Chapter 140: Bitter Cherry and Mountain Fruit

Another year has passed and the time has come to January.

Because of the gradually spreading cold wave in the northern part of the continent, this year was also designated as the Year of Winter by the Sage Society.

Winter has gradually passed the most difficult part. Although it is still cold, many parts of the southern border are gradually warming up.

Walking in the mountains and forests outside the city, there are mostly withered and yellow grass roots, but near the roots of some trees, you can always see a few dark green and oily plants.

They have finely shredded, slightly thick leaves that appear to be very hardy and retain moisture.

Roland Hill did not wear armor today, but walked in the mountains in a dress with a black background and a white edge.

Usually she has to wear armor in order to hide her identity, but occasionally she also wants to run out to get some air, just now she also needs to do a survey of the environment around the city to find out if there are suitable minerals or places suitable for development.

The small leather shoes jumped up gently on the ground, and then jumped over the thorny bushes, and Loren Hill lightly landed on a dark gray stone.

The silver strands of hair fell slowly in the wind, and a few brushed against her ears, making the girl feel a little itchy. The air was still cold, and a few small fruits like red beans under the trees in the distance came into view.

Stepping across the ground again, Roland Hill squatted down and looked at the clump of plants in front of him.

Seems like I haven't seen it before.

She gently touched these small fruits with her fingers, and they trembled and swayed slightly on the twigs. The paper strips of the bushes were not as soft as flowers and plants, and they would tremble and sway when the wind blows.

Pick a small fruit with light-colored fingertips, simply wipe it clean, and then carefully peel it off to reveal the delicate small seeds.

The tongue tried it carefully, and a sour and sweet taste came to mind.

It's not very delicious, the girl looked at these little fruits.

Can it be improved? This kind of fruit seems to be relatively common in the local area. If it is improved well, it should become a good economic crop.

Many fruits in life are actually improved gradually, and the original version is still somewhat unsatisfactory.

For example, the seeds of bananas are very large in the original version, the watermelons are also very small, and the peaches are green and astringent. If you want to ask the girl why she knows this, it is because when she was playing with her friends in the mountains when she was a child, she saw the original peaches.

Recalling the scenes of his childhood in his mind, Roland Hill picked a lot of small fruits, put them in small bags, and then went to other places.

The more you go to the top of the mountain, the more tall trees there are, which may be the reason for the fact that it is less traveled and less felled.

Walking under these thick fir trees, the silver-haired figure flashed from time to time in the shade, like an elf in a fairy tale, his fingers gently brushing the trees in the forest, light and moving.

The trees in the mountains are mostly pine, shirts, etc. Occasionally, the fallen pine nuts can be seen in the grass and stones on the ground. They are in perfect harmony with the surrounding fallen leaves and soil.

Compared with the lively towns, the mountains in winter are very quiet, few animals come out to move, and only a few birdsongs punctuate them.

Suddenly, the silver-haired girl stopped and stood in front of a low tree.

This is....

Roland Hill looked at this tree that was quite different from the surrounding tree, and pressed his hand on the trunk, the small undulating ravines and faint coolness on the bark passed into his mind.

She closed her eyes and felt it for a while, then searched and compared in the system, and only then knew its name.

A bitter cherry tree, a little strange, shouldn't such a tree grow in a tropical place?

However, if there is only one plant, it may be a seed that was unintentionally missed by human activities many years ago.

Although it has cherries in its name, the fruit of this tree doesn't actually resemble cherries. If you really want to make an analogy, it is similar to a pumpkin that has been shrunk countless times. It is divided into eight edges, and the color is from light green at the beginning, to vermilion to purple red when it matures.

When Emenas was in second grade, the only mention of the plant in class was because its fruit could be used to make a sleep potion, useful for some people with insomnia.

The price is quite expensive, because most of these origins are from the southern archipelago, and it will cost a lot of money to purchase from the alchemy workshop on the mainland. And for some nobles, they need this kind of sleep aid and tranquilizer.

Because this is one of the few sleep medicines with minimal side effects.

With this thought in her mind, the girl lightly pressed her chin with her finger, then lowered her head to look around, and finally her eyes lit up, and found a seedling that had not yet grown up in the corner of a rock crevice.

