Chapter 4: Living off the Mountain

Walnut shells were not yet valued in this era, but twenty years later, they would become a prized commodity.

Walnut shells are bitter and astringent. Though they can't be eaten directly, when dried and soaked in alcohol or simply brewed in water, they can replenish the kidneys, strengthen essence, fortify the waist, warm the lungs, relieve asthma, and promote bowel movement.

But that's not their only value!

Li Xian once read a report that stated walnut shells contain ethyl acetate, which has a strong inhibitory effect on the proliferation of various tumor cells. Medium and low-fat regions of the shell contain active ingredients that act directly on tumor cells.

In other words, this stuff is anti-cancer!

Li Xian vaguely remembered reading this report back when he was in middle school. At that time, there was a craze for walnut shells, so popular that it even overshadowed certain health supplements.

It wasn't until later, when many people suffered from food poisoning after mistakenly consuming old, toxic mountain walnut shells, that the craze finally subsided.

"Aunt Ma, do you usually just throw away these walnut shells?" Li Xian asked, pointing at the juice-stained walnut shells on the ground.

"Of course, what use would we have for them?" Aunt Ma laughed. "This stuff stains your clothes and won't wash out, plus it's not edible. These are Juglans mandshurica shells, which are okay, but some mountain walnut shells are toxic and cause severe itching when they touch your skin. Who would want to keep them?"

Li Xian nodded, confirming that no one yet knew the hidden value of these shells, and then he grinned before darting away.

Watching him leave, Aunt Ma stomped her foot, "But what happened with your brother and sister-in-law?!"

...

"School hasn't started yet, why do you need money?"

At home, Zou Ni was tending to the garden. When Li Xian asked for money, she was a bit puzzled.

Li Xian thought about it and decided it wasn't the right time to reveal the truth. After all, Zou Ni and Li You had spent their entire lives in the forestry farm and had never done any business. Even if they had an economic mind, knowing that he was collecting seemingly worthless walnut shells would be hard for them to accept.

He fibbed, "I'm just bored sitting at home. I thought I'd head over to the Forestry Bureau a few days early."

Hearing this, Zou Ni took it seriously, "Second son, you're graduating next spring. Are you thinking of checking on your job assignment?"

In this era, people didn't worry about finding a job; the only concern was whether it would be a good one.

Before Li Xian could think of another lie, Zou Ni tossed her hoe into the furrow and quickly wiped her hands on her pants, guessing, "It's good to go early. When you get there, you should visit the school leadership and mention your job assignment after graduation!"

She then jogged into the house.

After a short while, Zou Ni returned with a small bundle wrapped in a handkerchief and handed it to Li Xian. "Don't be stingy when visiting people; buy some good stuff to bring along!"

When Li Xian opened the handkerchief, he felt a pang of emotion.

Inside were mostly one and two-yuan bills, with a few smaller fifty-cent notes.

The bills were mostly crumpled, some with edges worn smooth. The characteristic yellowish-brown and green colors of the fourth series of Renminbi were mixed together, thick and heavy.

A quick glance suggested there were about three hundred yuan. The family's entire income relied on the wages of Li You and Li Jie, totaling just over two hundred yuan a month. This had to cover all the essentials—oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar—and the expenses of two children in school, not to mention the needs of the entire family.

Who knows how long it took to save this money?

"Hold onto it tight. I'll sew a pocket inside your clothes for you," Zou Ni instructed.

Li Xian folded the handkerchief and tucked it into his pants pocket, "No need, Mom."

After all, he planned to spend it quickly...

This was what he was thinking.

...

Li Xian decided that he couldn't handle collecting walnut shells alone. After much deliberation, he concluded that he needed Aunt Ma's help.

Specialized tasks require specialized people. Li Xian only knew the basics about walnut shells and needed someone more experienced.

Yes, someone like Aunt Ma, who knows which walnut shells are toxic.

By this time, Aunt Ma had returned home, and when she saw Li Xian, she greeted him warmly. But when she learned that he wanted her to help collect walnut shells, she looked at him as if he were crazy.

She gave him a look like he'd lost his mind. "Xian, did your sister-in-law drive you mad?"

She couldn't bring herself to ask if he'd gone completely insane.

It took Li Xian some effort to explain that he had a use for the walnut shells, and after promising to pay Aunt Ma thirty yuan for her help, her eyes lit up, and she eagerly agreed.

What a joke! Picking walnuts only lasts about ten days, but collecting walnut shells doesn't even require leaving the house. Thirty yuan for that? What a deal!

"But this money isn't free, Aunt Ma. You'll have to clean the shells for me and dry them out," Li Xian added, seeing Aunt Ma's enthusiasm.

"No problem at all!" Aunt Ma laughed heartily. "Don't worry, I'll get it all done perfectly!"

"Oh, by the way, Xian, how do you plan to pay for these walnut shells?" Aunt Ma asked.

Li Xian thought for a moment, then pointed to the large basket filled with walnuts that Aunt Ma had gathered, "Fifty cents per basket, no leaves, just the shells. Does that price work?"

Aunt Ma thought it over and nodded firmly, "That'll work!"

Feeling reassured, Li Xian realized it wasn't quite right to leave the money with Aunt Ma, so after instructing her to keep this secret and not reveal who was buying the shells, he left. He planned to have another idle family member, Li Pi, manage the finances.

After he left, Aunt Ma jumped up from her small stool, immediately dumped all the walnuts out of her basket, and rushed out the door.

Coincidentally, her husband, Xu Zhenye, had just returned from the fields. Seeing this scene, he grumbled, "You foolish woman, where are you off to? Why are the walnuts scattered all over the floor?"

"I need to go pick up the walnut shells I peeled this morning!"

Old Xu scratched his head as he watched his wife disappear in a flash, "Did a pig trample her brain? Why pick up that worthless stuff?"

Their son, who had been lazily reading a comic book in the back room, strolled out. In this era, Yang Family Generals comics were no longer rare.

"Brother Li from the front yard was just here. He said he's buying walnut shells."

"Buying walnut shells?" Old Xu laughed heartily, "Has he gone mad from studying? There's a pile of those things on the side of the road. Who needs to buy them? Just grab a basket and pick up as many as you want! Son, don't end up like him. School is important, but you need to know when to stop. Look at Li Lao'er, isn't that what happens when you study too much?"

Their son smirked, "Who wouldn't agree with that?"