Mu Lianrong was anxious but couldn't bear to hit her daughter. Instead, she slapped her old man's arm twice: "What a precious person you are, eating snow fungus that costs eight taels of silver a piece. Hurry up and take it out, dry it and you can still sell it."
Xiao Shan Hai took two steps to the side: "I didn't make the water my daughter was soaking in, why are you hitting me?"
Xiao Yunying coaxed Mu Lianrong, "Mother, I have plenty at home, these two won't make a difference. Besides, I found a place on the mountain where a lot of them are growing. This thing can keep growing as long as the environment is right. Nobody knows about that place except me. You and Father can eat them without worry. I'll go back into the mountains to pick more after we've finished."
Mu Lianrong was still reluctant: "Eating this stuff won't make you an immortal. Two plants would cost sixteen taels. How can I bear to eat it?"
"What's there to be reluctant about? Our parents raised us brothers and sisters and worked hard all their lives. What's sixteen taels? We can eat more precious things in the future, right, eldest brother and second brother?"
The two brothers, with their keen insight, advised, "That's right, Mother. These dried goods won't fetch a good price if you soak them in water. Don't be reluctant to part with them."
"Mother, this is all my little sister's filial piety. If you keep refusing it, my little sister will be sad."
Mu Lianrong glared at the two brothers: "Don't think I don't know that you two are saying this because you want to eat it yourselves."
The two brothers chuckled; they did indeed mean it that way.
My parents are very good to the family. They are not the type to keep things to themselves. They will share even the most precious things with the whole family. They also get to taste what snow fungus tastes like.
Xiao Yunying pulled Mu Lianrong and said, "Mother, don't worry about it. It's already soaked in water. After soaking for about an hour and a half, just tear it into small pieces by hand, wash it clean, put it in a pot with glutinous rice, red dates, and goji berries, and cook it together. When it's done, add rock sugar. It's sweet, soft, and sticky, delicious and nourishing. It's much better than those dark, murky medicinal soups."
"Your mother is very resilient, what's the point of taking supplements?" Mu Lianrong said firmly, but finally relented: "Since it's already soaked, let's cook it for dinner tonight. We have glutinous rice and red dates at home, but we're out of goji berries. I'll have your sister-in-law go to Third Grandfather's house to buy some later. What kind of rock sugar are you talking about?"
Xiao Yunying knew there was no rock sugar in this world, so she took out the one she had previously wrapped in oil paper, opened it and showed it to Mu Lianrong: "This is what I bought in town. Mother, do you think it's transparent like ice?"
"No wonder it's called rock candy, it really does look like ice."
Xiao Yunying then pointed to the other items on the table: "I picked the apples and persimmons from the mountain and sent them over. These persimmons can be eaten right now, they don't need to be softened, and you can even eat the skin. They're not astringent at all."
The apples were big and red, and looked very appealing. Xiao Shanhai picked one up and said, "My daughter is so lucky. I've lived most of my life and this is the first time I've ever seen such a beautiful apple."
Xiao Yunbo rubbed his hands together: "Little sister, where did you pick these apples?"
"Um... right where we pick snow fungus."
Is it in the Western Hills? Which side of the Western Hills?
Mu Lianrong pushed her second son away: "Go away, what are you asking about? Do you want to steal your little sister's way of making money?"
"How could you think of me like that, Mother? I was just asking casually."
He had no intention of stealing his sister's money-making opportunities, but he had his eye on the big apple and the big persimmon; his wife loved eating fruit.
Xiao Shanhai said worriedly, "Few people go to Xishan. Don't go too far. If you encounter danger, your father won't be able to save you in time."
"Don't worry, Dad, it's not far. It's just that few people go there, so no one has discovered it. The weeds there are very tall, and the road is difficult to walk on. Most people would just take a detour if they saw it, and wouldn't think of going into the weeds."
"That's good."
Mu Lianrong touched the cotton and linen cloth: "Girl, what's this cloth for?"
Taking this opportunity, Xiao Yunying tried to cover up her inability to embroider: "Mother, I did too much embroidery before and developed an eye disease. I can't see things clearly anymore. I originally planned to make clothes for the children with this cloth, but I can't make clothes with it now. Mother, please take it. It should be enough to make a set of clothes for my nephews and nieces."
Upon hearing that her daughter had an eye ailment, Mu Lianrong threw down the cloth and asked, "Have you seen a doctor yet?"
Even doctors can't cure nearsightedness, so Xiao Yunying could only continue to lie: "I've seen a doctor, and he said it's not serious and I don't need to take any medicine. It's just that I can't use my eyes for long periods of time, and I can't do embroidery all the time anymore."
Mu Lianrong patted her daughter's hand: "It's good that it's not serious. My eyes are fine. I'll help you."
"No need, Mother. I had my clothes made at the tailor shop where I used to do embroidery. The shop owner was very kind and didn't charge me for the clothes. She also gave me a discount on the cotton and fabric."
Mu Lianrong knew about Cheng Yue's offer to lend money to her daughter: "You've met a kind person. Now that you have some money, remember to buy her something to show your appreciation, okay?"
"Don't worry, Mother, I've already sent the snow fungus over."
Eight ounces of snow fungus per plant, eaten and given away so casually?!
Mu Lianrong felt a pang of regret, but she didn't say anything. After all, the other person was so good to her daughter, and they had already given her the gift: "Let's not talk about this anymore. You know what I mean."
Fortunately, Mu Lianrong didn't know that her daughter had generously given away five plants at once, otherwise she probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
The family hadn't had a proper conversation in a long time, so they chatted for a while since they all had some free time.
Xiao Yunying found that she felt quite at ease and harmoniously integrated into this home, which should have felt unfamiliar to her, without any awkwardness at all.
Is it because I have thick skin?
No, it's the strong family bond that makes her willing to integrate into this place.
After chatting about everyday things for a while, Xiao Yunying noticed Luo Chen's discomfort, so she took out the drawings she had prepared in advance and started to talk about serious matters.
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