Judging from the appearance of this seedling, it should be difficult to survive until spring. If it can grow up smoothly, there should not be just such a bitter cherry tree here.

Carefully took the seedlings out of the grass and put them in a cloth bag. Roland Hill looked around and continued to walk forward.

Time ticks past through sparse, cold mountain tops, over forested wet lowlands, and across winter quiet creeks.

The sky gradually darkened.

go back for dinner? Roland Hill looked at the sunset that was about to fall in the distance. The afterglow was separated by the trees one by one, forming scattered lights and shadows on the ground.

She still won't go back. Although the chef in the mansion is doing a good job, she is also a little tired of it, so let's make something by herself today.

It happens that there are no outsiders, but you can use the things in the storage space without restrictions.

After a while, Roland Hill found a thick tree, the trunk of which just blocked the cold wind behind, forming a small leeward harbor.

The breeze swirled and blew away the fallen leaves on the ground, and Roland Hill simply made a small fire pit.

Afterwards, some dry leaves were ignited, emitting green smoke that swirled, and then burst into bright yellow flames, illuminating the surroundings.

Sitting by the small fire, Loren Hill watched the swaying flames, adding branches and tiny logs.

The loose shrub branches are bent in the hand, the cyan bark is twisted, the pale white wood is drawn out, and then picked up and placed on the fire to ignite, the slightest water vapor overflows from the fiber gaps of the shrub branches, and small bubbles bulge out. , making a small sizzling sound.

After burning the bent part, the remaining part does not have to worry about rebounding, and the girl put it into the fire.

The flame gradually grew larger, emitting warm heat, dyeing the surrounding environment an orange-yellow color, and Roland Hill's pupils also reflected a faint light yellow color, like a flame swaying in the water.

What to eat, Roland Hill checked his storage space and put some ingredients on the fire, including the taro bought in the East, and the mushrooms that Keti and Keti had not eaten before (it has become dry goods), The potatoes she grew in the forest, the ice flame honey that Yixue gave her, and the purple shell peanuts they gave her when she was in the night palace.

Sure enough, I still want some meat. Although I don't have to consider the issue of nutritional development, it seems that it is not good to be vegetarian all the time.

Thinking so, she rummaged in the storage space for a while, only to find a piece of dried bacon. Thinking back carefully, it seems that it was sent by Niya.

That year, she and Niya went to the grassland. On the way back, Niya was afraid that she would not find anything to eat on the way. After all, the grassland was very big and there was little food, so she sent some bacon and noodles.

Naturally, the noodles had been eaten long ago, but the bacon had been forgotten in the corner.

It shouldn't be bad, Roland Hill blinked, looking at the salt-cured bacon on the slate, poked it with his hand, and felt the hardness of it.

Sweeping through the ingredients with perception, this piece of bacon is actually edible, which surprised the girl.

But even so, you still have to cut the outer layer, which will be better.

Well, no need for salt.

A small earthenware pot was placed beside the fire, and Loren Hill put water in it, then cut the bacon into a few pieces, added some spices, pepper and the like, and then looked aside. of other foods.

Mushrooms and taro can be put, just right to match, as for the purple shell peanuts, just bury them under the fire, and when they are finished, they will be used as snacks.

Honey is also, add some water, it is a very good and sweet drink with rice.

Beside the small bonfire, the lid of the clay pot was closed, and Loren Hill sat beside him, resting his head on both hands, quietly waiting for the dinner to be cooked.

The night was getting darker, and the occasional birdsong came from the black mountains in the distance.

The silver hair draped in front of him, gleaming in the firelight, the gurgling bubbles danced slightly, and a burst of fragrance slowly overflowed with the white air.

The slender hand carefully picked up the lid, a pair of chopsticks stuck into the jar, and then the white taro was caught.

In the bright yellow fire, the taro cubes were bubbling with white gas, gently swirling in the breeze to dissipate the heat, and then put them in the mouth.

Still a little hot, the girl thought.

Afterwards, a light sweet and glutinous taste gradually melted away.

In the peaceful night, the silver-haired sage girl sat under the big tree, the bright yellow fire swayed, and the time passed leisurely.