Fuling
Mǎnbǎo's expression was solemn. "This is a pine tree."
Dàyā glanced at it. "And then?"
"It's been cut down."
Dàyā hesitated. "So?"
"So, are there any other pine stumps around here that haven't been cut down?"
"There should be." Previously, we used almost all of the firewood for drying rice and wheat at home. My father and third uncle went up the mountain and cut down several trees, all of which appeared to be pine trees.
This area was allocated as farmland by the village chief's family. Since these pine trees were not suitable for building houses, beds, or making boxes, they were cut down indiscriminately.
Mǎnbǎo looked around. "Where are they?"
Dàyā thought for a moment. She remembered seeing several tree stumps when she went up the mountain over the past few days, but she couldn't tell what type of trees they were.
Regardless, she didn't mind. It was enough to bring the young miss along to look.
Dàyā was still curious. "Young miss, how did you know it was a pine tree stump?"
Mǎnbǎo looked at her strangely. "It's obvious." There are pine trees next to that stump. Compare them and you'll see.
Dàyā couldn't see it. To her, all tree stumps looked the same.
Naturally, Mǎnbǎo couldn't abandon her bamboo basket. Insisting on dragging her worn-out bamboo basket along was essential. It was filled not just with dry leaves but also plenty of soil, making it quite heavy.
Dàyā tried to drag the basket but couldn't manage, so she left it and ran off to find Fourth Uncle on the other side.
Zhōu Sìláng walked over happily, picked up the basket, and headed downhill. Working with Mǎnbǎo was definitely better than working with his older brothers.
Mǎnbǎo was petite and wouldn't be able to handle heavy tasks anyway.
Seeing him about to head downhill, Mǎnbǎo immediately grabbed his clothes and said, "Fourth Brother, we still need to find something; let's not go down the mountain yet."
Zhōu Sìláng glanced at the basket and nodded, realizing it wasn't full yet.
He didn't mind and picked up a few more things for the two of them, waving his big hand. "Let's go." "I'll accompany you to find it."
After circling two tree stumps, Zhōu Sìláng finally understood that they weren't looking for dry leaves but "roots."
True enough, Zhōu Sìláng had seen the dark brown masses that Mǎnbǎo had thrown into the bamboo basket. He initially thought they were roots, but upon seeing the white flesh, he realized something was amiss.
Since when were tree roots white inside?
Zhōu Sìláng pondered what this could possibly be when suddenly he heard Dàyā's surprised cry, "Young miss, I found it!"
Mǎnbǎo immediately dropped the stump she was holding and ran over to see what Dàyā had found.
She recognized it immediately and eagerly moved to grab it. "It's this one, it's this one."
On her first attempt, she nearly fell while sitting on the ground.
Zhōu Sìláng put down the basket and rolled up his sleeves. "Let me do it!"
This stump wasn't as heavy as the last one, but it was still substantial.
After breaking it open, Zhōu Sìláng sniffed the fruit and detected a faint fragrance, then looked at Mǎnbǎo with a puzzled expression. "Little sister, can you tell if this is a treasure?"
Mǎnbǎo nodded earnestly. "Yes!"
Zhōu Sìláng's eyes sparkled. "What kind of treasure is it?"
"We'll find out soon." Mǎnbǎo held a piece. "Let's head down and ask the Master."
Zhōu Sìláng hesitated. "You didn't know before?"
"I didn't."
Zhōu Sìláng sighed and picked up the small, worn-out bamboo basket. "Alright, let's head down to the house." "It's almost time for dinner." "Have you finished your homework?"
Zhōu Sìláng had spent the entire day working in the forest. With so many trees providing shade everywhere, it was relatively cool, but Old Zhou never allowed them any rest time.
Zhōu Sìláng felt like his back wouldn't straighten up anymore.
Mǎnbǎo accurately noticed Fourth Brother's intention to slack off and scoffed twice. "Finished long ago, I'm not like you."
Dàyā didn't want to go downhill; many of her little friends were still in the woods. She wanted to stay and play with them. Upon seeing Fourth Uncle accompanying Mǎnbǎo, she immediately dashed off to join them.
Mǎnbǎo didn't mind either, heading downhill with Zhōu Sìláng.
Instead of going home directly, Mǎnbǎo ran to find Master while carrying the lump in her arms.
Master Zhuāng was drinking tea in the yard while correcting the children's homework. Seeing Mǎnbǎo all dirty running in, he smiled and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Master, do you know what this is?" Mǎnbǎo showed him the lump in her arms.
Master Zhuāng looked surprised. "Fuling?"
He chuckled. "Where did you get this?"
"Fuling?" Mǎnbǎo's eyes sparkled. "I know Fuling cream and Fuling cake."
Master Zhuāng burst into laughter. "Those are all edible." "Did you eat them at Bai Shanbao's house?"
Mǎnbǎo blushed and nodded. Indeed, she had eaten them at Bai Shanbao's house.
Master Zhuāng looked at the Fuling in her hand. "Did you break this?"
Mǎnbǎo nodded. "I couldn't break some, so Fourth Brother did it."
Master Zhuāng nodded slightly and smiled. "If you follow the pine roots and dig deeper, you should find more."
Mǎnbǎo was amazed. "How did the Master know I found it under the pine roots?"
Master Zhuāng smiled. "Do you know why it's called Fuling?"
Mǎnbǎo shook her head.
"Because some people believe it's a miraculous substance formed from the essence of pine trees, called Fuling, Fushen, or pine." In the Jin Dynasty, Gě Hóng's "Biography of the Immortals" mentions the transformation of old pine essence into Fuling.
Master Zhuāng smiled. "This Fuling has three parts, and all three can be used in medicine."
Master Zhuāng pointed to the dark brown skin. "This is Fuling skin, which promotes diuresis and reduces swelling, benefiting the skin."
Then he pointed to the white flesh. "This is white Fuling." "What you call Fuling cream is made from it." It has various uses, such as tonifying the spleen and benefiting qi, and can even treat insomnia and vivid dreaming.
Master Zhuāng had only briefly read a few medical books; his knowledge was superficial. For more details, Mǎnbǎo would need to investigate further.
Master Zhuāng said, "This is medicinal material." If you want to know more, you'll have to ask a doctor or someone from a pharmacy. However, there is still a section that was penetrated by pine roots known as Fúshénmù, which you probably have not excavated. "That Fúshénmù is also a medicinal herb."
"What can it treat?" Mǎnbǎo asked eagerly.
Master Zhuāng smiled and shook his head. "I don't know." "I'm a teacher, not a doctor."
"Then, when I find out, I'll tell the Master."
Master Zhuāng smiled and agreed, "Good, I'll wait for you to come and tell me."
Master Zhuāng checked the time and waved. "Hurry back, or your family will be worried."
Mǎnbǎo agreed and ran back home with the Fuling.
At home, Lǎo Zhōu didn't know what this dark brown thing was even after looking at it for a long time. He thought Lǎo Sì was fooling around with him, so he threw it down and asked, "Can this thing be considered a treasure?"
As soon as Mǎnbǎo ran back and saw her father throwing her things on the ground, she immediately shouted, "Dad, this is Fuling!"