Wen Ze has never seen these kinds of mushrooms, even in modern times. 

Although he had the original owner’s memories, the original owner was only eighteen this year! 

In the first few years of formally participating in the tribe’s gatherings, he was mainly learning. Later on, he became more independent, but the Southern Mountain Tribe is large, and he hasn’t explored all of it. 

Besides, there are so many varieties of mushrooms: red, white, yellow, tall, short, flat… Except for a few kinds of mushrooms that the original owner has eaten many times, he is not sure which of the others are poisonous and which are not. 

Not to mention the original owner, when Wen Ze was a child and visited his grandfather’s village, he found that even the middle-aged villagers sometimes couldn’t be sure whether the mushrooms they picked were safe to eat and had to ask the elders with more experience. 

The trees on the mountain are tall, and they made a rustling sound when the wind blew. 

Wen Ze carried the basket on his back and bent down to carefully check the mushrooms. 

He completely ignored those mushrooms with such bright colors that practically screamed, ‘I’m beautiful, come eat me.’ 

The other two were all gray and dull. One resembled the stone mushrooms in the original owner’s memory. Wen Ze picked one and turned it over to take a look. 

Under the mushroom, there were traces of insect bites that seemed to be harmless, so he decided to pick them all. 

The other one was slightly whiter, and the top of the mushroom felt sticky and slippery and was covered with fallen grass needles. 

He couldn’t tell if they were poisonous, but they looked plump and cute, and they had a strong mushroom smell. 

What if they’re safe to eat? He decided to pick everything and sort through them later! 

Wen Ze squatted down and worked hard, and soon he experienced the joy of picking mushrooms. 

After the heavy rain, the mushrooms that grew were fresh. There were also a lot in just one place that he could pick a big handful at a time. 

Wen Ze pushed aside the grass in one spot and flipped over the leaves in another. He found countless mushrooms. 

He carefully and attentively selected them, filling half the basket, which became heavy as he carried it. 

A rustling sound came from the side. Wen Ze looked over and saw Sang Hui carrying a heavy basket while pushing aside the dense leaves. 

Noticing Wen Ze’s gaze, he came over and said with a smile, “Wen Ze.” 

“Uncle Sang Hui.” 

“How’s it going? Are you okay?” 

“No,” Wen Ze shook his head, turning a bit to show him his basket. “I’ve already picked this much.” 

Not far away, Bai Ling’s voice came: “Father, there are so many shiitake mushrooms here! Come quickly!” 

Sang Hui turned his head. “No need to shout, I already heard you.” 

Then he waved to Wen Ze, “You should come as well.” 

Wen Ze didn’t understand what was going on, but he obediently followed. The two of them soon arrived next to Bai Ling. 

Bai Ling had already picked a small half-basket. The dirt and grass needles on the mushrooms had been roughly cleaned off, making them much cleaner. 

He carefully dug up a bunch of shiitake mushrooms from the ground, stood up, and looked into Wen Ze’s basket. He then smiled softly. 

“How did you end up picking all these poisonous mushrooms? They can’t be eaten.” His beautiful eyes narrowed in amusement, but there was no mocking in them. 

Wen Ze’s face turned red, and he was glad that his skin wasn’t that white, so the slight redness wouldn’t be noticeable. 

“There are several mushrooms that look similar, and I’m not very good at telling them apart.” 

Sang Hui gently helped him out of the situation. “When Bai Ling first followed us into the mountains, he couldn’t tell the difference either. He learned it slowly.” 

Bai Ling kindly reached out to him. “Come, pour out the mushrooms in your basket. My father and I will help you pick them out first, so you don’t have to carry too much.” 

Wen Ze immediately put down his basket. “Thank you so much.” 

Bai Ling smiled, “No need to be polite!” 

With their help, the mushrooms were quickly sorted, going from a full basket to just a thin layer at the bottom. 

Wen Ze was so embarrassed that he couldn’t help but laugh. “Haha, luckily, not all of them are bad to eat!” 

Bai Ling held his stomach and laughed even louder than him. 

