Chapter 177

177. Chapter 177: Picking Wild Mountain Mushrooms After the Rain

Shopkeeper Zhou fell silent.

It's unavoidable—after all, you just don't look like someone trustworthy…

Of course, he dared not voice this thought and invite bad luck.

He only said: "Shall I go to the Jiang Family and smooth things over for you…"

Given the business ties between us and the Jiang Family these past few months, Little Lady Jiang should be willing to make an exception…

"Never mind," Shen Que merely shook his head. "This matter doesn't warrant troubling them."

He'd find another way to resolve it himself—it wasn't that dire yet.

"Then… how many days do you have left before returning to the Metropolis?" Shopkeeper Zhou asked again.

Shen Que gazed out the window. "By year's end, at the latest."

"That's not much time left…" Shopkeeper Zhou sighed softly.

If this issue remains unresolved before he returns to the Metropolis, it would be a failure at the final hurdle.

…

After nightfall, the first rain of autumn arrived.

Heavy rain pattered steadily, thunder rumbling without pause.

The rain continued unceasingly until dawn.

Jiang Xiaoxiao rubbed her sleepy eyes and stepped out of her room, gazing at the eaves outside.

Rainwater trickled down the tiled eaves, pooling into a puddle on the ground.

Fortunately, the courtyard floor was paved with bricks; otherwise, after this rain, the entire yard would be muddy sludge—how unsightly.

Soon after, villagers arriving at the Soap Workshop arrived at the Jiang Family, cloaked in straw capes.

They gazed at the rain-washed, gleaming green stone slabs in the Jiang courtyard and felt a wave of envy.

A courtyard paved with bricks is so much better than our own muddy earth—once it rains, the yard turns soggy, full of sticky mud; step in it, and mud splashes onto your pants legs and shoes—dirty and troublesome.

Upon arriving at the Jiang Family, the villagers went straight to the Soap Workshop without Jiang Wei's prompting and began today's work.

Compared to the autumn harvest rain half a month ago, the villagers clearly welcomed this autumn rain.

Just days ago, they'd planted wheat and worried whether the rain would come at all.

Though buckwheat requires little water, if not a single drop falls, even the most drought-resistant wheat won't bloom or bear grain.

Now that this heavy rain had arrived, their hearts finally settled.

This autumn rain lasted three days and three nights, thoroughly soaking the ground.

Yet it didn't hinder the Soap Workshop's progress at all.

The villagers worked inside the Cement Bungalow—no rain, no wind, no sun—and earned generous wages. Anyone would call this comfort.

After the rain stopped, Jiang Xiaoxiao hurried up the Mountain with her mother.

This autumn rain wasn't without drawbacks for her family.

The constant rain had used up all their firewood.

The Soap Workshop needed firewood to burn plant ash, and rendering lard required firewood too; in just a few days, they'd burned through months' worth of stored firewood.

If they didn't hurry up and cut more from the Mountain, they wouldn't even have firewood left to cook meals.

Jiang Xiaoxiao carried a small back basket; Jiang Wei chopped wood nearby, while Jiang Xiaoxiao gathered scattered pieces of firewood into piles for later bundling and carrying down the Mountain.

Since the rain had just ended, the firewood was still damp—after bringing it home, they'd need to dry it before use.

As she bent to collect wood, Chunya, who had come up the Mountain to cut green grass, spotted her and waved, calling out: "Xiaoxiao sister, come quick! There are so many wild mountain mushrooms here!"

Wild mountain mushrooms!

Jiang Xiaoxiao's eyes instantly brightened.

She quickly glanced at her mother.

Jiang Wei nodded: "Go ahead."

Jiang Xiaoxiao slung her small back basket over her shoulder and hurried off happily.

Upon reaching Chunya's side, she looked down—and sure enough, the wild mushrooms had sprouted like spring bamboo shoots after rain.

Jiang Xiaoxiao eagerly bent down, plucked a plump, white, umbrella-shaped mushroom—like a mushroom, soft and white, feeling delightfully squishy in her hand.

But Chunya slapped the mushroom from her grasp: "Xiaoxiao sister, you can't take this one home to eat—it's poisonous, it'll kill you. You must pick the ugly ones; the prettier the mushroom, the more poisonous it is."

Jiang Xiaoxiao: "..."

Fine.

For the first time in her life, she'd been scolded by an eight-year-old girl.

Chunya took her hand and led her to another spot, saying: "Follow me—I'll show you which wild mushrooms are safe to pick."

Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded eagerly, following her step by step.

Chunya picked one; Jiang Xiaoxiao memorized it.

She had to admit—this little girl was even more knowledgeable and patient than she'd imagined.

She knew most wild mushrooms on the Mountain: which were poisonous, which were edible—she could explain them all clearly.

"Xiaoxiao sister, this mushroom looks ugly too, but when you cut it open, it turns blue—it's poisonous, don't eat it. Once someone in the Village accidentally ate it, they kept vomiting and having diarrhea, and swore they saw tiny people dancing before their eyes, thought they'd seen ghosts… But this chicken fungus? It's safe to eat…"

Jiang Xiaoxiao listened, nodding along.

She knew this blue-turning mushroom—it was Jian Shou Qing. Eating it causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness… But she'd heard that if fried thoroughly in plenty of oil, it's harmless.

Still, she didn't say this aloud—villagers were poor; who'd waste so much oil frying a poisonous mushroom? And if it wasn't cooked thoroughly, it'd still poison you.

Under Chunya's careful guidance, she nearly memorized every wild mushroom on the Mountain and filled more than half her back basket with edible ones.

Chunya knew all this from years of roaming the Mountain and village gossip; Jiang Xiaoxiao, in mere moments, memorized them all and perfectly distinguished which were poisonous and which were safe.

Startled, Chunya kept praising: "Xiaoxiao, your memory is amazing—I only told you once and you remembered it all! No wonder you know so many characters!"

After all, many of the wild mushrooms on the mountain couldn't even be fully remembered by her elder sister, Chunmiao.

Jiang Xiaoxiao scratched her head shyly and smiled: "I owe this all to your careful explanations."

She knew her sharp memory was thanks to the Gene Modification Liquid, while Chunya had memorized all this entirely through her own ability.

Gradually, more people came up the mountain to gather mushrooms.

Jiang Xiaoxiao also saw many familiar faces.

Qiulian Niang, Wang Shenzi, Gao Xiaoyan's mother, the Village Head's Daughter-in-law… and piles of children running wild all over the mountain.

The mountain instantly became lively.

Everywhere were the sounds of children playing and shouting, and women chatting idly.

"This rain came at the perfect time—look at all these wild mushrooms, growing so well. Pick them home and you've got another dish."

"That's right—these wild mushrooms have thick, meaty flesh, tasting just like meat. The children love eating them!"