Chapter 38 Picking Mushrooms...

Attracted by Da Wa's voice, Cui Dani and Liu Limei finished off the mushrooms in front of them and quickly approached the group.

When they saw that there wasn't even room for Miya and the others to put their feet down, they were so surprised that they couldn't speak.

The next second, the two quickly joined the group to harvest mushrooms together.

When all the mushrooms were finally gone, and I tried to straighten up to check if there were any left in the distance, my lower back ached so badly that I couldn't stand up straight for a moment.

Looking into the distance, one can hardly see the scene clearly.

The group of people stood there dumbfounded for a while before they came to their senses.

The older child, a little kid, said in a serious tone, "My back is about to break."

Liu Limei immediately retorted fiercely, "You're just a little kid, where would you get a waist?"

“As the old saying goes, children don’t have waists,” Cui Dani chimed in.

It is evident that similar old sayings circulate in different regions.

The older child raised his chin, touched his back, and scoffed at the adult's words.

Miya and the other two nodded slightly, but they couldn't explain why.

With the harvest from this mushroom paradise, the containers that the group brought were all filled to the brim.

Even through the dense forest, you can see that the sun is already quite high.

The group immediately decided to head back home, and while they were there, they picked out all the poisonous mushrooms from their hands.

As soon as they reached the puddle, Miya and Cui Dani emptied all the mushrooms off their bodies, saying, "Thank you for your help, sister-in-law."

"What's this? Let me see what we have."

Liu Limei used both hands to quickly spread out the large pile of mushrooms, revealing the true form of each mushroom.

The first ones I picked were naturally the familiar Bodhi seed, "Look, these are all Bodhi seeds."

Upon hearing this, Miya and the others glanced at the pile of mushrooms and immediately began picking them out based on their appearance.

"These are chanterelles, red mushrooms..."

Through Liu Limei's introduction, Miya learned about many new mushrooms she had never seen before, and Liu's sister-in-law also said that they all tasted very delicious.

After picking and choosing, the black lumps that Miya casually dug out of the soil appeared before everyone's eyes.

"What's this?" the older child asked curiously, picking up a black lump. "Sister Miya, you like collecting stones to play with?"

As he spoke, he brought the black lump closer to his eyes and was surprised to see that its surface was uneven, unlike ordinary stones.

"I don't know what it is. I stepped on it while picking mushrooms. When I picked it up, it smelled really nice. I was wondering if you recognized it, sister-in-law?"

Miya picked up a black lump, took a deep breath, and the familiar aroma was intoxicating.

Seeing her expression, the group picked up the black lump to examine it.

Just as Miya said, it had an indescribable fragrance, suggesting it wasn't something ordinary.

Liu Limei racked her brains, but couldn't recall anyone mentioning it.

She picked up the smallest one and put it in her pocket. "Miya, I'll go back and ask the locals if they recognize it. I'll tell you during class."

"Thank you, sister-in-law. Take a few more; I don't really need them anyway."

Upon hearing this, Liu Limei pondered for a moment, thinking that it might be easier to see if the larger one was bigger, so she picked up a larger one.

Then, the family turned and walked towards their home at the foot of the mountain.

Miya and her mother stayed by the puddle and washed all the edible mushrooms with water.

While they were picking mushrooms, Liu Limei taught them several recipes for cooking mushrooms, which they could try out.

At lunchtime, Ren Qingsong was taken aback when he saw the stir-fried bok choy, mushrooms and greens, and chicken soup with chicken oil mushrooms on the table.

"Mom, did you and Miya go mushroom picking in the mountains today?"

“San’er, you have no idea how many mushrooms there are on the mountain. We’ve only been out for less than two hours, and we’ve already picked a whole basin full. If we weren’t in a hurry to come back and cook, I would have picked even more with the honey sprouts. Some for ourselves, and some to dry and send back to our hometown.”

Cui Dani's words made Miya and Ren Qingsong feel utterly ashamed.

The two of them barely thought about their hometown and were filled with shame.

Ren Qingsong cleared his throat. "I'm off tomorrow, so I'll go with you up the mountain to pick some fruit and go hunting. We don't have much meat left at home. If we have any extra, we can send it back to our hometown."

“That’s right,” Cui Dani nodded in agreement.

She enjoyed a good life in the army, but she couldn't forget how hard life was back home.

The letters I sent out before, and the letters back from my hometown, didn't mention anything about family matters, so there shouldn't be any major problems for now.

After the meal, Miya remembered the black lump that had been placed aside and asked Ren Qingsong for help.

If you think about it carefully, Ren Qingsong spent quite a bit of time in Mianning.

