Chapter 44: Taboos of Planting Trees and Bamboo Insects

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  I was lazy today, I finished this chapter in the morning and at noon, there is still one more chapter tonight.

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  Song Wen stupidly hugged "ginseng" and watched them leave, half a sound before reacting, he seemed to have not given Huang Xiaojun the money for the "ginseng".

  But seeing the car has gone far away, can only wait for next time.

  He had wanted to call her, but thinking that he hadn't lent her money just now and had already made her unhappy, he didn't know how she would react if he brought up the topic of returning the money again, so he could only wait for a while before talking.

  To be honest, it's not that he's a male chauvinist, but he really doesn't want to owe others money. He's an honest person, and once he owes someone money, he'll remember it in his heart, and the feeling is really unbearable. So he'd rather be poor himself than borrow money from others, even if that person is his brother-in-law's sister.

  She casually put the "ginseng" she was holding into her Ruyi fan, and then went to take a look at the several fruit trees that had been planted a few days ago. She found that all the fruit trees she had planted had survived, and they had all sprouted new buds. It seemed that the spring water in the Ruyi fan was indeed extraordinary.

  After finishing with the fruit trees, he went to the lake and took a look at the ostrich ferns, finding that they were growing well and seemed to be about to sprout, so he hurriedly watered them with some spring water before heading towards the backyard.

  In the backyard, the wild vegetables he planted are growing very well, a lush green patch, some have already bloomed, it seems that in a few days they can be harvested for seeds. After harvesting the seeds and replanting, there will be tender wild vegetables to eat. However, the weather is cold now, and it's unknown whether the seeds can germinate after being planted, so it seems necessary to set up a plastic film greenhouse to keep warm before planting.

  The tomato seedlings on one side are also growing well, and the tomatoes that have grown out are almost bending the branches.

  He looked and hurriedly went to find a few branches, set up an "X" shaped frame next to the tomato seedlings, and tied the tomato seedlings to the frame so that they wouldn't fall over under the weight of the growing tomatoes.

  After fixing the tomatoes, he looked to the side and saw that the garlic sprouts, mustard greens, and coriander were all growing well. On the other hand, the winter melon and cabbage were not doing very well.

  Then walked to the other side of the newly broadcast vegetable seeds place, found that the new luffa seeds brought a few days ago have not yet sprouted, but the four seasons beans and Dutch beans have grown out of seedlings, green and tender, really delightful. There is also a row of radishes next to it, the seedlings have already grown as long as the index finger, it seems that soon there will be radish to eat again.

  Maybe it's because of the dew, the wild grass in the yard has started growing wildly again.

  Helpless, Song Wen had to squat on the ground and start weeding. Originally he wanted to wait for the grass to grow bigger before pulling it out, that way it would be easier to pull out, but if he did that, his mom would probably nag him again.

  The little dog saw him pulling weeds and ran over to help, biting at the grass. After a few bites, he suddenly spat it out and ran to the edge of the ditch to drink water, probably because he had bitten into some grass that tasted bad, as some grasses have a very foul smell.

  The little hedgehog also ran out of the hole, walking on the ground while scratching, and soon discovered that there were insects on the leaves of the vegetables, so it walked over and swallowed them in one bite.

  The little chickens and ducks playing nearby all ran over to that side, chirping and peeping as they searched for bugs.

  For a time, the backyard became a happy paradise for these little guys.

  After weeding, Song Wen came to the grape tree planted last night and found that a little new green had emerged from the top of the grape tree, as if it was about to sprout.

  He looked and couldn't help but frown.

  This grape needs to be grafted, if the buds that grow out are too many, it will not be easy to graft later, and I don't know if it can be grafted now. If possible, just graft it directly, no need to wait until next year. Song Wen thought anxiously. But thinking of those budding fruit trees outside, he felt relieved.

  According to the situation, those fruit trees outside can't sprout either? Now they have. Maybe now it's really possible to graft, try it out, even if it doesn't work, there's no loss anyway.

  He thought about it and went upstairs, planning to buy some grape seedlings online to graft back.

  He returned to his room and ordered some grape seedlings of different varieties online. Some shop owners had a conscience and told him that grafting grapes was not possible at this time, but he didn't care and just bought them anyway. The store owner saw how foolish he looked and had nothing to say.

