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

Hearing Yang Lin's call, Zhao Dahai, who had just returned home after finishing chores, also came over out of curiosity.

"My mom told me you went into the mountains with a basket on your back. You didn't go to the mountains to beg for wild herbs, did you?" Zhao Dahai said subconsciously.

Yellow shrub is a common wild shrub in their southwestern region. It flowers in March and bears fruit from April to June.

Its fruit is bright yellow, shaped like a bubble, plump and juicy, and both sour and sweet.

Aside from the yellow jujube, there shouldn't be any other surprises in the mountains and forests this season.

"My God, what happened to you? You look like this!"

"It's like you come to my house and I don't give you food or a place to sleep."

Seeing that Yang Lin looked very haggard, Zhao Dahai quickly asked in surprise.

"If you had encountered all the messes I've made, you would have ended up like me. Let's not talk about that anymore, it's all in the past. Let's see what's in here first." Yang Lin didn't answer directly, but pointed to the basket on his back and continued.

"A few yellow bubbles, making it all so mysterious."

As they were talking, Zhao Dahai had already come up to Yang Lin and peered into the basket on his back.

Just thinking about the taste of the yellow jujube made Zhao Dahai's mouth water.

However, the moment Zhao Dahai saw the neatly arranged row of mushrooms in the basket, he immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"Holy crap..."

Holy crap!

"Termitomyces albuminosus!"

"Where did you get this?"

Zhao Dahai stared wide-eyed, stuck his head into the basket, and looked incredulously at the termite mushrooms inside.

The grayish-white, unopened termite mushrooms were neatly arranged in the basket.

A faint fragrance wafted around it.

For a moment, Zhao Dahai could hardly believe his eyes.

He reached out and picked up a mushroom, examining it closely.

Straight stems, half-open caps.

The roots still had some damp soil on them, so they looked like they had just been picked.

"Damn, it really is termite mushroom! Where did you get it?" Zhao Dahai asked.

"I was going to find some yellow hibiscus to satisfy my craving, but I couldn't find any. Luckily, I found a few matsutake mushrooms instead," Yang Lin said, scratching his head somewhat embarrassed.

Yang Lin wasn't very good at lying.

However, he had to find a way to keep his ability to create mycelium a secret.

It wouldn't be good to be studied as an alien.

He can't possibly eat all the fungi that grow from the mycelium by himself.

The fungi will eventually be released into the outside world; this cannot be hidden.

Unless he abandons his abilities and ventures into this unfamiliar world as an ordinary rural person.

He admitted that he didn't have that much skill, and that he would most likely end up working in a factory tightening screws in the future.

Therefore, Yang Lin's current plan is to gradually bury the mycelium and slowly release the mushrooms.

Once there are enough mycelia underground, he only needs to let the underground mycelia grow and produce fungi, without having to produce mycelia by hand anymore.

Even if someone happens to see it later, all they'll see is mushrooms growing on the ground, and that they just happened to be there.

……

"My goodness, you're incredibly lucky!"

Hearing Yang Lin's words, Zhao Dahai had no doubts.

Although at this time of year, it's not usually the season for going into the mountains to find mushrooms.

But no one can guarantee that there won't be a single mushroom in the mountains in April.

If you're lucky, someone might stumble upon a few plants; that's quite common.

"How about it, Hai-ge? Let's have an extra meal today, a pot of chicken and mushroom soup to try," Yang Lin said.

"Sure! I haven't had chicken mushrooms for years since I went out to work," Zhao Dahai said excitedly.

"Dahai, come here for a second."

Just as the two men took the termite mushrooms out of their baskets and were about to wash them, Zhao Dahai's parents suddenly came into the yard and called out to him.

Zhao Dahai responded and turned to walk towards his parents.

The two elders pulled Zhao Dahai into the house, their faces immediately darkening.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever do is eat!" The two elders scolded Zhao Dahai harshly.

"Yang Lin is in such a state now, and you still have the nerve to ask for two termite mushrooms? What kind of family do we have? Termite mushrooms cost over a hundred yuan a pound, which could buy a lot of meat. Do you think we can afford that...?"

After a good scolding, Zhao Dahai quickly understood what his parents meant.

Termitomyces albuminosus is indeed a precious mushroom, more expensive than meat.

Like most people in the village, my parents, who usually can't even bear to eat meat, dare not eat this stuff.

I occasionally find them on the mountain, and I always take them out to sell.

Furthermore, Yang Lin's parents knew about his situation and felt sorry for him. They believed that Yang Lin should focus on saving money, as eating chicken was a waste of his resources.

The two elders felt bad about eating Yanglin's chicken mushrooms.

The items belonged to Yang Lin, so they couldn't say anything about Yang Lin; they could only curse their own son.

"I understand, I understand..."

Unable to withstand the pressure from his parents, Zhao Dahai hurriedly rushed out of the room, went to the water pipe in the courtyard, and stopped Yang Lin.

"Xiaolin, stop washing, we're not eating, we're not eating."

"We've cooked other dishes at home. You can take these matsutake mushrooms and sell them. Making money is the only way to go," Zhao Dahai said.

"Don't worry, Brother Hai, it's just some mushrooms. I'll go back to the mountains to look for more next time," Yang Lin said.

"No, no, this stuff is too expensive. I can't eat yours right now." Zhao Dahai shook his head vigorously. "Take my advice and sell it."

Seeing Zhao Dahai's determined gaze, Yang Lin sighed slightly and then said, "Alright then."

As he spoke, a bitter smile appeared on Yang Lin's lips.

Rural houses aren't very soundproof, so Yang Lin overheard a few of Zhao Dahai's parents scolding him.

Although Zhao Dahai's parents were not targeting Yang Lin, their intentions were good.

However, Yang Lin was still affected to some extent.

Living in someone else's place is never quite as comfortable.

Especially considering that he was also harboring secrets.

"I'll listen to Hai-ge, let's sell it."

Knowing Zhao Dahai's difficulties, Yang Lin didn't say anything more and nodded in agreement.

For him, other mushrooms might be rare, but when it comes to termite mushrooms, he can have them all if he wants.

Whether we sell it or let others try it out, it's not a big deal.

Besides, he'll be selling mushrooms sooner or later anyway, so there's no harm in getting familiar with the market in this world beforehand.

……

Qingshan Village is an impoverished village with a small population, most of whom are young and middle-aged and work away from home year-round.

There isn't even a small shop in the village, and merchants rarely come here.

To sell mushrooms, one has to walk at least five kilometers of mountain road and five kilometers of provincial highway to set up a stall in town.

Walking to town is obviously impractical.

Although many of the older generation in the village still carry their loads on shoulder poles to go to the market in town.

Yang Lin repacked the termite mushrooms, ate a simple lunch, and then left Zhao's house with his basket on his back, arriving at the door of his fellow villager, Wang Xiaoshan.