Seeing Jiang Wanting about to walk away, Zhou Weidong ran up and stopped the two of them. “W-Wait, comrade, can you still get the lingzhi mushrooms today? I’ll really buy them.”  

Jiang Wanting shrugged. “None today, but there might be some tomorrow.”  

“Tomorrow?” Zhou Weidong still seemed hesitant. “Are you sure there’s none today?”  

Cuini couldn’t help but interject, “You should’ve thought of that earlier.”  

Zhou Weidong was annoyed by the retort. He wanted to scold Cuini for her rudeness but held back, afraid Jiang Wanting would refuse to sell to him altogether.  

Finally, Zhou Weidong asked, “You’re really coming back tomorrow? When you come to sell the lingzhi, can you find me first and ask if I still want it?”  

Though the young man’s request was infuriating, Jiang Wanting didn’t argue—money was money. “Just so we’re clear, thirty yuan per mushroom. If you can accept that price, I’ll let you pick first.”  

As a procurement officer, Zhou Weidong had a rough idea of market prices. Today’s lingzhi wasn’t worth thirty yuan—twenty-five or twenty-six at most, by procurement standards. “Why so expensive?”  

“I don’t have a choice. My whole family depends on this lingzhi for survival. Picking it is a life-risking job… Oh, by the way, shouldn’t you be able to procure directly from herbal shops? Why buy from a private seller like me?”  

“That’s none of your concern,” Zhou Weidong said dismissively.  

“If you accept the price, you get first pick,” Jiang Wanting repeated firmly.  

Zhou Weidong gritted his teeth. “Fine, as you say. Let me pick first. Find me tomorrow—I won’t know for sure until evening whether I’ll need it.”  

With the deal settled, Jiang Wanting took Cuini to a noodle shop near the bus station for a bowl of knife-cut noodles before boarding the bus home.  

On the way, Cuini kept rubbing her stomach and licking her lips. “That was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten… and the most expensive.”  

Jiang Wanting ruffled Cuini’s hair. “If you come out with me, I’ll treat you to it every day.”  

Cuini hugged Jiang Wanting’s arm. “You’re more like a sister to me than my own sister. I wish you could stay my sister forever.”  

Jiang Wanting didn’t respond. She didn’t want to make promises she couldn’t keep—she wouldn’t be staying in this village forever.  

Back home, Jiang Wanting laid the remaining forty-six yuan and seventy cents on the bed for Chen Meiling to count.  

Chen Meiling carefully counted the money several times, her eyes widening in disbelief. “This morning, we only had thirteen yuan, and now it’s over forty?” She pointed at the roll of fabric beside it. “Plus ten meters of fabric?”  

“How about that?” Jiang Wanting grinned proudly.  

But Chen Meiling wasn’t happy. “Did you do something illegal? Will you get arrested?”  

Jiang Wanting burst out laughing. “It’s all legal. I sold some lingzhi mushrooms—the ones that grow in the mountains behind our village. Others picked them, and I resold them.”  

“Lingzhi can sell for that much?” Chen Meiling said doubtfully. “I’ve picked them before. The buyers in the village only gave me one yuan per mushroom, and even that went straight to your grandmother.”  

“People come to the village to buy them?” Jiang Wanting was surprised.  

“Yes, they come every year. I don’t know why no one came this year. I was waiting so I could pick some and earn extra money. Actually, I could pick them, and you could sell them! The fields aren’t busy right now. I used to work the whole family’s land, but now it’s just our four acres—it’s done in no time. I have all day free. Once the autumn harvest starts, it’ll get busy, so we should take advantage now.”  

Jiang Wanting considered it. More mushrooms meant more money. “But it’s dangerous. I’ll buy from others—you don’t need to pick them.”  

Chen Meiling ignored her and went to heat up dinner. She served Jiang Wanting a steamed bun—stolen from the old woman—along with an egg and millet porridge. For herself, she only had a cornbread bun and pickles.  

Jiang Wanting broke the bun in half and gave part to Chen Meiling. “Mom, once we have more money, we’ll eat better. You’re skin and bones—you need more nutrition. Don’t skimp on food.”  

Chen Meiling pushed the food back. “You’re the one who needs to eat more. Selling things is tiring and risky. I’ll only feel at ease if you’re full.”  

Jiang Wanting failed to persuade her. Chen Meiling continued eating her cornbread and pickles.  

“Don’t worry about me. Today’s meal is already better than before. You know how it was at your grandmother’s—we only got to eat after finishing chores, and it was just scraps. Today, I barely did any work—just patched up the house to block the wind. I didn’t work much, so I don’t need much food. You eat more. I’ll only be at ease if you put on some weight.”

Listening to Chen Meiling speak, Jiang Wanting silently moved up her relocation plans in her mind.

