Chapter 8 Only Invited Her

"I thought you were too scared to come."

Zhao Jian'an went up to her and helped her take the basket off her back. "What's in here?"

The top was covered with leaves, obscuring what was underneath.

“I found mushrooms in the mountains.” Molly removed the leaves from them. “But I don’t know which ones are edible and which ones aren’t.”

"So many?" Zhao Jian'an raised an eyebrow. "I'll pour them all out and teach you to identify them, so you'll have experience next time you go."

Do children who grow up in the mountains not recognize mushrooms?

A strange light flashed in Ji Hefeng's eyes, but he didn't think much of it and focused his attention on the mushrooms.

Huh—

There was a rabbit under the basket.

Zhao Jian'an's eyes widened, and Ji Hefeng also showed a surprised expression.

"You went deep into the mountains?" Zhao Jian'an asked, somewhat annoyed. "Don't you know it's dangerous there?"

He had a stern face, but Molly wasn't afraid. Instead, she felt a warm glow inside. "Didn't they say all the wild animals in the mountains had run away?"

“Those outside went inside, what else did you think?” Zhao Jian’an said irritably. “You ignorant girl, you can only climb two mountains at most from now on, and you can’t go any deeper.”

Ji Hefeng: "The wild animals that ran away will come back. They will return once there is food in the surrounding area, especially when the crops are ripe. Wild boars will come down the mountain to steal the crops. In another two or three months, you'd better not go into the mountains alone."

Molly listened and nodded obediently, but in her heart she wondered, "Are there really wild boars?"

She really wanted to eat it.

Molly was identifying mushrooms with Zhao Jian'an, and she was also watching as Zhao Jian'an cleaned up the rabbit.

She looked at Zhao Jian'an, and Ji Hefeng looked at her. Seeing her curious expression, he couldn't help but laugh.

He really is just a child.

Besides the mushrooms and rabbit Molly brought, there was also a piece of cured meat, some dried vegetables, and potatoes. The dried vegetables included dried radish and dried green beans, which had already been soaked in warm water.

Because there were few dishes and Ji Hefeng didn't like meeting strangers, only Molly was invited to the housewarming party today.

"He Feng didn't want to hold it at first, thinking it was too much trouble, so I didn't agree. Although we're destroying the Four Olds now, some customs still can't be skipped. You agree, right, Molly?"

"Um."

Actually, Molly didn't quite understand. In her previous life, the world didn't have any customs, let alone any festivals.

Upon receiving the affirmation, Zhao Jian'an raised his eyebrows and said, "My cooking skills aren't very good, so please don't mind if it doesn't taste good."

"I don't mind, as long as I'm full."

"No problem, I'll make sure you're full, little sister."

Zhao Jian'an was cooking, and Molly was watching from the side, occasionally lending a hand.

The cured pork was sliced ​​thinly and stir-fried with dried vegetables and dried radish. The rabbit was chopped into small pieces and stewed with potatoes. A few pieces of cured pork and mushrooms were reserved to make a large pot of soup.

The staple food was mixed grain rice, with sorghum, corn and sweet potatoes, a whole pot full.

Before picking up his chopsticks, Zhao Jian'an filled a rough earthenware bowl with rice, then put some vegetables on top of the rice and pressed it down hard until he couldn't put any more in.

"Alright, you can eat now," Zhao Jian'an said, first placing a piece of rabbit meat on Molly's plate. "Eat as much as you like, don't be shy."

Ji Hefeng didn't say anything, but silently moved the meat and vegetables in front of Molly.

The rabbit meat was stewed until tender, and the potatoes absorbed the flavor of the meat broth, becoming soft, sweet, and just as delicious as the meat.

The thin slice of cured pork was translucent, fragrant, and chewy—the best meat Molly had ever eaten since she came into this world.

The vegetables absorbed the flavor of the meat, making them worlds apart from the wild vegetables she usually ate.

Mushrooms are fragrant, tender, and smooth; they are Molly's favorite vegetarian dish.

With each bite she took, her eyes brightened a little more. Zhao Jian'an and Ji Hefeng exchanged a glance, feeling both amused and heartbroken.

