"Sister Xia Xia, come back early." Lin Yi held Sangsang's hand and stood under the eaves, staring at the figure gradually moving away in the rain.
Ningxia waved her hand, signaling them to go back to the house. It was raining heavily outside, and even if they stayed under the eaves, they would be soaked in no time.
She was so anxious that she couldn't wait until the next day to go out. After eating, she put on her equipment, shouldered her backpack, and set off. She felt heartbroken when she thought of the countless wild mushrooms that had been destroyed by the rain during the three days she had been picking bamboo shoots.
The pine forest wasn't far from home anyway, a round trip of just over an hour. If she set out now, she could still spend two or three hours searching. Ningxia had a clear plan and hurried on at full speed. Once she entered the pine forest and the rain had subsided a bit, she wiped the water off her face and paused to catch her breath.
The ground was covered with a thick layer of pine needles, and the ground even sank a little when you stepped on it. Ningxia picked up the sticks he had picked up earlier, bent down, and carefully searched for them as he moved forward with considerable experience.
Calming herself, Ningxia observed the ground through the misty water. Soon, she spotted a small patch of scattered wild mushroom carcasses. Although she had anticipated this outcome, she still felt a pity. She picked it up and, without even a second's scrutiny, saw that the small patch was entirely pine mushrooms.
Ningxia squatted down and turned over handfuls of pine needles with her bare hands. Sure enough, she soon found cute, round, plump flowers hiding under the needles near the tree roots.
It was unexpected, but Ningxia couldn't help but feel happy. The mushrooms were quite large. Ningxia put the basket down and set it aside. A layer of palm leaves had been laid at the bottom. A calla lily leaf had been tied on top to temporarily block the rain. She lifted the leaves and carefully placed the plump mushroom in her hand.
Ningxia squatted down and picked the mushrooms while moving slowly forward. Soon the bottom of the backpack was covered with mushrooms. She searched for a long time in the pine needles in different directions but couldn't find any trace of mushrooms. Ningxia slowly stood up. This small area was finished and she had to move forward.
There was a handful of mushrooms in the backpack, yellow, pink, and mixed with a few blue strands. They looked scary, but Ningxia was familiar with this kind of mushrooms and knew that pine mushrooms were not poisonous, so she just thought they were very lovable.
Pine mushrooms are delicious, and they've grown considerably larger since the disaster. They can't be cultivated; they're only available in the wild. I'll pick more over the next couple of days, wait for the sun to come out, dry them, and sell them. I imagine the price won't be too low. Ningxia picked up her backpack again and headed back inside.
In Ningxia, we came to a small forest with many collapsed pine trees. For some unknown reason, there were many broken pine trees here, and it looked like they were not caused by human beings.
With her experience, Ningxia quickly found clusters of Qinggang mushrooms on these wooden stakes. She smiled and thought, this is an old friend, one of the most common wild mushrooms in the Bluebird State.
When it got dark in the pine forest, Ningxia decided to call it a day. If she didn't go out soon, she would lose her way when it got dark. Ningxia weighed the backpack on her back, and only after feeling the weight did she start her return journey with satisfaction.
Ningxia returned home in the twilight. Lin Yisangsang came over and opened the big iron gate of the yard for her. Now, looking out through the rain, nothing could be seen. It was gray everywhere.
Ningxia casually wiped the rain off her body and changed her clothes. Then she sat in the living room and poured out the ten pounds of mushrooms in the backpack, gently shaking off the pine needles and soil on them.
Lin Yi squatted beside her to help, while Sangsang stood behind Ningxia, pressing her shoulders with her small hands and occasionally bringing her a sip of hot water. Ningxia felt the intensity of the annoying tickle on her back, a mixture of pain and pleasure.
"Sister Xia Xia, please teach me how to recognize them. This way, I can go out with you and pick them together next time."
"good."
Ningxia's voice was a little fragmented in the candlelight amidst the sound of the rain, and Lin Yi listened intently. Sangsang squatted beside her, neatly arranging the mushrooms they had cleaned. She really wanted to take a pine mushroom and put it on her pillow to sleep with her, because it really looked like the one in the picture book, with a round, plump cap and thin stem, and colorful pink and blue colors that looked very pretty. But when Xia Xia discovered her secretly stuffing mushrooms into her pocket, she glared at her to show that she didn't allow it. Sangsang pouted and could only play secretly while helping her.
"Sister Xia Xia? Are you going out again?"
Ningxia nodded and put her index finger to her lips to signal Lin Yi not to wake up Sangsang loudly. It was just dawn, so let her sleep a little longer.
Lin Yi lowered his voice: "I'll get up and heat up a bowl of porridge for you before we leave."
Ningxia shook her head: "Don't get out of bed, sleep a little longer. I don't have much appetite, I'll eat when I come back. You can take Sangsang with you to eat the bamboo shoot soup I stewed last night. I'll make you something delicious when you come back in the evening." After that, Ningxia quickly left the house.
"Come back soon, Sister Xia Xia!"
Ningxia was full of energy. He casually picked up two multi-grain cakes, wrapped them in his clothes and went out again.
"Brother, is Xia Xia out picking mushrooms again?"
Lin Yi nodded and took the half of the pancake from Sangsang's hand, which she couldn't finish. He felt a little worried.
"So what are we going to do after dinner?"
"Let's go to the woods and cut some fresh grass to feed Maomao. Sister Xia Xia said that after the rain these days, there will be no fresh grass. Maomao will have to eat hay for several months."
Sangsang drooped his brows and said with pity: "Maomao is so pitiful~"
After finishing their meal and taking care of the dishes in the bathroom, the brother and sister put on their raincoats and went out of the yard. Lin Yi didn't dare to take his sister far, so he just cut a large bag of grass in the woods at the door of the house and went back.
Li Gang and his team were clearly skilled cooks. Maomao's shed was dry, save for a little rainwater that had seeped in from the surroundings. Apparently, Maomao had developed a strong appetite from the bamboo shoots he'd eaten the previous two days. He lazily lay in his kennel, chewing every bite of the lunch the siblings had brought him, looking incredibly content.
Sangsang ran to Maomao with a giggle and picked up a piece of grass to tickle Maomao's nostrils. Maomao wrinkled his nose and turned his face away to prevent Sangsang from succeeding. Sangsang enthusiastically went to the other side and continued to tease him.
Lin Yi looked at the one-cent bonus, stood up, and peered through the shed at the rain outside, his eyes filled with worry. He and Sangsang had been out picking bamboo shoots for three days, and he'd slept almost all day yesterday to recover. But Sister Xia Xia had gone out again yesterday afternoon, and he'd heard her coughing several times last night. Mom always coughed when she was sick before she died, as had Grandpa, and Sangsang. Sister Xia Xia... couldn't she be sick, right? Lin Yi pursed his lips, took Sangsang back to the house, boiled a large pot of hot water on the stove, and brought out another bag of bamboo shoots. He sat absentmindedly on a small kitchen stool, peeling them.
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