Seeing that he agreed, Tang Baozhu didn't say anything. She was currently enjoying picking mushrooms and hadn't had this much energy to do anything in a long time.
Since he had already heard her, she decided not to stay any longer. She picked up her basket and walked up the nearby mountain to the spot she had just been standing in.
While picking mushrooms, I thought to myself, "There are so many mushrooms here that others don't even look at. How many mushrooms must they have found?"
Even though she was very curious, Tang Baozhu didn't plan to go over there. There were enough mushrooms on the mountain for her to pick, and besides, it would be a waste to leave them there if she couldn't finish them.
The following year, there were plenty of mushrooms to pick, so there was no need for so many. Besides, there were all kinds of mushrooms in the space, but she just didn't want to take them from the space. She wanted to try not to rely on the space and to be able to support herself outside.
Each time Tang Baozhu filled a basket with mushrooms, she would carry it home. It wasn't until the fourth time that she saw Feng Yi coming up from the foot of the mountain.
I roughly estimated the time, which was about an hour or so. I didn't expect that Feng Yi's matter would be settled so quickly.
"Brother Yi, did you finish your report so quickly?"
"Yes, I was really worried about you, so I rushed back as soon as I handed in the report. You stay home and string those mushrooms together with needle and thread, and I'll go to the mountain to pick mushrooms. That way, I'll feel a little more at ease."
Listening to Feng Yi's words, Tang Baozhu did not refuse. After going back and forth four times, her interest had almost worn off. It was quite fun at first, but after a few more trips, it became just so-so, and now she no longer found it fun.
"Thank you, Brother Yi. I didn't want to leave anyway. There are so many mushrooms at home, and I feel uneasy if I don't string them together with a needle and thread. You go pick them, and I'll string them together. I can hang a dense chain of mushrooms under the eaves. Just thinking about it makes me feel good."
Seeing Baozhu so happy, Feng Yi was also quite pleased. However, after five years in the army, he was no longer as good at expressing his feelings. He had become very reserved, and his way of expressing joy was simply to see what she liked and help her achieve it.
Feng Yi took two more burlap sacks, thinking that a basket would be filled quickly, so he might as well collect more at once to save time walking back and forth. The journey from the mountain to home was not short, especially if he went further and further away to collect the sacks, the journey would become longer and longer.
After watching Feng Yi leave, Tang Baozhu took out her sewing box, took out white thread, and threaded it through the needle to string all the mushrooms together.
Once you've strung them together, hang them under the eaves. Then, find those small nails in your storage space and nail them onto the wood under the eaves, making sure they're all on the side closest to the wall. That way, even if it rains, you don't have to worry about the mushrooms getting wet from the rain.
Tang Baozhu kept stringing the beads, and it seemed that there were a lot of crumbs at the end, which was obviously because they were crushed.
Tang Baozhu didn't throw away any of the spoiled mushrooms, as long as they weren't crushed too badly. She picked out all the spoiled mushrooms and planned to put them in a separate basket. Once she had collected enough, she would decide whether to stir-fry them fresh or make them into mushroom sauce. Anyway, these mushrooms taste good no matter how they are cooked, so there was no need to worry about them not tasting good.
Just when it seemed like they were about to finish stringing the last batch, Feng Yi, who had been gone for a long time, finally returned. His basket was full of mushrooms, and even the burlap sacks he was carrying in both hands looked like they were overflowing.
"Brother Yi, this looks like a lot. Aren't you worried about not being able to finish it? I'm worried that if we don't finish it, it will go to waste."
"No, right now almost every household is picking mushrooms on the mountain so that when there isn't enough food, they can mix in more mushrooms so they won't go hungry. They make sure that no one is in their houses at this time, everyone is on the mountain."
"They're so hardworking! They must have picked a ton of mushrooms!"
“They must have picked a lot. What we have at home is hardly a lot. It’s not even one-twentieth of what they have. You just haven’t seen enough, so you think it’s too much.”
Feng Yi meant that the little girl grew up in the city and probably had never picked mushrooms before. In his limited memory, the only time the little girl picked mushrooms was when he took her to the suburbs on the outskirts of the city. Apart from that, the little girl had never picked mushrooms again.
So when she sees a small amount of mushrooms, she thinks it's a lot, but in reality, it's not much at all. Moreover, they are not weighed after being dried. Even a sack of dried mushrooms doesn't weigh much.
Feng Yi emptied the broken pieces from the winnowing basket to one side, then poured the fresh mushrooms he had just picked into the basket. He said a few words to his wife, drank a cup of warm water, and then went out again with his basket and burlap sack.
Tang Baozhu could tell from his appearance that he couldn't sit still; he was just too diligent. She wished she could wind herself up and keep working without stopping, but she figured she probably wasn't that diligent, and even winding herself up wouldn't work.
Tang Baozhu felt that since Feng Yi was being so diligent, she couldn't be too lazy and had to string all the mushrooms together before he came back.
Once you have this thought in your mind, your hands will move faster and faster. After stringing them together, you quickly hang them up to the side so as not to ruin these beautiful mushrooms.
You should know that all the mushrooms strung together now are carefully selected; the bad ones are set aside for later and will be cleaned up at the end.
They sped up and finally finished arranging all the mushrooms before Feng Yi returned. The walls were covered with clusters of mushrooms, and it felt like there wasn't enough space to hang them all, so they prepared to move them to the other side.
Since Feng Yi hasn't returned yet, quickly pick out the rotten mushrooms lying on the side. They were all crushed; none of them were originally defective.
Tang Baozhu felt that even if they stir-fried it for dinner, they definitely wouldn't be able to finish it. Mushrooms were too delicate and would crumble if pressed too lightly. It seemed that she should make mushroom sauce instead. This stuff would last longer, keep better, and be even better for mixing with rice.
Feng Yi returned halfway through his shopping trip, his cart laden with goods. Glancing at the sky outside, he sensed the sun wasn't going to set anytime soon. Given Feng Yi's diligence, he might make another trip.
Sure enough, Tang Baozhu was right. After he poured the mushrooms into the winnowing basket, he said to Tang Baozhu, "Wife, I'm going to the mountain to pick some more. I won't go again after this trip. I'll come back tomorrow." Then he left.
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