Returning to the mountain village, starting with mushroom picking to get rich

Nanzhao Province is rich in mushrooms, with a wide variety of species.

Whether it's the popular termite mushroom or the black matsutake mushroom that can sell for tens of thousands of yuan in Europe, both are highly praised by outsiders.

All of the ten most prized wild mushrooms in China can be found in Nanzhao.

People who grow up in the mountains are bound to have a bit of luck, encountering rare and precious mushrooms once or twice.

But sometimes, good luck can take a lifetime to repay.

Back in the 1980s, Wang Youcai forgot to close the gate to his pigsty, letting the pigs escape. While searching for the pigs, he stumbled upon a patch of black matsutake mushrooms.

At that time, black pine mushrooms were called "pig-stubble mushrooms" by the Nanzhao people and were used to feed pigs.

Wang Youcai was also lucky; at that time, the Dragon Kingdom was opening up, and many foreigners came to Nanzhao for tourism.

One of the Frenchmen happened to be passing through Hongyan Town and took a liking to Wang Youcai's black pine mushrooms at the market.

He then spent a huge sum of three hundred yuan to buy Wang Youcai's matsutake mushrooms.

In those days, the average wage for workers was only fifty or sixty yuan.

Three hundred yuan was a huge sum of money, and it was not the same as three hundred yuan in this era.

With the huge sum of three hundred yuan, Wang Youcai successfully married a wife.

It was from that incident that Wang Youcai became increasingly fascinated with the mountains and forests, and gradually turned into a mountain herder.

Unfortunately, it seems that Wang Youcai's luck also ran out on that patch of black matsutake mushrooms.

When luck comes your way, it can make you feel like the happiest person in the world.

But luck is the most unreliable thing.

The greatest misfortune in life is that one might occasionally miscalculate but still succeed, or occasionally act recklessly and gain a small advantage.

Wang Youcai only realized later that he had embarked on a path of no return simply because of a moment of good luck.

In the decades that followed, none of his harvests in the mountains could ever compare to the black pine mushrooms he found while catching pigs.

Something is better than nothing, or even going home empty-handed is the norm for mountain hunters.

On average, the extra money he earned from going to the mountains each year was not actually more than that of his peers who were earning a proper living.

Besides earning a living, most of the money earned from hiking in the mountains is used for medical expenses incurred due to unexpected incidents.

Not only did he lose his money, but he was also left with a partially disabled body.

That's why Wang Youcai was very reluctant to see his son follow in his footsteps.

He didn't want his son to ruin his future because of a moment of luck.

Besides, this luck belongs to someone else.

……

"Xiaoshan, listen to me."

After sharing his experiences and insights with his son, Wang Youcai continued to persuade Wang Xiaoshan.

"Yang Lin was never taught anything as a child, so he is completely ignorant and lacks common sense. He can be easily manipulated by women, so he has no entrepreneurial mindset whatsoever."

"He has no money, no home, no shelter. He's dead and his eggs are scattered to the sky. We outsiders can't control what he does, but Xiaoshan, you're different."

"We'll be watching you get married and relying on you for our old age. You can't just go around fooling around and acting recklessly..."

"But... Brother Lin and I have already made a promise. A real man can't go back on his word." After being lectured by his father, Wang Xiaoshan felt guilty, but he was also unwilling to go back on his word and wanted to make one last effort.

Upon hearing this, Wang Youcai immediately patted Wang Xiaoshan's shoulder with his heavy hand.

"If you can't say it out loud, I'll go talk to him."

……

A similar scene also occurred at Zhao Dahai's home.

Unlike Wang Xiaoshan, Zhao Dahai's parents learned about the three brothers' plan to stay in the village and start a business by leasing forest land almost immediately.

After all, the place where the three of them were bragging at the dinner table was their Zhao family home.

Out of consideration for the friendship between their child and his friends, and to save face, Zhao Dahai's parents did not immediately step forward to avoid disrupting the atmosphere at the dinner table.

Instead, he waited until Yang Lin left before keeping Zhao Dahai behind to persuade him.

Compared to Wang Xiaoshan's father, Wang Youcai, Zhao Dahai's parents were much gentler in their persuasion.

At least, the two of them didn't use the cattle whip to lash Zhao Dahai.

However, the two elders' persuasion did have an effect after all.

Because of his parents, Zhao Dahai had to make a difficult decision.

Instead of staying in Qingshan Village, he decided to take a bus with his cousin to Liang Province a couple of days later to work in a factory.

……

In Qingshan Village, when Yang Lin came to find Wang Xiaoshan and Zhao Dahai with the good news that he had successfully rented a house.

Wang Youcai's and Zhao Dahai's parents brought Yang Lin bad news one after the other.

That is, Wang Xiaoshan and Zhao Dahai will be going out to work and will not be able to stay in the village to help him.

"Um... Kobayashi, don't blame them."

"It was us, their parents, who forced them to work."

"In our large family, no one goes to work, so we have no money to spend."

"I understand, I can understand..." Yang Lin sighed silently to himself, and said embarrassedly, "My uncles and elders have always taken care of me. This time, I was indeed a bit impulsive and didn't think things through."

"Going to work is fine too; the wages are high and there are many opportunities..."

Seeing that Yang Lin was so sensible and didn't dwell on the fact that their child had promised, Wang Youcai and Zhao Dahai's parents smiled.

"Xiao Lin, it's good that you understand. If you need any help in the village in the future, feel free to ask us. Don't be shy."

"Okay, okay, thank you Uncle Wang, thank you Uncle Zhao..." Yang Lin replied politely.

Although he felt a little regretful, Yang Lin quickly calmed down.

He knew that, if he were to conceal his abilities, no normal person would likely have high hopes for him.

Why should anyone believe an orphan who only graduated from junior high school, has no impressive resume, and has just been swindled out of all his family's wealth?

Looking back now, it's understandable that Wang Xiaoshan and Zhao Dahai's parents would make this choice.

Unless he deliberately reveals his special abilities.

Yang Lin would never dare to do that.

Without help, the only downside is that the initial stages will be a bit tougher.

Whether it's the secret of time travel or the inhuman methods of creating mycelium and controlling its rapid reproduction, Yang Lin doesn't have enough strength to dare reveal any of them.

It's better to start slowly than to let others know that you might not be human.

……

After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Lin arrived at Zhao Dahai's house.

Zhao Dahai blushed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed to face Yang Lin.

"Kobayashi, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, there are many ways to Rome. Remember to keep up the good work after you get to Liang Province. Remember to observe and learn as much as you can," Yang Lin said, patting Zhao Dahai on the shoulder.

"When Hai-ge makes connections outside, I might go and seek refuge with him."

The two laughed it off, and the matter was dropped.

A few days later, Zhao Dahai and Wang Xiaoshan went to the county town and took a bus that went directly to Liang Province.

A car drove up from Zixu City and picked up Grandma Wang.

Yang Lin also left Zhao Dahai's house and officially moved to the small courtyard he rented halfway up the mountain.