CHAPTER 172: CHAPTER 172: THE LITTLE MUSHROOM PICKER

The midday sun was still intense, and the forest was not as comfortable as it seemed. The moisture on the ground was being evaporated by the heat, and the leaves above blocked the breeze, making it very muggy and humid.

However, this did not dampen their enthusiasm at all. They were so eager that they even skipped their afternoon nap. After lunch, they couldn’t wait to head up the mountain.

Their clothes were stained with mud in the morning while chopping bamboo, but they didn’t bother to change, since they would be going up the mountain again in the afternoon anyway.

Jiang Hu carried a basket on his back, which contained a kitchen knife, two flints, a small jar of salt, and a clay pot.

Of course, there were also rice balls and water prepared especially for Liu Ze.

He couldn’t eat the food outside, but he really wanted to join in, so he had to make do with this little grievance.

The two flints Xiaomi had brought out in the morning had already been confiscated by Er Niang for fear that they were too dangerous for her to handle, which made Xiaomi regret deeply.

If only she had taken the flints from home in the morning; these two were ones she had painstakingly hidden over the years.

Now there’s nothing left...

"Let’s go, Xiaomi. Do you want a lift from mom?" With Er Niang’s invitation, Xiaomi became excited and darted forward.

"Mom, I can walk by myself. Just take care of Tiedan."

She dashed right after her second sister.

By then, they had already started ascending the mountain. Jiang Hu led them along a relatively smooth path with sparse trees.

Jiang Hu and Qixi each carried a basket, one clearing the path at the front, the other at the back, while the rest walked in the middle.

Jiang Hu used to come to this mountain frequently in the past few years, mainly to catch wild chickens and rabbits. But this year, since their household had raised their own wild chickens and rabbits, he seldom made the trip.

However, Jiang Hu had not forgotten his familiarity with the mountain. With a chopping knife in hand, he cut off some branches here and there as he walked, making it easier for those behind and leaving marks for Jiang Yu.

Jiang Hu led them through areas with fewer trees. Although the sun was beating down, the air was at least less hot and humid, making breathing much more comfortable.

"This is plantain, this is selfheal, and this is..."

Liu Ze and Xiaoxue walked in front of Xiaomi, and Liu Ze introduced the herbs they found along the roadside, most of which were common medicinal plants.

Xiaomi pursed her lips, increasingly feeling that Liu Ze was quite attentive to her second sister.

But she also thought she might be overthinking it. After all, besides their elder brother, only her second sister was of similar age to Liu Ze at home.

People are social creatures, aren’t they? Surely, Liu Ze would enjoy conversing with peers his age?

"Brother Ze, you’re amazing for knowing so much. I have no idea about any of this."

Xiaoxue expressed her admiration sincerely, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Liu Ze.

Liu Ze smiled with his lips pressed together, but his eyes had already curved into crescent moons, clearly overjoyed.

However, he humbly explained, "I learned it all from books. This is the first time I’ve actually seen them."

Xiaoxue admired him even more: "The drawings in the books are so ugly, yet you can still recognize them. That’s incredible."

Xiaomi nodded in deep agreement. Wasn’t it so?

The copies of "Compendium of Materia Medica" in her space used real color photographs, and even with those, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t make mistakes.

But the books Liu Ze had, even if they weren’t the "Compendium of Materia Medica," were just explanations of common herbs depicted with abstract ink wash paintings!

Except for something as distinct as sugarcane, most of them looked more or less the same in Xiaomi’s eyes!

Yet Liu Ze was able to distinguish them so easily. Isn’t that impressive?

However, Liu Ze completely overlooked Xiaomi’s agreement behind him and only saw Xiaoxue’s praise, blushing with a look of happiness.

"Actually, it’s not just the drawings. There are also descriptions that, when combined, make them easier to identify."

The more modest Liu Ze was, the more impressive Xiaoxue found him. After all, she had occasionally heard Brother Ze read about this kind of thing, but she couldn’t remember any of it...

"Xiaoxue, Xiaoze, hurry up over here, there are lots of mushrooms," Jiang Hu’s voice called from the front.

Liu Ze and Xiaoxue’s attention was immediately captured: "Coming."

The two of them ran over, one after the other. There was a small uphill slope, and after Liu Ze climbed up, he turned to help Xiaoxue.

Xiaomi, trailing a few steps behind, stood before the slope that appeared so slippery at first glance. Turning back and seeing that Liu Ze and her second sister had already gone far ahead, she could only turn around.

"Mom~"

Xiaomi felt aggrieved but didn’t say it.

The second sister was mean and didn’t wait for Xiaomi!

Er Niang chuckled, picking up Xiaomi and setting her down: "What’s wrong? Why aren’t you happy?"

"Wow, so many mushrooms!" Xiaoxue’s voice emerged from up ahead.

Xiaomi, prepared to complain to her mom and speak out against her second sister for ignoring her, immediately forgot about it after hearing that, and turned around to run.

"Second sister, wait for me, I want to pick mushrooms too!"

Er Niang shook her head, carrying Tiedan up, still remembering to call out to Qixi, who brought up the rear.

They carried baskets just to gather mushrooms. It had rained yesterday, and with today’s great sunshine, there were bound to be a lot of mushrooms on the mountain.

Taking advantage of today’s outing, they planned to gather and dry more mushrooms to store for a long time.

Xiaomi dashed over to her second sister and Liu Ze, completely forgetting how her second sister had left her behind earlier in her haste.

"So many mushrooms!" Xiaomi was amazed and jumped down.

Jiang Hu was so frightened he broke into a cold sweat: "Careful!"

Fortunately, he managed to catch Xiaomi, but couldn’t help scolding with a stern face: "Why didn’t you look where you were going? This is so high; aren’t you afraid of breaking a leg?"

The spot was almost as tall as Jiang Hu’s chest, and Xiaomi just leapt off like that, almost giving Jiang Hu a heart attack.

Xiaomi belatedly realized that this patch of mushrooms was in a depression, with a large pine tree growing right in the center. It seemed as if the area had sunken due to heavy rain or flood erosion.

Knowing her dad was scolding her for her own good, Xiaomi obediently nodded and admitted her mistake: "Sorry, Dad. I’ll be careful next time."

Her well-behaved demeanor instantly dissipated Jiang Hu’s anger. Seeing Xiaomi still staring at the mushrooms, he could only sigh.

"Alright, make sure you watch your step in the future, understand?"

"Mm-hmm, I understand." Xiaomi nodded repeatedly, though she was thinking, "Please let me down, Dad. The mushrooms are going to be all picked by Second Sister and Brother Ze!"

Jiang Hu understood, reluctantly shaking his head, but he still put Xiaomi down: "Go on."

Xiaomi’s eyes immediately curved with a smile: "Thank you, Dad!"

Then she sprinted toward Xiaoxue and Liu Ze, calling out as she ran: "Second sister, save some for me, I want to pick mushrooms too!"