Chapter 17: Schisandra

It looks like Schisandra!

Chen Manman walked closer to carefully examine it, confirming that this was indeed the medicinal herb Schisandra!

Schisandra, also known as Liao Wuweizi, Northern Schisandra, or Mountain Pepper, has single, alternately arranged leaves. The leaves are thin, somewhat membranous, with glandular fine teeth along the edges.

In her previous life, because her grandfather was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, she used to spend summer vacations at his house every year and was quite familiar with most Chinese medicinal herbs.

Schisandra can be used for symptoms such as lung deficiency cough and asthma, chronic diarrhea, spontaneous sweating, night sweating, thirst from fluid injury, shortness of breath with weak pulse, palpitations and insomnia, and non-jaundice type hepatitis.

The medicinal effects of Schisandra instantly flashed through Chen Manman’s mind — could she harvest and process these to sell for money?

Without hesitation, Chen Manman looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then took out a burlap sack from her space and happily began picking Schisandra berries.

Just as she was putting the berries in the sack, her grandfather’s voice came from behind, “Manman, these wild berries don’t taste good, they’re sour and astringent. Picking them is useless.”

Grandpa thought his granddaughter was trying to pick some wild fruit to satisfy her hunger.

“Grandpa, how did you get here? Grandpa, listen, this isn’t just some wild fruit — it’s Schisandra, a medicinal herb that can be sold for money!” Chen Manman said excitedly when she saw her grandfather.

“Sell for money?” Grandpa Chen was a bit incredulous at the idea.

“Yes, Grandpa. I read about it in a book before. This is a good thing. I’m planning to pick some and ask around in the county town.”

“Oh, then Grandpa will help you pick,” Grandpa Chen thought: whether or not it could be sold, if my granddaughter likes it, then let’s pick it!

With Grandpa joining, they quickly filled a burlap sack full of Schisandra.

“Grandpa, let’s go back first and check the price in the county. If it’s good, we’ll come back and pick more,” Chen Manman said, looking at the vast patches of Schisandra on the back mountain.

“Here, Grandpa will carry it.” The sack weighed about 50 jin (about 25 kg), which was easy for Grandpa Chen.

Chen Manman didn’t dare say she could carry 100 jin herself and quietly climbed onto the nearby wild vegetable basket.

The two quickly returned home.

“Oh Manman, why did you take so long?” Grandma Chen looked around anxiously at home, waiting for them to return for a long time and almost went to check the mountain herself.

“Grandma! Grandpa and I found something good up the mountain! Look!” Chen Manman opened the sack, showing the bright red small round berries to Grandma Chen.

“What’s the use of picking these?” Grandma Chen asked.

Chen Manman smiled mysteriously: “Hehe, Grandma, just wait. You’ll know by this afternoon~”

Grandma Chen didn’t ask more, thinking her granddaughter was just playing. “Alright then.”

“Grandma, look at the wild vegetables I picked. Let’s make wild vegetable and pork dumplings for lunch!” Chen Manman handed some shepherd’s purse to Grandma.

“Okay! Grandma will go make the dough!” Grandma Chen hurried to the kitchen.

In the backyard, two little kids were catching bugs on the vegetables to feed the chickens. The family only kept five chickens now: four hens and one rooster.

Usually, when the kids had nothing to do, they caught bugs, and the hens grew fat and laid eggs every day.

“Dahu, Erhu~” Chen Manman called out to the two busily catching bugs.

“Mom, look what I caught!” Dahu raised his hand, showing a wriggling green caterpillar in his palm.

Eek!

Chen Manman instantly felt her scalp tingle, as if she could see countless little antennae moving.

!!!

“Mom, go inside and wait for you!” After saying this, Chen Manman ran away.

Dahu and Erhu: “……”

“What’s wrong with Mom?” Dahu looked puzzled.

Erhu tilted his head thoughtfully, “Maybe she misses us~” and shyly smiled.

“You’re right, little brother. Let’s catch more!”

Back inside, Chen Manman patted her cheek. She was really afraid of bugs, especially ones with lots of antennae.

Eek! That was a bit embarrassing just now!

She didn’t think more about it and started to put away the clothes dried last night. Then she remembered she had to help wash the family’s clothes, so she searched the house, going to her parents’ room.

No dirty clothes!

Then she checked Grandpa and Grandma’s room.

No dirty clothes either!

People nowadays are really diligent!

Forget it, I’ll remind the family tonight!

Chen Manman decided to help Grandma Chen make dumplings.

“Grandma, I’ll prepare the dumpling filling!” She planned to secretly add some extra ingredients.

“Okay!” Grandma readily agreed.

So Grandma rolled out the dough while Chen Manman mixed the filling.

“Manman~” the voice of her sister-in-law Yao Chunzhi came from the yard.

Chen Manman thought she hadn’t seen her sister-in-law since early morning, maybe she went to the fields to pick cotton with the others, so she didn’t think much.

But it was not yet noon and she was already back — hopefully nothing was wrong!

“Sis-in-law! What’s wrong?” Chen Manman saw Yao Chunzhi’s face looked a bit pale.

Yao Chunzhi weakly said, “I felt unwell this morning, maybe a bit of heatstroke. Mom told me to come back and rest.”

“Okay! Sis-in-law, you rest in your room first. When brother comes home at noon, he’ll take you to the clinic,” Chen Manman guessed her sister-in-law might be pregnant and wanted her brother to take her for a checkup at noon.

“Mm.” Yao Chunzhi replied simply and went to rest.

In the kitchen, Grandma Chen heard the whole situation and frowned. “Heatstroke? Still have to go to the clinic? These days, it costs so much even for a little thing!”

Chen Manman knew Grandma’s thoughts, so she whispered in her ear, “Grandma, I think sis-in-law is pregnant! That’s why I suggested brother take her to check.”

Grandma Chen’s face softened. “Okay then.”

“Grandma, let’s keep making dumplings!”

Their hands didn’t stop, and soon rows of small, exquisite dumplings were ready.

At noon, the villagers finished work, and the Chen family gathered around the table, each with a big bowl of dumplings.

“Mom! The filling you made tastes really good!” Chen’s father happily ate dumpling after dumpling.

Grandma Chen said, “This time it wasn’t me who made the filling, Manman made it. Our Manman is the most capable!”

Dahu: “Mom is the best!”

Erhu: “Yeah~ the best!”

“Of course! And whose sister is she!” Chen’s eldest brother grinned widely with pride.

The whole table burst into laughter.

“I went to the county yesterday and bought a bicycle!” Chen Manman said, eager to share.

Luckily, the family had already heard from Yao Chunzhi earlier that morning.

Chen’s mother knew her daughter’s temperament — always going to the county every few days. She had heard about buying a bicycle for her son-in-law long ago, but seeing it was a lady’s bike, she didn’t ask much. She thought her daughter might be short of money and would help support her later.

Chen’s father was very supportive. In this era, owning a bicycle in the countryside was a big deal. “If you bought it, then good.”

Chen Manman didn’t expect her family to accept it so readily. “Brother, later you ride the bike and take sis-in-law to the village clinic for a checkup.”

Just as Chen’s eldest brother was about to respond, he suddenly remembered his wife had felt unwell the night before and became anxious. “Okay!”

Lin Shuhe was somewhat surprised by this and looked at Chen Manman with a deeper gaze.