Chapter 10 ☆ Bamboo Fungi for Bamboo Rats

Snake gallbladders and snake blood are excellent tonics. Xie San often hunts in deep mountains and forests. Whenever he kills a snake, he extracts the gallbladder and drinks the blood. Unfortunately, today’s snake was cut into pieces, and the blood had already drained out.

The same thing happened yesterday. Two hundred kilograms of wild boar blood were wasted, used only to fertilize the land.

All because of the delicate girl in front of him. Xie San lowered his head while Cheng Yaoyao stared at his lips with eager, bold peach blossom eyes, not knowing how to avoid suspicion.

The snake gallbladder was given to her, but she herself didn’t want to eat it. Xie San wiped the snake blood from the corner of his lips, untied his basket, placed it on the ground, and wrapped the snake corpse in a large leaf.

Cheng Yaoyao quickly averted her gaze from the snake corpse and looked at Xie San’s basket with curiosity, her eyes widening in amazement.

The basket was full of prized mushrooms: chicken mushrooms, dried mushrooms, and monkey head mushrooms! These mushrooms were delicious and rare, unlike the common green mushrooms Zhang Xiaofeng and her friends had picked. Cheng Yaoyao inhaled deeply, savoring the rich aroma of the mushrooms.

The aroma of oily chicken mushrooms was irresistible, and a single piece could fill a bowl of white rice. Hericium erinaceus was rare and valuable, a great remedy for stomach issues. Ganba mushrooms might look unappealing, but they tasted like beef jerky. Cheng Yaoyao often spent a lot of money buying them from her hometown when they were available.

In the original story, Xie San, as a hunter, frequently ventured into deep mountains and forests, finding plenty of precious game. This golden opportunity was truly enviable.

This time, Xie San ignored Cheng Yaoyao’s eager gaze. City girls were delicate and often disliked snake gallbladders, so they likely also disliked these wild mushrooms. He was about to pick up his basket when Cheng Yaoyao stopped him.

Placing her hand on the basket, Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes were full of longing. “Where did you find these mushrooms?”

Xie San replied, “The back mountain.”

Cheng Yaoyao had nearly lost her life in the back mountains the day before and quickly abandoned her plan to search for mushrooms there. She stared at Xie San with her peach blossom eyes for a long time, while he looked back at her with a calm, almost wooden expression.

Cheng Yaoyao hinted excitedly, “Ahem, I also contributed to that snake you just caught.”

Xie San slowly raised one sharp eyebrow and looked at her. “Oh?”

“Why not? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have caught that snake. You ate the snake gallbladder, and the remaining snake meat is about three or four pounds!” Cheng Yaoyao hurriedly spoke, thinking Xie San was dismissing her claim. “You don’t want the snake gallbladder, so…”

Xie San considered this and, without argument, handed her the leaf-wrapped snake meat.

Cheng Yaoyao was so startled that she nearly jumped up again, her face filled with disgust. “No, no, no… I don’t want snake meat. Take it away!”

Xie San held his outstretched hand in mid-air, frowning at her as if she were a little white rabbit he didn’t want but had to deal with. “Then what do you want?”

Xie San’s narrow eyebrows and stern expression made him look fierce when he frowned. Cheng Yaoyao felt a bit intimidated but couldn’t bear to give up the rare mushrooms.

She gathered her courage and peered into the basket, saying, “Give me some of your mushrooms… just a little bit, and I’ll trade you some bamboo fungi.”

Cheng Yaoyao had initially intended to suggest splitting the mushrooms evenly, but under Xie San’s gaze, she quickly changed her offer to just a small amount, handing over a handful of bamboo fungi.

Xie San took the bamboo fungi from her hands. It was a small handful of soft and tender bamboo fungi, exactly like the ones he had just touched.

Seeing Xie San accept the bamboo fungus, Cheng Yaoyao smiled with joy. However, Xie San’s next words dashed her happiness: “This is a gift from you.”

“…” Cheng Yaoyao was stunned. Didn’t he refuse earlier?

She looked at her basket, which was now nearly empty except for a few bamboo bird’s nests. Xie San’s basket was still full, with a generous amount of bamboo fungus.

There was no spirit of sharing at all! She felt on the verge of tears.

Cheng Yaoyao didn’t dare argue with Xie San and, feeling frustrated, dragged her empty basket away. Avoiding the bamboo, she searched the open area, picked two green lilies, and threw them into her basket.

The delicate girl squatted on the ground, her head drooping like a wronged kitten.

Xie San frowned, then suddenly lifted his basket and leaned over Cheng Yaoyao’s empty basket, pouring its contents into hers. With a clatter, mushrooms fell into Cheng Yaoyao’s basket, filling it almost completely.

Cheng Yaoyao heard the sound, turned around, and looked up at Xie San in disbelief. “Are you really giving this to me?”

Xie San replied, “You should head back now. The forest is dangerous; you shouldn’t be here alone.”

