Chapter 40.2

Aunt Cai, who had been warm and friendly, even giving her peaches earlier, could make even such good-natured people cry. That Aunt Liu must be quite something.

“Of course they manage it,” Sister Lin continued, “The leaders’ wives have talked to her a couple of times, but she’s stubborn and refuses to change. There’s nothing they can do but put up with her.”

Aunt Liu is unpleasant, but she hasn’t broken any laws. The most they can do is give verbal warnings; they can’t put her in jail.

“What about her son?”

“Ah, he’s even worse.” Sister Wang waved her hand and picked up where Sister Lin left off, “Her son listens to her every word. He can’t even disobey his mother.”

What does that mean?

Is there something bigger going on?

Ruan Mingfu perked up, listening intently.

“The old lady is like that with everyone and even worse with her daughter-in-law.”

Sister Lin shook her head, her expression complex.

“She doesn’t treat her daughter-in-law as a person at all. If the daughter-in-law is late making dinner, she gets beaten.”

The daughter-in-law is also timid and doesn’t resist. Even when the leaders’ wives try to advise her, she just accuses them of meddling. It’s hard to understand her thinking.

The old lady is frail and thin, while Aunt Liu is as fat as a pig.

When you can’t stand up for yourself, there’s nothing anyone else can do.

Better to just not see or think about it.

Military wives have their own struggles.

“Let’s not talk about that family,” Sister Wang said with a grim expression, “Just remember, if you see a chubby old lady, stay away from her.”

From Sister Wang’s look, it seemed she had suffered at Aunt Liu’s hands.

Ruan Mingfu usually takes advice seriously, especially when it comes to eating well.

“Got it.”

The four of them stopped talking.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Hu Wanning was about to head up but was stopped by Sister Lin.

“Everyone goes up from here. There’s nothing left to pick,” Sister Lin pointed to the side. “I know a small path, follow me.”

The main path was probably already picked over, and they’d only find roots.

Sister Wang, hearing this for the first time, said, “Sister Lin, I didn’t know you had this trick up your sleeve.”

“Of course,” Sister Lin replied without hesitation, “I discovered this path by chance.”

In spring, walking this path always yields a basket full of wild vegetables.

Even though there are strict regulations now, as long as they’re not hunting animals, gathering wild vegetables or mushrooms is allowed by the army.

After all, the families in the compound have no land or food and live on one person’s allowance. It’s necessary to improve their lives.

This path was much more secluded.

There were also thorny branches sticking out, which could tear their clothes if they weren’t careful. Fortunately, Sister Lin had brought a knife, which made clearing the way much easier.

After walking a bit further, they heard the sound of flowing water.

The group squeezed through a narrow thicket and found themselves in a clearer area.

Wildflowers of unknown species were blooming brightly, and a faint floral scent lingered in the air. A bit further, there was a pine forest. Ruan Mingfu walked on the soft pine needles, taking in the unique scent of pine trees.

Sister Lin poked around with a stick and looked disappointed.

“No good, these mushrooms haven’t grown enough.”

The largest ones were still smaller than her finger, and Sister Lin didn’t bother picking them.

Hu Wanning kept a close eye on the little chubby boy, using a stick to tap the surrounding ground.

The pine needles were so thick underfoot that it would be bad if there were snakes hiding in them.

“It only rained yesterday, so it’ll take at least two more days,” Sister Lin turned around, “And who knows if it will rain again tomorrow.”

If it doesn’t rain, the newly sprouted mushrooms will get sun-dried.

“Let’s go,” Hu Wanning, having already prepared for the lack of mushrooms, said with little disappointment, “We’re here anyway. Let’s walk around. Maybe we’ll find something good.”

It would be a shame to come all this way and leave empty-handed.

Sister Lin looked around and asked, “Huh? Where are they?”

Hu Wanning then noticed that Sister Wang and Ruan Mingfu were missing. She looked around, “Shall we go find them?”

As they walked and searched, they spotted the two by a shallow, clear river not far from the pine forest.

Sister Lin saw them from afar.

One was at the riverbank picking something, and the other was standing in the water, rolling up her pants and feeling around the bottom.

Seeing them, Sister Wang waved.

“Come over here, we’ve found something good.”