Sang Hui also smiled and said to his son, “Alright, don’t attract wild animals here.” 

He turned to Wen Ze. “Come with us, and I’ll tell you about the mushrooms we see on the way.” 

Wen Ze was naturally very happy about it, but he did not agree directly. Instead, he asked embarrassedly, “How about I just listen and not pick them? I won’t participate in the distribution when we go back.” 

Sang Hui knew that he was worried about taking away their mushrooms, so he shook his head and said, “It’s okay, just pick them. It just rained, and there are plenty of mushrooms on this mountain.” 

Wen Ze’s expression brightened. “Thank you!” 

After that, he followed Sang Hui and Bai Ling and learned how to identify and pick mushrooms along the way. 

There was a lot to learn. Some mushrooms are poisonous when they grow on the sunny side, but not when they grow on the shady side. 

Some mushrooms looked very similar, with only a slight difference in the spots on their caps. Sang Hui could tell which ones were safe to pick and which weren’t. 

By noon, the three of them finally reached the top of the mountain, each with a full basket of mushrooms of all sizes. 

In addition to the mushrooms, they had also gathered some wild vegetables and fruits and put them in another basket. 

They had encountered some nuts, but they were not ripe yet this season, so they had to wait a little longer. 

Maybe because there were three of them walking in the same area, they were faster. Anyway, they looked around and saw that no one else had arrived yet. 

Bai Ling sat down on the ground and fanned his slightly red face with his hands. “It’s so hot, I need to take a rest.” 

After saying that, he took out some water from his space and drank it down quickly. 

Sang Hui was standing under the shade of a tree, wiping his sweat and drinking water. 

Wen Ze, having walked all day, was also tired and leaned against a tree to rest. 

The gentle breeze at the mountaintop brushed past, and his nose moved as he caught a strong smell. 

The smell was familiar, but he couldn’t remember it at the moment. 

Just when he had almost rested, he stood up to check. 

The vegetation at the mountaintop wasn’t very thick. The grass only grew up to his calves. 

Wen Ze walked slowly with his hands behind his back, his eyes constantly glancing down at the roots of the tree. 

Sang Hui noticed his actions and said in a gentle voice, “There are no mushrooms on the top of the mountain.” 

Wen Ze replied, “I see… but what about wild vegetables or fruits?” 

Sang Hui said, “There are very few wild vegetables or fruits on this mountain.” 

Bai Ling wiped his mouth, bent one leg comfortably, and looked up at Wen Ze, correcting him, “There are hardly any wild vegetables and fruits you can eat.” 

Sang Hui nodded. “Right. Like the thorny fruit above your head. It’s bitter and numbing, and even birds won’t eat it.” 

Wen Ze raised an eyebrow and slowly looked up. 

It was a tree about seven or eight meters tall, with slender, thorny branches growing wildly. The green leaves were about the size of half a palm, and they grew in opposite pairs. 

No matter how he looked at it, Wen Ze couldn’t shake the feeling that this thing looked familiar. 

After climbing up the tree trunk for a bit, he parted the leaves, and a bunch of fruits hidden beneath them was instantly revealed. 

The fruit was about the size of a cherry, a soft green color, with tiny bumps on its skin. 

Wen Ze’s eyes suddenly sharpened. He raised his hand, picked a fruit, and looked at it carefully in front of him. 

“The shape and color are very similar to Sichuan peppercorns.” 

It’s just too big! To use it as seasoning, one fruit is enough for a pot of vegetables! 

He sniffed it closely… it definitely had that numbing and spicy scent! 

If this really was green Sichuan pepper… Wen Ze’s mind instantly filled with images of spicy dishes like boiled fish, boiled meat slices, and peppercorn chicken. His mouth was watering, and his heart raced. 

It was as if two flames were burning in his eyes as he stared at Sang Hui below. “Is this thorn fruit poisonous?” 

Sang Hui replied, “It depends on how much you eat. A few won’t harm you; it can even help with diarrhea, stomach aches, and vomiting. But if you eat too many, it’ll make you feel really uncomfortable.” 

