RPS – Chapter 8 Going to the Orchard

Li Feng gazed at the vast stretch of forest in front of him. There were many fruit trees inside, though it wasn’t yet the season for fruits to fully ripen. So even if they wanted to pick some, they’d only find a few that were ready — not many at all.

But the forest was huge, and they were free to look around nearby. Li Feng handed the baby over to Li, took out the salt stone, slung the basket over his back, and headed off in search of food. Nuo closely followed behind him. Li, on the other hand, was startled when the baby was suddenly placed in his arms.

“Feng, what’s going on?” He still wanted to protect Feng, so why was Feng suddenly dumping the baby on him and running off with Nuo?

Li Feng carefully picked the ripe fruits, placing them into the basket behind him. At the same time, he also kept an eye on the ground, hoping to find anything else edible. Fruit was tasty, sure, but it couldn’t serve as a full meal — no matter how much you ate, you’d still end up feeling hungry.

There were still plenty of wild vegetables around, but many had already matured and were hidden among weeds, making them hard to find. Li Feng held a small stick in his hand, poking here and there. And wouldn’t you know it — he actually discovered an edible wild vegetable: purslane. It had thick, fleshy leaves and was nearly indestructible under the sun. Even after being picked for days, it stayed a vibrant green. The purslane was growing in large patches, and each plant was a lush, sizeable bunch. Its reddish stems could grow quite long — this was good stuff. It had been several days since they’d eaten any green vegetables, and Li Feng missed them dearly.

Back at the orphanage, he used to often dig this up for the kitchen to make side dishes. Back then, he dreamed of eating meat — just the thought of it made his mouth water. But now, meat was common, and he actually found himself craving vegetables instead. Just a few days without them, and he already missed the taste!

He uprooted a whole bunch at once, leaving Nuo completely baffled. Why was he pulling out random green weeds instead of picking fruits?

“Feng, why are you pulling those out? They’re useless. You should focus on picking fruits. We’ll have to head back soon — it’s dangerous at night with all the wild animals.”

Li Feng only said one word: “To eat.” Then he buried his head again, searching nearby for anything else edible. Eventually, he spotted a leaf that looked familiar. He was overjoyed and yanked at it with all his might. The stem broke, but it also brought up several fist-sized clumps of dark red dirt-like lumps.

“Haha! Just as I thought — sweet potatoes! They’re sweet potatoes!”

He didn’t have a shovel, only a small wooden stick, which made digging tough. After working for a long time, he’d only managed to get a little bit out. He quickly shouted toward Li, who wasn’t far off, asking him to bring the stone shovel over.

Li saw how excited Feng looked and thought something serious had happened. He nearly flung the baby he was cradling out of his arms in panic. Hearing Feng mention the shovel, he hurried over with the baby still in his arms.

When Li Feng saw him running over, he stood up quickly — and everything went black for a moment. He nearly fainted. After a while, he steadied himself. His body had already been weak, and it hadn’t even been a month since he gave birth. Running out here with the others — how could his body handle it? It was already a blessing he hadn’t passed out.

Li saw him sway and immediately rushed over to support him. Li Feng quickly waved his hand, signaling he was fine, and tried to take the shovel from Li’s hands to continue digging. But Li wouldn’t let go.

“What do you want to dig? I’ll do it. You just sit there and hold the baby.”

Li Feng opened his mouth but didn’t argue. Nuo also gave up on picking fruit and came over to watch. Li worked hard digging, and bit by bit, clumps of earth came loose. Occasionally, a few sweet potatoes got nicked, revealing white, red, or yellow flesh inside. Li Feng’s mouth nearly watered just looking at them — he could almost taste the sweet, roasted flavor, soft and sugary like honey, tender and glutinous. Even boiled, they were still incredibly tasty!

“Hey, what is Li digging up over there? Are those things edible?” Nuo was full of curiosity. Those dirt clumps were edible?

“These are sweet potatoes. See the dark red skin? They’re delicious. You can roast them or just boil them in water. But it’s not really the right time to dig them yet. It’s better to wait until all the vines bear fruit — that’s when the harvest is best.”

“How do you know that?” Nuo asked, a little surprised.

“Uh… well… One day, I accidentally tossed some into the fire, and then I found out they were edible. And really delicious, too. So I thought I’d try to find more… Just… experimenting.”

Li Feng broke out in cold sweat. That was close. He was so focused on eating that he forgot they might not even recognize sweet potatoes here.

“Oh, I see. Then I’ll go take a closer look.” Nuo said, running off to examine them.

There seemed to be quite a few sweet potatoes in this area. Li Feng saw that they had dug up a decent amount and realized it was almost time to head back. He quickly shoved all the sweet potatoes into the basket and had Li carry them, along with the salt stone, ready to return with the rest of the group.

Li Feng had originally thought about telling the tribe about the sweet potatoes. But after thinking it over, he decided to wait. They were still too small and not ready for harvest. If he said anything now, they might dig up everything, leaving nothing behind. Better to wait until they were ripe — then he’d decide what to do.