Sheng Xiping and Zhou Qinglan sat together, chatting and laughing while eating.
The two didn't act particularly intimately, but in this day and age, when a man and a woman sit together for a meal, it's obvious they're talking.
This result didn't surprise anyone.
After all, Zhou Qinglan didn't get angry and scold him after Sheng Xiping shouted like that yesterday. Instead, she gave him that piece of soap, which explained everything.
Nowadays, people still express their feelings in a very reserved way; no one would directly shout "I love you, so-and-so!"
But it is precisely this subtle expression that is more moving and more unforgettable.
In later generations, those three words have been used so often that it feels like something is missing.
Some of the young men who secretly admired Zhou Qinglan felt regret, some were frustrated, and some were unwilling to accept it.
Sheng Xiping didn't care what those people thought. In his previous life, he was able to fight back even after being ambushed by Sun Yunpeng. What was he afraid of in this life?
After lunch, most people had nothing to do in the afternoon.
So Sheng Xiping, along with Chen Weiguo, Wang Jianshe, Gao Haining, Tang Fengying, Zhou Qinglan, and others, carrying hoes and other tools, and a few girls even carrying lunchboxes, entered the woods and wandered around.
Sheng Xiping started hunting in the mountains with his master when he was thirteen years old.
In the first year, he was only responsible for carrying things, such as food and household items for going into the mountains. He carried over thirty kilograms of things, which was called "carrying the slope" in some places.
The second year involved learning to "chase the prey with a gun," which involved working with others to drive the prey towards the direction of the hunting rifles. In some places, this is also called "chase the slope."
In his previous life, Sheng Xiping had nothing to do after he was released from prison. At first, he relied on hunting, and later he took on outsourced projects from the forest farm.
It should be said that there was no place around the forest farm that he was unfamiliar with.
Among this group, apart from Zhou Qinglan who came from Songjianghe, the rest were all educated youth who grew up in this area and were very familiar with the mountains and forests.
A group of young people chatted and laughed as they walked along a faint path through the woods.
As they walked, they scattered their gazes among the grass and fallen logs.
There are many good things in the forest. At this time of year, in addition to gastrodia elata, there are also lingzhi mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, tree chicken mushrooms, and so on.
Not to mention pheasants, rabbits, squirrels, tree chickens, and other animals; if you happen to encounter even one of them, the trip won't be a complete waste.
Zhou Qinglan had never been into the mountains before and didn't quite understand what everyone was looking for, but she knew a little about the rules, so she didn't ask and just quietly followed behind Sheng Xiping.
Sheng Xiping knew that Zhou Qinglan was going into the mountains for the first time, so he would look back at her from time to time and remind her to watch her step.
The forest is filled with various grasses, shrubs, and fallen trees, making it quite challenging for those who have never been to the mountains before to walk through it.
Not to mention the blood-sucking flying insects such as mosquitoes, gnats, gnats, and blind midges.
Therefore, going into the mountains is not an easy task.
The men, with their thick skin, could manage, but the girls couldn't stand it after a while and had to keep waving their hands to shoo away the mosquitoes.
"Then, wear this and mosquitoes and gnats won't bother you anymore."
Sheng Xiping broke off some branches and wove them into a wreath, then broke off a piece of a fungus called "old ox liver" from the tree and lit it with a match.
After the surface has burned almost completely, extinguish the flame and place it on a wreath made of branches.
The inside of a dried old beef liver has many loose, tiny pores. Even after the open flame is extinguished, it continues to burn inside, emitting a large amount of thick smoke with a pungent odor.
Zhou Qinglan put the flower wreath on her head, and as she moved, the smoke drifted around.
The small flying insects that swarm around and specifically target people's faces, especially around the eyes, will be driven away by the smoke, but Zhou Qinglan will not be affected by the smoke, which can be said to be very useful.
Moreover, because the inside of old beef liver is loose and burns slowly, it will not cause charcoal ash to fall and injure people.
"Look at them, and then look at yourself, it's enough to make you furious."
Sheng Xiping's actions aroused envy among several girls, including Tang Fengying, who then complained to their boyfriends.
Upon seeing this, Gao Haining and the others quickly followed Sheng Xiping's example, weaving flower wreaths and searching for old cow liver, managing to appease the old lady.
"I didn't realize you were so good at charming girls. You almost got us killed."
Gao Haining walked to Sheng Xiping's side and put one hand around Sheng Xiping's neck to relieve the pent-up frustration in her heart.
"You don't even know how to cherish your partner. I really wonder how you managed to win Fengying over." Sheng Xiping shook his head.
The two of them were like a pair of bickering lovers. They fought and bickered since they were young, and even after they got married, they didn't stop fighting and bickering all the time.
But the more they fought, the better their relationship became. They had three children and later sent them all to school, making their lives quite fulfilling.
Before Gao Haining could say anything, Sheng Xiping shoved his hand away and darted away.
"Tree chicken mushroom, what a big piece."
It turned out that a pink mushroom was growing on a fallen log not far ahead.
The mushroom was about the same size as the willow basket that Sheng Xiping's family used to store dry rations. It was brightly colored, had many layers, and looked like a flower from a distance.
Tree mushrooms are among the few brightly colored but non-toxic fungi, and they grow exceptionally fast.
It might not have been the size of a palm yesterday, but today it's grown to the size of a small basin, and tomorrow its color will fade and its fruiting body will harden like wood.
Therefore, it is not easy to find fresh and tender tree chicken mushrooms.
The younger the tree mushroom, the more vibrant its color. Just like this one in front of me, it's a bright pink and looks very tender.
Sheng Xiping deliberately scratched it with his fingernail, and it was easy to break the outer skin of the tree chicken mushroom, which meant that the mushroom was very tender.
So I carefully broke it off the tree and put it in the crossbody bag.
"You've never tried this before, have you? Slice it up, stir-fry it with some chives, and it's incredibly delicious."
Sheng Xiping turned around and saw Zhou Qinglan's curious look. He couldn't help but laugh and quickly introduced her to her.
"How about coming to my house for dinner tonight?" Sheng Xiping's heart skipped a beat, and he deliberately teased Zhou Qinglan in a low voice.
"No, no, how can that be?" Zhou Qinglan shook her head vigorously upon hearing this.
That won't do. It's not proper for her to go to the Sheng family's house for dinner.
Sheng Xiping was just teasing the girl on purpose, so when Zhou Qinglan refused, he didn't insist and just sighed.
"Alright then, we'll go another time when we have the chance."
Okay, I'll go back and tell my mother that I'll blanch the tree mushrooms tonight and stir-fry them tomorrow morning.
It's perfect that he can bring his own food, so Zhou Qinglan can have a taste.
Sheng Xiping discovered a large tree chicken mushroom, which made everyone else stare wide-eyed and examine their surroundings more carefully.
Sure enough, not long after, Chen Weiguo called out, "Gastrodia elata."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing. "Where is it? I can't see it?"
Chen Weiguo walked to a tree, squatted down, and used his hands to brush away the withered grass and fallen leaves on the ground.
Only then did everyone notice a plant that was slightly purplish-red, with a tassel on top, and that had sprouted less than five centimeters from the ground.
"You have a sharp eye! You can spot the gastrodia elata, which is so short, even though it's just been unearthed."
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