Autumn Harvest, Winter Stores, Spirit-Fruit Grapes

Several months have passed in the blink of an eye, from the sweltering summer to the golden autumn season.

Houtu, who remained a Houtu at Purple Jade Mountain, went up the mountain with Wu Chu and Little Moon Spirit to collect wild fruits and vegetables, preparing for the autumn harvest and winter storage.

The group rode the clouds, with Wu Chu and Houtu standing in front of them. The Astral Wind ruffled their hair and clothes, giving them a dashing and elegant appearance.

Little Moon Spirit and the Little Fox lay on the edge of the cloud, their big eyes wide open, kicking their little feet, looking adorably cute as they gazed down at the mountains and forests below.

The Fat Dog lay in the middle of the clouds, looking at Wu Chu with a guilty look in its eyes, because it had been disliked by its owner again when it went out earlier.

Whenever it saw its owner's disapproving look, the Fat Dog A Qiu would feel a pang of guilt. But the thought of lying there lazily basking in the sun, with food being thrown to it whenever it opened its mouth, made it feel that this kind of life was too comfortable, and it seemed that there was no need to lose weight.

The Little Deer Cub lay obediently beside Little Moon Spirit. The clever little creature seemed somewhat afraid to approach Miss Houtu. Whenever Wu Chu was in the Houtu Miss Houtu, the little fawn would give Wu Chu a feeling of weakness and trembling.

Before long, they landed in a forest and began gathering various wild fruits in the mountains.

The Little Deer Cub frolicked, its four hooves swinging as it darted through the forest.

The Fat Dog first looked wary, solemnly surveying its surroundings, then stretched its neck and barked... It had become so lazy that it could even cut its bark in half.

If it had drawn out its howl a bit, you might have mistaken it for a giant wolf, given its size. But after cutting its howl in half, all that was left was a 'woof woof'.

Wu Chu turned his head and glanced at the short, sharp bark coming from the fat body, rubbing his forehead, unsure of what to say. He thought to himself, "Could this be the origin of the Bark Clan's 'woof woof' sound in the future? Fat Dog, you've done a terrible disservice to the Bark Clan!"

Shaking his head and scolding her for her lack of ambition, Wu Chu picked up his bamboo basket and went to pick fruit with Miss Houtu. As they picked, Wu Chu explained to Houtu, "These wild fruits, after being picked and washed, can be used directly to brew fruit wine... Besides drinking it, fruit wine can also be used to cook dishes, adding to their flavor..."

After a pause, Wu Chu continued, "In this Purple Jade Mountain, there are only us people, so we can let it grow wild like this, and it's enough for our daily needs. In the future, when my sister's tribe grows larger, they can cultivate it, instead of having to search all over the mountain like this..."

At this moment, Wu Chu was like a cunning strategist, Houtu planning the future life of Houtu and their Witch Clan. Of course, his plans were limited to the aspects of clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

The Witch Clan today doesn't actually have many members, and it can't compare to the three powerful Three Clans. It hasn't reached the point where it needs to cultivate these fruit trees on its own.

Interacting with Nuwa was different from interacting with Nuwa. With Houtu, Wu Chu was always in a passive position. Of course, he didn't dare to take the initiative either, after all, there was also the doting brother Fuxi watching Nuwa like a Nuwa, and the slightest carelessness would result in a death stare.

When interacting with Houtu, Wu Chu usually takes the lead and will take the initiative to tell Houtu things that he thinks the Witch Clan can use in the future.

For example, the principle of starting a fire by Fire Drilling —teaching someone without fire-related supernatural abilities—seems very simple, but Houtu found it extremely practical.

For example, agricultural tools such as hoes and shovels.

There are also household utensils such as earthenware pots and kettles, outhouses and toilets... Wu Chu didn't know if Miss Houtu had ever secretly used the outhouse, but he certainly hadn't seen her.

But when Wu Chu mentioned this, Houtu was not surprised, and even seriously inquired about the working principle of the toilet from Wu Chu.

This suggests that even if Houtu herself didn't need to relieve herself, some members of the Witch Clan must have, otherwise she wouldn't have been so concerned about it.

When picking fruit, if Wu Chu saw wild mushrooms, he would pick them and have Little Moon Spirit identify whether they were poisonous. He would also teach Houtu how to process the mushrooms, whether to eat them raw or dry them and use them in stews.

Houtu diligently and silently recorded what Wu Chu said. Although she already knew that Wu Chu's cultivation level was not actually very high, in terms of food, clothing, shelter and transportation, she would acknowledge Wu Chu and Little Moon Spirit as her masters.

At the very beginning, she even considered whether or not to become an apprentice.

However, when she brought it up, Wu Chu immediately refused. He didn't have the nerve to be Houtu's master, even if it was just a teacher in life skills.

Therefore, when Wu Chu asked her some rather strange questions, Houtu did not refuse to answer, which could be considered a way of returning the favor!

For several days in a row, they were busy in the mountains and fields.

Of course, there was mostly laughter and joy.

At these times, Little Moon Spirit's face is always filled with a happy smile.

On this day, while happily busy in the mountains and forests, Little Moon Spirit encountered a fruit she had never seen before. The fruit grew on vines, which climbed up a boulder, with clusters of crystal-clear, purplish-black fruit hanging among the branches and leaves.

Each fruit is about the size of a fist, and looks juicy and delicious.

She picked one, tasted it, and her eyes immediately lit up. Then she picked the bunches of fruit from the vine and ran to Wu Chu and Houtu to present them as a treasure.

When Wu Chu saw the bunches of fruit, he was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Good stuff! If I'm not mistaken, these should be grapes."

"A Chu, these grapes are so sweet! You should try some! Sister Houtu, you should try some too!"

Houtu took the grapes, examined them, and finally looked at Wu Chu, asking, "What wonderful use is this?"

"This fruit is sweet and delicious when eaten fresh, and very juicy. But its most important use is in brewing wine. It is considered the best of all spiritual fruits for this purpose. Moreover, it has a high sugar content and can also be used to make sugar."

After a pause, Wu Chu said to Little Moon Spirit, "Yueling, remember this place. Next spring, we'll transplant some vines back and build a grape trellis in the back garden..."

"Uh-huh!"

Unfortunately, there weren't many grapes; they're not enough for winemaking, but we can look forward to next year.

During the busy autumn farming season, Houtu truly experienced what life was all about.

They went up the mountain to gather wild fruits and vegetables, down to the lake to pick lotus Jiao Rice and dig lotus roots, down to the fields to collect water chestnuts and dig water caltrops... After that, they made all kinds of delicacies with Little Moon Spirit, grinding lotus root powder, steaming Jiao Rice cakes, and frying water chestnuts... Houtu was very happy eating them.

Compared to the years she had lived before, Houtu felt that she had practically wasted her life on A Qiu, and that she was so rough around the edges that she felt sorry for herself.

In this harvest season, not only was Houtu beaming with joy, but even Little Moon Spirit, who had experienced it countless times before, was equally delighted.

Perhaps this is the happiness of foodies!