On the morning of the third day, after breakfast, Chen Lan assigned the recent work tasks to everyone. Cui Qiao and Hu Yuzhen, with their road-building team, stayed to repair the drying ground. Chen Lan and Ming Wei took their classmates to the mountains to pick mushrooms and wild fruits.
Chen Lan and her group's primary goal for this trip into the mountains was to gather winter provisions, specifically picking various mushrooms and blueberries.
Blueberries ripen in the Changbai Mountains from the end of July to the beginning of August each year. The local varieties are excellent and nutritious, with a purple-blue hue, delicate flesh, and a sweet and sour taste. The fruits are particularly rich in vitamins A, B, and C, and also contain a high amount of vitamin E, several to tens of times more than apples and grapes.
Blueberries are also packed with nineteen amino acids, eight of which are essential for the human body. The amino acid content is even higher than that of hawthorn, which is known for its rich amino acid profile. Furthermore, they are abundant in various minerals, and their antioxidant content is four times that of kiwi fruit.
Blueberries also have the effect of delaying brain aging and enhancing memory. The anthocyanin pigments in blueberries are beneficial for regulating vision and relieving eye fatigue.
The anthocyanins in blueberries are potent antioxidants that scavenge free radicals, thus contributing to cancer prevention.
In conclusion, to sum it up, blueberries are a wonderful thing!
Most importantly, their nutrients are easily absorbed by the human body. Therefore, Chen Lan planned to process the blueberries into jam for storage, which would be perfect for supplementing everyone's vitamins and nutrients during the winter.
Chen Lan and Ming Wei led the classmates, each carrying two backpacks and wearing protective hats. Each person also carried a thermos of water and two scallion oil pancakes wrapped in oil paper. Chen Lan, armed with a crossbow, led the way, clearing a path for the students. They traveled over mountains and across ridges, heading deeper into the mountains, while everyone collected various wild mushrooms.
Chen Lan led the group to an open area with sparse trees and low shrubs covering the ground – blueberry bushes. The blueberry bushes were not tall, and could be described as short and small.
Each blueberry bush was laden with clusters of wild, purple-blue berries. The abundant fruits weighed down the branches. The berries themselves were small, about the size of an adult's fingernail, and emitted an enticing sweet fragrance.
The ripe blueberries were a deep, almost black, blue, coated with a layer of white frost. The students rushed forward, ready to pick the blueberries, but Chen Lan immediately called out to stop them.
Chen Lan loudly instructed, "Classmates, I will now explain the precautions for picking blueberries. First, when picking, please only pick the blueberry fruits and try not to damage the blueberry bushes, as this will affect the yield and quality of blueberries next year.
Second, pick blueberries that are blue with a hint of purple, or dark purple, and blue-black. These are ripe blueberries. Also, the blueberries we just picked have a layer of white frost on them. This is fruit frost, a good thing, so please do not rub it off.
Third, pick gently, handle gently, and place gently. Have you all understood these three points?"
The students responded loudly, "Yes, we understood."
Chen Lan then waved her hand and announced loudly, "Let's begin!"
As soon as the words fell, the students charged into the blueberry bushes like unleashed horses, reaching for the clusters of berries hanging from the branches. Naturally, their first order of business was to indulge their appetites. The students ate as they picked.
Chen Lan popped one into her mouth. The smooth and delicate jam released a unique sweet aroma, truly bursting with fruitiness, and was deliciously sour and sweet, whetting the appetite.
Blueberry fruits are relatively small, and it takes a long time to pick a basketful one by one. The students picked quite quickly at first, but soon their arms grew sore, their backs ached from bending, and their legs became stiff from squatting. The sun was also getting stronger, and everyone's faces were flushed red. Ming Wei encouraged them loudly, "Classmates, it's important to see things through and not give up halfway!"
After another two hours of picking, the students had basically completed their task for the day. Chen Lan gathered all the blueberries picked by the students into her large backpack, secretly storing them in the system's inventory. Then, she led them to rest under a large tree with ample shade.
Only then did the students have time to look at each other. To their surprise, they started pointing and laughing at each other. Chen Lan was startled by their behavior, but upon closer inspection, she couldn't help but laugh too. Everyone had black mouths, black fingers, and even their white teeth were now black!
Chen Lan immediately instructed loudly, "Classmates, quickly use the water in your canteens to rinse your mouths and teeth. If you wait too long, it will be difficult to wash them clean."
After they had laughed and played enough, they sat down, ate their scallion oil pancakes, drank some water, and rested for a while. Chen Lan then led them out again.
Chen Lan led the way once more, guiding the students to a mixed forest with trees like pine, birch, and elm. Soon, they discovered many umbrella-shaped, pale yellowish-brown mushrooms growing at the base of the trees and on fallen deadwood.
Chen Lan estimated that it had likely rained there the previous day, otherwise, so many fresh mushrooms wouldn't have grown. This truly proved the old saying: "A mountain has four seasons, and ten miles have different weather."
Chanterelle mushrooms are tender, smooth, delicious, and nutritious, earning them the name "mountain delicacies." They are also considered the "fourth treasure of Northeast China." The famous and most authentic Northeast dish, "Chicken Stew with Mushrooms," uses Northeast chanterelles because only these precious and scarce mushrooms can bring out the flavor of the authentic Northeast free-range chicken.
At Chen Lan's command, the students immediately spread out and began searching at the base of trees, on dead branches, on fallen logs, under the soil, and in the grass. Soon, their small backpacks were full.
Chen Lan checked the system time and realized it was getting late. She waved her hand and signaled for them to head back. Just as they had come, Chen Lan led the way, hunting along the route, with Ming Wei at the rear. The students were filled with admiration as Chen Lan hunted a pheasant one moment and a rabbit the next. They whispered and chattered amongst themselves. Chen Lan immediately turned back and made a shushing gesture with her hand, and the students immediately fell silent.
There was no need for further explanation; this trip into the mountains was once again a complete success.