"Girls from the east, boys from the west, picking Locust to play house. String by string, handful by handful, I picked them too in my childhood..."

The song "Picking Locust" evokes memories of childhoods spent beneath the Locust Tree.

Locust are the winged fruit of the Locust Tree, a plant in the elm family.

They bloom after the Spring Equinox each year. When they first appear, they are green, round, and shiny, closely resembling small copper coins strung together, which is how they got their name.

The *Compendium of Materia Medica* records: "Before the locust tree grows leaves, its pods first appear between the branches. They are shaped like coins but smaller, white in color, and grow in clusters. They are commonly called Locust."

Locust isn’t money, but the winged fruit of the Locust Tree. Its shape—a thin, flat disc, bulging in the middle—resembles ancient copper coins. Furthermore, its name is a homophone for the phrase "surplus money," leading to the folk saying, "Eat Locust and have money to spare."

Throughout history, many poets have written about eating Locust.

For example, after eating Locust porridge, Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty left behind the fine lines, "The bowls of fine porridge feel cool in the spring light; by the pavilion pond, the Locust are fresh after a night’s rain."

The Qing Dynasty poet Xu Ye also wrote "Locust Song": "Every household picks Locust, stir-frying them with spinach and water caltrops."

Ancient poets, with their playful, childlike hearts, also treated the round, shiny Locust as little copper coins to buy wine on credit.

The Tang Dynasty frontier poet Cen Can once encountered an old wine seller and teased him with a poem: "An old man of seventy still sells his wine, a thousand jugs and a hundred urns by his flowery door. The locust pods by the road look just like coins; if I pick them to buy wine, would you be so kind?"

All things can be used as medicine, and Locust is no exception.

It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and calming the mind, clearing the heart and reducing fire, relieving coughs and dissolving phlegm, clearing heat and promoting urination, and killing parasites and reducing swelling.

Locust has a long history of medicinal use. The *Medical Master’s Special Record* states it "chiefly treats childhood epilepsy and difficulty with urination."

The *Supplement to the Materia Medica* records that "eating the kernels of locust pods in a soup can treat vaginal discharge in women."

The *Essentials of Medical Forest* says it "tonifies the lungs, quenches thirst, and calms the heart and mind."

The *Shanxi Chinese Herbal Medicine* records that it "calms the mind, stops discharge, and aids digestion."

Every spring, when the Locust bloom, people in the countryside will pick fresh Locust, juice them with mountain pagoda tree roots, mix the juice with strong liquor, and seal it in a small clay jar. After three to five days, this mixture is used to wash away peach blossom rash on children’s faces, serving to detoxify, sterilize, reduce swelling, and stop itching.

In ancient times, people mostly ate Locust as a survival food during famines or as an emergency meal during the lean season before the new harvest.

The Ming Dynasty’s *Life-saving Herbs* states: "To relieve hunger, pick the fat, tender locust leaves, fry them until cooked, soak and rinse them in water, then season with oil and salt to eat. As for the Locust, it is excellent when cooked into a porridge. Alternatively, it can be blanched and sun-dried for later use, or made into a paste, all of which are edible."

The Ming Dynasty poet Wu Kuan also said in his poem "Locust": "The newly grown coins are said to be edible; for the poor, they serve as fruit."

In modern times, there are many ways to eat Locust. Eaten raw, they are fragrant; cooked, they are sweet and delicious.

After a short while, the meal was ready.

It was time to eat.

The housekeeper brought the colorful, fragrant, and delicious dishes to the table.

First was a tempting, vibrant green salad of cold-dressed toon, its fresh aroma wafting through the air.

Next came the golden, tender scrambled eggs with toon, a perfect fusion of the eggs’ richness and the toon’s unique flavor.

There were also large "caterpillar" buns, shaped like their namesake yet giving off a tempting wheaty fragrance, and Locust steamed buns that exuded a similarly light, fresh scent.

It was a simple, rustic meal, but the natural ingredients and careful preparation made it especially tempting, whetting everyone’s appetite.

"Come, come, don’t be shy. Try this year’s fresh harvest."

