Chapter 24

For the villagers, harvesting matsutake mushrooms was their primary source of income for the year, so naturally, they wanted to collect as many as possible.

However, she couldn’t go up the mountain with them every day.

But she also didn’t want to see San Ya’s disappointed expression.

Earlier today on the mountain, San Ya had mentioned that she was saving up for her tuition and living expenses. If she got into university next year, she would have a lot of financial needs. She also had two older brothers who were reaching the age of marriage, and she didn’t want to add to her family’s burden.

Jiang Tiantian asked Xiao Qi in her mind:

“Is there a way for them to increase their chances of finding matsutake mushrooms without me going up the mountain with them?”

This time, Xiao Qi didn’t respond immediately.

After a while, Xiao Qi finally gave her a suggestion:

“I searched the system’s pharmaceutical database and found a biological enhancer that can be used on animals to increase their sense of smell. Matsutake mushrooms have a unique fragrance, so you could try experimenting with a dog.”

“Why not just use the enhancer on humans? That way, we could find them ourselves.”

“Tiantian, just imagine if your sense of smell became extremely heightened—every time you stepped outside, you’d be overwhelmed by all kinds of strong odors.”

“I doubt that would be a pleasant experience.”

Jiang Tiantian imagined that scenario and immediately shivered.

Alright, this must have been tested before, proving that not all aspects of human evolution should be tampered with.

“Can I get this enhancer now?”

“You currently have 563,807 followers—over 500,000. The system can reward you with one dose. But that means you’ll have to give up the beauty-enhancing serum you originally planned to claim at 500,000 followers.”

“It’s fine, give me the animal enhancer first. The beauty serum can wait.”

“Alright, the system will replace the 500,000-follower reward with the animal biological enhancer. But I suggest you test it tonight to see the final effects in advance.”

Feeling more confident now, Jiang Tiantian told San Ya, “I’ll go up the mountain with you all tomorrow. Just call me when you’re about to leave.”

“Yay! Thanks, Tiantian!”

San Ya cheered excitedly, greeted the rest of the Cha family, and then ran off.

She had to tell her mother the good news and find a bigger basket.

Jiang Tiantian then turned to Cha Jiuzhang and asked, “Do we have a dog at home?”

Cha Jiuzhang paused for a moment. “We do.”

“Really?” Jiang Tiantian immediately jumped up in excitement. “Where is it?”

“Why haven’t I seen it around these past two days?”

She looked around the courtyard but didn’t see a trace of a dog.

She had always wanted to own a dog, but since she could barely take care of herself, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to care for a pet properly, so she gave up on the idea.

Now that there was a dog she could pet, she was thrilled.

Cha Jiuzhang found it hard to explain.

Should he tell her that their dog’s daily hobby was running around the village chasing female dogs, only returning home at bedtime—and sometimes not even then?

Zuo Mingyan burst into laughter. “You mean Mop? It’s not back yet.”

Cha Jizu saw Jiang Tiantian’s eager expression and immediately ordered, “Jiuzhang, go outside and see if it’s willing to come home today.”

Reluctantly, Cha Jiuzhang got up and went out to find his wayward dog.

Before long, Jiang Tiantian heard barking.

Then, in the dim evening light, she watched as a huge gray-and-white ‘mop’ burst in through the front gate.

It skidded to a stop beside Cha Jizu and the others, running in circles around them.

Finally, it trotted over to her, ran two circles around her, and then stopped in front of her, panting excitedly.

It kept rubbing its head against her thigh.

“?”

Jiang Tiantian was speechless.

Now that she got a good look, she realized what this was.

It was a white Komondor, a type of sheepdog known for its long, curly fur, which made it look like a moving mop when it ran.

When she had considered getting a dog before, she had researched different breeds.

Komondors were known for their loyalty and alertness. They were deeply devoted to their owners, had a strong territorial instinct, and were excellent guard dogs.

Over time, they transitioned from being shepherds’ helpers to beloved family guard dogs.

Zuo Mingyan smiled in satisfaction. “Looks like Mop really likes you. It usually barks at strangers.”

She had been worried the girl might be scared—after all, Mop was quite enormous.

“It’s really called Mop?”

That name was very fitting.

“Yes, a shepherd from across the mountain gave it to Jiuzhang two years ago.”

“When it was a puppy, it was as small as a kitten—super cute. Who knew it would grow so big so quickly?”

Jiang Tiantian tried to push away Mop’s head as it kept rubbing against her thigh. Its long fur covered its eyes completely.

But somehow, she felt like she could see its eyes glowing green with excitement.

Was it just her imagination?

Cha Jiuzhang walked in, saw Mop’s behavior, and his face darkened.

What was this stupid dog doing?

“Mop, come here.”

This little rascal was completely out of control—anytime it saw something good-looking, it had to go rub against it.

“Woof woof!”

Mop ignored him, barked twice, and then went back to staring at Jiang Tiantian, panting excitedly.

Cha Jiuzhang stormed over, grabbed its collar, and dragged it to the side.

“Sit!”

Mop whimpered, unwilling, but after a brief struggle, it finally surrendered to his authority and sat down.

“Behave yourself. Haven’t you run around enough outside?”

Jiang Tiantian chuckled as she watched Cha Jiuzhang scolding Mop like a disobedient son, tapping its head repeatedly.

Mop, feeling oppressed, didn’t dare move, occasionally letting out pitiful whines in protest.

The bond between them was obvious.

“Xiao Qi, this dog seems pretty smart. Can we use it for the experiment?”

“Are you sure there won’t be any bad side effects? If something goes wrong, I can’t afford to compensate.”

Some people treated their dogs like family members.

From Mop’s behavior, it was clear the Cha family adored it.

“Don’t worry. This serum is very safe and has no side effects. Besides enhancing its sense of smell, it might even boost its intelligence a little.”

“As long as there are no downsides. How do I give it to Mop?”

“Just feed it this capsule directly.”

As soon as Xiao Qi finished speaking, Jiang Tiantian felt something appear in her palm.

She quietly opened her hand and saw a transparent capsule about the size of a fingertip, containing a pale golden liquid.

It looked quite pretty.

Jiang Tiantian walked over, patted Mop’s long fur, and asked Cha Jiuzhang, “Can I take it outside to play for a bit?”

Cha Jiuzhang gave her a puzzled look.

Why was she suddenly so interested in the dog tonight?

But he didn’t stop her. Instead, he looked down at Mop and introduced him seriously:

“Listen up, you little rascal. This is my wife, the newest member of our family. From now on, she’s your mom. Show some respect.”

“Got it?”

Don’t treat her like your little dog girlfriends and start rubbing up on her!