Chapter 588 - Asiatic Grass Frogs (2/2)
As for Xiaocao’s group, not long after they left the village, they had entered the start of the mountainous forest. It truly was an old forest and couldn’t be compared to the West Mountain back in Xiaocao’s hometown. Although they were only on the outskirts, they would see beautifully plumaged golden pheasants fly by from time to time or a few wild hares suddenly appearing in the underbrush. They could hear the sounds of living creatures on both sides of the trail they were on.
Xiaocao took out her scented bags filled with herbs that repelled insects and snakes and gave them to Hou Xiaoliang and everyone else. The little divine stone had helped her increase the potency of these herbs. It told her that all of the bugs and snakes in the area could feel it and were keeping a wide berth from them. That way she wouldn’t be frightened by them! Although during the harder times she had previously caught a king ratsnake and made it into a soup, as a girl, she still wasn’t very fond of these soft and long animals.
The mountainous forest became more and more dense and the shrubs and underbrush became more and more lush. Fortunately, they had the two experts, Zhu Junyang and Chief Steward Su, in the front opening the way. Xiaocao was behind them, carrying a tiny bag on her shoulders. From time to time, she would pick off a leaf and use it as a tiny flute and whistle a little ditty. She seemed quite free and unrestrained.
In the past, when she was still living in Dongshan Village, she often entered the mountain and ran a few times in the deep forest. Consequently, she was quite at ease in this area. Everyone else also had no problems with this terrain, so their speed didn’t decrease at all. Yu Xiaocao’s primary goal was to find some rare medicinal ingredients. Hunting was only a side perk.
Therefore, as soon as she entered the mountainous forest, she had the little divine stone transform into its kitten form and let it roam independently. Since some extremely rare medicinal herbs that were on the older side had their own spiritual energy, the little divine stone would be the best to find them as it was very sensitive towards spiritual energy. It could be said that it was a rare ingredient detector!
In the front was Zhu Junyang, who was opening the way. He constantly thought of the little la.s.s and worried as if she was a porcelain doll, trying to keep her from getting any b.u.mps or bruises. From time to time he would look back to see how she was doing. When he saw that a tiny kitten had appeared on her shoulders, his phoenix eyes flashed a bit but his expression stayed the same.
Su Ran, on the other hand, laughed when he saw the little cat, “Why did you bring this little guy along? Does it have a special task at hand?”
“Sir Su, don’t look down on Little Glutinous Dumpling. I've trained it to especially be able to find rare medicinal ingredients. It has a very sensitive nose and can accurately distinguish the smell of rare herbs from a bunch of other smells! I heard that Jinalin produces ginseng, reis.h.i.+ mushroom, and other precious ingredients. Perhaps Little Glutinous Dumpling will be able to find a lot today!” Yu Xiaocao quickly outlined the little divine stone’s abilities such that, in the future, Su Ran wouldn’t feel too suspicious.
Just as she finished speaking, it seemed like she had sealed the deal. The little golden kitten suddenly jumped off her shoulders and swiftly ran towards a cliff on the right side. In a blink of an eye, it came back with a frog that was even larger than itself in its mouth.
Yu Xiaocao stared at it for a moment and called out in surprise, “Wow! An Asiatic gra.s.s frog! Not only does it have tender meat but it also can be used to make hasma, which is a very valuable tonic. It is very nouris.h.i.+ng, helps support the lungs, and improves one mind!”
She took out a sack from Chunhua’s luggage and put the Asiatic gra.s.s frog that Little Glutinous Dumpling caught inside. She then spoke further to the two men in front, “If you two see any more forest frogs like this, remember to catch them for me ah! Tonight, I’ll roast some forest frogs for us to eat!”
The two of them were incredibly handsome in their own ways and accepted their mission to continue opening up the road while they looked for more frogs for her. In fact, the two of them actually ended up catching quite a lot! That night, when they camped down, Yu Xiaocao began to prepare all of these Asiatic gra.s.s frogs and made a secret special sauce to roast them until they were delicious. The two men, who had worked hard the whole day, were able to eat their fill. She herself spent some extra time to extract hasma from all of the frogs. Hasma that had been infused with spiritual energy from the little divine stone was even more effective than the normal kind. When they returned, she was planning on sending some to Princess Consort Jing and Imperial Prince Jing so they could take it to nourish their bodies. She was sure that the effects would be very good!
Zhu Junyang watched as the little la.s.s, who had walked a whole day in the mountain, worked tirelessly to extract the hasma. A whole sack of forest frogs only produced around two small jars of hasma and one of those jars was going to be sent to his lady mother. He felt his heart soften immediately. The little la.s.s never forgot to send anything that was good for the body to his mother.
If it wasn’t for the little la.s.s tirelessly helping to nourish his mother’s body, he was pretty sure that she’d be bedridden at this time. Memories came back from long ago. Back then, the imperial physicians, who had been sent to diagnose and treat his lady mother, had once tactfully told his lord father that his mother’s life was likely destined to be short because of her weak const.i.tution.
Now, their residence’s Imperial Physician Zheng was almost like a decoration. This was because the little la.s.s had prescribed special medical cuisines to everyone in the household according to their body const.i.tutions. Furthermore, she would even send some tasty foods and drinks over from time to time. His lady mother, who had previously been wan and weak, had been treated so well that her complexion was rosy and her body healthy. Not even a sneeze came out of her anymore.
All of this was due to the little la.s.s in front of him! Zhu Junyang revealed a gentle and soft expression on his handsome face and involuntarily attributed her actions to ‘loving the house and its crow’. He thought that because she liked him, that was the reason why she treated his family members so well. It must be that reason!