The three of them ate all the food on the table, leaving nothing behind.

Molly leaned back in her chair, patted her round belly contentedly, and relaxed completely.

It feels so good to be full.

After dinner, Molly and Zhao Jian'an cleared the table, washed the dishes and pots, and by the time they finished, it was already quite late.

Molly said goodbye to Zhao Jian'an and Ji Hefeng, and Zhao Jian'an called out to her, "Wait a minute."

Zhao Jian'an took out the food she had just packed, covered the rough earthenware bowl with another bowl, tied it with straw rope, and put it into her basket.

“Take it back to your sister,” he said.

Molly had a gut feeling that it wasn't right to eat and take things at the same time, but she really wanted her sister to try such delicious food too.

Zhao Jian'an noticed her concerns and said earnestly, "You brought rabbits and so many mushrooms, that's too much of a gift. This bowl of rice is a return gift."

Molly blinked. "Is that so?"

When Molly returned to the Zhao family home, the others hadn't come back yet. She put yesterday's dirty clothes into the basket and covered the two bowls that were upside down. Just as she finished doing this, she heard footsteps outside the door.

After a long day, the three of them, Mo He, Li Xiaoju, and Zhao Shangxun, were too tired to even talk. They went their separate ways as soon as they got home. Mo He went to fetch water buckets, Li Xiaoju went into the kitchen, and Zhao Shangxun went back to his room.

Molly followed Mohe out the door. After they had walked a distance, Mohe asked, "Did you go to your friend's house for a housewarming party today?"

"I went there, and only came back after I had eaten my fill."

"Did you pick any wild vegetables?"

"No, but I picked some mushrooms."

"The mushrooms were good too. What did you eat? How many of you were there?"

"There were three people eating cured meat and dried vegetables, potatoes and rabbit meat, mushroom soup and mixed grain rice."

"There are actually two meat dishes. It seems the villagers were right; that Ji Hefeng has some money. He's a soldier and has bought several houses in the village. Several families in the village want to marry into his family, but they've all refused. He must have high standards."

“Mmm.” Molly nodded. Ji Hefeng gave off a sense of distance and had a noble air about him, unlike anyone she had ever met.

"Is she good-looking?"

"nice."

The two arrived at the riverbank. Mohe was about to head to their usual spot when Molly stopped her, saying, "Let's go over there."

She pointed to a spot upstream where the rocks were uneven and few people usually went there to wash clothes.

Mo He glanced at the usual lively spot, then looked at the place her sister pointed to, where there were several large rocks that could block people's view. She assumed her sister didn't want anyone to see her mutilated hand, and while feeling sorry for her, she agreed, "Okay, let's go over there."

The stones here are uneven, and few people come here. Mo He first used the stones to help her sister build a place to wash clothes. After she finished building it, she stood up and said, "I'm going to fetch water. I'll come back to find you later."

"No rush, sister, eat something first."

Molly had already taken out the rough pottery bowl from the bottom of the basket and untied the straw rope.

"I forgot to bring chopsticks."

"You brought this back? How could you bring this back? Food is scarce right now, if you do this others will—"

“Brother Zhao packed these for me. He asked me to bring them back for you.” Molly stared into Mo He’s eyes and said in a serious and earnest tone, “As soon as these dishes were cooked, Brother Zhao put them in a bowl. He really wanted to give them to you.”

Mohe paused for a moment before saying, "He's a good person."

"Then, sister, don't let Brother Zhao down. You take the bowl first, and I'll go break off two pieces of wood for you to use as chopsticks."

The food smelled delicious. While waiting for her sister, Mohe couldn't help but swallow her saliva. As soon as she got her chopsticks, she picked up a piece of cured meat and put it into Moli's mouth.

"I've already eaten, you can eat by yourself, sister."

Molly only took one bite and refused to eat any more, then started doing laundry.

Mo He chewed every bite of rice and vegetable, not even spitting out the bones, and swallowed it all. After finishing the full bowl of rice and vegetables, she couldn't help but let out a satisfied burp.

"I'll wash the dishes clean. When you take them to the other party tomorrow, please tell them thank you for me."

