Ang Lee and the others held torches and walked with difficulty in the cave. From time to time, they would step on some precious stones, making crisp cracking sounds.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became. Everyone shivered from time to time, but no one chose to retreat. This was because they were all full of interest in this magical cave. To be able to enter the cave and explore, for them, was a very good experience.
"Assistant Minister Li, it's getting colder and colder. I should have worn more clothes."
Chen Long put his hand near the torch and said.
Although the torches had a certain temperature, the temperature produced was still too little to resist the cold air in the cave. It was like piling up a lot of ice cubes in a high-temperature factory and still not feeling cool.
Ang Lee naturally felt the cold air in the cave, but this cold air was completely bearable for young and strong people. Young and strong people would not be hurt by this cold air.
However, at this time, it was absolutely impossible to rest in the cave, especially if one were to lie down and sleep in this place. If one fell asleep, they would never wake up again. Even those with extremely strong bodies could not sleep in such an extreme environment.
"It's too much of a waste of time to go back and prepare clothes now. Everyone, bear with it! If you're hungry, eat some dry food. "
Ang Lee said to everyone.
Generally, when a person was hungry, their body would be colder and their ability to resist the cold would be greatly reduced. Therefore, eating more was also a way to resist the cold. When the stomach was full, it would naturally not be so cold.
"Assistant Minister Li, this string of lychees is very good. Why don't you pick it and take it to the palace and give it to the imperial concubine? She will definitely be happy."
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee glanced at it and was immediately shocked by the realistic lychees. These lychees were too similar to real lychees. If you were a little further away, you would not be able to tell that these lychees were stones and would think that they were real lychees.
"It's really good, but it's too high."
Ang Lee said.
Chen Long saw that Ang Lee had no intention of objecting, so he directly asked two soldiers to pick them. One person's height was not enough, so two people should be enough.
Sure enough, when one soldier stood on the shoulder of another soldier, he immediately touched the stone lychees hanging on the top of the cave and easily picked them off.
"Good, it's really good."
After plucking it, Li An played with it in his hand. He found that it was even more exquisite than what he had seen from afar. Such a natural stone lychee was absolutely priceless. It was absolutely worth it to give it to someone as a gift.
"Assistant Minister Li, there are so many exquisite stones here. Why don't we pick some more?"
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "Picking is not a problem, but only if it can be picked. If it can't be picked, then don't pick it. Don't use iron tools to smash it. Everything depends on luck."
Obviously, stones that could be broken off by hand were not sturdy and could fall off at any time. As for those that were sturdy, they could not fall off in a short time. If they were smashed off by force, they would be destroyed.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li, don't worry! I will only break the ones that can be broken. "
Chen Long said with a smile.
There were too many strange stones in this cave, too many to count. Moreover, many of them were priceless treasures. This made Li An sigh at the miraculous creation, and at the same time, at the Zhan Clan's good luck. If these stones were mined by the Zhan Clan, they would definitely be able to sell them for a very high price. In this way, the Zhan Clan would immediately become rich, and they would no longer have to live in poverty.
However, most of these strange stones were nailed into the cave. If they were forcefully extracted, it would definitely cause a lot of damage. Moreover, the formation of these stones could not be achieved in a short period of time. It would take hundreds or thousands of years to form. They were very precious stones. If they were forcefully destroyed, it would definitely be a huge loss, an indescribably huge loss.
Ang Lee did not object to the Zhan people selling some of the loose stones, but Ang Lee did not want them to destroy these natural stones on a large scale for money. These natural stones were too precious. If they were destroyed, it would be a great pity. In the future, this would be a very serious crime.
"Watermelon, the stones here really look like watermelons! Moreover, it's half a watermelon. This is too magical. "
A guard saw a stone gourd and said.
This stone gourd was almost the same size as an ordinary watermelon. The outside was a dark green stone, but the cross-section was a red stone. Moreover, this red stone was mixed with some small black dots. It looked especially like a watermelon.
