Chapter 21: Climbing the Mountain after the Rain
It rained at night, and the sound of rain was pattering. I opened the window and the cool breeze brought the scent of the mountain forest.
Ye Zhen was meditating as usual, with the two cats huddled beside him. He could hear the sounds of wind blowing through green leaves, rain hitting lotus leaves, and the chirping of insects and flying of birds.
A little bit of spiritual light was drawn out from the mountains, fields, and streams, and slowly flowed into Ye Zhen's body. As Ye Zhen breathed in and out, vitality that was invisible to the naked eye emanated from Ye Zhen's body and merged into the mountains and forests.
The mountains are greener, the water is clearer, tiny buds push through the soil and grow little by little, trees stretch out their branches, wave their rain-soaked green leaves, flowers bloom, and underground mushrooms and fungi drill out of the soil and grass...
Looking outside, thick fog was floating around the stream, drifting slowly with the flowing water, and the sound of birds singing could be heard from the mountain ridges, crisp and lively.
Mother Ye was walking in the yard. The fruit trees that Ye Zhen had bought were originally pruned bare for transportation, but now they were sprouting green leaves. Some were even beginning to bud and bloom, and the faint fragrance of flowers could be smelled in the air.
As Ye Ma opened the door, there was a rustling sound on the courtyard wall, as if some small animals were scared away by the sound. A few small birds with green feathers and pointed beaks were squatting on the tree stealthily, eying Ye Ma with their green little eyes, but they didn't seem afraid.
Mushrooms sprouted from the ground that had just been cleared yesterday. There were gray, white, yellow, and colorful mushrooms. Once you eat them, you will have to close your eyes and say goodbye to the world...
"Ouch! So many mushrooms!"
In April and May, there is a lot of moisture and it rains frequently. Many mushrooms and ground vegetables emerge in the fields on the mountains in the village. Mother Ye sees a lot of them when she stands at the door, one patch next to another.
Mother Ye quickly entered the kitchen, turned on the fire to cook white porridge, took out a few pickles, washed them, chopped them and drained the water. The peppers in May were not yet fully grown, so she took out the dried red peppers that had been dried last year from the bag, started another pot, fried the pickles until dry, poured oil, added peppers and garlic, and the dish was ready in a short while.
Take out a few salted duck eggs from the earthenware jar in the corner, wash them and steam them. The rice porridge here is cooked until it blooms, and a layer of rice oil floats on it. Add a little bit of alkali, and the white porridge will instantly turn light yellow, and a special fragrance will waft up.
After finishing the work, he did not rest. He picked up the bag to pick up the ground vegetables and pulled out some poisonous mushrooms.
Dad Ye, Grandma Ye and the others also got up. Grandma Ye went into the kitchen to help heat up the leftovers from last night, and Dad Ye came in to help serve the dishes.
Here, Ye Zhen put away his skills, and the spiritual energy around him sank into his body. The vitality released by the operation of his earth and wood spiritual roots also slowly diffused into the air.
The air inside and outside the house was extremely fresh. The two cats spread out their bellies comfortably, their fur becoming smoother and glossier after being washed by a little spiritual energy.
The strawberry stumps that were brought back had been pruned by Ye Zhen so that only the branches in the middle were left. Overnight, they grew leaves and flowers, and green small fruits appeared layer by layer.
The other fruit trees have been planted because they are too big, leaving only the strawberries in the living room. Ye Zhen moved them back to the bedroom yesterday. After a night of spiritual energy, a good harvest is not far away.
Ye's mother knocked on Ye Zhen's door, "Ye Zi, get up and have breakfast."
It rained for most of the night. The air was humid in the morning and there were still raindrops from last night on the grass. Ye Zhen stretched his body, tidied himself up, and sat in the main room to eat.
Dad Ye and the others had already started eating and chatting. The sun had come out, and the sunlight shone in, reflecting the dewdrops in beautiful mottled clusters.
Seeing Ye Zhen coming in, Ye's mother handed Ye Zhen a pair of chopsticks and said:
"It rained yesterday, but the weather seems to be fine now. There should be a lot of mushrooms on this mountain. Last year there was little rain, so we didn't pick many mushrooms. This year there should be a lot of rain."
