The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 178

The next day, when Xu Dagui went out to buy vegetables early in the morning, he brought back two fat hens. He placed them next to the back room, covered them with a cage, and cut some oak jelly to feed them.

Until the evening, the two chickens were able to eat and drink, and they would cluck from time to time. When Chen Cui went to see them in the evening, she even found an egg in the cage.

She showed the hot eggs to her sons and said, "Look, these two chickens have eaten more than half a bowl of eggs, and they are still fine. They even laid an egg. Doesn't this prove that the oak nuts are non-toxic?"

Seeing this, everyone was speechless, so the oak jelly was served on the table again during dinner.

This time Chen Cui was no longer polite and took the lead in picking up a piece with her chopsticks.

Well, it's smooth and refreshing when eaten. With so many seasonings, the taste is pretty good and it can be considered a qualified cold dish.

“Try it, it’s pretty good~!” Chen Cui took a bite and recommended it to everyone.

The few of them no longer hesitated, especially Sui Sui, who ate several mouthfuls in succession, inhaling hissingly because of the spiciness, but trying not to put anything in his mouth.

In fact, it’s not that Chen Cui has strict requirements on her diet. It’s true that she can’t eat spicy food very well. If she eats something spicy, her whole mouth will feel swollen. But she is still keen to try it.

The three Changping brothers also picked up their chopsticks, and after tasting the food, they were all amazed.

I didn’t expect that the legendary poisonous oak can be made into this kind of jelly, and it actually tastes pretty good!

"Let me correct you. If you eat this oak nut directly, it is of course not edible. It should be poisonous. However, after being soaked in water, the poison is eliminated and the taste is changed, so people can eat it."

Chen Cui wiped her mouth and made a solemn statement.

Changping fell into deep thought. In the entire Longnan area, the most common wood is iron oak, which can be seen almost everywhere. It grows tall and has strong wood. Most families use it to make furniture, and only a few picky families will use other precious woods.

Each tree bears at least several hundred kilograms of oak nuts. Perhaps because people and livestock were poisoned by eating oak nuts in the past, these fruits have been falling to the ground in vain, and only some children will pick them up as toys.

If the news that oak nuts are edible spreads and the method of processing oak nuts can be spread, then almost every household will have a lot more food for free. Even if the food problem cannot be completely solved, it can improve the plight of food shortage.

Moreover, this iron oak tree requires almost no management after it is planted, yet it never stops producing fruit every year. As long as the tree survives, if a similar disaster strikes in the future, everyone will have an extra small granary.

Changping became more and more excited the more he thought about it, and looked at Chen Cui with shining eyes.

My mother is so compassionate. With his family's current financial situation, no matter what kind of disaster they encounter, it will not affect their lives. But my mother is willing to experiment with oak seeds for the sake of more people, and even take the risk to try it herself. Isn't this the heart of a bodhisattva!

Chen Cui was startled by her eldest son's eager gaze. What's wrong with this child?

"Mom..." Changping shouted, wanting to say something, but then he changed his mind and said, "Mom, let's go to the study and talk."

Chen Cui nodded. She had almost finished eating and also wanted to know what her eldest son wanted to say.

In fact, judging from Changping's reaction, she could almost guess what he was going to say, which must be related to Li Zi.

"Mother, we need to report to the government as soon as possible about whether oak nuts can be eaten and how to eat them. While last year's oak nuts haven't rotted yet, let everyone collect them as soon as possible and process them. Replace as much food as possible. We can harvest another wave in winter. We can make it a routine and harvest every year. This way, fewer people will suffer from famine."

Changping said to Chen Cui with excitement in his eyes.

Chen Cui smiled and nodded: "Then I will tell you the detailed method, you will record it, and then add your own opinions, write it into a proposal, and you will report it to Lord Wang!"

Chang Ping was stunned: "Me?"

Chen Cui nodded: "Yes, it's you. Don't worry about not being able to write well. This matter itself is more important than writing style and measures."

She originally wanted to continue to go the wife's route and convey the news to Wang Hengzhi through Zhang Ruomei, but now she has changed her mind.

The reason why Chen Cui carried out such an experiment was not only to benefit the people, but also to increase her family's bargaining chips and merits. In fact, it was fundamentally for the consideration of her sons' careers.

In fact, she is not seeking fame or profit. In this case, it is right for the eldest son to take the lead this time. Giving him more opportunities to meet with officials can also be considered a kind of experience.

Changping also understood his mother's intention. He calmed himself down and slowly said, "Okay."

So, Chen Cui dictated and Changping wrote. First, they described the processing methods of oak nuts in detail according to the steps, and then Changping added some of his own promotion suggestions.

The mother and son discussed from time to time and revised the manuscript. Chang'an and Changfu also gave suggestions from time to time. When the article was finally revised and finalized, it was already late at night.

Chen Cui yawned and said, "You should all go to bed quickly. There is no time to lose. Changping, you should visit Lord Wang tomorrow and let him review it. I believe there will be a result soon."

Changping responded, "Yes, I understand, mother."

However, he looked at his two younger brothers with some hesitation: "It's just that, for this article, mother said it would be best if my name was signed, and I should be the one to submit it in person."

Obviously, this was his mother's idea, and the three brothers should all have a share in it, but now he is the only one who has enjoyed the benefits, and he feels a little guilty.

Chang Fu waved his hand and said, "Brother, this was originally written by you, so of course it's signed with your name. We just said a few more words, it doesn't count, just go ahead."

Changan smiled and said, "Brother, you worry too much. You are the eldest son of our family and the one with the highest achievements. Of course, you should go first if something happens."

Chang Ping saw that his brothers really didn't care and felt their consideration for him. He couldn't help but pat them on the shoulders one by one and said with a smile, "Good brothers!"

Chen Cui looked at the scene of brothers being friendly and respectful with a smile, but urged: "Okay, it's getting late, go wash up and go to bed!"

Although she went to bed late the previous day, Chen Cui still got up on time the next morning. Not only her, but the three Changping brothers also did not delay and got up at the usual time.

Only Sui Sui ate too much spicy food last night and felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach at night. He went to the bathroom twice and did not sleep well, so he was still sleeping soundly at this moment.

Seeing this, Chen Cui didn't ask anyone to wake her up. She asked Ding to leave the rice in the pot for her and cooked some sticky millet porridge to keep it warm for her to eat when she got up.