The timeline system has gone awry; they insist that steamed buns are a magic pill.

"Are these all snow mushrooms?"

Li Qingshi was astonished to see the two baskets filled with snow mushrooms in the meadow. His third brother had actually grown mushrooms! And this was in the dead of winter! Usually, the supply and marketing cooperative and the food station would buy mushrooms in the fall.

Moreover, it's dried mushrooms. When will there be fresh mushrooms in winter? This is truly a strange and unusual thing. Li Qingshi just heard from his second brother that his third brother had concocted a kind of mushroom he had never seen before. It was snow-white and tasted extremely delicious.

What was most surprising was that this kind of mushroom could be eaten raw. This was unheard of. He simply couldn't believe it. But what his second brother said was true. Although his second brother was a little clever, he would never lie.

To verify this with a touch of disbelief, Li Qingshi saw two baskets of snow mushrooms on his back. Seeing is believing, and he even tasted them. Sure enough, they could be eaten raw and tasted quite good. This was amazing.

"How's it? Not bad, right, fourth brother? Tell me, how do we prepare these mushrooms?"

"The regulations stipulate that mushrooms can only be sold to the state and cannot be traded freely."

Li Qingshi thought for a moment and said, "Second Brother, Third Brother, you don't know, but our country now relies on mushrooms to exchange for foreign exchange, and it is strictly forbidden for collectives and individuals to freely buy and sell them."

"Exchanging mushrooms for foreign currency?"

Li Qingqiu wasn't really sure, but he had heard of using pork to pay off debts.

"Yes, mushrooms are an important foreign exchange earning product. Our region holds meetings every year to emphasize this, and each commune usually has a quota." Li Qingshi was, after all, a commune cadre, so he knew some of the policies.

"However, the mushrooms you grew, oh, snow mushrooms, are a bit different from regular shiitake mushrooms. To explain the specifics, I'll take you to the supply and marketing cooperative later. Aunt Xiaoyu is the deputy director of the cooperative, so she might know the specific purchasing policies."

Li Qingqiu and Li Qinghua exchanged a glance and decided to go to the supply and marketing cooperative first. Of course, Li Qingqiu would leave some snow mushrooms behind to bring back to Lao Si for his girlfriend later.

Upon arriving at the supply and marketing cooperative, the group found Zhang Xiaoyu's aunt, Zhang Xinhong.

"A new variety of mushroom?"

Zhang Xinhong was somewhat surprised. Were there mushroom varieties she hadn't seen before? She really didn't believe it. She thought they were rare fungi, and that the farmers in the countryside probably didn't know much about them and mistook them for some new mushroom.

Did you bring it with you?

Yes, yes.

Li Qinghua quickly put down his basket, lifted the stalks of grass, and Zhang Xinhong, who had just been expressionless, froze, her pupils dilated, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, and her breathing became heavier. "Fresh mushrooms?"

"this……."

Zhang Xinhong thought they were dried mushrooms or something, but they turned out to be fresh. They looked like they had just been picked. There was also a snow-white mushroom that she had never seen before. Could it really be a new variety?

Zhang Xinhong took a few pieces of snow mushroom, squeezed them and found them to be tender, juicy, and very crisp. This was the first time she had ever seen such a mushroom.

"Auntie, try it, it tastes pretty good when eaten raw."

Li Qingshi tore off a piece and put it in his mouth.

"Kyung-sil, don't eat yet."

Zhang Xinhong was worried that it might be poisonous, after all, who knows if a new variety is poisonous?

"Auntie, it's okay, I've tried it at home."

"Have you tried it?"

Zhang Xinhong thought to herself, "Your family is really brave." "No reaction, right?"

"No, it's fine."

Li Qingqiu said, "I ate it a few days ago, and there haven't been any problems."

"Then I'm relieved."

Zhang Xinhong tore off a small piece and put it in her mouth. She chewed, then froze. "Sweet and crunchy! This mushroom can really be eaten raw?"

"Yes, although I think it's not very good to eat raw, it's a bit too sweet."

"Good grief, he's starting to complain," Zhang Xinhong sized up Li Qingqiu. The man was dressed simply, quite tall, and had a rather handsome face. "Where did you get these mushrooms?"

