Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Scrambling to be First

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue could hardly believe her ears. So the Dragon Wisdom Grass had such a glorious history!

"Yep. Someone in the village should recognize Dragon Wisdom Grass, so you won’t have to go to the trouble of explaining why this aquatic plant is edible," said the Little Red Carp. "I hope it will be good for Nuanyang. Oh, and by the way, next time your brother draws me, tell him to make me look prettier!"

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue laughed. Her brother had once seen the Little Red Carp frolicking by the water and had painted a picture titled "Hongli at Play."

At the time, her brother’s artistic skills still needed improvement, so the resulting painting wasn’t very satisfactory—especially not to the high standards of the Little Red Carp.

Her brother’s skills had improved by leaps and bounds under He Qiang’s guidance. If he were to paint the Little Red Carp again, it would surely be much better.

"Alright, don’t you worry. I’ll talk to my brother in a bit and have him paint you again," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. "Thank you, Little Red Carp."

A large amount of Dragon Wisdom Grass grew around the Dragon King Temple, catching the villagers’ attention. The elders of Nianqiao Village took out their genealogy books and village annals. After careful searching and comparison, they discovered that this was the very same Dragon Wisdom Grass that the five imperial scholars had eaten all those years ago.

When the villagers heard this, though they were half-believing and half-doubting, they all flocked to harvest the Dragon Wisdom Grass. Perhaps their own families could produce talented people and important figures, just like the imperial scholars of old.

Zhao Nuanyue tossed a basket to Hua Yusen. "Quick, go into the river and get that greenish-yellow grass. The village elders say it’s good stuff, that eating it can help you pass the imperial exams."

Hearing this, a dark look crossed Hua Yusen’s face. He retorted, "You actually believe that?"

"Who cares if it makes you smarter or not? The vegetables in the garden aren’t ripe yet, and the wild greens on the mountain are too old to eat. We’re short on vegetables right now. Everyone’s gathering some, so let’s get some to try too." Zhao Nuanyue had already grabbed a basket and was heading to the river with her brother to gather Dragon Wisdom Grass.

The villagers were already there with large and small baskets, so Zhao Nuanyue quickly waded into the water.

’If the villagers harvest it all, we won’t get to eat any.’

The Little Red Carp had specially prepared this for her brother. If he didn’t get to eat it, all the carp’s effort would be for nothing.

Hua Yusen watched Zhao Nuanyue run off into the distance, then chased after her to help gather the Dragon Wisdom Grass.

He could hear the villagers discussing amongst themselves, "Wow, our village is definitely going to produce several university students!"

Hua Yusen shook his head. ’These people from Nianqiao Village are so superstitious. To think that getting into university is all because of eating this Dragon Wisdom Grass... it’s just inconceivable!’

"Yes, yes! My daughter-in-law is pregnant. I need to get a lot for her to eat. Even if she can’t get into university, having a smart, clever, and healthy baby would be wonderful!" an old woman said with a chuckle. They had all grown up hearing the stories of Nianqiao Village; whenever the Dragon Wisdom Grass appeared, it was a time when the village produced talented individuals.

Naturally, such a good thing was madly sought after.

Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen managed to grab two baskets’ worth.

Li Qiong saw Zhao Nuanyue carrying a large basket of the aquatic plants and asked curiously, "We don’t raise pigs here. What are you doing with all that waterweed? You can’t eat it."

"The villagers say you can eat it, and that it tastes pretty good. We’re going to stir-fry some and make a cold salad for lunch today," Zhao Nuanyue replied. "Li Qiong, don’t say that outside. Almost everyone in Nianqiao Village is gathering this weed right now. If you say it’s pig feed, aren’t you basically calling all the villagers pigs?"

Hearing that, Li Qiong clamped a hand over her mouth. She looked outside and saw that, sure enough, there were still many people gathering the waterweed.

"Oh my, what a big mouth I have. I can’t just say whatever comes to mind anymore. If everyone is gathering it, then of course it’s not pig feed," Li Qiong said with a laugh. "Alright then, I’ll help you clean it. We can try this Dragon Wisdom Grass at lunch and see what it tastes like. If it’s good, I’ll go gathering with you all tomorrow."

Zhao Nuanyue stir-fried a basinful, then took a large plate over to the elders in the backyard.

The light, fresh flavor greatly whetted everyone’s appetite, and their chopsticks moved like lightning.

Zhao Nuanyue quickly set aside half a small plate for her brother, saying, "You all eat a little slower. There’s plenty of the weed, no need to fight over it."

"Wow, this flavor is so refreshing!" Li Qiong praised. "I’m not waiting for tomorrow! I’m going to gather some of this weed right after lunch!"

"Yes, yes, it’s really delicious. I’m going too," Yang Guanghui said with a smile. "I was curious when I saw you all preparing this weed earlier. No wonder so many people were scrambling for it. If I’d known it was this tasty, I would’ve gone to gather some long ago."

Wang Yuan looked outside. People were still gathering it. She sighed and said, "By the time you go, there probably won’t be any left."

"Ah, you’re right," Li Qiong said regretfully. "What a pity, what a pity. By the time we finish eating, it’ll probably all be gone."

"Oh, don’t you worry. I heard from the villagers that after it’s all gathered today, more will grow back tomorrow. We’ll have this weed to eat every day until autumn," Zhao Nuanyue replied. ’It really is delicious.’ "If we eat more vegetables, we can eat a little less grain. Then we can save some grain for the winter and make something nice."

Hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s words, the eyes of Li Qiong, Wang Yuan, and Yang Guanghui all lit up.

"That’s wonderful! We’ll go first thing tomorrow morning then. If we’re late, we probably won’t get any," Li Qiong said with a smile. "It’s so good! Everyone, eat up! If you don’t hurry, I’m going to eat it all!"

While everyone ate and chatted, Zhao Nuanyang didn’t say a word. Like a little mouse, he ate the Dragon Wisdom Grass bite after bite, thinking it was exceptionally good—the most delicious food he had ever tasted.

At dinner, there was still some Dragon Wisdom Grass left, so Zhao Nuanyue made a soup with it, which was a big hit with everyone.

The next morning, when they got up intending to gather Dragon Wisdom Grass, they found that the river was already full of villagers harvesting it.

Yang Guanghui, Hua Yusen, and the others had hoped to use their proximity to their advantage, but they hadn’t expected the villagers to be so early. So, they didn’t hesitate, grabbing pitchforks and baskets to join in gathering the waterweed.

Because the water was cold in the morning, Yang Guanghui and Hua Yusen didn’t let the three young women get in to gather the weed.

However, even without going into the water, they used pitchforks from the riverbank and managed to gather several baskets’ worth.

Now, everyone had vegetables for all three meals a day. Moreover, it was the incredibly delicious Dragon Wisdom Grass, which they never tired of eating. Any leftover Dragon Wisdom Grass was dried to be used in winter for soups or steamed buns, which would also be delicious. Zhao Nuanyue had learned all this from Li Guihua.

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