  After buying the grape seedlings, he felt that the front yard was empty and not good. He didn't want to plant flowers, so he bought a jujube tree and an apple tree to plant. In the future, when they grow up, they can provide shade and also have fruit to eat, killing two birds with one stone.

  In China, whether in ancient times or modern times, planting trees at home is very particular.

  Here is the translation:

  1. Can't plant pear trees, "pear" sounds like "separation", not auspicious;

  2. Can't plant lychee, "lychee" sounds like "separated from branch", all separated, what's auspicious about that?;

  3. Can't plant persimmon, "persimmon" sounds like "death", no need to explain why;

  4. Can't plant longan, although the dried fruit meat is called guiyuan which sounds good and means wealth and reunion, but "longan" itself doesn't sound good, it's a homophone for "deaf eye";

  5. Can't plant papaya, also known as "fan shi liu", some people call it "chicken shit fruit" because when it ripens, it emits a strong smell that's unbearable after a while;

  6. Can't plant yangtao (a type of peach), not only does it have peach blossoms but also has a watery and weak character, not good;

  7. Can't plant apricot, everyone knows the poem "A branch of red apricot comes out from the wall";

  8. Can't plant mango, because no matter what you do, it's all in vain, and mango trees grow very fast, but their trunks are extremely thick and big, blocking out the sun and covering up the whole house;

  9. Can't plant plum or yangmei (a type of fruit), because they have bad homophones.

  Maybe someone will say: In this way, it seems like nothing can be planted anymore.

  But rural taboos are like this, what is unlucky will not be planted, for example, planting trees, cannot plant "willow tree, mulberry tree, pagoda tree, poplar tree, bitter buckeye" and so on.

  The common saying goes: "Don't plant mulberry trees in front, don't plant willow trees in back, and don't plant Bodhi trees in the courtyard."

  The "sang" in mulberry tree sounds very similar to the "sang" in funeral, which is extremely unlucky.

  Willow trees are even more unlucky, there is a folk saying "Eat in Guangzhou, die in Liu Zhou." Why? Because Liu Zhou is rich in willows, coffins are cheap! Moreover, when relatives pass away, the "mourning stick" and "soul flag" used for funeral processions are also made of willow branches. How auspicious can it be? As for poplar trees, they are slightly better, but their leaves rustle loudly in the wind, sounding like ghosts clapping hands. Imagine having such a tree around at night, how can you have any spirit to do things?

  Sophora japonica is also known as national sophora and house sophora.

  The "Zhou Li. Qiuguan" records: In the Zhou Dynasty, there were three pagoda trees outside the palace, and when the three dukes went to see the emperor, they stood under the pagoda trees. The three dukes refer to Taishi, Taifu, and Taibao, which are the collective names of the three highest official positions in the Zhou Dynasty. Later generations used the three pagodas to metaphorize the three dukes, becoming a symbol of the San Gong Zaifeng official position. Many people in later generations planted them in front of their doors or in their courtyards, with the wish that their children and grandchildren would be among the three dukes.

  In rural areas, there is also a saying "no planting of pagoda trees behind the house." It is said that this is because the pagoda tree was an auspicious symbol of longevity and official position in ancient times, so it was taboo to plant pagoda trees behind the house. However, there is another saying that the pagoda tree attracts insects. After the pagoda tree gets infested with insects, the insect larvae on the tree will drop down to the ground with white silk threads, which are called "hanging ghosts" by locals. Can you still plant it?

  The catalpa is also known as bitter catalpa. People say that the fruit of the catalpa tree is a bitter fruit, and it's an inauspicious sign for the master of the house to eat such a fruit.

  So, after all, Song Wen only has jujube trees and apple trees that are good to plant. Red dates imply prosperity and having children early; apples mean peace and safety, which sounds nice.

  After buying things, Song Wen took the bag and machete out of the door, planning to go to the bamboo forest to see if there were any unlucky bamboo rats or wild boars falling into cages and traps.

  Just as he had just walked out of the door, he saw Song Hu driving over and didn't know what he was doing, so he stood in front of the yard waiting.

  The car stopped in front of Song Wen, and Song Huo got out of the car, followed by another person.

  Song Wen took a look and found it was Shorty, he couldn't help but wonder what Song Hu brought him here for. However, since the guest had arrived, he put down the firewood knife and sack, and invited the two of them into the house to have some tea.