"Auntie, these snow mushrooms were cultivated by my third brother himself."

"What?"

Zhang Xinhong was truly astonished. Cultivating a new variety of mushroom was quite an achievement. She had some doubts about whether Li Qingshi, a countryman, could really cultivate such a new variety of mushroom. But the mushroom in front of her was one she had never seen before.

Zhang Xinhong suppressed her curiosity and went back to inquire. She never expected that Li Qingshi's third brother had such abilities.

"Actually, it can't really be said that I cultivated them."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "I discovered the snow mushroom spawn, tried to cultivate it, and unexpectedly it succeeded."

"So that's how it is."

Zhang Xinhong thought to himself, "That's more like it. Otherwise, cultivating mushrooms would be too easy."

"So, what brings you here this time?"

"Well, this is my first time cultivating snow mushrooms, and I didn't know much about it, so I cultivated too many. Now we can't finish them all ourselves." Li Qingqiu pointed to the baskets of snow mushrooms on his back, which weighed over 100 jin (50 kg). "Besides these, we have quite a few more at home."

Zhang Xinhong tore off another piece and tasted it. It tasted really good; it was delicious even raw. It must be just as good stir-fried. However, it was a new variety, and she wasn't sure what to do. "How about this," she said, "I'll take some for Qingshi's sake. You all know it's a new variety, and I don't know how it tastes yet. Also, I don't know what the county and region say about it. I need to ask them first."

"Aunt, we understand your difficulties."

"But mushrooms don't wait for anyone; they'll probably be too old in a few days."

"It's alright, I'll issue you a note later, allowing you to sell on a small scale."

There are loopholes in the management of new varieties, and it's not a big problem to sell a small number of them. Zhang Xinhong can use this loophole to get a note, and even if the higher-ups find out, they won't hold her accountable. After all, who knows if a new variety can be sold?

Besides, these mushrooms aren't on the unified purchase list. Even if Li Qingqiu and the others don't say anything and sell them directly, it won't be against the law because the policy doesn't include this type of mushroom.

"As for the acquisition price, since there's no precedent, how about 45 cents? What do you think?"

Zhang Xinhong originally wanted to say 35 cents, but after glancing at Li Qingshi, who was her future nephew-in-law, she offered 10 cents.

"No problem, no problem."

Li Qingqiu nudged Li Qinghua, who quickly said something.

"Alright then, let's weigh both of these baskets."

Zhang Xinhong valued Li Qingshi quite a bit and gave him special face. The two baskets weighed over 100 jin, but Li Qingqiu only sold 100 jin, leaving more than 20 jin. They divided it up on the spot, and Zhang Xinhong even gave him 5 jin as a bonus.

"This child."

However, they eventually accepted it. Li Qingqiu asked Li Qingshi to take some of the remaining ten-odd kilograms to Zhang Xiaoyu's family, and also to share with some colleagues, friends, and leaders.

"This third son of the Li family knows how to handle people."

Zhang Xinhong thought to herself that she was unaware of Li Qingqiu's previous reputation, but thought he was a capable and worldly-wise young man.

"Fourth brother, don't forget Director Guo's share."

Li Qingqiu counted the money and casually slipped five yuan to Li Qingshi. "Don't be stingy with your money. Take Xiaoyu to the county town to see a movie sometime."

"Brother, I still have money."

"Take it."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself that since the money had been passed through the proper channels, it would definitely have to be given to his mother when he got back. So why not divide it up now? It wouldn't be unreasonable for the fourth brother to take five yuan and for him to take ten yuan.

"Second brother, this is for you."

"Third brother, if you don't want to keep this money, just leave it for now. If Mom finds out, she'll definitely scold you again."

"What are you talking about? I grew these mushrooms, we carried them here. What's wrong with spending a little money to buy them?"

Good heavens, Li Qingqiu's words left Li Qingshi and Li Qinghua speechless.

"Besides, this is nothing."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "There are at least two hundred catties of mushrooms left at home, which will be a considerable sum of money later."

"That's right, now that we have connections, we're not afraid of being stopped from selling."

