Yu Yin used her evenings to plant all the seeds that her brother had sent her, and she fully appreciated how hard farmers work, realizing that every grain is the result of their hard work!

Now that the vegetables are planted, it's time to start raising chickens. Right now, besides the four of us breathing, there's nothing else alive in the house.

To raise chickens, you need a chicken coop. I have one in the yard, but not enough space. If they're left to roam freely, all the vegetables will be ruined.

Using a day off, Yu Yin left Lu Shurui at home to look after the children, packed a basket, smuggled the machete into her spatial dimension, and went up the mountain.

After being here for so long, I can finally get some fresh air.

In the bamboo forest at dawn, the wind rustles through the bamboo leaves, creating a unique and pleasant atmosphere.

There is plenty of bamboo in Yunnan Province; it is everywhere, and there are many different kinds. Yu Yin couldn't distinguish them, so she just called them all bamboo.

I told Lu Shurui we were going to pick mushrooms on the mountain, so I need to pick some now so I don't forget later.

Since we're in the bamboo forest, let's pick some bamboo shoots. Perfect timing, Ah Xiang brought me a duck yesterday, let's make some old duck and bamboo shoot soup.

Bamboo fungus typically bursts open its buds and unfolds its skirt in the early morning, and should generally be harvested as soon as it opens. Alternatively, half-opened or mature mushrooms can be harvested and allowed to fully open.

When harvesting, use a knife to cut the mycelial cord from the bottom of the volva, gently remove the cap first, then remove the volva, leaving the stem and skirt. Wipe them clean with damp straw or rinse them with clean water, and place them in a bamboo basket lined with soft straw. Do not tear or break them.

Yu Yin learned this from short videos, but she has never actually tried it.

Find the bamboo shoots and follow the steps. It looks easy, but it's hard to do. I crushed the first few.

Bamboo shoots are very brittle and can easily crumble. Yu Yin patiently took her time, picking them little by little. And sure enough, practice makes perfect; after a few tries, she was able to pick them whole.

Mushroom picking is addictive; the more you pick, the more you want to pick, and you can't stop. When Yu Yin felt her back ache, she had already been picking for over an hour, and her basket was almost full. It was so satisfying! Whose beautiful girl is this? She's so capable!

After indulging in my own little pleasure for a while, I put the basket in my spatial storage to keep it fresh. Now it's time to do something a lady wouldn't do: chop bamboo.

I picked bamboo stalks that weren't too thick or too thin, roughly measured the location, and swung the machete at them. The first strike, with considerable force, cleaved the bamboo more than halfway in; tragically, I couldn't pull the knife out.

It took a lot of effort to pull the knife out. After many attempts, Yu Yin found the trick: it wasn't just about brute force; there was a technique involved.

Clang, clang, clang. Yu Yin toiled away, and before she was completely exhausted, she chopped down more than ten bamboo stalks, trimmed off the branches with a knife, and put the bare bamboo stalks into her space before going home.

Along the way, we picked some wild vegetables. Since we didn't have a basket, we tied them with thin vines and carried them home.

"Is it difficult to find? Why have you been gone for so long? If you don't come back soon, I'll have to send someone up the mountain to look for you."

In the courtyard, Lu Shurui asked with a worried expression. He had a phobia of going up the mountain, feeling that the mountain was like a monster that could swallow people up at any time.

That accident left him with psychological trauma, and he rarely goes up the mountain anymore.

"No, there was a lot of bamboo shoots today, and I didn't pay attention to the time, so I'm late. I'll be more careful next time and come back earlier. I'm hungry, is there anything to eat?"

After putting down her basket, Yu Yin found a bamboo mat for drying mushrooms, keeping enough for one meal and drying the rest.

"There's food in the kitchen, hurry up and wash your hands and eat, I'll dry it."

Yu Yin didn't refuse and went to wash her hands and eat; she was really hungry. Her body still needed rest; she hadn't regained her strength and couldn't match her previous stamina, nor had she recovered to the original owner's level.

They say childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell. Luckily, I can't have children now. In the future, once I get to know Lu Shurui better, I won't be afraid to do some things anymore.

You know, condoms these days are supposedly very thick and uncomfortable to use, and they're meant to be reused. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.

Getting back to the point, given how easily Lu Shurui blushes, it'll be a long and arduous journey if things get to that stage.

"Is the child fussy?"

"It's okay. She cried a little at first, but after I fed her formula and took her for a walk outside, she stopped crying and is asleep now."

"How was it? How did it feel to have such close contact with your daughter and son?"

"You're teasing me again. It feels good. Okay?"

Wow, quite arrogant, huh?

"Once these bamboo shoots are dried, I'll go to Ah Xiang's place to exchange them for some other dried mushrooms and dried fruits. I'll send some to your family then, especially to your second sister. I'll find out what she likes, or what your brother-in-law likes, and I'll go and get some."

"Is it necessary? Sending a separate copy to my second sister and the others? You have such a good impression of my second sister?"

Yu Yin rolled her eyes, truly at a loss for words. No matter the relationship, it needs maintenance, otherwise it won't last.

“I’ve never even met your second sister. The reason I sent a separate package is because they’re good to you and the children, sending us so many things. We have to be aware of this and not hurt their feelings. As for me, I’m good to those who are good to me, but if someone offends me, I won’t just swallow my anger. That’s what I learned in a life-or-death situation.”

Lu Shurui listened to Yu Yin's words thoughtfully, and after careful consideration, he felt that they made a lot of sense.

“My second sister doesn’t have any particular hobbies. She just likes pretty fabrics and making things herself. Some of the clothes for the children are made by my second sister herself. Before, my second sister and I lived with my grandparents for several years. She liked to collect these pretty things. My eldest sister was very envious and sometimes asked my mother to ask my second sister for them, which made my second sister cry.”

As we talked, many small details became clear, and it felt like it hadn't been long since it happened.

Her older brother was the eldest son, so her eldest sister didn't suffer any losses. Her younger brother was the youngest, so she and her second sister were easily overlooked.

“My second sister likes pretty things, that’s easy. I’ll go to the Dai village and exchange some. Their handwoven fabrics are so beautiful, and there are also some ornaments.”

"My second sister must be overjoyed, as many things are hard to find in Shanghai these days. My second sister's husband likes to drink tea, and he puts on quite a show, but whether he can actually appreciate its flavor is another matter."

Talking about these things feels much more familiar, and many memories come back.

My sister's husband, a smooth-talking and playful fellow, would always come over and tease him when he was engrossed in his book, saying it was for his own good, to prevent him from becoming a bookworm. And then there were my grandparents, who would always watch them play with kind eyes, never stopping them.

My memories of my mother are actually quite few. She was always busy with my eldest brother's affairs or my eldest sister's nagging. My mother would usually give her a few words of protest, and she would buy it for her. My youngest brother was the youngest and always clung to my mother's arms. As for myself and my second sister, one liked to read, and the other wouldn't get what she wanted. After a while, she stopped asking for it.

Human memory is a strange thing. Many things seem to have been forgotten, but they are actually hidden in the corners of our minds and will be remembered at any time. Does this mean that we still care about them?