"good."

Zhao Jian'an left the day after the housewarming party; it was Ji Hefeng who told Molly.

Zhao Jian'an said he was afraid Molly would miss him, so he wouldn't say goodbye in person. But looking at the little girl's calm demeanor now, she doesn't seem reluctant at all.

Molly wasn't without reluctance, but she was used to separation in her previous life, whether it was separation in life or separation in death. She had seen too much of it and had become accustomed to it.

“The kitchen is already full of firewood, so I won’t be delivering any more to you tomorrow,” Molly said.

Ji Hefeng nodded. "Okay. Are there any wild vegetables in the mountains?"

Molly: "Yes, but very rarely."

Ji Hefeng: "If there are no wild vegetables, mushrooms will do. Pick them for me and I'll pay you."

Molly thought about it and didn't refuse.

If she picked mushrooms, she would rather sell them to Ji Hefeng than take them home for Li Xiaoju to eat.

“Mushrooms can also be eaten after being roasted over a fire,” Ji Hefeng said, almost as if possessed.

As soon as he finished speaking, the little girl opposite him lit up.

Ji Hefeng couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. It seemed that this young girl wasn't getting along very well with the Zhao family.

Molly first carried a load of firewood home in the morning, scooped up two bowls of water to drink, then took her basket and carrying pole and continued out into the mountains. Once in the mountains, she went straight to the place where she had picked mushrooms the day before.

As a mutant, her physical abilities doubled; both her speed and strength were unprecedented.

Less than half an hour later, she returned to the grove. The mushrooms she hadn't finished picking yesterday were still there, and they even seemed to have grown a bit bigger. This time, Molly only picked the edible ones, ignoring the inedible ones.

Molly stopped after filling her basket to the brim. Instead of leaving immediately, she wandered around the area to see if there were any more wild animals.

However, after circling around, they didn't see a single living creature.

It seems that the rabbit from yesterday was the only living creature in this forest.

Molly left with her basket on her back and came to a small pond she had found on the way. The pond was crystal clear and could be used to wash mushrooms.

While cleaning the mushrooms, she used her two tentacles to rub wood together and start a fire. By the time the fire was lit, the mushrooms were clean.

Several strings of mushrooms were placed on the fire, and soon they sizzled and released a fragrant aroma.

The mushrooms quickly lost their moisture and turned a charred aroma. Molly took a skewer and, ignoring the heat, popped it into her mouth.

tasty!

After waking up from his afternoon nap, Ji Hefeng, leaning on his cane, came to the eaves in front of the door. There was a rocking chair under the eaves; Zhao Jian'an had brought it from his own home, worried that he would get bored in his room, so that he could sit there every day and enjoy the view.

The house was situated on high ground, offering a wide view. Behind it were mountains, and in front were the houses and fields of the brigade members. Ji Hefeng's gaze fell on the mountains behind him, where a path led from his house all the way up the mountain.

As the sun began to set, that slender figure appeared on the path. Perhaps she had spotted Ji Hefeng, for she quickened her pace.

"Are you waiting for me?" Molly asked.

"No. I was looking at the scenery." Seeing her relaxed expression, Ji Hefeng guessed that she had probably picked some mushrooms and perhaps already eaten some.

He pointed to the corner of her lips, reminding her, "It's a little dirty here."

Molly wiped her face and put the basket on the ground. "I picked some mushrooms, should I dump them here?"

"Okay, just put it here."

Ji Hefeng saw a bundle wrapped in leaves in the basket and guessed it contained roasted mushrooms.

The mushrooms that were poured out could fill a small vegetable basket, and Ji Hefeng gave Molly a dime.

"The mushrooms are all picked; there won't be any left tomorrow."

"It's okay. I'll send it if I have it, otherwise it's fine."

Mo He didn't expect that her younger sister would bring her something today as well.

"Did you bake it in the mountains?"

"Yes, it was grilled in the mountains. I've already eaten it. This one is for my sister."

Mohe first put one in Molly's mouth before sitting down to eat it herself.

She didn't mention letting her sister take the mushrooms home; it's her sister's business to decide.