In An Province, lotus roots are a delightful dish. Lotus root powder, lotus root strips, lotus leaf tea, and lotus seeds - every part is a treasure.
Wen Qian looked at the lotus pond beside the former fish pond dam.
In July, the lotus flowers here bloom beautifully, and the lotus leaves layer upon layer. Wen Qian was thinking that she didn't have the opportunity to dig up lotus roots, but she could at least take some leaves, lotus seeds, and lotus flowers.
Dried lotus leaves make a nice tea too.
At first, Wen Qian didn't plan to dig up lotus roots from the pond, as the water was too deep. But she wanted to collect some leaves and lotus seeds.
Circling around the lotus pond, she found that underneath there were long terraced fields, now densely covered in lotus leaves.
The water inside didn't seem deep, as there was a lot of undergrowth beneath the lotus leaves.
The difference in height between the lotus pond and the fields was about two to three meters. It seemed that people had previously cultivated lotus roots in the fields below.
If the lotus roots were grown in rice fields, then the mud and water level wouldn't be as deep as the pond. This was worth a try.
So Wen Qian quickly finished her meal, then searched online for how to dig up lotus roots and harvest lotus root strips.
The internet has all kinds of tutorial videos, including how to harvest lotus roots.
Wen Qian carefully watched one or two videos to learn the technique.
Then she put on the wading pants she had bought earlier and secured a life jacket over her top, fully equipped. She took her small bamboo pole that she had smoothed out and headed down to the fields.
The ridges of the fields were overgrown with weeds. Wen Qian made her own path, wearing the life jacket in case she "capsized in the ditch."
If she accidentally fell in, at least she wouldn't drown in the field. Wen Qian was very careful.
First, she used the bamboo pole to prod from left to right, checking the water depth. Apart from the deep drainage ditches on both sides, the other areas were only slightly deeper than a regular rice paddy.
The surface water was even shallower, which was why so much undergrowth had grown. Wen Qian cut some lotus leaves, then felt around in the water.
Under the still tightly furled young leaves, she could feel the lotus root strips by reaching down.
Lotus root strips are much more valuable than lotus roots, and they're also very delicious, especially in a sour and spicy dish.
So she bent over in the small field, feeling around and harvesting quite a few lotus root strips.
She figured there must also be some in the pond, but the videos she watched showed that to harvest lotus root strips from a river or pond, one had to fully submerge themselves, which was too dangerous.
Come to think of it, Wen Qian didn't know how to swim or dive. At this thought, she realized she should learn how to swim.
Mastering that skill could come in handy one day.
That's what she thought, even though she, a landlubber, had always stayed away from any body of water before.
But now, she felt she should learn to swim after all.
In this small field area, she had collected quite a few lotus root strips, but her back was aching and the sun was setting.
Wen Qian then took her bamboo pole with a sickle attached and hurried to the edge of the pond above, harvesting lotus leaves from the areas she could reach before rushing home.
For the next few days, she continued this laborious routine, worried that she might make herself sick from overexertion.
So she planned to go down to the fields again in the following days to feel around for lotus roots that she could store.
Before going home, Wen Qian took off her wading pants and conspicuous life jacket, putting her harvest into her space, taking only a small bundle of lotus leaves and lotus root strips back with her.
She didn't know if anyone had seen her while she was harvesting the lotus leaves.
She figured if anyone else came to collect lotus roots or lotus root strips here, it would be reasonable too.
But in this area, the villages were mostly inhabited by the elderly at this time of year, so most would be unwilling to go through such effort.
So Wen Qian didn't worry about whether she had been seen or not.
The next day, Wen Qian went back to the lotus root field, trying to feel around for lotus roots inside.
Finding lotus roots in the mud was strenuous, as they were long and tubular. She had to feel for them bit by bit, being careful not to break them or let mud get inside.
But as an amateur, her patience quickly ran out. If they broke, so be it - she would just put them in her space.
So she felt around while washing them, managing to collect quite a few.
After looking at the mess she had made of the lotus root field, Wen Qian ended her lotus root digging activities.
She did want to spend more time there, but it was just too laborious. Even though she hadn't finished, she didn't want to continue any further.
She wondered if she should try growing some lotus roots in the pond by her house.
There weren't many lotus seeds in this field, and Wen Qian had taken them all. As for the lotus flowers, she had picked some but left the rest to bloom.
From her impressions, lotus flowers were also edible. She had seen on TV that they could be deep-fried, so she planned to try that later.
With things being stored in her space every day, Wen Qian felt a great sense of fulfillment. As long as she had things coming in, she felt like she was earning.
Compared to studying materials and videos to find safe locations, learn about the local geography and culture, and understand how the locals lived, she preferred this kind of physical labor that didn't require too much mental effort. When she got too tired, she could just sleep, and she slept very soundly.
But those studying and thinking activities kept her mind constantly stimulated. Even when she had a headache and laid down, she couldn't fall asleep quickly.
Fortunately, these days of labor allowed her body and mind to relax, so she resumed her leisurely routine of simmering lotus root soup at home while watching documentary shows.
She had previously watched some aerial documentary footage of the western provinces, recording various landscapes and customs.
For her, there were some places, including locations featured in TV shows and movies, where she felt living in seclusion would be wonderful. But often those places were famous tourist attractions.
So she shifted her gaze to places with similar landscapes and culture but far less renowned than those scenic spots.
What kinds of plants and animals grew there? What local specialty herbs were there? What were the local architectural styles? What were the personalities, customs, and traditions of the local people?
One thing Wen Qian was very concerned about was the altitude. The average elevation of the places she wanted to go was very high.
Many tourists visiting high-altitude areas had to carry oxygen tanks. Wen Qian wondered if she should go from low to high altitudes gradually, little by little, to acclimatize.
This made her think about going to popular, well-known places first to stay for a while, then traveling alone to less-known areas with fewer people.
This would provide a transition period, so she wouldn't abruptly change environments and get sick from the new climate and soil.
If she recklessly wandered into an uninhabited area, she might fall ill or even die from being unable to adapt.
At this point, Wen Qian only wanted to live cautiously. For her, after accumulating so many things, it would be a pity to suddenly die.
Moreover, she didn't know if this so-called space would still exist after her death or if it would be inherited by someone else - she was unclear about all that.
She had painstakingly accumulated these things bit by bit, like an ant moving house, using her own savings.
If she was going to die, she should at least use up all these things first, Wen Qian thought simply.
