"Changyi, this black wood…no, this black flower is poisonous, but it's okay for me to touch it."
An Jing had intended to refer to black wood-ear mushrooms, but considering she should adapt to local customs, she changed her term to black flower instead.
"Furthermore," An Jing continued to reassure her man, "it's poisonous because it contains a substance called porphyrin that is phototoxic. Eating it fresh indeed leads to poisoning, but porphyrin breaks down when exposed to light. As long as we dry it out, it will be non-toxic, and it's edible then—and actually quite delicious. People from my original world would often eat this."
The dried wood-ears sold in modern markets have already been treated by sun-drying, rendering them non-toxic. People would buy them, rehydrate them in water, and then they could be cooked and enjoyed immensely.
