CHAPTER 299: CHAPTER 296: GIANT WHITE TRUFFLE

Lin Juhua and her husband were very excited to see that Lin Wanwan liked the little gifts they had brought.

They came today to bow and express their gratitude to Lin Wanwan, but they really had nothing much to offer. This black muntjac was freshly caught from the mountain, meant as something new and interesting.

Besides this live creature, there was also a silly roe deer shot dead with three arrows, fifteen eggs, and some white ground mushrooms accidentally discovered and picked from the mountain. They also brought back the Golden Cod Fish Roe that Lin Wanwan had left before.

These were the best gifts they could offer, with the silly roe deer and the little black muntjac being the most valuable to them; selling them to a traveling merchant who collects mountain goods could easily fetch around one or two hundred coins.

Although the black muntjac is a young one, it looks cute. The merchant likes to collect these too, having heard that the nobility loves keeping such small creatures as pets, so they decided to bring them all to Lin Wanwan.

As for returning the Golden Cod Fish Roe, it was because they heard it was a gift from their Yue family to Lin Wanwan in the first place, and Lin Wanwan really likes eating fish roe.

Though fish roe may not be very valuable, Lin Wanwan likes it, and liking something is priceless.

In their view, all these gifts combined couldn’t compare to the few pieces of fruit that Lin Wanwan gave to Lin Juhua.

Therefore, it wasn’t about value but about the sentiment, just to let Lin Wanwan know they were grateful people.

Lin Wanwan was already very surprised when she saw the black muntjac, and when she discovered there were actually three fist-sized white ground mushrooms, she was even more speechless.

White ground mushrooms are actually white truffles, the most expensive kind of truffle.

Even in the advanced age of modern technology, the problem of artificial cultivation remains unsolved. Purely wild ones have low yield and their prices remain high.

Such a large white truffle could be put up for auction.

In modern times, an 850-gram white truffle once sold for a high price of a hundred thousand euros.

Though the one in front of her wasn’t that large, Lin Wanwan estimated it to be definitely around 400 grams. The key is that the environment in the Great Tang is good and unpolluted, so this white truffle is of excellent quality and is definitely valuable.

In ancient Europe, whether white or black truffles were only present on the dining tables of the imperial family and nobles, commoners could not afford them.

But in the information-poor yet vast and resource-rich countryside of the Great Tang, many people didn’t recognize its worth, and these mushrooms were hard to store. Many farmers ended up eating them as common wild mushrooms before merchants could collect them; Xu Family was one such case.

Living off the mountain isn’t just talk.

In fact, the Xu Family rarely came across white ground mushrooms this large. These days, whenever Xu Ada had some free time, he would roam the mountains for treasures, and he found this one by chance.

Precisely because this white ground mushroom was relatively large, they eagerly brought it to Lin Wanwan.

Lin Wanwan looked at Lin Juhua and her husband, Xu Ada, whose simple eyes showed a hint of timidity and anticipation, knowing they were afraid she wouldn’t appreciate it.

She immediately smiled and told them that this white mushroom was not an ordinary one, but a very expensive white truffle, loved by the nobles of Chang’an City. If they found more in the mountains next time, they could sell it to her, as she also bought such mountain goods.

Upon hearing this from Lin Wanwan, Lin Juhua and her husband instantly showed relieved smiles.

"If cousin likes it, next time we come across it in the mountains, we’ll bring it for you again." If this white mushroom was indeed so precious, that would be wonderful. Giving it to Lin Wanwan as a gift today set their hearts at ease.

Whether they would encounter it again would depend on luck, given that Xu Ada had only found such a large white ground mushroom for the first time.

After keeping Lin Juhua and her husband for a while, offering them some snacks and milk tea (Hua Nong had learned how to brew milk tea), the family prepared to take their leave.

Considering how difficult it was to visit one’s parents in ancient times, Lin Wanwan didn’t keep her too long. They weren’t very familiar yet, and both sides felt a bit constrained.

Moreover, the child in Lin Juhua’s arms started fussing, apparently hungry.

As she escorted them out, Lin Wanwan looked at Yun Shang, who stepped forward gracefully and handed two small children’s golden locks to Lin Wanwan.

Pure gold hollow pendants, each weighing 11.13 grams.

These were prepared by Lin Wanwan in advance, having expected that Lin Juhua’s family might visit once, so she spent 5,729 yuan on each at Chow Tai Fook in the modern era as a visiting gift for their two children.

She hadn’t anticipated that a family from this poor mountain area would bring her such a large white truffle.

The value wasn’t just for the modern auction market; even in the upper echelons of the Great Tang society, it was considerable, making Lin Wanwan’s gifts look small in comparison. Had she known, she would have bought solid ones instead.

While Lin Wanwan felt she had given too little, Lin Juhua’s family considered the gift overly generous, too embarrassed to accept it.

Whether the white ground mushroom was valuable didn’t matter; only in the Village Lady’s hands was it valuable. At their Farmer family abode, what could it fetch? For years, no household had ever made money from selling it to a merchant.

And Lin Wanwan was Lin Juhua’s savior, so how could they accept such a precious gift?

Finally, it was the wife of Xiao Chong’s steward, Sun Shi, who stepped forward, saying a few words and ending with the phrase, "If above grants, below dare not decline."

Only then did Lin Juhua gratefully accept the two golden locks, and had the young girl Xu Fu bow to Lin Wanwan.

Little Qingyu, seeing her playmate leave, called the maid to take her along to the neighboring house of Lin Mengbo to find children to play with.

As for practicing piano and calligraphy? Already forgotten.

By the time Lin Wanwan realized she should’ve caught her for study, she had already disappeared.

"This little rascal!" Lin Wanwan chuckled, not in a hurry to fetch her back. After all, little Qingyu had no academic pressure, unlike the modern need to study for high school or college; she could afford to be more relaxed.

After Lin Wanwan left the main hall, heading to the back to observe Hong Yan training the new Luo maid, Yun Shang glanced at Sun Shi still in the courtyard and coldly remarked, "Sister-in-law Sun, what are you doing out here instead of embroidering in Baoxia Hall, coming to disturb the lady?"

Sun Shi, directly named by Yun Shang, immediately reddened, saying, "I only heard some noise outside and thought there was a quarrel, so I came to have a look. It’s clear that my presence displeased you, and I overstepped my bounds, so I apologize."

She finished with a cold face and withdrew.

Hua Nong gave a curious glance at Sun Shi’s retreating figure, then asked Yun Shang, "Sister Yun Shang, what’s gotten into you? Why exactly go out of your way to upset her? She was sent by Ming Mansion."

Yun Shang looked at Hua Nong’s confused expression and said, "Ming Mansion sent her mother-in-law, not her. They only came as an attachment. With more people in the house now, you need to be more alert too."

Having said that, she turned back and entered the room.

Hua Nong scratched her head, utterly bewildered.

Since her recovery from the last injury, Lin Wanwan promoted her to a first-class maid. In effect, the duties remained the same, only the monthly stipend increased slightly, without much difference in food, clothing, or utilities.

With not many people at home, Lin Wanwan was generous to the few maids who had been with her since the early days.