Chapter 70: Mushroom Picking

Shen Ning didn’t think there was anything wrong with this. She jumped up in excitement, grabbed Shen An, and ran into the house. But when they reached the door, she remembered and pushed Shen An back into the house before stopping herself outside.

“Brother, hurry up and change. I’ll go in later.”

In no time, the siblings had changed their pants. Sang Luo’s new pants went to Shen Ning. Although they were twins, there was still a slight height difference between them. Sang Luo saw Shen Ning come out of the house, already holding up the pant legs.

She chuckled and helped Shen Ning roll up the pants legs again, then tied them tightly with a string.

Shen An watched with amusement. His sister went today, and it would be his turn tomorrow.

People living in the mountains were well aware of what goodies the mountains had to offer in each season. So while Sang Luo was helping Shen Ning, a little girl came over. She peeked into the courtyard from outside and saw Sang Luo and the others. With a joyful smile, she walked in.

“Sister-in-law, my grandma asked me to ask if you’re going to the mountains today. Grandma, Aunt Lu, and Aunt Shi are going to pick mushrooms.”

“We’re going!” Sang Luo smiled and waved the girl in, asking, “When are they leaving?”

The little girl came in with a smile and replied, “They’re going soon. My grandma said if you’re going, just wait at home. She’s tidying up the kitchen, and she’ll come and call you with Aunt Lu and Aunt Shi later.”

Since crossing over, Sang Luo and the two kids had been eating three meals a day, and even their breakfast was earlier than most households. Today, they slept in a bit, and after breakfast and some sewing, she noticed the sun was already up. Most other families were probably just finishing breakfast, washing dishes, cleaning pots, and feeding chickens before heading out.

Just as she finished tying up Shen Ning’s pants legs, Sang Luo smiled and said, “Alright, then we’ll wait at home.”

She asked the little girl to wait for a moment and called Shen An into the kitchen to bring out a tofu residue pancake for her.

The little girl felt a bit awkward when she heard it was for eating. “Sister-in-law, I already had breakfast at home. I just came to deliver a message and then I’ll leave.”

But Shen Ning stopped her. “It’s made from the same thing as last time’s fried meatballs, but this time it’s a pancake. I made it. Give it a try.”

Sang Luo found it amusing. Here they were exchanging words with the little girl, and she ended up with all this food. She washed her hands and went back to the kitchen, filled a bowl with fresh tofu residue, and handed it to the little girl. “Take this back to your grandma. Sauté it lightly in oil, then add water and boil it before seasoning it. It’ll make a dish. Remember to boil it for a while, otherwise it might upset your stomach.”

The little girl held a golden-brown pancake in one hand and an unfamiliar food in the other, feeling a bit bewildered. She had only come to deliver a message. How did she end up with so much food?

Seeing her like this, Sang Luo couldn’t help but chuckle. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Let Shen Ning escort you back, and she can explain to your grandma in detail how to handle the tofu residue.”

The little girl was too young, only six years old, and Sang Luo was afraid she might not understand everything. If the tofu residue wasn’t boiled enough and they ate it, causing stomach issues for the family, her well-intentioned act of delivering food would turn into a bad thing.

Shen Ning readily agreed, taking the large bowl of tofu residue from the little girl and leaving with her small companion.

As they walked out of the courtyard, the little girl exclaimed, “Sister Ning, the stone path in front of your house is really nice. My shoes aren’t dirty at all.”

She looked at her own shoes, which were already very dirty from the journey.

But Shen Ning’s shoes were still relatively clean.

Shen Ning also noticed it this morning. The path paved with stones in the courtyard and the ground outside were truly different. Before it rained, she hadn’t realized the advantage, only appreciating the aesthetics. But this morning, she truly experienced the benefits.

“My second brother said that in the next few days, we’ll pave the path from outside the courtyard to the mountain spring, the chicken and duck coops, and the vegetable garden at the back.”

They had collected quite a pile of stones these past few days, which should be enough.

The little girl glanced at Shen Ning’s pants without any patches. “Are these new pants made by your sister-in-law?”

Shen Ning shook her head. “No, they were made for my second brother, but whoever goes to the mountain wears them. I’m going with my sister-in-law today to pick mushrooms, so I’m wearing them.”

“Your sister-in-law is really good to you.”

The two girls chattered as they walked downhill.

Mrs. Li was sweeping the courtyard when she spotted Shen Ning and the little girl from the Chen family walking together. The Chen girl was holding a golden-brown pancake.

This must be Sang Luo sending something to the Chen family.