"Third Brother, do you recognize this?"

Ren Qingsong took the black lump handed to him by Miya, his eyebrows forming a line as he carefully examined the uneven little thing in his hand.

He also noticed the unique aroma of the black lumps and became even more curious.

"I don't know him, I've hardly ever seen him before."

"Third Brother, you don't recognize it either? I found it by accident in the soil when I was picking mushrooms today."

Miya was somewhat frustrated. In her opinion, her third brother was already one of the most knowledgeable people she knew.

She doesn't even know her third brother, so who else can she turn to for help?

Ren Qingsong put down the black lump. "Are you really curious about what it is?"

"Mmm!"

Miya nodded vigorously. Such a fragrant product must be extraordinary. If she could make money from it after getting to know it, she wouldn't have to worry about her life anymore.

Seeing this, Ren Qingsong gave Miya an idea.

"Some things only exist in the world of a select few. If you want to know, I think you can ask your teacher Cui and Nurse Chen; they might know."

"Really!"

These two are also the people Miya admires the most, especially Cui Baozhu, who shines when she teaches.

"Okay, I'll ask Teacher Cui and Nurse Chen during class tonight."

With an idea in mind, Miya's mood improved considerably.

After dinner, I retrieved the mushrooms that had been drying in the yard and, with my newfound treasures in my hands, headed towards the canteen.

Since the recent combination of the Marriage Law and literacy education, there have been many more people attending classes in the cafeteria. If you don't reserve a seat, you can only sit at the back, where you can't even see the blackboard clearly.

Therefore, both Miya and Dani sent their eldest children to grab seats.

From afar, Miya could see Da Wa, who was occupying the seat at the very front of the stage, and Cui Baozhu not far behind him.

She quickly walked through the crowd and placed her homework on the table in front of Cui Baozhu.

Cui Baozhu adored students who loved learning and habitually asked Miya if she had encountered any difficulties in her studies or if she needed any clarification.

The next second, a black lump appeared in front of her.

"Teacher Cui, this is something I found while picking mushrooms today. I wanted to ask if you recognize it?"

A black lump, about the size of a ping-pong ball, suddenly came into view, startling Cui Baozhu.

Before I could even catch my breath, a familiar fragrance wafted into my nostrils.

Cui Baozhu's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the "black lump" in front of her.

Her index finger trembled as she pointed at the "black lump," meeting Miya's gaze in disbelief. "You're saying you found this while you were picking mushrooms?"

The last three words were spoken with a high-pitched, undulating tone, leaving Miya completely bewildered.

"That's right, I found it in the soil when I went up the mountain today."

"So black truffles are hidden in the ground."

Cui Baozhu's words immediately revealed the true identity of the black lump.

Miya silently repeated it, "Black truffle, it sounds really nice."

Choi Bo-joo took a deep breath, not daring to get too close to the black truffle's body.

According to the other party, black truffles are extremely precious, and being able to grind a few into powder and eat them is already considered a luxury that only nobles can enjoy.

Such a precious product, yet it appeared whole before my eyes.

If it weren't for her unforgettable smell, Choi Bo-joo probably wouldn't have recognized the black lump in front of her as a black truffle.

She could tell that Miya was unaware of the value of black truffles, so she lowered her voice and leaned closer to Miya to remind her.

"Let me tell you, black truffles are extremely expensive; they're only eaten by foreign nobles."

Miya stared in shock, almost letting out a scream, before covering her mouth tightly with both hands to suppress the urge.

She calmed herself down for a while before continuing to speak.

"Teacher Cui, how much do those foods eaten by foreign nobles cost?"

"Um... I don't know either. I'll ask my mom when I get back and tell you tomorrow."

"Thank you, teacher."

Miya didn't know how much it could sell for, but that didn't stop her from knowing that black truffles were valuable.

The thought that even randomly picked black lumps could be sold for money instantly made me even more interested in tomorrow's mushroom picking activity.

She didn't take back the black truffle that Cui Baozhu had helped her identify. Excitedly, she turned and left the stage, unconsciously revealing her true feelings.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to collect even more black truffles."

Cui Baozhu, with her keen hearing and sharp eyes, naturally overheard Miya's whisper and her eyes lit up instantly.

She quickly sat up, leaned her upper body on the table, and excitedly asked, "Miya, can I go mushroom picking with you tomorrow?"

"Of course, there are plenty of mushrooms on the mountain lately."

What time are you leaving tomorrow?

"At seven o'clock in the morning, my home was on the hilltop of the last residential compound to be built. Teacher Cui, you know me, right?"

The thought of picking mushrooms herself made Cui Baozhu forget everything else. She didn't know now, but she would ask her parents when she got home.

