Not far ahead, we were pleasantly surprised to find a pine forest. Under the trees, there were raised patches, and inside were fresh and tender pine mushrooms, which had not been disturbed by anyone.

Er Ya quickly put down the basket and started picking pine mushrooms.

Matsutake mushrooms, also known as pine mushrooms or pine oyster mushrooms, contain certain active matsutake polysaccharides. These substances can enhance the body's immunity and are very beneficial for people with weak constitutions when consumed in moderation.

She wants to pick more, and if she can't finish them, she can dry them into matsutake mushrooms and sell them for money. It's just a pity that she lives with Grandma Shen and the others now, which makes everything inconvenient. She wishes they could separate their households someday.

She hummed a song leisurely, "The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms"

Carrying a large bamboo basket

barefoot in the early morning

Walk through forests and hills

She picked the most mushrooms.

So many as the stars, countless

The mushrooms she picked were the biggest.

Big as a small umbrella filled with baskets

Silaolori silaolori silaolori...

Having gathered enough, Er Ya grabbed some pine needles and covered the mushrooms with them, then picked up her basket and happily went home.

Just as she reached the village, an older woman called out to her under the big willow tree, "Er Ya, you'd better hurry and see! Your mother has fainted and been taken to Doctor Li in the village."

Upon hearing this, Er Ya ran quickly to the doctor's house.

There was only one barefoot doctor in the village. He had fled from somewhere and settled here, making a living by treating people's headaches and fevers for a small fee. If he encountered a poor family, he would take something from them.

Er Ya rushed to the scene and saw Lin Jianguo supporting Jiang's mother, who was grinning foolishly. Er Ya quickly ran to Jiang's mother and asked, "Mom, are you alright? Why did you faint?" Jiang's mother said embarrassedly, "Mom is fine, it's just that you'll soon have a younger brother or sister."

When Er Ya heard Jiang's mother say this, she jumped up and down with joy, "That's great! I'm going to be a big sister!"

"Alright, stop being so happy," Dr. Li said to Lin Jianguo. "Your wife is newly pregnant, so you need to be careful not to overexert herself, especially during the first three months of pregnancy, which is the most crucial time. Her body needs nourishment and supplementation, and this fainting spell was caused by insufficient nutrition."

"Grandpa Li, thank you for treating my mother. These are mushrooms I just picked today, they're so fresh. Here, have half of them, you can try them."

Dr. Li looked at the little girl in front of him, her big eyes blinking, and she sweetly called him "Grandpa." He immediately took a liking to her and quickly took out a piece of candy from the house and handed it to Er Ya. Er Ya said sweetly, "Thank you, Grandpa Li."

"Alright, I'll get you two more doses of herbs that I picked myself from the mountain. They're good for preventing miscarriage. Take them home and brew them for your mother."

The family went home happily, and Jiang's mother straightened her back even more. In this era, it seemed that if you didn't have a son, you were inferior. Because of this, she had been ridiculed by her mother-in-law both openly and secretly. Once this child was born, let's see who dares to say anything.

When she got home, Grandma Shen heard that Jiang's mother was pregnant, and her attitude towards her improved a bit. She even ran over to cook her some poached eggs.

Seeing how eagerly Old Mrs. Shen fawned over Jiang's mother, Niu felt uncomfortable. For the sake of a child whose gender was still unknown, her mother-in-law's attitude had changed like this. If a boy was really born, would Jinbao still have a good life?

No one knew what Niu was up to. Er Ya listened to Jiang's mother's belly for a while and found it amazing. Thinking that a new life was about to be born, she beamed with joy.

"Mom, after my little brother is born, I'll play with him every day and save all the good food for him." She could already imagine having a soft and cute little brother to play with in the future.

Jiang's mother was overjoyed to hear Er Ya say this. Everyone says that children have sharp eyes and can tell the difference between boys and girls. If she really gave birth to a boy, Er Ya's life would be much easier. She would definitely love Er Ya even more and wouldn't be like Old Mrs. Shen, who favored boys over girls.

Just then, Old Mrs. Shen came over with a bowl of poached eggs. Unusually, she had sprinkled some brown sugar on top. Seeing Er Ya still pestering Jiang's mother, she looked down at Er Ya and said:

"Go outside and do the laundry. Let your mother eat something and rest first. You're such a grown-up, don't you understand anything?"

Er Ya, knowing her mother had just woken up and afraid of disturbing her, obediently went out.

When they came out, they saw Niu peeking out from the doorway, eavesdropping on what was happening inside.

His eyes darted around, and an idea popped into his head. He quietly walked up to Madam Niu and said loudly, "Aunt, what are you doing standing at the door? Are you here to see my mother? Why don't you come in?"

Niu was so frightened her heart almost jumped out of her chest. "You naughty girl, how come you walk without making a sound? You scared me to death!"

Er Ya pretended to be wronged and said, "I'm sorry, Auntie, I thought you saw me. Why didn't you come in when you were at our door?"

"None of your business. This is my home. I can stand wherever I want," Niu glared at her and swayed away.

Er Ya made a face at her back, secretly pleased. You can't be nice to this kind of person.

Hearing the commotion outside, Old Mrs. Shen told Jiang's mother to rest well and then went out with an empty bowl.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he started yelling at Niu Shi, "Are you sneaking around like a thief? We don't tolerate that kind of behavior in our family. If I catch you again, don't blame this old woman for not giving you face."

Niu rubbed her hands together and said, "Mother, I just went to see my brother and sister-in-law. I didn't eavesdrop on your conversation. I swear."

Old Mrs. Shen raised her eyelids and said, "Don't think I don't know what kind of tricks you're up to. Put away your little schemes and go weed the fields. Stop thinking about slacking off."

"Okay, I'm going right now," Niu said, and hurried off, afraid of staying to listen to Old Madam Shen's lecture.

Seeing that she had scared Niu away, Old Lady Shen walked away proudly and arrogantly, like a victorious rooster.

Seeing the change in Grandma Shen's attitude towards Jiang's mother, Er Ya was happy for her mother and hoped that her mother could give birth to her younger brother safely this time.

After washing the clothes, I chopped some pig feed and fed the chickens. For a while, the small courtyard became quiet, with only the sound of the pigs grunting as they ate.

Looking up, it was almost noon, time to prepare lunch. Er Ya cleaned the mushrooms she had picked that morning and set them aside. She also washed some wild onions she had picked on her way down the mountain. These wild onions didn't taste as spicy as modern scallions and were said to promote metabolism and slow down aging.

Standing on a small stool, I put a little bit of lard into the pot. After the oil melted and started to smoke, I added wild onions and stir-fried them for a few seconds. Then I added the washed mushrooms, stir-fried them for a while, and put them in a bowl. I added some water to the pot and started to put in firewood to cook over a high fire.

She was preparing to make a type of modern noodle dish. She poured cornmeal into a bowl, added a little water, and kneaded it into small lumps by hand, setting them aside for later use.

At this point, the water boils. Put the kneaded dough pieces into the pot, cook for a while, then add the stir-fried mushrooms. A pot of fragrant dough ball soup is ready.

At this moment, Jiang's mother also got up. Seeing that it was getting late, she hurriedly went to make lunch. When she went to the kitchen, she saw Er Ya, a little girl who was only a little taller than the pot, standing on a stool, busy serving rice bowl by bowl.

Looking up, she saw that her mother had gotten up, and called out in a childish voice, "Mom, you're up! I've finished cooking, we can eat right away."