Chapter 48, Inn No. 48: Picking Termitomyces Mushrooms, Encountering a Deer
The next day, before dawn, Yunyin tied her cuffs and trouser legs, picked up her basket, pushed open the door and went out. She immediately saw Fu Wang standing at her door and greeted him, "Young Master Fu, you've come so early. I was just about to call you."
Fu Wang withdrew his gaze and looked at Yun Yin, who was dressed simply, and said, "I'm used to getting up early, and it's not too early. We usually go on a delivery mission, and we'd already be on the road by now."
Yunyin looked at the basket he was carrying and the bow and arrows on his back, and asked curiously, "Why are you carrying a bow and arrows?"
Fu Wang said, "It would be safer to bring a bow and arrows when going deep into the mountains. Yun Niangzi should also bring a bow and arrows for self-defense when she goes into the mountains in the future. Whips are not very useful in the mountains and forests."
Yunyin shrugged and said, "I'm not really good at archery." She was mostly skilled with swords and staffs, and hadn't practiced archery specifically, so her accuracy wasn't that good.
Fu Wang smiled and said, "If you want to learn, it's very simple. I'll teach you. It's not difficult."
Yunyin: "Yes, I really need to learn it. Then I'll leave it to you. I'll definitely study it carefully."
Fu Wang: "No problem, I will definitely teach you."
After they finished speaking, Yunyin looked ahead and said, "Let's go, let's set off quickly. It just rained last night, which is perfect for picking mushrooms. We're sure to have good luck today."
Fu Wang smiled and said, "Well, maybe even Heaven wants you to pick it."
Without saying another word, she led Fu Wang directly into the mountains. The morning forest was shrouded in mist, and the air was exceptionally fresh. The unpolluted nature felt like entering a fairyland, and her body relaxed. She took a deep breath and felt the vibrant life.
Yunyin swung her stick, striking the grass on both sides to scare away the snakes and insects hiding there. As they got closer to the mountains, the fog thickened, making it difficult to see the surroundings.
She sighed, "It seems we arrived too early; we can barely see the road anymore."
Fu Wang walked to her side and said, "It's alright, grab my clothes and I'll take you away."
Fu Wang, who had served in the army and worked as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), was naturally more familiar with the mountain forest. He led Yun Yin through the paths, climbing hills and taking detours from time to time, and soon arrived at an open forest.
He pointed ahead and said, "Let's go take a look ahead; this place should be very suitable for fungi to grow."
Yunyin looked at the forest in front of her, where a large grove of pine trees stood tall, and the ground beneath them was covered with pine needles. She nodded and said, "Indeed, many mushrooms like to grow in pine forests. Let's go in and take a look."
She carried her basket and ran quickly inside. As soon as she stepped in, she spotted morel mushrooms. The surface of these mushrooms was bumpy, just like a sheep's stomach. She quickly walked over and put the mushrooms into her basket.
"Fu Wang, come quick! I've found something good!"
Fu Wang jumped down from above, walked to Yun Yin's side, and looking at her beaming face, asked curiously, "Did you find the mushroom you wanted?"
Yunyin shook her head: "No, but this mushroom is delicious too."
She showed Fu Wang the morel mushrooms in her basket, saying, "It really is mushroom season. We found some good stuff as soon as we came in. Come on, let's find more. This mushroom is very rare and it's also delicious in soup. It has a different flavor from termite mushrooms."
Fu Wang could only watch helplessly as Yun Yin continued forward, and with a wry smile, he followed in her footsteps.
In June, the mushrooms, like little elves, grew in the magical pine forest. Yunyin originally wanted to pick more termite mushrooms to take back, but she had just discovered morel mushrooms and now she saw white boletus mushrooms. They were all rare mushrooms. She immediately rushed forward, first patting the mushroom heads, and then putting these plump boletus mushrooms into the bamboo basket.
This mushroom is also called the big-footed mushroom. It has chubby feet and a round head, and it looks very cute as it sits in the woods.
Yunyin then saw a bulge ahead, and upon closer inspection, she saw mushrooms growing there. She peeled it open and found three large mushrooms, two big and one small, looking like a family huddled together. She happily took the whole family with her.
When Fu Wang walked over, Yun Yin's basket was already full of bigfoot mushrooms. She was so focused on the mushrooms that she didn't notice Fu Wang's arrival until he squatted down next to her.
Yunyin covered the fallen leaves back where the mushrooms had grown before and asked Fu Wang, "How many mushrooms did you find?"
Fu Wang shrugged and said, "We didn't find it."
Yunyin looked at his basket in surprise. Sure enough, it was empty, without a single mushroom. She said incredulously, "How could there be none? They're easy to find. Look, I've already found so many."
Fu Wang looked at Yun Yin quietly and said, "Otherwise, how about you teach me how to find her?"
"Okay, I'll teach you. You just need to learn from me carefully."
Fu Wang couldn't help but smile. He got up and followed Yun Yin's steps, listening to her describe where mushrooms like to grow. As they walked, Yun Yin would occasionally point to a spot ahead and ask him to guess where the mushrooms were growing.
If he guesses correctly, Yunyin will praise him; if he guesses incorrectly, she will pat him on the shoulder. Sometimes Fu Wang will deliberately guess wrong, and seeing the changes in her expression, he often can't help but laugh, which makes Yunyin say that he is not serious.
Yunyin spent a while and finally taught Fu Wang how to do it. She pointed to the woods ahead and said, "I'll go take a look ahead. You're in charge of this part. Look carefully."