"Okay, okay, we'll meet at your house tomorrow."

"Oh, right, your black truffles."

"No, no, no, consider this a thank you gift for the teacher's help in appraising it. I'll go to the mountain to pick more tomorrow."

Miya was worried that Teacher Cui would stuff the black truffle back onto her, so she ran away quickly.

It was already time for class, so Cui Baozhu had no choice but to put the black truffle away for the time being, intending to return it to Miya after class.

She accepted such a precious black truffle after just one glance. What kind of person is she?

Unfortunately, Cui Baozhu never had such an opportunity; as soon as Miya finished class, she blended into the crowd and left.

She could only take the newly acquired black truffles home and ask her mother to help her appraise them.

"Mom, look! Isn't this the black truffle we ate in the capital?"

Xu Qingyan took the black truffle from her daughter, brought it close to her nose, and carefully smelled the aroma.

"It's a black truffle. Where did you get it?"

It was also the first time she had ever seen a whole black truffle, and she couldn't help but examine it closely out of curiosity.

“Today in class, a student brought it to me for identification. At first, I didn’t recognize it either, because the black truffles I’ve seen are all ground into powder and sprinkled on food.”

At that moment, Cui Baozhu seemed to see herself in her mother before class that day, with the same amazement.

"If I hadn't smelled the familiar scent, I wouldn't have recognized it at all."

Xu Qingyan nodded in agreement, "The aroma of black truffles is unique and indeed not easy to forget."

After saying that, she returned the black truffle to her daughter.

"But how did you bring it back?"

At this point, Cui Baozhu was also helpless, "Miya said she gave it to me as an appraisal fee."

"No, black truffles are too expensive; their value doesn't match."

"Mom, I know. I'll return it to her when I go mushroom picking with Miya tomorrow."

"You're going to pick mushrooms?" Xu Qingyan looked at her daughter in surprise.

Can someone who doesn't even want to exercise normally climb up to pick mushrooms?

Cui Baozhu immediately saw through her mother's distrust, and proudly raised her chin, declaring confidently, "I will definitely bring back a lot of mushrooms tomorrow, and Mom, you can prepare to cook them all deliciously."

"Okay! I'll be waiting for you."

That being said, Xu Qingyan didn't trust her daughter much; if she brought back a meal, it was always a good one.

Perhaps it was the excitement of picking mushrooms for the first time that made Cui Baozhu unable to sleep at all that night. She felt like she hadn't slept for long before she heard her father calling her to get up.

"Baozhu, Baozhu, didn't you say you were going up the mountain today? Time to get up."

Cui Baozhu struggled for a while before finally breaking free from the trap in the quilt.

I looked up while washing up and saw that it was already 6:45. I immediately started to panic.

There was no time to eat a proper breakfast. He grabbed a few biscuits and hurriedly headed to the hill where Miya's house was located.

Last night, Miya told Dani and her mother about the value of black truffles, and they agreed to go up the mountain together today.

Ren Qingsong had already made the agreement, so he naturally followed suit.

However, he was after prey, while Miya and the others were after precious mushrooms.

Perhaps because yesterday's harvest was so gratifying, everyone unanimously increased the size of their containers today, ready to go all out.

The group waited at the door, and time passed by second by second, getting closer and closer to seven o'clock.

Ren Qingsong was the only one present who had a watch to check the time. Seeing that there were only ten seconds left until seven o'clock, his eyes showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

As soldiers, a strong sense of time is paramount.

Seeing that it was already past seven o'clock, at 7:05, Ren Qingsong lost his patience and spoke:

"Five minutes have passed, let's go up the mountain."

"It'll only be five minutes. Let's wait a little longer. Maybe Teacher Cui overslept."

Miya reached out to stop Third Brother's actions and cast pleading glances at the others.

Everyone knows that Cui Baozhu is from the city, with delicate skin and a fair complexion, and it's obvious that she has never done any manual labor.

Everyone agreed with the reasons for sleeping in late.

Just then, a heavy breathing sound rang in my ears.

Everyone turned to look at the path on the hilltop, and Cui Baozhu's panting figure came into view.

Her face was flushed red, she was out of breath, and she was supporting herself on her knees with her hands, seemingly unable to take the next step.

Miya quickly approached and helped the person up. "Teacher Cui, don't rush. Let's rest for a while before we set off."

Cui Baozhu did not refuse Miya's kindness because she was too tired.

Because it was nighttime, she ran all the way here. Who would have thought the mountain was so high and climbing it so difficult?

Before even starting to pick mushrooms, I had already used up most of my energy.