Elder Li urged them warmly, being the first to pick up a piece of the scrambled eggs with toon.

The room was filled with warmth, cheerful voices, and endless laughter.

Everyone sat around the table, the atmosphere lively and warm, just like a family meal during the New Year celebrations of their childhood.

They all eagerly reached for the piping hot buns.

Li Xu picked up a large "caterpillar" bun. The dough was white, plump, soft, and springy. He took a bite, revealing a filling of bright green poplar catkins mixed with the savory aroma of meat and scallions. The flavor was delicious and the texture refreshing, with the unique, light sweetness of the poplar catkins.

He couldn’t help but exclaim, "Elder Li, these buns are absolutely amazing! The light fragrance of the poplar catkins and the richness of the meat filling are a perfect match. It’s refreshing but not bland, and savory without being greasy."

Song Sisi picked up a Locust steamed bun. The small, delicate bun gave off the fragrance of Locust.

She took a small bite. The bun was soft and chewy, leaving a delightful aftertaste.

"This Locust steamed bun is so good! The fragrance is amazing, and the texture is so delicate. I’m so glad I came today."

Ding Kaifang, however, had a particular fondness for the scrambled eggs with toon. He grabbed a large helping with his chopsticks and said while eating, "Elder Li, these eggs with toon really taste like spring. Once you start, you can’t stop."

"Haha, I’m glad you like it, I’m glad you like it."

Elder Li’s face bloomed into a smile as he watched them eat with great relish. "It’s all freshly picked. You can’t easily find produce this fresh in the city. You can only eat this for a few days each year. If you miss it, you have to wait until next year."

Everyone chatted back and forth, discussing the flavors of the dishes and sharing interesting stories about seasonal wild vegetables in a relaxed atmosphere.

After the meal, Li Xu and Song Sisi took their leave, as there were still patients at the clinic.

Ding Kaifang had to get back to his company for some business, so he left Li Garden with them.

Back at the clinic, it was the early afternoon.

There were already a few patients waiting in line at the door.

Li Xu and Song Sisi didn’t have time to rest and immediately threw themselves into their busy work.

Li Xu diagnosed patients and wrote prescriptions, while Song Sisi skillfully filled and prepared the medications beside him.

While Song Sisi was busy filling a prescription, she suddenly felt a pulling sensation in her lower abdomen, followed by a warm gush.

Her face flushed red. ’Oh no,’ she thought, and quickly ran to the restroom.

Sure enough, her period had arrived unexpectedly.

Unfortunately, she had just run out of the sanitary pads she carried with her, and there were none in the clinic’s supply cabinet either.

Song Sisi stood flustered in the restroom, not knowing what to do. She had no choice but to take out her phone and send Li Xu a message.

"Boss, I got my period. Can you buy me a pack of pads? The daytime kind."

Li Xu received the message and glanced at it, feeling a bit troubled.

A patient was sitting in front of him, describing their symptoms in detail, and it was inconvenient for him to leave in the middle of the consultation.

Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration.

It just so happened that the adjacent warehouse still had a pile of hemostatic cloth samples that Ding Kaifang had brought over, all made from Willow Catkin.

’The hemostatic cloth is highly absorbent, and the material is natural. It should work in a pinch.’

He immediately replied to Song Sisi: "Sisi, I can’t get away right now. How about you use the hemostatic cloth from the warehouse to tide you over? I’ll go out and buy some for you as soon as I’m done with this patient."

The warehouse was right next to the restroom. When Song Sisi saw Li Xu’s reply, she hesitated for a moment, but the situation was urgent and she had no other choice. She left the restroom, went to the warehouse, and found a clean piece of hemostatic cloth.

She carefully folded the hemostatic cloth into a suitable shape and put it in place.

She had expected that using a hemostatic cloth not specifically designed for this purpose would be uncomfortable and might even leak.

However, to her great surprise, the cloth felt exceptionally soft, like cotton. Its absorbency was also excellent, instantly wicking away the moisture, and it was extremely breathable, with none of the stuffy feeling she expected.

She even felt it was more comfortable than the big-brand sanitary pads she usually used.