Ye Zhen was curious, "Where can I pick it up?"
Although she lived in the countryside, she had never picked mushrooms since she was a child. When she was young, the adults did not allow her to go. When she grew up, she was in boarding school, so she was very curious about picking mushrooms.
Ye's mother: "There are mushrooms in the mountain behind our house, in the bamboo forest, and in the mountains over there, but the mushrooms are different." After saying that, Ye's mother pointed to several mountains outside. She knew exactly what kind of mushrooms were found where.
"I also picked up a lot of ground vegetables today. They are delicious but hard to wash."
Ye Zhen: “!” The ground vegetable is delicious.
Grandma Ye also chimed in, "Let's go pick them up after dinner. There should be quite a few. If there are too many, we can dry them in the sun. We can pick the more expensive ones and sell them in the city or county."
He gave another instruction, telling Grandpa Ye to wash the ground vegetables at home so that he wouldn't have nothing to do.
Dad Ye was thinking about buying sheep and then chickens and ducks. Mom Ye had already contacted them yesterday. The family is not far from home and the chickens and ducks there are good, strong and not prone to illness, and they have a good reputation.
Also, the pond is almost full of water. Someone in the next village is raising crayfish, so I have to go buy some shrimp fry later. I don’t know if they have any fish fry for sale.
The whole family is busy
After dinner, Ye's mother and grandmother carried bamboo baskets, held a basket, put on rain boots, packed everything, and led Ye Zhen up the mountain.
The forest was dense. This time Ye Zhen and his friends went to the pine forest. The pine needles were slender, and there was a thick layer of dead branches and leaves under the trees. Wherever they stepped on, a pit was left. Ye Zhen watched his mother sweeping the ground with a stick while he spread out his spiritual sense.
No mushroom hiding under the leaves could escape Ye Zhen's eyes. Moreover, when Ye Zhen was practicing yesterday, spiritual energy flowed into the forest. At a glance, all he saw were various kinds of mushrooms.
There were clusters of mushrooms growing on the tree trunks, their tender yellow color was lovely. Ye Zhen picked them directly and used them to make dumplings when he got home. The dumplings were smooth and fragrant.
Mother Ye was stunned. The ground was covered with mushrooms. The common pine mushrooms and green-headed mushrooms, as well as the more expensive red mushrooms and broom mushrooms, and even Grandma Ye found a few big matsutake mushrooms...
Ye Ma and the others were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling. The baskets were immediately filled up, and they regretted that the baskets were too small and couldn't hold all the food.
The mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law didn't even raise their heads as they put mushrooms into the basket one after another. The mushrooms that were rare and expensive before now grew in clusters.
Soon the tools I brought were full and I couldn't put them all in the haystack. My face was almost numb from smiling.
"Ye Zi, carry the basket back first and ask your father and others to come over and bring a few more bags. Your grandma and I will continue picking here." Mother Ye patted her waist and gave the order with a happy look on her face.
I'm going to make a lot of money today. I picked up a lot of Matsutake mushrooms, which I'm sure will sell for a good price. I'm also going to make a lot of money from other mushrooms.
Holding back her laughter, Grandma Ye told Ye Zhen, "Go back and get your things. People from the village haven't arrived yet, but they might be here soon. Hurry!"
Ye Zhen carried the things on his shoulders and held them in his hands, and hurried home at a brisk pace.
It didn't take long to get home. I drank a sip of water, took the kettle from home, and went to the field to call Grandpa Ye back. Dad Ye was still out buying seedlings and hadn't come back yet. At this moment, Grandpa Ye was looking at a basket of matsutake mushrooms in shock.
A basket! I couldn't get that many in a year before, not to mention they are so fat and big.
"Where are these growing so much? Did you poke the mushroom nest?"
Ye Zhen didn't explain much, "Grandpa, grandma and the others are still waiting on the mountain. There are still many mushrooms over there. I just came back and saw many villagers picking mushrooms on the mountain. Let's hurry up."
We pulled Grandpa Ye to pack up and find a few baskets, which were homemade by the farmers. There were many different kinds of baskets and bamboo baskets.
He rushed up the mountain without stopping, not even bothering to say hello to the people from his fellow villagers along the way. He was very anxious, fearing that someone else would get to the mushrooms first.
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