Once Fu Wang agreed, she immediately walked forward. She had already picked quite a few of the large-footed mushrooms she had found in that area, and Fu Wang could continue picking the rest. She would go ahead to see if there were any termite mushrooms, as she remembered that she had come here today to pick termite mushrooms.
The soil in front was very soft, and you could clearly feel the soft fragrance of the soil when you stepped on it. The termite mushrooms would definitely like this place. Yunyin carefully searched around the base of the pine tree and sure enough, she found a small head that had just emerged from the soil.
She used a bamboo stick to dig out the termite mushroom. A slender, tender termite mushroom was easily dug out of the soil. Termite mushrooms like to grow in clusters, so once you find one, you can always find more around it.
She looked around and saw a raised bulge not far away. Although she couldn't see any mushrooms, it looked like a termite mushroom, so she went over and dug it out as well.
Yunyin became happier and happier as she searched. She found a total of eight mushrooms in this area, all of which were still closed. She carefully put the mushrooms into her basket and continued searching ahead.
She hadn't walked more than a few steps when she saw the termite mushrooms that had already opened their caps. Although they had already opened their caps, she needed them to make termite mushroom oil.
The flesh of open-capped termite mushrooms is not as tender and flavorful as that of unopened ones, but deep-frying greatly enhances their aroma, making them perfect for making termite mushroom oil.
She quickly dug up the termite mushrooms and soon had collected a lot. By the time Fu Wang arrived, her basket was almost full. Seeing that Fu Wang's basket was also full, she said with satisfaction, "There are so many mushrooms here. I could come to the mountains to pick mushrooms all summer long."
Upon hearing this, Fu Wang simply smiled and said, "If you like, I will come with you every time."
Yunyin said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is too much trouble for you."
"It's okay, picking mushrooms with you is quite fun."
Yunyin: "Right? Picking mushrooms is a lot of fun, isn't it? I've always thought so. Picking mushrooms really makes you feel happy."
Fu Wang did not refute her. The fun he was talking about was not the fun of picking mushrooms. He pointed to his basket and said, "It's full. Shouldn't we go back?"
Yunyin: "It's really time to go back. I'll sort through these mushrooms. Some will be given away, and some will be used to make dishes. If any guests like them, we can add them to the menu."
"By the way, do you want to send some to Zhou Chang? You've been in Long'an County for so long, aren't you going to meet up with him?"
Fu Wang said, "Well, it's fine to give him some, but we don't need to go to the party. I'll just tell him before I leave."
Yunyin didn't understand how they got along, so seeing his reaction, she could only nod and say, "Alright, let's hurry down the mountain then."
Just as they were about to leave the pine forest, Yunyin spotted another bright green mushroom. She called out to Fu Wang, "Hey, there are still mushrooms here. Let's pick this one first before we go."
Fu Wang stopped with her and watched her run over to the green mushrooms in a few steps. He asked in surprise, "These mushrooms are edible?"
Yunyin smiled and said, "That's right, this kind of mushroom is called green-headed mushroom. It's not poisonous, it's an edible mushroom, and it's easy to recognize. Let me teach you."
Fu Wang squatted down and listened to her describe the mushroom. As he listened, his gaze shifted to Yun Yin's face. She was radiating joy, and her smile was so sweet it warmed his heart. He was momentarily distracted and didn't hear what Yun Yin was saying. When he came back to his senses, he heard her say angrily, "Were you even listening to me?"
Fu Wang said apologetically, "Sorry, I was just spacing out."
Yunyin said somewhat dejectedly, "Do you not like picking mushrooms? You only came with me because I asked you to, and you didn't want to refuse. If you don't like it, I can do it by myself."
Fu Wang said in a panic, "Really, no, I was just a little distracted just now, I definitely didn't dislike it."
Yunyin looked at him intently for a few moments, meeting his sincere gaze, and said, "Then I'll believe you for now. If you don't like it, you must tell me."
Fu Wang nodded in agreement, and this time he listened attentively to what she had to say, not daring to lose focus for a moment.
After picking the green-headed mushrooms, Yunyin said to Fu Wang, "This time we're really leaving. Our baskets are about to burst open." She looked at the two large baskets full of mushrooms and felt incredibly satisfied.
They walked through a pine forest, climbed over a mountain, and finally returned to the lake. Yunyin washed her hands there and sighed as she looked at the fish swimming in the lake, "The water here is quite suitable for raising bass, but unfortunately we haven't been able to find suitable fry."
Things aren't as convenient as they were back then. If you wanted to raise fish, you could just find someone with a fishpond and buy fish fry. Nowadays, most people catch and sell fish, and very few choose to raise them. It's too risky for farmers; if the fish die, the losses are huge. Wealthy households don't care much for raising fish, so it's quite troublesome for Yunyin to find fish fry.
Hearing her mutterings, Fu Wang pondered for a moment and then said, "I know a fisherman who might be able to keep an eye out for the fish fry you want, but bass seem to be more expensive than other fish."
Upon hearing that he knew someone, Yunyin immediately stood up and said, "Really? That's great! It's okay if it's a little more expensive. Sea bass is already more expensive than other fish, and I need a lot of it, so there's nothing I can do about the price. Just give me more sea bass."
Having solved another major problem, Yunyin hummed a song happily as she walked home. Just as she was about to cross the woods, Fu Wang stopped her and said, "There's some noise ahead."
Yunyin peeked out and saw a yellow-skinned animal emerge from behind the bushes. She pointed at the animal and said, "Is that a roe deer?"
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "No, this is a roe deer. Yun Niangzi, you wait here while I go catch it." After saying that, he put the mushroom aside, took out the bow and arrow that he always carried on his back, took a few steps forward, and aimed at the roe deer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