She spat in disgust, thinking inwardly. But her thoughts spilled out of her mouth without filter.

The voice wasn’t loud, but Shen Jin and the others in the courtyard heard it. Shen Jin was puzzled. He peeked outside and immediately saw Shen Ning and the Chen girl, especially the golden-brown pancakes in the Chen girl’s hands.

His first reaction was excitement, but his mother had just cursed someone. Was it Shen Ning? Or Sang Luo?

Shen Jin’s face fell a bit. Seeing the pancakes made him happy for a moment, but it was quickly overshadowed by the situation.

Seeing him like this, Mrs. Li snapped, “What are you looking at? You think they’re going to give you some to eat?”

Shen Jin nervously glanced at Shen Ning, who was walking over, afraid his mother’s words would reach her ears. His face turned red. “Who said they never gave me anything to eat? Sister-in-law and Shen An have given me plenty to eat.”

Mrs. Li’s face darkened even further. “Of course they have. You’re so capable, we haven’t even dared to let you do heavy work at home, yet you take your two younger brothers to work as laborers there! You’re really something for a bit of food. Why don’t you just die of greed?”

Shen Ning walked over and happened to hear the whole conversation. She glanced at her aunt and Shen Jin, pursed her lips, showing no expression on her face, and didn’t call her aunt. Instead, she followed the Chen girl straight into the Chen family’s yard.

Mrs. Li was furious. The little beggar girl who used to beg for food from her was now capable.

She sneered and rolled her eyes at Shen Ning’s back. “Who knows where she learned her manners from with no upbringing!”

Shen Ning paused for a moment, feeling the weight of those words, then continued following the Chen girl after she received a small, cautious tug from her. She said something quietly before continuing on.

Shen Jin felt so embarrassed that his neck turned red. He went to pull his mother away, not wanting her to say anything more.

Mrs. Li didn’t cooperate at all. When she saw Shen Ning stop for a moment and then continue walking, she became even angrier.

This anger had been accumulating day by day since the main house started building houses, while the neighboring Chen family kept indulging in meat dishes. By the time of the autumn harvest, both her and her husband were exhausted from toiling in the fields until dark. On their way back home, they would be mocked by villagers, asking why they weren’t invited to the feast at the main house.

It reached its peak.

The news that Sang Luo had some recipes to make food to sell in the county had already spread vaguely in the village. Now, the women from the Chen, Shi, and Lu families were all going to set up stalls in the county. They left early in the morning and returned in the afternoon. Everyone in the village knew about it. 

Thinking back, it all started with Qin Fangniang following Sang Luo, and then the Shi and Lu families helped Sang Luo build her house. These two families also went to the county, and even a fool could guess the role Sang Luo played in all this.

Mrs. Li thought that originally, those who married into the Shen family should take care of their own people. But now, she couldn’t get anything out of it. After watching Mrs. Chen smile every day, Mrs. Li found it unbearable.

At this moment, Mrs. Li found none of the main house, the Chen family, the Lu family, or the Shi family pleasing to the eye. Even the three sons who went to help with the main house work annoyed her. She couldn’t do anything about Shen Ning. Seeing her son pulling her clothes, she slapped him.

Shen Jin winced from the pain and immediately stopped. Shen Ning had already left, and he didn’t stay in the courtyard anymore. With red eyes, he went back to his own room.

Shen Yin and Shen Tie quietly followed him. “Third brother, didn’t you say you saw a lot of stones piled up outside the second brother’s house? Shall we go pick them up and take them there today?”

Shen Jin, in a bad mood, pulled a straw from under the mat. “No.”

He didn’t have the face to go there.

…

Shen Ning wasn’t too concerned about what her aunt had said to her on the way. Not wanting to upset her sister-in-law, she didn’t mention it to her sister-in-law or her second brother when she got home.

The group led by Mrs. Chen arrived quickly. Besides Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Shi’s daughter-in-law, there was also a girl named Da Niu from the Lu family following behind them.

Mrs. Chen received a big bowl of tofu dregs from Sang Luo. When she came over, she also brought a cucumber and a mustard green for Sang Luo.

It was rare to have rain. Many women in the village went into the mountains to pick mushrooms. Following Mrs. Chen, they bumped into several women from the village along the way.

With the two women leading the way, they walked to places Sang Luo hadn’t been before. The two women had lived in the village for so many years and were very familiar with the mountains around the village. They specifically took Sang Luo’s group to areas where they had picked mushrooms before.

With snake repellent powder and several people working together, they could go a little deeper into the mountains than the other women from the village, resulting in a bountiful harvest.

