Chapter 10: The First Encounter with the Boletus

A single call of “Sister” seemed to dispel the disappointment on Tang Yao’s face. She picked up the wooden bucket and continued her ascent to the mid-mountain.

Halfway up, she still hadn’t found the chicken mushrooms but came across another kind of mushroom instead.

Boletus edulis—round and plump caps, black stalks tender at the base—when eaten with plain rice, it could easily make two bowls full.

Tang Yao recognized this mushroom. Back when she was at home, her grandparents had taken her to a state-run restaurant where she had seen this mushroom before.

At just three years old, curious, she had sneaked to the kitchen door and glimpsed these fungi.

The waitress had said these were from Yunnan Province, called Boletus edulis, specially procured by the chef through connections.

The mushrooms had just arrived, and Tang Yao saw them promptly; if one wanted to eat them, they had to buy quickly.

Tang Yao was fascinated by their appearance and had never heard of such mushrooms before. She had eaten wild mushrooms but none this large.

Immediately, she asked her grandfather to order a plate of stir-fried Boletus edulis.

The first bite left an indelible mark on her memory—the mushrooms were incredibly fresh and delicious. Without adding anything, the dish alone was enough to eat two bowls of rice.

That dish never appeared again in the state-run restaurant. It was the first and last time Tang Yao had tasted Boletus edulis.

Returning to the present, several fist-sized Boletus edulis grew under a tree, waiting for Tang Yao to harvest them. She loosened her straps, placed the kicking Fang Mingxi under the tree, and grabbed a thick branch to dig into the soil.

Freed, Fang Mingxi quickly rolled over and climbed away toward her chosen target while Tang Yao was distracted.

A vast patch of ripe peanuts awaited. Pulling a handful would reveal dozens of peanuts beneath.

Fang Mingxi struggled to climb to the edge, grasped the roots tight, and pulled hard.

“Snap!”

The peanut roots broke, but the peanuts didn’t come free. Instead, Fang Mingxi fell backward, clutching half a leaf.

Fang Mingxi thought bitterly, “I despise this body.”

After the first failed attempt, she tried again with renewed effort.

She climbed up nimbly, laid her legs flat on the ground, loosened the soil around the peanuts, and then gripped the roots once more.

The moist earth cracked open, and the roots came out easily this time, revealing a large cluster of peanuts still covered in dirt.

Fang Mingxi glanced back at Tang Yao, who was still digging Boletus edulis behind the tree, and felt relieved enough to pack the peanuts into her backpack.

Without resting, she used the same method to continue digging peanuts.

But after just a few more attempts, her hands weakened, her body grew weak, and she panted heavily.

Realizing she had reached her physical limit, Fang Mingxi loosened the peanut leaves, covered the soil back up, and crawled on all fours.

During this, she tried to stand on her feet. At first, she could only support herself on her knees, but gradually her legs gained strength, allowing her to crawl supported by her feet.

Tang Yao, excited by the mushroom hunting, finally remembered Fang Mingxi and glanced over. Seeing her having crawled a long way out, she hurried over and lifted her back.

“Xixi, don’t run off, or I won’t be able to see you.”

Fang Mingxi’s face fell as she spotted a large radish nearby. “No, sister...”

My sister, let me go. Half an hour is almost up, and there’s still one more chance to gather.

Regardless of Fang Mingxi’s struggles and protests, Tang Yao forcibly carried her back. The ground around them was thick with mushrooms, each nearly a pound in weight. She hadn’t finished harvesting yet and had to keep going.

As Fang Mingxi struggled, her eyes caught sight of the Boletus edulis in the basket.

Looking at Tang Yao’s back, she smiled faintly and reached her hand mischievously toward the mushroom bucket.

...

Half an hour passed. Red Leaf Mountain returned to its quiet state, sunlight streamed through the forest, and Tang Yao was already carrying Fang Mingxi down the mountain.

This trip yielded a large haul of Boletus edulis. If rationed carefully, it could provide several meals. She turned to look at Fang Mingxi, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and sighed.

She had wanted to gather more mushrooms, but Xixi suddenly burst into tears. Only then did Tang Yao realize how much time had passed since they started climbing.

Suddenly, a wave of fear washed over her. They had escaped while it was still dim, but now, with the full daylight, escape routes would be blocked if anyone came.

Not to mention the bucket filled with so many mushrooms. Just yesterday, she couldn’t fathom where she’d found the courage to lie in front of so many people.

Thinking about the Boletus edulis, Tang Yao frowned at the wooden bucket in her hands.

She clearly remembered digging up many mushrooms, so why did it feel like a few were missing?

She didn’t think much of it, assuming she might have miscounted. After all, only she and Xixi were here. Could it be that Xixi had taken some?

The culprit, Fang Mingxi, rubbed her eyes, finally easing the anxiety she’d been holding.

That was close—she had nearly miscalculated. Tang Yao got so absorbed in digging mushrooms that she almost missed it.

Fang Mingxi had been nervously checking the timer several times, afraid that the forest would vanish when time ran out, exposing her.

Luckily, she smartly pinched herself to shed a few tears, or Tang Yao might still be unwilling to leave the mountain.

Fang Mingxi felt a little troubled. If tomorrow was the same, how should she hide? Should she avoid launching the game for a few days and only sneak up the mountain when she could walk?

But that would take too long. Not to mention that her grandparents would surely worry, and Tang Yao, who watched her closely, wouldn’t let her out of sight.

Yet, not going up the mountain meant starvation, and the vegetable seeds in her backpack had no chance to be distributed.

Going up the mountain risked exposure; not going meant dying of hunger.

The dilemma weighed heavily on her mind.

.....

The sun rose high, the heat making everyone in the fields restless.

All the workers in the Maple Leaf Brigade bent over their tasks without pause, their sickles striking so fast sparks flew.

Sweat drenched their clothes, dripping down their necks, and soon steam seemed to rise off their heads.

Today, Tong Lingxian and her companions moved to a new spot, but progress remained sluggish, barely covering half of what others managed.

Watching this, several elderly women nearby couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves during a brief lull.

“These folks really act like capitalists, working so slowly. If it were me, I might not even get grain at the end of the year.”

“Right, it’s almost September. If they don’t earn enough work points during the double harvest, there won’t be enough grain for next year.”

“Did you hear there’s a little baby here who got a fever right away? They say the brigade leader even helped get medicine.”

“Poor thing, a baby brought down here—that’s just heartbreaking...”

“Instead of spending time getting medicine, they’d be better off finding a good spot to bury the baby on the mountain.”

As they spoke, a voice suddenly cut through their chatter.

Everyone looked up to see the eldest son of the Wang family from the village entrance. He was lazily chewing on a foxtail grass, standing in the shade with his sickle in hand.

A sardonic smile tugged at his lips. “What? Did I say something wrong? These people all came down for reformation. Why waste medicine on them? If there’s extra money, why not give me some?”

His words extinguished the sympathy the elderly women had just felt.

Of course! These people were here for reeducation. Why should they feel sorry for them?

Their tone shifted abruptly as they turned to agree, but then someone else spoke nearby again.