“I came with other educated youth,” Cheng Yaoyao said, already busy inspecting the mushrooms in her basket. In addition to Hericium erinaceus^[1]is a species of edible mushroom that is also known as lion’s mane mushroom or bearded tooth fungus., dried mushrooms, and chicken mushrooms, there were morels and small matsutake mushrooms. She didn’t notice the underlying meaning of Xie San’s words at all. “Thank you! I’ll make fried chicken mushrooms later and give you a jar.”

Her soft tone and the cute inflection in her voice made her seem so innocent that one couldn’t help but want to fulfill her request.

Xie San neatly arranged his basket again and said coldly, “Don’t get involved with me. It’s better for both of us.”

“But…” Cheng Yaoyao looked at Xie San and, seeing his cold expression, pursed her lips and fell silent.

Xie San ignored Cheng Yaoyao’s pleading eyes and continued picking mushrooms in the woods. His basket was nearly empty, so he needed to find more. Cheng Yaoyao, however, was determined to stick close to him and followed him persistently.

She needed to find another opportunity to meet Xie San and complete his memory.

But Xie San was very alert. As soon as Cheng Yaoyao reached out, he turned around and looked at her coldly. She followed him for a while but couldn’t even touch the edge of his clothes. She had no choice but to continue picking mushrooms.

Xie San, experienced in finding mushrooms, always managed to locate them. The mushrooms grew in patches, so Cheng Yaoyao could also pick some from nearby. Whenever Xie San glanced at her, she pouted innocently and said, “I’m afraid of snakes.”

Xie San didn’t respond but made no move to drive her away.

After searching for a while, Xie San suddenly approached the large bamboo Cheng Yaoyao had previously squatted under. The bamboo was as thick as a bowl, and its exposed roots were gnarled and mostly dead.

Though Cheng Yaoyao was still upset, she warned him, “Be careful; there’s a snake on that bamboo.”

Ignoring her, Xie San scraped away the thick dead leaves on the ground with the back of his knife, revealing a large patch of moist soil between the bamboo roots. The soil appeared fresh. Xie San poked the ground with his knife, and a hole appeared.

Curious, Cheng Yaoyao asked, “Is this a bamboo rat’s hole?”

She moved very close to him, and her sweet fragrance, like peach blossoms in May, filled the air.

The snake gall he had just swallowed began to cause discomfort, and heat rose in his lower abdomen. Xie San abruptly shifted, changing his position and half-kneeling on the ground. Fortunately, his loose pants helped him avoid any embarrassment.

Cheng Yaoyao’s finger was only a hair’s breadth away from Xie San’s shoulder when he shifted again, avoiding her touch. “…”

Xie San pressed his lips together and made a “hush” sound, gripping his hatchet tightly and focusing on the hole.

Cheng Yaoyao stopped reaching out and watched him intently with her peach blossom eyes, eager to see how he caught the bamboo rat.

Xie San reached into the hole with his hatchet, knocking it from side to side. The ground soon collapsed, revealing a small tunnel leading to the bamboo rat’s den.

Xie San leaned over with his long, strong arms extended into the hole. The muscles of his upper arms, connecting to his shoulders, flexed with every movement. His defined muscle lines and the beads of sweat rolling down his arms made him look like he could be featured in a male physique photo shoot.

Cheng Yaoyao couldn’t help but watch him until a squeaking sound suddenly came from the cave. The desperate cry of the bamboo rat drew her attention back.

Xie San stuck the hatchet horizontally into the mud to block the hole. With his left hand, he dug up the moist soil, revealing two fat bamboo rats huddled together in the hole. One was large, and the other was small, with the large one being the same one Cheng Yaoyao had seen earlier.

The bamboo rat, cornered and making a harsh squeak, tried desperately to escape. Xie San quickly grabbed its tail and lifted it upside down, causing the once fierce bamboo rat to become calm.

The plump bamboo rat blinked its green eyes, which was amusing. Cheng Yaoyao couldn’t help but laugh.

It was the first time she had smiled so purely since arriving in this world. Her peach blossom eyes curled, revealing her snow-white teeth like woven shells, making her look utterly endearing.

Cheng Yaoyao poked the bamboo rat’s belly with a bamboo stick, and it squeaked. “This is so much fun! It’s so fat. Can I play with it for a bit?”

“Sure.” Xie San glanced at her, then pinched the bamboo rat’s neck, twisted his wrist, and with a click, the bamboo rat died.

Cheng Yaoyao took a deep breath.

Xie San used the same method to deal with the other bamboo rat, then strung them together with a rope. He looked around calmly and saw that the area was empty.

He looked up and saw Cheng Yaoyao dragging her basket a few meters away, shouting, “Wait a minute.”

“Ah? W…what’s the matter?” Cheng Yaoyao asked, her voice trembling and her eyes wandering.

Xie San stood up, picked up the fatter bamboo rat, and handed it to her. “Here you go.”

The bamboo rat’s neck was broken, and it stared at Cheng Yaoyao with wide-open eyes. “!!!!!!”

Xie San handed it over, rarely saying a word. “You wanted it. You found the bamboo rat first, so I’m giving you one.”

Tears welled up in Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes as she stammered, “No, no, no, it’s not necessary…”

***

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