"It really does look like a watermelon. This is too magical. It's a pity that it's too sturdy. There's no way to remove it without using violent means. We can only leave it where it is."
Ang Lee said.
This watermelon looked like half a watermelon, but the bottom was connected to the large stone. The connection was very sturdy and could not be removed without using violent means. Once violent means were used, this half of the watermelon would be destroyed. As such, its value would be greatly reduced. Therefore, the best way was to leave this stone gourd in the cave.
"Watermelon? What kind of melon is a watermelon?"
A Zhan person asked curiously.
After spending some time together, these Zhan people were no longer afraid of Ang Lee. They felt that Ang Lee was approachable and naturally dared to chat with Ang Lee.
"Watermelon, you guys don't even know about watermelon. It seems that the Zhan people are too closed-minded and don't know about the outside world."
Chen Long was the first to speak.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "This watermelon is a type of fruit. The skin is green and the flesh inside is red. It's very delicious and especially sweet. It's sweeter than any other fruit. It can be said to be the king of relieving summer heat."
When the Zhan people heard this, they were very envious.
"We have pumpkins here. It's said that this type of melon was first produced in the south, so it's called pumpkin. Therefore, this watermelon must be a melon from the west! Is it a melon from the west? "
A member of the Zhan Clan said.
Ang Lee nodded with a smile, acknowledging the Zhan person's words.
Watermelon, as the name implied, was a melon from the west. As for whether watermelon came from the west, it was disputed in the history books. However, Ang Lee believed that it might have come from the west.
Another saying came from the legend of Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs. According to the legend, watermelon was discovered when Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs. Its original name was Xi Gua, which meant a melon with a lot of water and a little bit of meat. However, as it was passed down, it became a watermelon.
Some people said that it was introduced from the Silk Road on the sea. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, he had sent people to recruit merchants to bring silk and other goods overseas to exchange for some of the overseas specialties. Among them, watermelon was a fruit. Of course, this was just a legend. No one could be sure how watermelon from the Tang dynasty was introduced.
Watermelon was sweet and juicy. It was known as the king of summer. It was a must-eat fruit for many people to relieve summer heat. It was the favorite of many people in summer.
"I really want to eat watermelon."
One of the Zhan clansmen said.
This guy had never eaten watermelon in his life. When Ang Lee said that watermelon was sweet and juicy, he immediately wanted to eat it. He was also quite greedy.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "The advantage of watermelon is not only that it's delicious and juicy, but also that it has medicinal and dietary effects. The biggest feature of watermelon is that it has a lot of water, which is good for diuretics. Therefore, after eating watermelon, the amount of urine will increase, the body's toxins will be discharged, and the feces will be unobstructed. It has a certain effect on treating various diseases. In addition, the diuretic effect of watermelon can also expel salt from the body and reduce swelling, especially swelling of the legs. For people who have been sitting for a long time, watermelon is a natural fruit for leg beautification. Watermelon can also reduce muscle weakness and fatigue, and drive away tiredness. Eating watermelon often and drinking watermelon juice can also give you a beautiful leg shape. Fresh watermelon juice and fresh watermelon skin can increase skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and increase luster. Put the watermelon meat in a bowl and then filter out the juice. This is a natural skin toner. If it's a young lady, she can use it as a toner before putting on makeup every morning and night. It's refreshing and not irritating. If she sticks to it, her complexion will be better, and her makeup will last longer. She can even save money to buy rouge. Eating watermelon often can also make her hair beautiful and dense.
After hearing so many benefits in one breath, the Zhan people were stunned. They had never seen or eaten watermelons, so they naturally knew nothing about them.
Of course, watermelons had existed in Central Sichuan for a long time, but the productivity in ancient times was too backward, and the grain yield was not high, so the fields were mainly used to grow grain crops. The area of the watermelon field was very limited, so there were very few fields that could grow fruits. Therefore, watermelons on the market were naturally rare, and the price was relatively high. Ordinary people really could not afford them. These fruits to relieve the heat were prepared for the rich, and it was difficult for ordinary people to see them. The Zhan people lived in a very remote area in the west, and there were not enough rich people in this area. Therefore, high-end products like watermelons naturally could not exist.
