also looked at his little sister with an expectant face. Last night's stir-fried pheasant with chestnuts had almost made Li Zhihao swallow his tongue. Li Dazhu was also looking at his daughter; tsk tsk... that expression was exactly the same as Li Zhihao's. If not, how could they be father and son?

Li Menglan almost couldn't help herself. *Wuu wuu... don't stare at me like that; it's too much pressure.* Li Menglan felt very conflicted in her heart; her fragile little heart couldn't take it!

"Mm." Li Menglan cleared her throat and nodded slightly, saying, "Dad, Big Brother, Second Brother, this fruit is called a persimmon; it can be made into delicious dried persimmons. When the time comes, we can take them to town to sell; many people will surely love to eat them." Li Menglan could already see the silver waving at her.

After the events of last night, Li Dazhu, Li Zhiming, and Li Zhihao—the father and sons—already believed Li Menglan's words without a doubt. "Dad, Big Brother, then what are we waiting for? Let's do it!" Li Zhihao had a more impatient temperament; he immediately rubbed his hands together and zipped up the persimmon tree; for a country child, climbing trees was child's play.

"Second Brother, be careful not to fall down." Li Menglan hurriedly called out, "By the way, you must not smash the persimmons; otherwise, they'll be useless," she urged with concern.

"It's fine, Second Brother knows. Dad, you and Big Brother hurry down here to catch the persimmons," Li Zhihao said unhurriedly.

"Coming!" Li Zhiming was the first to run over.

"Lan-ya-tou, Dad is going with your Big Brother and Second Brother to pick the persimmons; you stay here and play obediently. Don't wander off; there are many animals in the mountains, so be careful," Li Dazhu instructed Li Menglan.

Li Menglan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Dad, I'll just watch you from the side; I won't wander off." Because of yesterday's discovery, Li Menglan had brought several extra bags when she went up the mountain today; she didn't have to worry about not having enough bags.

Knowing that her father and two brothers would handle the picking, Li Menglan didn't need to intervene at all; instead, she focused on looking around. In the grass on both sides of the path, there were clusters of small, golden-yellow wild chrysanthemums; at this moment, they were blooming wildly and ostentatiously. Although they couldn't compare to the elegance and grace of artificially cultivated flowers, their vigorous vitality possessed a different kind of vibrant, wild charm.

Li Menglan remembered that these wild chrysanthemums seemed to be a type of medicinal herb, and they could also be used to make tea. Li Menglan decided to pick some wild chrysanthemums to take home, dry them, and use them to make tea; this was a good thing for clearing heat and detoxifying.

Having made up her mind, Li Menglan got busy. She took a smaller bag, bent down, and busily picked the wild chrysanthemums by the side of the path; she moved back and forth constantly, her hands flying nimbly as she plucked the fresh, bright wild chrysanthemums from the base of the calyx, specifically choosing flower buds or half-bloomed ones.

Those that had already fully bloomed were a bit lacking in flavor for tea; for tea, flower buds and half-bloomed ones were better. As for those that were fully open, they would be good for making pillow cores, but she didn't have enough time or tools today; she would deal with that when she had time. Before food and clothing were settled, everything was empty talk; eating was the most important thing!

The golden-pink little wild chrysanthemums bloomed noisily and vibrantly, making anyone who saw them feel joyful. It was strange; even though the flowers were clearly swaying quietly with the wind, she felt as if they were laughing happily and unrestrainedly, ostentatiously displaying that touch of gorgeous gold. Li Menglan's hands felt itchy with excitement, and she happily placed a blooming wild chrysanthemum on her head; at this moment, Li Menglan truly felt like a little girl, laughing heartily.

"Dad, it's been a long time since Sister has laughed so happily." Not far away, Li Zhiming looked at Li Menglan's bright, radiant smiling face and felt a sourness in his nose, as if he wanted to cry.

"It's fine. Eldest, you are her brother; as long as you dote on Lan-ya-tou more in the future, it will be the same." Looking at his daughter's brilliant smile, Li Dazhu also felt a tightness in his chest; in the end, it was all his fault for being a useless father, making the children suffer hardships along with him.

"Dad, I will; I will be very, very good to my sister for my whole life," Li Zhiming nodded seriously in response.

"Dad, me too!" Not wanting to be left behind, Li Zhihao also shouted loudly from the tree, "I am also a brother, and I will also protect my sister and dote on her so that no one can bully her!"

"Big Brother, come over here quickly!" Li Menglan suddenly saw several pheasants not far away and hurriedly ran to the foot of the persimmon tree, lowering her voice to say, "There are several pheasants over there."

Li Menglan had discovered only yesterday that her eldest brother was quite good at hunting; at the very least, he was much stronger than her father.

"Eldest, you go!" Li Dazhu nodded to the hesitant Li Zhiming. "Anyway, the persimmons are almost all picked. It's enough here with me and your Second Brother; but you must be careful with Lan-ya-tou, understood?"

"I know, Dad." Li Zhiming put down the persimmons in his hand, took his homemade bow and arrow, and slowly walked toward the direction Li Menglan had indicated.

"Big Brother, slow down, wait for me!" Li Menglan called out dissatisfiedly, jogging after Li Zhiming.

"Little sister, don't run! Big Brother is waiting for you, don't be in a hurry."

"Oh..."