  After three cups of tea, Song Hu explained the purpose of his visit. It turned out that Xiao Lao had heard that the two were going up the mountain and wanted to follow along as well. Song Hu was afraid that if he didn't tell Song Wen, he would be unhappy at the time, so he specially brought Xiao Lao over to mention it.

  Song Wen didn't care about this at all, anyway one more person is just like that, no difference.

  Song Hu came just to say hello, if not for the short brother's insistence on coming over, he wouldn't have bothered to make this trip. After drinking tea for a while, he patted his butt and left, it can be said that he came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

  After being disturbed by him like this, it was already noon, so Song Wen went to cook lunch.

  Now there's no need to dig taro, the water buffalo has also given birth. Song Yuan found it too quiet in the mountains and went down to live elsewhere, leaving only Song Wen behind.

  Song Wen was also used to being alone, so it didn't matter. After finishing dinner, he took a nap. When he woke up, he went to the mountain to see if he had caught any bamboo rats or anything else.

  Went to the bamboo forest for a patrol, didn't catch any wild boars, but instead harvested a few bamboo rats. It seems that there's only one family of wild boars in the bamboo forest. In a few days, if no more wild boars are found, I'll fill up the traps to avoid someone accidentally falling into them later on.

  He saw that the bamboo shoots in the mouse cage had become old, so he replaced them again. Such peeled bamboo shoots, when placed outside, would become old and not crispy within a day. These mice were very particular, they wouldn't eat if it wasn't tender, just like how old cows liked to eat tender grass.

  He changed into a bamboo shoot and then packed up the mouse cage with the bamboo rat inside in his snakeskin bag, ready to head down the mountain.

  Suddenly, a strange sound came from the bamboo forest.

  "Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm"

  Song Wen hastily stopped in his tracks and listened carefully. It seemed to be the sound of insects eating something, so he walked quietly in the direction of the sound.

  After a while, I came to a lush bamboo and found that the sound was coming from inside the bamboo. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that one section of the bamboo was slightly withered and yellowish in the middle, and there was even a hole bitten out of it.

  It seems like bamboo insects eating bamboo.

  Bamboo insects are also called bamboo borers, and some places call them "bamboo shoots". Bamboo insects are also the larvae of bamboo bees, which are a type of pest that harms bamboo forests. They lay eggs in the tender bamboo and hatch, and the larvae eat the young bamboo shoots to absorb nutrients. Within 20 days, they can grow from the size of a grain of rice to as thick as a finger, parasitizing inside the bamboo tube, eating their way down from the tip of the bamboo, and finally hiding at the base of the root, where they stop eating and prepare to emerge from their cocoons. Once a bamboo forest is harmed by them, the young bamboo can no longer grow into mature bamboo.

  As for the pests in this bamboo forest, Song Wen has never been lenient and picked up a machete to chop off the bamboo joints that had been bitten by insects.

  Before long, the bamboo was cut open and he inserted his hand gently, reached inside and grabbed a few, when he pulled it out, there were several white and plump insects in his hand, these are bamboo insects.

  Bamboo worms are white in color and have a shape similar to insect grass. After scalding the bamboo worms with boiling water, they are fried in oil, which makes them extremely fragrant and crispy, and their taste is not inferior to bee pupae and silkworm pupae.

  Since it is a pest in the bamboo forest, it should receive the punishment of justice, it should be put into the pot and eaten, let it turn into a pile of dung, never to be reborn.

  Song Wen thought this idea was good and started chopping at the base of the bamboo.

  The forest is too dark and there's no place to put the bamboo worms, so he thinks of cutting down the whole bamboo tree and then taking out the bamboo worms.

  Cut down the wormwood, Song Wen took his things and walked down the mountain.

  Back home, he took out a saw and cut the bamboo into sections, shaking out the bamboo worms inside. In the end, he got a big plateful. A large pile of wiggling worms on the plate made even timid people's scalps tingle.

  After taking out the bamboo worms, he came to the kitchen, rinsed the bamboo worms with water, then scalded them in boiling water, drained and put them into a pot of oil to fry. It's best to use a mixture of lard and vegetable oil for frying, which makes the fried taste fragrant. After frying until golden yellow, pick up and eat with pepper salt or salt powder, it's very delicious, feeling a hint of sweetness and milk flavor.

  Song Wen ate his fill and saw that more than half was left, so he put it away to eat again tomorrow.