“What treasures are you picking?” Sister Lin approached and immediately saw green, slimy things that looked like seaweed. Her eyes lit up. “These are indeed good finds.”

Hu Wanning, holding the little chubby boy’s hand, walked up last, “It turns out they’re ‘Dilei Gong’ mushrooms.”

These mushrooms only appear after rain. They look like seaweed but taste better and are excellent whether stir-fried with eggs or made into soup.

“Sister, come pick some up quickly.”

Ruan Mingfu waved at Hu Wanning.

The whole area was covered with ‘Dilei Gong’ mushrooms. Since it seemed no one had picked them before, they were still quite large.

Ruan Mingfu had only picked for a short while, and her basket was already filled with a thick layer. Looking up, she saw she hadn’t even picked a small section of the area.

It was impossible to finish picking them all.

They didn’t plan to take all the mushrooms from this patch anyway.

These mushrooms are a pain to clean.

And they’re toxic. It’s best to try them occasionally for a change.

The three of them picked one and a half baskets of ‘Dilei Gong,’ and Sister Wang, who had been picking snails in the river, came up as well.

“Look at these, aren’t they big?”

The basket was filled to the brim with glossy, black stone snails, their shells clear and clean.

Ruan Mingfu leaned in to take a closer look.

These stone snails were indeed quite large, each about the size of her index finger. Stone snails are naturally small, so having them grow this big was impressive.

“Wow, they’re really quite something.”

Sister Wang’s face beamed with pride. “Our family loves this flavor.”

Recalling the popular late-night snacks from the future, Ruan Mingfu nodded in agreement.

So, despite not finding any mushrooms, they ended up descending the mountain with half a basket of stone snails and a variety of wild fungi.

It was a stroke of luck that the sun came out as they headed back.

The temperature quickly rose.

“Oh no, no mushrooms,”

Though mushrooms are small, they can still grow if given time. If the sun keeps shining, they would only be able to go up the mountain to pick dried mushrooms.

Sister Lin was particularly disappointed.

“No need to rush,” Ruan Mingfu said, looking at her haul with satisfaction. “Maybe it’ll rain again tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Hu Wanning smiled.

“Sister Lin, you might doubt others, but you should definitely believe her,” she said. “Yesterday during the day, she predicted it would rain, and it poured heavily at night.”

The rain last night was incredibly intense.

The thunder was so loud it felt like it was right next to your ear, and the glass on the windows was vibrating.

It woke up many people in the family quarters.

Even in the middle of the night, everyone had a clear memory of it.

Sister Lin looked at her in amazement. “Is that true?”

“It’s just a coincidence,” Ruan Mingfu said, a bit embarrassed. “How could it be as magical as my sister-in-law said?”

Hu Wanning just laughed. “Let’s go. It’s time to head back.”

Sister Wang and Sister Lin parted ways halfway as their routes diverged.

“… This will do,”

Hu Wanning took Ruan Mingfu’s hand, guiding her on how to handle the stone snails. Noticing Ruan Mingfu’s confused look, she added with a smile, “Actually, dealing with stone snails is quite simple. You just need to get someone to help.”

Need help to handle stone snails?

Ruan Mingfu looked puzzled. “Who should I get?”

Hu Wanning grinned mischievously. “Of course, old Xie.”

“You should just call him for any problem you can’t handle.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

“Sister-in-law, are you teasing me?”

“No,” Hu Wanning denied, though her expression said otherwise. “Your old Xie’s enthusiasm for you is enough to make anyone’s teeth ache.”

Ruan Mingfu’s eyes showed a hint of shyness.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Hu Wanning said with a smile. “It’s a good thing.”

As they walked, they arrived at Hu Wanning’s doorstep.

Just as Ruan Mingfu was about to say goodbye, she heard Hu Wanning hesitating, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Sister-in-law… Can you tell me how you made that soup? I’d really like to know.”

She had wanted to ask for a long time but had always felt awkward.

That day, Hu Wanning had thought Xu Zhu was just drunk and acting out, so she kicked him out of bed in frustration. Later, when they discussed it, they realized it was the effect of the soup.

She thought that if it had such a good effect, it must have drained future benefits.

But Xu Zhu’s physical state didn’t lie.

Compared to his previous lethargic self, he was now full of energy, mentally clear, and worked more efficiently. Most importantly, their marital harmony had improved significantly.