Chapter 158 – Picking Mushrooms
This was indeed a cause for great celebration.
“Xiaosi, I’ll go tell Mother and Big Sister right away,” Yan Shuxue said, holding the land deed and running into the cave, shouting excitedly, “Mother, Big Sister, Xiaosi has bought the land, we have our own land now!”
It was broad daylight, but Ms. Zhong and her daughters had refrained from lighting any lamps, leaving the cave dark.
Frowning, Yan Xiaosi walked inside. “Mother, why is it so dark in the cave? Why don’t you light a lamp?”
“We didn’t light a lamp because you weren’t home, and your big sister and second sister aren’t afraid of the dark. It’s a waste of resources,” Ms. Zhong replied.
“Mother, we exchanged that luminous stone for twenty taels of silver, we don’t need to be so frugal. The ground in this cave is uneven and in the dark, you might hurt yourself. Look, Big Sister’s ankle is still injured.”
While talking to Ms. Zhong, Yan Xiaosi walked over to Yan Shuqin, knelt down, and rolled up her trouser leg to examine the injury. The ankle was badly swollen.
Seeing her daughter’s swollen ankle, Ms. Zhong asked worriedly, “Xiaosi, are you sure your sister’s bone isn’t hurt? I’ve been applying cold compresses with water from the mountain stream, but instead of reducing the swelling, it’s gotten worse.”
Gently pressing the swollen area, Yan Xiaosi noticed some edema. The injury had caused a sprain, leading to poor blood circulation and slight swelling.
“Mom, although Big Sister hasn’t injured her bone, she has sprained her tendons. Don’t worry, I’ll go gather some herbs in the mountain for her treatment,” Yan Xiaosi said firmly, reassuring her mother.
“Xiaosi, let your second sister accompany you,” Ms. Zhong suggested.
Yan Shuxue grabbed a basket and a sickle, putting the basket on her back, then said to Yan Xiaosi, “Xiaosi, let me come with you. There might be wild mushrooms in the mountains this season.”
Yan Xiaosi initially didn’t want Yan Shuxue to accompany her as she planned to enter her portable space to get the medicine. But the mention of wild mushrooms made her nod involuntarily. Wild mushrooms were a real delicacy, especially in twice-cooked pork.
“Second Sister, let’s not delay. We should go now.”
The sisters left the cave and climbed towards the higher parts of Big Sister Peak. Yan Shuxue specifically chose areas with pine trees, lifting the thick pine needles to find the wild mushrooms hidden beneath.
“So these mushrooms are hidden under the pine needles. No wonder I never saw them when I came to the mountains to gather herbs,” Yan Xiaosi observed.
Yan Shuxue carefully picked the mushrooms, placing them gently in the basket. In no time, the basket was filled with a good amount of wild mushrooms.
“These mushrooms probably weren’t grown a few days ago; that’s why you didn’t see them,” Yan Xiaosi remarked, noticing more pine trees nearby, likely hiding more mushrooms.
“Second Sister, you continue picking mushrooms here. I’ll go gather herbs elsewhere. I’ll come back here to find you when the sun sets.”
Yan Shuxue stopped and advised her, “Xiaosi, be careful. Once you find the herbs for Big Sister’s leg, come back quickly.”
“Okay, Second Sister. You should also be careful. If anything happens, just shout, and I’ll come back immediately.”
After exchanging words of caution, Yan Xiaosi, with a sickle in hand, strode away.
Once out of Yan Shuxue’s sight, she quickly entered her portable space, intending to get a bottle of medicine for treating sprains from the medicine shelf in the small western-style house.
Passing by the spiritual spring, she noticed that the He Shou Wu planted in the red clay had sprouted new leaves. The sight of those tiny, child-fingernail-sized new leaves filled Yan Xiaosi with excitement.
The He Shou Wu had only been planted for a short time and had already sprouted new leaves. Given this growth rate, it wouldn’t take long to harvest He Shou Wu comparable to those aged a hundred years.
Next to the spiritual spring, the water bubbled out, cool and refreshing.
After moving around in the mountains, Yan Xiaosi’s face felt sticky, so she washed it with the spring water. She then scooped some water to water the He Shou Wu before going to the first floor of the small western-style house to get an ointment for treating sprains.
After collecting the ointment and leaving her portable space, Yan Xiaosi wandered around Big Sister Peak for a while.
She dug up some Devil’s Needle Grass, sanqi, and Bone-Knit Herb.
Seeing the sun setting, she went to find Yan Shuxue to return to the cave together.
Yan Shuxue had picked half a basket of wild mushrooms. Just as she was about to look for Yan Xiaosi, she saw her coming back with a sickle in her left hand and a handful of herbs in her right, greeting her with a smile.
“Xiaosi, did you gather all the herbs needed for Big Sister’s foot injury?”
Yan Xiaosi showed her the herbs. “Devil’s Needle Grass, sanqi, and Bone-Knit Herb all have effects of promoting blood circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. We just need to wash these herbs, crush them, and apply them to Big Sister’s ankle. In a few days, she’ll be able to move freely.”
Yan Shuxue had no doubt about Yan Xiaosi’s words. “Big Sister’s ankle must be very painful. Xiaosi, let’s hurry back.”
When they returned to the cave, Ms. Zhong and Yan Shuqin were cooking dinner.
Yan Shuqin, sitting on a stone, was selecting vegetables.
Yan Shuxue approached her with the basket, setting it down and saying, “Big Sister, let’s wash some wild mushrooms. Tonight, we can make stir-fried pork with wild mushrooms. It’ll be delicious. It’s a pity that Third Sister isn’t home tonight.”
Yan Shuqin, having not seen her for half a day, also missed Yan Shuyun. “I wonder how Third Sister is doing at the Xu Family Fur Store. I hope no one is bullying her.”
Yan Shuxue reassured her, “The owner of the Xu Family Fur Store seems nice, and so does Young Master Liu. Third Sister should be fine. I’m just worried she might not be used to living there.”
Feeling a bit relieved by these words, Yan Shuqin, holding a mushroom, said to Yan Shuxue, “I didn’t know there were so many wild mushrooms on Big Sister Peak. Once my leg heals, I’ll go mushroom picking too.”
Yan Shuxue replied, “Big Sister, you should focus on healing. With Third Sister staying at the Xu Family Fur Store, there are only four of us for meals. We can’t eat so many mushrooms.”
“We can dry the leftovers,” Yan Xiaosi interjected, joining their conversation. “Dried mushrooms can be stored for a long time. In winter, when vegetables are scarce, we can soak the dried mushrooms and use them for soup. It’s incredibly delicious.”
Yan Shuqin, amused by her vivid description, smiled and asked, “Xiaosi, when have you ever had soup made with dried mushrooms?”
Yan Xiaosi’s heart skipped a beat, almost revealing more than she intended.
She patted her mouth, cursing her own carelessness. “Big Sister, I haven’t had soup with dried mushrooms, but I’ve had soup made with dried vegetables. It’s quite tasty, so dried mushrooms must be good too.”
