Chapter 18 Chapter 18 It smells so good, I want to eat it even if it’s poisonous (catching insects)…
Lin Chuntao was not angry. Even if mushrooms were not poisonous, eating them without cooking would cause diarrhea and vomiting. She could not guarantee anything. Only those who knew the goods could buy them. If everyone thought they were poisonous, she could not afford to compensate if someone got hurt after eating them, so she had to give up.
But someone nearby advised them: "Girls, these mushrooms are really poisonous, please don't harm others."
This earnest persuasion attracted many people to come over and watch.
Lin Chuntao saw that there were too many people, and she still had to sell mushrooms in the future, so she had to think of a way.
"If you don't believe me, find a stove and I'll wash a few flowers and roast them. Then you can see for yourself whether they are poisonous or not."
When she said this, everyone was stunned, and then someone borrowed a stove from the shop behind.
Lin Chuntao asked the lady selling cakes for a bamboo skewer, washed four or five red mushrooms, tore them into small pieces, strung them together and started to roast them.
After a while, the mushrooms began to emit fragrance.
Because there was no salt, Lin Chuntao roasted the mushrooms a little drier, so that they would smell more fragrant and taste more chewy.
After it was cooked, she took a bite first and found it quite fragrant. She gave some to Pei Ying. Pei Ying didn't know whether it was poisonous or not, but he dared to eat it since Lin Chuntao had eaten it.
Pei Ying's eyes lit up after taking three pieces of mushrooms in his mouth. Why did he feel that the mushrooms roasted in this way were better than the fried ones last night?
It was too little, so he only roasted one bunch, and after it dried, he felt that this one bunch was only enough for one bite.
Seeing that Pei Ying liked it, Lin Chuntao gave him a few more pieces and ate the rest in one bite.
The onlookers completely forgot whether the food was poisonous or not, and just watched the two of them eating it with such deliciousness.
Many people are eager to try it, thinking why not buy some to take home and try it?
Just as everyone was hesitating, a little old man squeezed in from outside the crowd.
"What are you looking at?"
"Oh, so many red fungi?"
Someone nearby recognized him and replied with a smile, "It's Doctor He. We were watching a little girl roasting mushrooms. Everyone said they were poisonous, but she said they weren't. To convince everyone, she roasted them and ate them."
"Oh my god, what a waste! You roasted the red mushrooms and ate them. If I told you, you wouldn't eat them."
"How much is it per pound? I want them all."
The thin old man looked at Lin Chuntao and asked.
Before Lin Chuntao could answer, the person next to her asked, "Doctor He, are these mushrooms really non-toxic? If they are, we should buy some. You bought so much that you can't finish it, right?"
The old man smiled and said, "If we can't finish it, I'll buy some mushrooms and dry them. You don't have to buy any more."
The man refused, and the old man said, "These mushrooms are best dried and used in soup. They are not so delicious if fried. If you want to fry them, just buy the ones in her bamboo basket."
Seeing that the man was unmoved, the old man said again: "Wait for me to dry it, and then you can come to my medicine shop to buy the dried ones."
"It's rare to see a basket full of red mushrooms. There are too few and I'm too lazy to dry them. Little girl, how much are you selling them for per pound?"
This question stumped Lin Chuntao. It seemed that no one was selling red mushrooms at the market, and she had no idea how much they were worth.
She hesitated for a moment and quoted the old man a price, "Fourteen cents a pound."
The old man nodded, without bargaining, and simply waved his hand: "Help me carry it to the pharmacy."
"Hey." Lin Chuntao smiled and helped Pei Ying pick up the backpack and put it on his back. She followed with a small bamboo basket.
The people behind me were talking to each other.
"It's actually not poisonous. Look, this little girl is still walking steadily."
"Doctor He bought them all, so they must be non-toxic. They might even be of medicinal use."
Lin Chuntao smiled silently. This matter was quite interesting.
The medicine shop was not far from the market entrance. After weighing the herbs in the shop, the old man asked the medicine boy to bring a winnowing basket and personally picked the herbs from the backpack into the winnowing basket.
Lin Chuntao had wanted to say she was there to pick them up, but then she realized the old man was checking to see if there were any poisonous mushrooms mixed in. She stopped talking and just stood there quietly waiting.
After she finished, the old man stood up, washed his hands, and counted the money for her. As he counted, he asked her, "Where did you pick up so many red mushrooms?"
Lin Chuntao did not hide it and reported the name of the mountain.
The old man said, "Next time you pick up this many, just carry them to me and I'll collect them for you."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Sure, Doctor He, do you only accept red fungi?"
The old man looked at her and smiled. "Chicken mushrooms are also fine." As he spoke, he handed over the money. "Here, twenty-one pounds, two hundred and ninety-four coins."
Lin Chuntao took the copper coin and said, "Next time I find it, I will carry it directly to your shop." After that, she bought a pound of dried ginger in the medicine shop.
All the red mushrooms were sold. Lin Chuntao thought that she would not sell the ones in the bamboo basket and would take them home to cook chicken.
After leaving the pharmacy, the two went to the market to return the scales. Lin Chuntao looked at Pei Ying and said, "Let's buy a couple of water buckets. Otherwise, it will be too inconvenient to use water."
