I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 399: Chapter 354: Wild Vegetables Are Also an Ingredient

After walking a bit further, he spotted several children in the distance, hunched over a field ridge and busy with something.

’Are they looking for wild figs?’

It’s true that wild figs were starting to ripen.

However, the children were all holding small shovels and digging at the soil.

’In that case, they probably aren’t looking for wild figs. They must be digging for zhe’ergen.’

”Are those kids digging for zhe’ergen?” Li You asked.

Ling Xiaoru nodded. ”They are. By the way, Boss, would you like to dig some up to take home? It’s all wild zhe’ergen. It’s very aromatic.”

Li You agreed that wild zhe’ergen was very aromatic.

However, many people would disagree.

For many, zhe’ergen was one of the most disgusting ”dark ingredients” imaginable, having absolutely nothing to do with the word ”aromatic.”

Zhe’ergen, also known as Houttuynia cordata or fish mint, was a rather fascinating ingredient.

What made it so fascinating?

Those who loved it treated it like a treasure and could eat it with every meal.

Those who disliked it steered clear, finding that even a whiff of its scent was enough to make them gag with nausea.

It was, one might say, an extremely polarizing food.

But despite the many who avoided it, Houttuynia cordata was undeniably an ingredient of great value.

It could reduce inflammation, detoxify the body, treat swelling and sores, act as a diuretic, alleviate dampness, stop dysentery, and aid digestion, among other things. It was also used to treat ailments such as lung abscesses, ulcers, hemorrhoids, and indigestion caused by internal heat.

From ancient times to the present, it had been recorded in countless medical texts under dozens of different names.

Li You quite liked it.

’But it had to be the wild kind. Only the wild ones were aromatic and truly delicious.’

’The cultivated kind had a much inferior flavor.’

’Dig up some wild zhe’ergen to take back?’

’That’s not a bad idea. It’s been a while since I’ve had zhe’ergen.’

And so, Li You nodded. ”Sure! We can dig some up.”

Ling Xiaoru was delighted. ”Great! Let’s go ask the kids to borrow a couple of shovels, and we can dig some right here.”

”Okay!”

The two of them parked their car on the roadside and walked toward the children digging for zhe’ergen on the field ridge.

”I’m surprised kids nowadays still like digging for zhe’ergen on the field ridges,” Li You remarked. ”I remember loving to do this when I was little.”

”I used to dig for it when I was a kid, too,” Ling Xiaoru said. ”The adults would chase us away, afraid we’d damage the ridges. This stuff seems to love growing on them.”

Li You nodded. ”That’s true.”

As they spoke, they arrived at the field ridge where the children were digging.

”Sister Xiaoru, you’re back!” the children called out when they saw Ling Xiaoru.

It was clear that Ling Xiaoru knew these children well.

After greeting Ling Xiaoru, the children all turned to look at Li You.

’We’ve never seen him before. We should say hi... but we don’t know him, so never mind.’

Ling Xiaoru smiled. ”I’m back. We want to dig up some zhe’ergen, too. Could we borrow your shovels for a minute?”

”Okay!”

The children agreed in unison and all came forward, offering their shovels to Ling Xiaoru.

Ling Xiaoru added, ”We only need two. Thank you, everyone!”

She then took the shovels from the two children closest to her.

She handed one to Li You, saying, ”Here you go, Boss.”

Li You took it and said, ”Thanks! And thank you, kids!”

”You’re welcome!”

replied the two children who had lent their shovels.

’Very polite.’

After adding a ”Good kids,” Li You squatted down with Ling Xiaoru and began to dig for zhe’ergen.

The goal was to pry out the roots buried in the soil, as the root is the main part that’s eaten.

Some people ate the zhe’ergen leaves.

The leaves were edible, of course, but the roots tasted better.

This field ridge was covered in a dense patch of zhe’ergen, ready for the taking.

’I just hope the owner of this field doesn’t come out and tell us to stop, worried we’ll damage the ridge. That would be so awkward.’

’Actually, ridges like this are quite sturdy. Just digging up a bit of zhe’ergen won’t cause any real damage.’

Selecting a zhe’ergen plant, Li You drove the shovel in.

”[Host detected digging for zhe’ergen. This is the Host’s first time gathering wild vegetables. Side quest triggered.]

[Quest Name: Wild Vegetables Are Ingredients Too.]

[Quest Objective: Gather at least five types of wild vegetables.]

[Time Limit: None.]

[Quest Reward: One random ingredient, one lottery draw.]”

This voice gave Li You a pleasant surprise.

’I can’t believe digging for some zhe’ergen actually triggered a side quest.’

’Is this really my first time gathering wild vegetables since I got the system?’

’I guess so.’

’Wild vegetables are ingredients too, that makes perfect sense.’

’Gathering at least five types of wild vegetables shouldn’t be too hard.’

’In the countryside, while you couldn’t say wild vegetables covered every inch of ground, they were at least a common sight.’

’It’s just that some wild vegetables don’t have a great texture or taste, so nobody likes to eat them or bother picking them.’

’But I can. The main thing is to complete the quest; taste and texture aren’t important.’

’First, I’ll dig up the zhe’ergen. That’ll be the first type of wild vegetable.’

After he pried out the first root.

”[Side Quest ’Wild Vegetables Are Ingredients Too’: First wild vegetable collected: Zhe’ergen!]”

’It really counted!’

’Excellent!’

This zhe’ergen root was about 20 centimeters long, and he could smell the unique aroma of the plant.

Or maybe ”scent” was a better word.

Calling it an ”aroma” was something many people would definitely not agree with.

This particular scent could only be found on wild zhe’ergen.

If it was the cultivated kind, you could barely smell it at all.

He continued digging.

Li You soon had a larger harvest. So did Ling Xiaoru, of course.