Li Qinghua slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! Third brother, can you still plant more? Plant a few hundred or a thousand catties, and you'll be rich!"

"We'll see."

That's too much. It would exhaust people. Li Qingqiu is in it for the sake of making money and enjoying himself, not for making money.

"Let's be careful."

Li Qingshi advised, "After all, there are policies in place. If things are blown out of proportion, things could get complicated."

"That's true."

"It's better to keep a low profile."

The three brothers chatted all the way, and Li Qingqiu inevitably asked about the pig stomach soup. Li Qingshi was genuinely grateful to his third brother for it. "Director Guo knows about it and said he'd like to thank you when he has time."

"Is that so?"

"I'll see if I get another chance to get a wild boar stomach later."

Because the snow in the mountains is too thick, Li Qingqiu hasn't been able to sign in at the trial grounds recently. He can try it out in the next few days.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they returned to the commune compound, only to unexpectedly run into Director Guo Feng. "Comrade Li Qingqiu, it really is you!"

"Director Guo, you remember me?" Li Qingqiu was quite surprised that Guo Feng recognized him at a glance.

"Of course! First of all, your quotes, your knowledge of digging for winter bamboo shoots, and the pig stomach soup—I haven't had a chance to thank you yet."

As he spoke, Guo Feng glanced at Li Qingqiu carrying a basket on his back. "Comrade Qingqiu, what brings you to the commune this time?"

"Sell some mushrooms."

"Why are you so late?"

Guo Feng thought they were dried mushrooms, probably picked in summer or autumn, but they shouldn't have been sold at the end of autumn.

"I'm just trying my luck at the supply and marketing cooperative by getting some fresh mushrooms myself."

Li Qingqiu realized that Guo Feng had misunderstood and explained.

"Oh, fresh mushrooms, did you grow them yourself? Tell me more!"

Guo Feng was somewhat surprised. He had been tinkering with mushrooms, but after seeing the snow mushrooms and tasting them, his expression completely changed. He looked Li Qingqiu up and down. "Comrade Qingqiu, you've really impressed me. Come on, let's go to the office and talk in detail..."

The new variety of mushrooms can even grow in winter. As the director of the commune revolutionary committee who came down from the capital, Guo Feng's vision is far superior to Zhang Xinhong's. Now, there is a shortage of vegetables in winter, especially fresh vegetables.

Fresh mushrooms are also scarce, and this low-temperature-grown mushroom is extremely valuable. Guo Feng now wants to learn more about the details and find a few agricultural technicians to confirm whether the snow mushroom is a new variety. In fact, Guo Feng is quite certain that the snow mushroom is a new variety.

Otherwise, how could he not know about it all these years? After all, he came from the capital and was well-informed. But snow mushrooms were something he had never seen before, the first time he had ever seen mushrooms that could be eaten raw, and that tasted pretty good. This was incredibly valuable, and Guo Feng was quite excited.

Let's find out what's going on first. Maybe we can do something because of this little mushroom.

Guo Feng's enthusiasm was unexpected, which made the three Li brothers wonder. Li Qingqiu, being from the 21st century, had nothing special about eating mushrooms in winter.

Li Qingshi and Li Qinghua were simply less knowledgeable, less sophisticated, and lacked vision, which left the three brothers somewhat bewildered.

"Please sit down, Qingshi, pour some tea."

"Okay, Director Guo."

Li Qingshi was somewhat surprised. Director Guo's hospitality was so high that even the brigade leader wouldn't usually be offered tea. "What's going on?"

Li Qingqiu wasn't too nervous, just a little surprised. Compared to Li Qinghua, who was usually a bit clever and cunning, he was still just an ordinary production team member. Now, sitting in the office of the commune's revolutionary committee director, his calves were trembling a little.

"Third brother, what happened?"

Li Qinghua whispered, "Did they find out you went to the county town to sell mushrooms?"

"Second brother, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Li Qingqiu was both amused and exasperated. "Second brother, don't be nervous, Director Guo is a very nice person."

"You're really something, this is the commune director."

Guo Feng called the agricultural technology station to send someone over. The more Guo Feng looked at the new variety of mushrooms, the more delighted he became. "Good stuff, good stuff!"