Pei Ying nodded slightly. Just as the two of them were about to head towards the market, they heard an urgent shout from a distance: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Lin Chuntao turned around suddenly and saw a startled horse not far away dragging a person towards them. Pei Ying was quick to pull her aside. There were a few children playing in front of them, staring blankly at the rushing horse.
Lin Chuntao subconsciously wanted to run towards the child, but Pei Ying grabbed her and said, "Stand here and wait."
He took out the butcher knife from his waist and threw it over, cutting the reins that were dragging the man. Then he chased after the horse, grabbed the reins, and dragged the horse so hard that half of its head was cut off.
The horse was dragged by Pei Ying and jumped on the spot, with its hind hooves raised high, and soon a patch of mud was trampled out on the ground.
Not long after, the horse tripped and Pei Ying quickly tied the horse's feet with the reins.
The onlookers breathed a sigh of relief and applauded loudly. Lin Chuntao rushed over in shock.
"Are you okay?"
Pei Ying looked down at his hands, which were slightly scratched by the reins.
"It's okay, just a little scrape."
Lin Chuntao said, "Go to the pharmacy and ask the doctor to treat you."
Pei Ying suddenly smiled as he finished speaking. "It's just a little scrape, no need to bandage it."
Lin Chuntao was about to speak when several servants came after her and pounced on the man on the ground with panic on their faces.
"Master! Master! Are you okay?"
Lin Chuntao frowned. The man had lost his boots, and his legs and feet were dragged on the ground by the horse, rubbing against each other. They were now bloody and his face and elbows were severely scratched. She didn't know how he frightened the horse, and whether he had fallen and injured his head or internal organs.
The servant went over and untied the reins that were wrapped around the man, and turned him over.
The person is still alive.
Pei Ying went over and picked up the knife stuck in the ground. After checking carefully to see if it was damaged, he put it away.
There were five or six servants on the ground, who might be the young master of a wealthy family. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Lin Chuntao called Pei Ying to take care of the situation and left.
Some of the onlookers also dispersed.
Not long after they left, a middle-aged couple in luxurious clothes came and took the young man away.
Pei Ying insisted on not going to the clinic, and Lin Chuntao did not force him, so the two of them went into the market.
"Do you want to buy anything?" Lin Chuntao asked.
"I need to buy a ball of hemp rope to tie the bamboo fence. I don't have anything else."
Lin Chuntao nodded and walked straight to the stall selling buckets. She bought a bucket and looked at the well-polished chopping board. After asking the price, she found it was not expensive, so she bought one as well. The two of them searched for a while before finding a stall selling hemp ropes and bought a ball of hemp rope. Thinking of her sister who had not come out today, Lin Chuntao went to buy two pieces of date cakes and took them home.
There are so many things missing at home, and everything needs to be bought, but if you ask her to rank what she wants to buy most, it will definitely be a piece of cloth to make a change of clothes.
It rains more frequently in the summer, and she has to go into the mountains frequently. She can't let her clothes get wet every time like the day she just woke up.
If you don’t have the money to make a set for everyone, you can just make a set first and take turns.
Pei Ying looked at the silent Lin Chuntao. He pursed his lips several times and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
It wasn't until Lin Chuntao noticed his gaze and their eyes met that Pei Yingcai said, "Next time you come to the county town, why don't you go to the cloth shop and make some clothes?"
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and looked down at her worn and ill-fitting clothes.
"No... no, my family is sending wedding cloth to the bride for her wedding dress. You go and choose the cloth."
Lin Chuntao curled her lips. She thought Pei Ying felt that her clothes looked awkward.
However, her clothes did look very shabby. In Shuangzi Village, many families' clothes had patches on them, but at least they fit them well. Unlike the four sisters, their sleeves and trouser legs were half too short. They could still wear them even if they were too thin, but if they ate better and gained weight, they would not be able to wear the clothes at all.
"Then what does the bride need to give the groom?" Lin Chuntao asked. Pei Ying was stunned for a moment and said calmly, "Nothing."
Lin Chuntao looked at him with a smile.
In ancient times, there were many blind marriages. She chose the man in front of her as a shield in a desperate situation and never considered becoming a real couple.
She didn't know what Pei Ying was thinking, nor did she dare to rashly reveal her own thoughts. She could only live together with him for the time being and take things one step at a time.
"Don't worry, keep the money you saved earlier. The rain has been good recently and there are a lot of mushrooms in the mountains. I should be able to save enough money to make clothes soon. When I save enough, we can go buy cloth together."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "I've been embarrassed to say this these past two days, but I might just have to spend the rest of my life with my three sisters. If you have any ideas, just let me know. I understand."
"I don't have any ideas. I don't have any family. I will treat them as my own sisters from now on. It will be more lively when there are more people at home."
Pei Ying's face was calm and his tone was normal.
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly and looked at the mountains in the distance.
The sky in Yizhou was a brilliant blue, the clouds low. On the sunny day after the rain, large white clouds, like cotton candy, hung in the sky. The grass and trees in the mountains, and the leaves of the crops below, had been washed clean by the midnight rain, revealing their true colors: emerald green, dark green, and tender green. The camellias that covered the mountains, in pink and white, were a dazzling display of beauty.
It rained heavily last night, and the ground is damp today. Everyone usually waits for the ground to dry out before going in, otherwise the soil will be compacted. Everyone carries a backpack and a sickle, and just cuts the weeds on the ridge.
In the surrounding mountains and forests, there are children picking mushrooms everywhere.
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