The medicinal effects matched perfectly! Wen Ze’s eyes lit up even more. 

“Then let me try it!” He wiped the fruit on his hands, opened his mouth, and took a bite. 

Hmm! It turns out that the flavor is wrapped in the thick skin! 

It was numbing, tingling, and refreshing! It really was green Sichuan pepper! 

And even though the fruit was so large, it didn’t affect the flavor at all. His tongue was already numb from the spiciness! 

Holding the oversized green Sichuan pepper in his hands, Wen Ze’s eyes turned red, and he was so excited that he couldn’t express it in words. 

Who would have thought that picking mushrooms would lead to such an important discovery! 

He also wanted to shout, “Blessed be the Beast God!” 

Bai Ling, seeing that he hadn’t spoken for a while, walked over with concern. “Are you okay? I told you this stuff tastes bad, but you insisted on eating it. Look, you’re about to cry from the taste. Just throw it away.” 

Still a little numb, Wen Ze spoke with slight difficulty, then seriously corrected, “Bad taste? No, no, no. This is a rare delicacy.” 

Bai Ling was stunned. “Huh?” 

Sang Hui also looked at him with a surprised expression. 

Remembering the delicate whiskers, Sang Hui asked, “Could it be that if we cook it differently, this thing will become more delicious?” 

Wen Ze glanced at him approvingly, thinking that he was worthy of being the leader of the tribe’s half-beastmen, his mind was quick. 

“To be precise, it enhances the flavor of other foods. But it depends on personal taste. Some people just can’t get used to it, no matter how it’s prepared.” 

After saying this, Wen Ze looked into the distance. There were many thorn fruit trees growing on this mountaintop! The fruits on the trees swayed in the wind, and his heart was moved. 

Green Sichuan pepper was delicious, but the matured peppercorns would taste even better. 

He could come back to pick them later and have enough to last for a long time! 

“I’m going to pick some thorny fruit to take back. How about you two?” Wen Ze asked. 

While Sang Hui was still hesitating, Bai Ling asked, “Does the thorny fruit lose its numbing effect once it’s cooked?” 

Wen Ze, still plucking fruits and placing them in his basket, replied, “It’s still numbing.” 

Bai Ling immediately refused. “Then I don’t want any. I don’t want the meat to have that numbing taste too. It would be so unpleasant to eat.” 

Sang Hui, feeling that since they were already here, said, “I’ll pick some to take back. Even if we don’t use it for cooking, it can be used to treat anyone who has a stomachache.” 

Bai Ling nodded. “Alright.” 

Wen Ze was picking with Sang Hui, while the other half-beastmen came to the top of the mountain one after another. 

“Why are you picking the thorny fruits? It’s not edible,” someone asked curiously. 

Bai Ling answered for them. “Wen Ze said he wants to use it as a seasoning.” 

“Huh? I can’t imagine what it would taste like.” 

“Me too. Do you think it would turn sweet?” 

Bai Ling said, “Wen Ze said the taste would be the same. Do you want to pick some?” 

“No way… the few thorn fruits I picked last year are still in my space.” 

There are some who refuse, and there are others who are opposed to it. 

For example, Li Shui, dressed in a long robe with a straight collar, stepped forward and said, “I’ll pick some and try it back.” 

“I’ll pick some too. If they don’t taste good, I can just throw them away.” 

Once everyone had gathered and was ready, Wen Ze had already picked half a basket of thorny fruits. He even showed his claws and dug up two small saplings, putting the roots with soil in the basket. 

He carried two heavy baskets on his back and walked towards the tribe with everyone else. 

After distributing supplies in the tribe, everyone waved goodbye to each other, and Wen Ze called out to Sang Hui and Bai Ling. 

“Thank you for teaching me how to identify mushrooms today. In the evening, call Uncle Ji Sha and come to my place to eat together. I will use the thorn fruit and starch to make some special dishes for you.” 

---

Thank you so much for reading! 🌸 If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee on my Ko-Fi page. ☕💖 Your support means everything! 😊✨

https://ko-fi.com/xiaocaojade