Shuangshuang couldn't stand it anymore and tapped Siwang on the head:

"Wherever Mother says we're going, we'll go. Do you still want to eat meat?"

Siwang was stunned. Recalling the meal he had at noon, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

He nodded repeatedly: "Mother, I'll do whatever you say! Let's go into the woods!"

Ye Wenxue and Dazhuang were amused by him.

Dazhuang deliberately put on a stern face to tease Siwang: "No, I'm going to go the other way."

Siwang frowned, his small, chubby face puffed out, and cautiously tried to persuade his older brother:

"Big brother, come with mother, there'll be meat to eat!"

Dazhuang kept all his emotions to himself, not letting his younger siblings notice anything amiss.

He glanced at Ye Wenxue, smiled, and pinched Siwang's cheek:

"Alright, alright, we'll listen to Mother. Let's go together as a family."

The group continued on their way, carefully skirting the woods, and after walking a while longer, they finally found a dilapidated wooden cabin that let in drafts to spend the night before it got completely dark.

There was no kitchen in the wooden house, so Ye Wenxue simply cooked some porridge, mixed with the lard and cracklings left over from lunch.

The kids weren't picky eaters and enjoyed their meal immensely.

At night, the five children fell into a deep sleep.

The goose nestled nearby, not daring to get too close.

Ye Wenxue filled each water pouch with spiritual spring water, then used her supernatural abilities to explore the way, becoming even more determined to venture into the deep mountains and forests.

This dilapidated wooden hut looks like it was built by hunters who occasionally come to the mountains to hunt and gather herbs.

Who knows, the hunter might come back from the mountains to stay someday.

This place is not safe.

Moreover, it's too far from the water source, which is inconvenient.

The next day, after a simple breakfast, Ye Wenxue continued her journey with her five children.

After crossing several mountains, we entered the deep forests.

The drought situation in the deep mountains and forests is not as severe as that in the lower reaches of the mountains.

The towering trees overhead blocked out the sunlight, and the ground was covered with withered branches and leaves. Waist-high vines and thorns were everywhere, making it difficult to find a foothold.

Ye Wenxue walked ahead with a wood-chopping knife, clearing the way. She turned back to remind the four little ones to be careful, and noticed that Dazhuang looked slightly relaxed.

Ye Wenxue: "?"

Afraid of getting lost in the woods, the family stayed very close together, and Dazhuang could see Ye Wenxue's confused expression just by looking up.

His words carried a certain certainty:

“Mother, the soil underfoot is soft and damp, and you can see moss growing on the trees from time to time. There must be a water source if you go further ahead.”

Where there is water, there are wild vegetables and fruits, and there is hope for survival.

They no longer need to worry about going back to the days of not having enough to eat and starving.

Ye Wenxue understood.

She smiled and said, "Let's walk a little further and see, maybe..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ye Wenxue caught a glimpse of something hidden under the fallen leaves.

She used her foot to push aside the dead leaves and looked closely; there was a small clump of black fungus growing on the dead tree trunk.

It doesn't look like much, but we don't have many vegetables or pickles at home, so as long as it's edible, it's fine.

Several children noticed it too.

On the way into the mountains, you can occasionally find a few wild vegetables, such as purslane and tender grass roots, but not many.

Shuangshuang and Sanyuan quickly ran forward, grabbed a small handful, and presented it to Ye Wenxue and the others.

"Mom, brother, there's wood ear fungus!"

Ye Wenxue simply put down her load, picked up her wood-chopping knife, and cleared away the nearby dead leaves to see if there were any more wood ear mushrooms so that the children could pick them to their heart's content.

She added, "Wild wood ear mushrooms can't be eaten directly; they have to be dried first."

Sanyuan casually put the black fungus he had picked into his basket, his eyes darting back and forth to the withered tree, his face full of the joy of a harvest.

Ye Wenxue looked up and saw that it was still early. She told Dazhuang, who was carrying a bag of rice, not to be so tense and to rest on the spot.

Dazhuang glanced at Shuangshuang, Sanyuan, and Siwang, who were squatting on the ground with their butts sticking out, constantly turning over the dead leaves with small hoes, and then looked at Ye Wenxue, who was wiping away sweat. After putting down the sack, he eagerly spoke up:

"Mom, I'll go look around and see if I can find some mushrooms to make soup."

It's the season for mushrooms to grow in the mountains right now. Even if it doesn't rain, mushrooms might not grow, but what if you get lucky?

Ye Wenxue was a little worried.

The dense old forest has many trees, grass, and wild vegetables, but it also has many dangers.

One wrong move and you could run into a wild animal or a trap left by a hunter.

But with Yuanyuan on her back and several younger children to look after, she could only give one instruction:

"Don't go too far, just look around nearby."

Dazhuang picked up the kitchen knife, nodded, and walked to the left.

He hadn't gone far; he was still within Ye Wenxue's sight.

Ye Wenxue turned her head from time to time, paying attention to the movements on both sides.

Little Yuanyuan behind her opened her eyes groggily, clung to Ye Wenxue's neck, and then drifted back to sleep.

As harvest season approaches, some wild mushrooms, moss, and other mountain products grow on the fallen, dead trees in the old forest.

In no time, Shuangshuang, Sanyuan, and Siwang had each picked most of a handful.

Siwang was so happy that he forgot about the geese and ran over with the things he had picked:

"Mother, look!"

He opened his palm, revealing several wood ear mushrooms that looked utterly wretched.

Ye Wenxue naturally knew he had come to praise her: "Our Siwang is really great!"

Siwang's eyes lit up with joy, and he grinned as he stuffed all the wood ear mushrooms into his third brother's basket.

Helpless, Sanyuan stood obediently in place, letting Siwang turn around behind him, take out his belongings that were originally in the basket on his back, and put all the wood ear mushrooms that his older brother and sister had picked into it.

Da Zhuang, who had rushed back, tapped Si Wang on the head with his finger:

"You only know how to bully your third brother!"

Siwang pouted, but before he could speak, Sanyuan quietly explained for him:

"My fourth brother is helping me; he's not bullying me."

Once inside the mountains, Siwang only needed to lead the goose along the way; he didn't carry anything and still had plenty of energy.

She offered to help him carry a few things several times.

Sanyuan was afraid that he would get tired from walking such a long distance, so she didn't agree.

Siwang was not giving up, so he used a trick to pretend to stuff things into his basket to increase its weight, while actually taking out some of his heavier belongings to carry himself.

Dazhuang looked at Ye Wenxue: "Mother, is it really Sanyuan who said this?"

Ye Wenxue nodded with a light smile.

Da Zhuang scratched his head, realizing he had misunderstood Si Wang.

Seeing Siwang's aggrieved expression, Dazhuang slowly extended a fist.

Siwang was startled and quickly hid behind Ye Wenxue: "Big...brother, are you angry? Why did you hit me?"

Da Zhuang raised his fist and snorted, "Who's going to hit you? I picked a few wild chestnuts as compensation, so forget about it!"

Siwang thought for a moment, realizing that his elder brother wasn't the type to get angry over a misunderstanding, so he jumped forward and was about to pry open his hand to take a closer look.

"careful!"

The two who had been watching silently and taking a break suddenly screamed.

Siwang stepped on an inconspicuous snake, hurting it so badly that it stretched out its body with its mouth wide open, ready to bite him!