It is very ugly. It used to be feared by everyone. Now it has become a rarity. It sells for 200 yuan each.

There are many trees and grass in the countryside, it can cool off for a few days after a few rains, especially in the hot days like now, it just rained a few days ago. As soon as it cleared up, many of our children went to the mountain woods at noon to dig out bird nests and catch birds. My ten-year-old cousin in the city and I also joined in the fun. Needless to say, it was really cool in the woods, and there were all kinds of unnamed wild fruits and flowers. "Wow, there are gourds on this tree!" my cousin shouted, pointing to a tree in front of him.

I saw several older and sturdy male dolls climbing up the tree, staring at the "gourd" on the tree, which was the size of a washbasin, dark brown, covered with thick yellow mud and ugly, hanging from the tree and about to fall. An uncle who had finished his farm work passed by and hurriedly drove the children out of the tree and said, such a big hornet's nest will pierce and kill people. I thought to myself: is it that good?

Like this kind of gourd knotted on a tree, it is not only a treasure to make money, but also a harmful insect. Yes, the "tree gourd" is a hornet's nest. In rural areas, this kind of hornet nest is very common, as long as it is tall, leeward trees are likely to be favored by wasps, it is not unusual to encounter one or two gourds in the forest.

For example, in the era of lack of clothing and tight food when Grandma was a child, horse honey and bee pupae were exclusive "luxuries" for rural people, but wasps were extremely toxic, and stinging and stinging people were common things, so in the past, hornet hives were also feared by everyone. It is also because of the horror of wasps, so in today's increasingly abundant material, even in rural areas, few people take risks to dig out hornet hives in order to eat honey.

Although few people will pick the tree gourd to enjoy the game, it doesn't mean that the gourd is worthless. The ugly gourd is a treasure all over the body. Honey, bee pollen, propolis and beeswax in the beehive are of great medicinal value, such as honeycomb water, which can increase appetite, improve sleep and enhance immunity. I have seen the old people in the village eat directly after taking pictures of the white beehive. They all say that it is a good traditional Chinese medicine and can prolong life.

Now the hornet's nest is very popular in major cities, and a good hornet's nest can sell for about 200 yuan a catty. Whether it's bee pupa delicacy, facial artifacts, or the supremacy of traditional Chinese medicine and health care, the once-frightening tree gourd can now be regarded as a rarity and a good medicine to get rich.

Dear rural friends, do you have this kind of gourd growing on trees?