In the Tang dynasty, there were some watermelon fields near the core cities. These watermelon fields were the fields of the nobles, not the fields of ordinary people. The rich nobles did not care about sacrificing part of the grain yield, and enjoying life was the most important thing to them. For the people in the poor areas, filling their own stomachs was the most important thing to them. As for enjoying life, it was really unthinkable.
"Watermelons are so good. When we have money, we must buy some to try."
"That's not difficult. Now we have tungsten ore and these stones, which can be sold for a lot of money. We will be able to eat watermelons soon. Next month, we will go to Central Sichuan to buy watermelons to try."
Several members of the Zhan Clan said.
Ang Lee said, "You are so lucky. In less than a month, the watermelons will be ripe, and you will definitely be able to buy them. However, it is very important to choose the watermelon. If you choose a raw or bad one, you will suffer a great loss. When choosing a watermelon, you must first choose the shape. The smaller the circle at the bottom of the watermelon, the better. On the contrary, the bigger the circle at the bottom, the thicker the skin, the more unpalatable it will be. Secondly, you must learn how to choose the color. It is best to choose a green one, not a white one, because that kind of melon is not delicious. Then, you must learn how to pick the texture. If the texture is neat, it is a good melon. If the texture is not clear, it is definitely not a good melon. Finally, you must learn how to pick the head of the melon, which is the so-called pedicle. If it is a straight line, don't pick it, but if it is a curved or curly one, it is very sweet. These are all the skills to pick a melon. Of course, there are also some unique skills to pick a watermelon, mainly three unique skills: first look, second touch, and third knock. At first glance, you must look at the color of the watermelon's skin. When a melon is ripe, there is a curve on the handle, and there are roots on the handle. The color is also different. The second touch is to choose a melon that is smooth and round to the touch. If it is hard to the touch, don't choose it, it is definitely not a good melon. The third knock is to knock on the top. If there is a clear vibration in the hand, it means that the flesh is vibrating, and the watermelon is ripe. When you knock on the melon, there is a light feeling. When you knock on the melon, there is a sound. When you pick a melon, you must listen to the sound. When you knock on the melon with your fingers and hear the 'peng peng' sound, it is a ripe melon. When you hear the 'dang dang' sound, it is not ripe yet. When you hear the 'puff' sound, it is an overripe melon. "
"Heavens, there are actually so many things to pay attention to in picking a melon."
"We can let the seller help us pick it. If it is a bad melon, we will not agree."
"That's right. After we buy the melon, let the seller cut it open in front of us. If the melon is not good, we will not pay a single cent. We will only pay if it is a good melon."
Several members of the Zhan Clan said.
Although these people were a little stupid, they were not fools. They could adopt the method of inspecting the goods in person to avoid risks. One must know that although watermelons were a good fruit, there was a much more fatal problem than other fruits. That was, the probability of a bad melon was higher than other fruits. Some watermelons that looked very good on the surface were, in fact, raw on the inside, or even smelly. If they bought these bad watermelons, it would be a big loss.
"Everyone must be tired from walking. Let's take a break!"
At a location where the ground was relatively smooth, everyone rested for a while before continuing their journey.
When they came in, they brought a lot of replacement torches. At this time, they could use them. Everyone took out a few spare torches and directly made a fire in the cave.
The temperature in the cave was very cold. When walking, due to physical activity, one might not feel too much. However, once they stopped to rest, they would feel even colder. Therefore, in order to warm the body, a bonfire was the most suitable. Anyway, when they came in, they prepared a lot of materials for torches. There was no need to worry about the materials. Moreover, the rest time for everyone would definitely not be long. After a short rest, they would continue their journey.
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