“Mom, with that fabric, make one set for me, one for you, and one for Cuini. She was the one who helped me with today’s work, so I bought fabric for her too.”  

“Of course. Poor Cuini—no mother to love her, no father to care for her. That child suffers so much. Her whole family depends on her to find food… sigh.” Chen Meiling sighed. The girl was pitiful, but she herself barely had enough to eat—she couldn’t help much.  

“I told her I’d split the money from selling the lingzhi she picks with her. That way, she won’t have to suffer as much.”  

“That’s the right thing to do.”  

Jiang Wanting was happy her words were affirmed. Thinking back to her past life, she often had her own ideas, but they were almost always dismissed by her mother—because from every angle, they weren’t self-serving choices. At first, Jiang Wanting was frustrated and desperately wanted her mother’s approval. But as she grew older, she learned to judge things based on her mother’s mindset, eventually becoming just as self-interested.  

With Chen Meiling, she felt relaxed and happy, like a child who’d been praised for getting candy. She couldn’t even suppress her smile.  

This joyful mood lasted until she fell asleep.  

Early the next morning, as soon as Jiang Wanting opened her eyes, she saw a steaming bun, an egg, and a bowl of corn porridge placed neatly by her bed. On the wooden cabinet beside her were three large, plump lingzhi mushrooms, arranged carefully. Next to them were three newly woven baskets, designed to stack securely while keeping the mushrooms well-ventilated.  

Incredible!

Jiang Wanting marveled in her heart. What kind of luck did I stumble into in this life to be given such a wonderful mother? Of course, her mother in her past life had been good too.  

After finishing her meal, Jiang Wanting stepped outside and saw Cuini already waiting at the door. The girl was stuffing the last of her cornbread into her mouth and handed over a lingzhi. “Sis, I only managed to pick one today.”  

Then she noticed the three Jiang Wanting had. “Did you go picking too? That’s a lot.”  

“Not me—my mom did.” She placed Cuini’s mushroom into the basket. “Eat slowly, don’t choke. We’ll leave after you’re done.”  

Cuini did choke. She hurried to the water vat in the yard, scooped a ladleful, and gulped it down before wiping her mouth and returning. “First time eating in the morning—not used to it. Didn’t expect your mom to be as nice as you. You two aren’t at all like what people say.”  

“Like what…?” Jiang Wanting chatted with Cuini as they walked, soon arriving at the county’s farmers’ market.  

On the way, they passed the cornfield again. The two cautiously crept forward, observing the scene of yesterday’s incident to see if there were any lingering consequences.  

After standing there for a while, they confirmed no one was talking about it, no crowds had gathered, and no one was paying attention. Relieved, they continued on as if nothing had happened.  

At the market, Jiang Wanting easily found Song Zhiguo, the lingzhi seller from yesterday. “Boss,” she pointed to the two mushrooms on his stall, “how much today?”  

She asked with a smile, feeling a little guilty for outsmarting him the day before. Initially, she’d thought he was the one trying to cheat her—until she sold them and realized the truth.  

So today, she figured a smiling face is hard to slap. If she was friendly, she probably wouldn’t get yelled at.  

But to Boss Song, her smile looked like pure provocation.  

“Not selling!” he snapped.  

“If you’re not selling, why display them? For exhibition?” Jiang Wanting tried to lighten the mood with humor.  

To Boss Song, it sounded like mockery. He turned his head away, ignoring her. The neighboring vendor gave Jiang Wanting a meaningful look. “He’s stubborn. Lost big selling to you yesterday—probably got an earful from his wife last night.”  

Jiang Wanting guessed he was still upset. She crouched in front of him. “Boss, what’s your usual price? If it’s fair, I’ll buy from you every day. Wouldn’t that make up for yesterday’s loss? Ignoring customers isn’t good for business.”  

Boss Song grumbled, “You’ll take them all?”  

“Depends on the price.”  

“Fifteen.”  

“Deal. Three for forty-five.” Jiang Wanting pulled out the cash without hesitation.  

The nearby stall owners were stunned. This young girl, dressed in patched clothes and looking anything but wealthy, had just casually forked over forty-five yuan—more than a county worker’s monthly wage!  

Boss Song was also shocked, but then it clicked—she must have her own buyers. That was something he couldn’t compete with. Success in this business depended entirely on connections. With the right buyers, you could sell out in a day. Without them, you’d be stuck for a week before resorting to selling cheap to herbal shops. And his connections were different from hers.  

Pocketing the forty-five, Boss Song started packing up. “You coming back tomorrow?”  

“Yes,” Jiang Wanting confirmed.  

“Fine.” He turned to leave, but the neighboring vendor tugged his sleeve and whispered, “Hold on. Follow her and see where she sells them. She’s got seven lingzhi in that basket and doesn’t seem short on cash. If you find out her buyers, you could sell more too.”