Chapter 2090

She sniffed the air again, then shifted slightly. She said nothing more, eating only one orange before stopping, while the others ate quite a few.

Zhu Yanyi did not remind them. She thought that when the time came, everything would be resolved. For now, she had no intention of solving it yet. "Uncle She, where is this orange tree? I’d like to go see it when I have time."

"Sure. When the snow stops tomorrow, I’ll take you there." Uncle He ate an orange, looking very satisfied.

Yan Aohan knew Zhu Yanyi never did useless things. Since she said this, she must have found some clues. He raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled, and remained silent.

Zhu Yanyi seemed to remember something. "I brought some tea with me. I’ll make tea for you. Senior Brother Yunfei, please help me fetch a pot of clean snow water. Although the snow is heavy, this snow water is a natural source for brewing good tea."

Yi Yunfei smiled and agreed. He took the teapot to find clean snow.

Zhu Yanyi went to her bag, took out a pack of tea leaves, and then produced a set of tea ware.

"You even carry tea ware with you?" Uncle She looked at Zhu Yanyi.

In fact, Zhu Yanyi had taken this set of tea ware from her Ruyi Space through her bag.

"When traveling, we know how to enjoy life," Zhu Yanyi said with a grin.

"You certainly know how to enjoy life." Uncle He had to admit this. He laughed, thinking to himself that young people had ideas they could not understand.

Yi Yunfei returned quickly. "There is an old plum tree ahead, in bloom. The snow is almost breaking its branches. I went over and collected the snow from it."

Zhu Yanyi took it, smelled it, and nodded. "It is indeed from an old plum tree. It has a faint plum blossom scent. This is rare. Is there more? If so, I’ll collect some later. Such good snow water is also a kind of medicine."

"Speaking of old plum trees, there is a grove of them at our village entrance. If you want snow, I can take you there later," the old lady said with a smile.

"Then it is settled. When Aohan and Uncle She go out, we will go too, to collect some snow water. I have use for it," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.

"That is a good idea," the old lady said. "It is not a big deal. But what is the use of this snow water? Can it be used as medicine?"

"It certainly has uses," Yu Qingyun answered. "Snow water was called Tianquan (Heavenly Spring) in ancient times. Not only did ancient people use it to brew tea to show their status and cultivation, but it is also recorded in many medical texts.

For example, Compendium of Materia Medica records: 'Store winter snow in sealed bottles in a cool place; it will not spoil for decades. Winter snow benefits vegetables and wheat, kills insects and locusts. Soaking grain seeds in it makes them drought-resistant and insect-free. Sprinkling it on furniture drives away flies. Storing fruits and foods in it prevents worm damage. In spring, when insects appear, snow water spoils easily and cannot be used as medicine.' This shows the uses of snow water, and these are just its agricultural uses.

Furthermore, Compendium of Materia Medica records that winter snow is sweet, cold, and non-toxic. It resolves all toxins and treats seasonal epidemics.

Pediatric Awakening mentions a medicine called Cinnabar Bao Long Pill. It describes it as: 'This medicine calms fright, dispels wind, clears phlegm and heat, and treats colds, coughs with phlegm, wheezing, fever, runny nose, or heat symptoms from wind and summer heat, night terrors, measles, infantile convulsions, and fetal heat. For those with excess evil qi, pills made with snow water paste are especially good.' Do you know what 'pills made with snow water paste are especially good' means? It means that taking this medicine with snow water enhances its efficacy.

Many other prescriptions also mention using snow water to prepare medicine. For example, Standard for Diagnosis and Treatment · Pediatrics records a decoction for treating 'smallpox' in children—the Three Bean Decoction, made of 'red adzuki beans, black soybeans, mung beans,' and licorice. It mentions 'boiling with eight liters of snow water and licorice.'

Also, Feng’s Secret Record records using snow water to treat hair loss in the topic of 'premature graying': 'For women whose hair falls out easily and is not moist, use three areca nuts, two walnuts, and one tael of Chinese arborvitae leaves. Crush and soak in snow water. Combing hair with it makes it moist and prevents falling.'

These are not all. Many other prescriptions require adding snow water for the medicine to work."

"Actually, the simplest use is to collect this snow water, seal it well, and wait until summer. When children get heat rash, take it out and apply it. The rash heals quickly," Yi Yunfei said.

The old lady clapped her hands directly. "Oh my, this snow water is a treasure! No, I must collect some later. Next year, I’ll have my son and daughter take it back for their little ones."

"But the sealing must be good. If it is not sealed well, the effect of the snow water will be lost," Zhu Yanyi reminded them.

The old lady hurriedly said, "That is no problem. I will store it securely. I’ll have Uncle He seal it with yellow clay, just like a wine jar, so no air escapes."

"That method is also good," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.

They waited until nearly two o’clock. Yan Aohan and Sikong Xuran went with Uncle She to the opposite village to check the situation. Zhu Yanyi and the others followed the old lady to the old plum grove to collect snow water.

Knowing the effects of snow water, the old lady brought a small jar that usually held five jin of wine to collect snow.

Zhu Yanyi and her group collected snow water even faster. They helped fill the old lady’s jar first, then sent her back before starting to fill their own.

Zhu Yanyi had many empty bottles in her space. Each bottle could hold about five jin of snow water. Zhu Yanyi filled fifty bottles. Not only that, but Yi Yunfei and the others each filled about forty or fifty bottles. Collecting snow water in winter is something every traditional Chinese doctor does, but finding good snow water is not easy. Winter snow in cities is now polluted by industry and cannot be used.

Therefore, if they needed snow water in winter, they had to go to the suburbs. In previous years, Zhu Yanyi and Yu Qingyun solved it this way. Now that they could see such high-quality snow water here, they naturally would not miss it. Besides, they had space and storage devices, so carrying more was no problem. They did not need to worry about spilling it on the way.

"There is a large bamboo forest here too," Zhu Yanyi said, noticing the bamboo forest next to the old plum grove.

"Hmm, you don’t want to collect bamboo sap, do you?" Yi Yunfei smiled.

"One is collecting bamboo sap, the other is collecting bamboo water. Both are related to bamboo, but their uses are somewhat different."