Button mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and the coveted black truffles Sang Luo had been thinking about.

Mushrooms grew in clusters, popping up from dead trees and pine needles after a night of rain.

The six of them felt like they had stumbled upon a treasure trove, picking mushrooms with joy.

Mrs. Chen, despite her old age, was particularly agile, and her eyes were sharp. She picked just as many mushrooms as Sang Luo did. Mrs. Lu was not far behind. Even the ten-year-old Da Niu and nine-year-old Shen Ning were quick-witted and nimble. In comparison, Mrs. Shi’s daughter-in-law was a little slower.

Along the way, the harvest was bountiful, and the two old ladies were laughing so hard that their teeth were showing. After finishing in one area, they took Sang Luo and a few others to another area in the pine forest. Along the way, they saw jujube trees and picked a few to give to Sang Luo, Shen Ning, and Da Niu. “Try some, they’re quite sour, but occasionally eating a few is quite delicious,” they said as they put some in their baskets, preparing to take them back for their grandchildren to eat.

Da Niu followed suit, eating some herself and then picking a bunch to put in her own pockets to take back for her younger brothers at home.

Shen Ning also joined in, filling her pockets. When she saw the jujubes still scattered on the ground, she couldn’t move her feet. She wished she could stuff them all into her own basket. She managed to hold back with Sang Luo pinching her hand, not showing any unusual expression.

Sang Luo secretly remembered the locations of the fairy tree, jujube trees, and konjac tofu. She planned to come back with Shen Ning in the afternoon to quietly pick the jujubes and pick some fairy tree leaves for tomorrow’s use.

As for the konjac tofu, it wouldn’t go bad if planted in the ground, and no one wanted it. She could come back to dig it up after this wave of mushroom picking was over. Otherwise, if someone saw her digging it up, it would be a bit strange, as it was considered poisonous in everyone’s minds.

With the two old ladies leading the way, but just half a morning, the baskets on everyone’s backs were already full. But they had gone deep enough, and Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Lu didn’t dare to go further.

Mrs. Lu said, “Let’s go back. Even if we pick more, we won’t be able to fit it all. While the sun’s out, let’s go back and clean them up and dry them.”

Sang Luo raised an eyebrow. “Dry them into dried goods?”

Mrs. Lu nodded. “Fresh ones for one meal, the rest dried for eating in winter.”

Sang Luo thought about the extra black truffles she had picked up in her basket. Wouldn’t it be a waste to dry them? Fresh ones tasted much better than dried ones.

She thought for a moment and said, “I plan to dry the wood ear mushrooms, but these mushrooms are fresh. They should sell well. I’m thinking of going to the county to ask if Dongfu Restaurant will take them.”

Mountain delicacies, even that particularly snobbish chef from the restaurant across from Dongfu Restaurant could be heard saying sarcastically when she brought them, “Mountain delicacies, almost good enough to be given away.” It was evident that these restaurants were interested in them.

After hearing Sang Luo’s suggestion, everyone else was interested as well. However, Mrs. Chen hesitated. “Dongfu Restaurant might not be able to take so many, right?”

Sang Luo couldn’t be sure about that either, so she suggested, “Let’s try taking them there? If they can take them, great. If not, we can hurry back and catch up with the aunties still at the market and sell them at their stalls.”

“That’s a good idea!” Mrs. Chen clapped her hands. “Shall we go now?”

In rural families, these things picked from the mountains could be sold for money. Who would want to keep them for themselves?

Mrs. Chen said she would go, and Mrs. Lu prepared to follow. “If we miss it, it’ll be a waste of half a day’s journey, and we’ll have to carry them back. That’s no good.”

Three out of four families were going, so Mrs. Shi’s daughter-in-law naturally followed suit. They didn’t need to return by the same route. Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Lu were really familiar with the roads, leading everyone on a winding path through several mountains. They unexpectedly ended up on the road to Sanli Village, and they had already walked half of the way.

It was really quick and lively.

Halfway, they met Chen Youtian and a few others who had gone to the county early in the morning, each carrying a bag of grain on their shoulders.

They hadn’t come back from the crossing yet. They couldn’t enter the county. They had sent the people to the city gate in the morning, watched as the rain stopped, and walked back to the grocery store in Sanli Village to buy a bag of grain each on their way back.

Seeing them, Sang Luo quickly greeted Chen Youtian, asking him to tell Shen An when he went back that they were going to the county to sell mushrooms and would be back later.

If she didn’t say anything, she was afraid that the boy would be worried and restless after not seeing them come out of the mountains for hours.