Old Qiao said, "It's just some wild vegetables; I'm afraid they'll wilt if I cover them up."
The villagers were a little skeptical, but then they thought that everyone had explored all those hills and found the same things. Could treasure really appear out of thin air?
Alas, the Qiao family is so poor that they are afraid people will steal even the wild vegetables they find.
As soon as we entered the courtyard, the rich aroma of stir-fried meat wafted into our noses. It was the kind of smell that comes from a generous amount of meat stir-fried together, which whetted everyone's appetite.
It's been a long time since I've had a proper meat meal.
The eldest and second eldest Qiao brothers, Da Yong and Qiao Lao Da, have all woken up. They are not idle; some are chopping wood, some are sweeping the yard, and some are helping out in the kitchen.
Ms. Lü had already told them about exchanging termite mushrooms for money. Everyone was initially surprised, but gradually accepted it, and they were all eager to try what termite mushrooms tasted like.
Grandma Qiao closed the courtyard gate and moved some things to cover up any areas where the courtyard might be visible.
Then, the Qiao family gathered around the well and began washing the matsutake mushrooms.
Many hands make light work, and they quickly washed a large basinful.
On the way down the mountain, they found another three jin. Qiao Lian'er picked up the three jin and said, "It'll make a delicious soup."
“Alright, make it and let everyone try it, so they can enjoy something new,” said Madam Feng.
The chicken mushroom soup was made by Qiao Lian'er. She made a broth, boiled it, added the chicken mushrooms, and it was cooked in no time.
As night began to fall, dinner was set out. Four bowls of chicken and mushroom soup were placed at the four corners of the table, and two plates of stir-fried lean meat were placed on either side. The vegetables from the Qiao family's dry land were almost gone, so Qiao Lian'er bought some more vegetables, along with stir-fried eggplant, stir-fried cabbage, and large plates of stir-fried broom mushrooms and puffball mushrooms. With enough oil in the pan, they weren't stingy with soy sauce for color, making even the vegetarian dishes look exceptionally delicious.
The kitchen was filled with a wonderful aroma, a blend of meaty and fresh scents.
Everyone sat down, eager to get started. They were all exhausted from climbing the mountain twice, and their stomachs were growling.
How can anyone resist such an irresistible aroma?
When it's time to eat, the first thing to do is to taste the termite mushrooms. Everyone's chopsticks instinctively reached into the termite mushroom bowl.
One bite, and your eyes widen; you feel as if your soul is about to fly away from the delicious aroma.
It's smooth, tender, fresh, crisp, and fragrant—simply a delicacy.
"Mmm, it's delicious! It's even better than chicken!" Old Man Qiao exclaimed.
"Yes, it's so delicious, and we only just found out about it now. If we had known sooner, our family wouldn't be so poor." Old Qiao shook his head regretfully, but couldn't help picking up another piece.
Qiao Zhizhi: "Oh my god, it smells so good, it's so delicious I could cry."
"Sigh, it's been growing on the mountain for so many years and no one has picked it. It's such a waste of such a delicious food," Da Cheng said.
Then everyone fell silent, focusing intently on the delicious food on the table.
With such delicious mushrooms, lean meat that they hadn't had in a long time, and the puffball and broom mushrooms they had just tried yesterday, the Qiao family felt more satisfied and energetic than ever before.
At the end of the meal, have a bowl of chicken and mushroom soup, or soak rice in the soup to savor the freshness that permeates your soul—perfect.
It seems that even if I were to die now, I would have no regrets.
After they finished eating, the Qiao family started making mushroom juice.
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