She planned to borrow some cabbage and radish seeds from Aunt Guihua and Aunt Dayun, hoping to plant them before Cold Dew (a solar term). That way, when the university closed its gates for winter, the whole family would still have fresh vegetables to eat.
But in the meantime, for over a month, they'd have to rely on wild greens to get by.
Yang Ruoqing carefully picked each okra off the vines and placed them into her bamboo basket. Seeing that the basket was already half full of wild greens, she felt a real sense of accomplishment.
Still, she didn't leave right away.
This season—plus the fact they were in a pine forest and it had just rained—was perfect for matsutake mushrooms to start sprouting. There was no way she'd find anything!
She continued venturing deeper into the woods, scanning the bases of trees, under pine needles and fallen leaves, and in the crevices between rocks…
As the saying goes, hard work pays off. She finally found some. At the base of a pine tree up ahead, she carefully used a stick to move aside the reddish pine needles covering the ground. What appeared in her line of sight were clusters of mushrooms shaped like cute little umbrellas—fresh matsutake!
Matsutake, or Tricholoma matsutake, is a non-toxic and delicious edible fungus.
Yang Ruoqing examined their color carefully—the caps were brown, and the stalks were white. Perfectly fresh!
Her eyes lit up as she squatted down, using her fingers gently to uproot each mushroom with care. She brushed off the soil and gravel at the base before placing them delicately into her bamboo basket.
Matsutake are rich in nutrients. Whether eaten fresh or dried, they have excellent flavor. They were especially good for someone like Yang Huazhong, who was physically weakened after a serious injury.
She figured she'd harvested nearly all the matsutake in this area. Lifting her heavy basket, she smiled in satisfaction.
But when she stood up and took in her surroundings, she froze.
She had been so focused on mushroom hunting that she hadn't noticed how deep she had wandered into the forest. Worse, she hadn't left any markers along the way. Now, looking up, she realized the light had suddenly dimmed all around her. After the rain, a layer of mist had also risen among the trees, and she could no longer tell east from west.
She remembered what Sun-shi had said when seeing her off at the side gate: she had specifically warned her to only gather near the fields and behind the houses—not to venture into the hills or forests.
Apparently, in similar weather after a rainstorm, someone from the village had once brought their cattle here to graze. In the blink of an eye, the cow went missing. Despite sending out a search party, they found nothing. Later, a village hunter discovered the remains in a mountain hollow—only half the cow's head was left, the rest devoured by wild beasts!
Thinking of wild animals—especially wolves with bloodthirsty eyes, or the packs of wild boars—made her heart clench.
Those animals often traveled in groups. When they showed up, it was never just one!
Even in her past life, when she was in peak condition and carrying advanced weapons, she wouldn't dare provoke them head-on.
Now, look at her—this chubby body that got winded from walking fast, armed with nothing but a stick. She shook her head.
If this had happened to the old Yang Ruoqing, she probably would've peed her pants in fear. But now, she told herself, don't panic. In times like these, staying calm was critical.
Calm down. Stay calm!
She didn't run around blindly. From the moment she realized she was lost, she stood in place without moving.
Now, she took several deep breaths to steady her heart, then lowered her head and carefully examined the ground and nearby shrubs inch by inch…
Since it had rained, the ground would still bear traces—bent grass, overturned stones, broken branches—marks that indicated she had passed through.
At first, all her attention had been on finding her way out. She didn't notice that a pair of eyes had been watching her from behind. It wasn't until she had walked a bit further that she felt something was off.
Whether it was a person or a wild beast following her, she couldn't stay here!
She quickened her pace. But that eerie feeling of being stalked didn't go away. It hovered, sometimes near, sometimes far—as if whatever it was wanted to keep her within its line of sight but not get too close.
Damn it. This feeling of being hunted like prey was seriously unnerving!
While she pushed ahead as fast as she could, her hand secretly clutched several sharp-edged stones. If that thing behind her dared to make a move, her stones were not just for show!
She hadn't realized how deep she'd gone when she first entered the forest, but now that she was trying to leave, she finally understood just how vast this place was. No wonder she'd found so many wild vegetables and fresh mushrooms!
But her fortune had come with a price—now she was in potential danger. Thankfully, the light ahead was gradually brightening. Holding back her excitement, she sprinted toward what she hoped was the edge of the forest…
Not far behind her, behind a large tree, he watched her plump figure suddenly take off running. A smile crept across his lips as he reached up to scratch his head.
"This chubby girl's not so dumb after all."
Turning around, he walked deeper into the woods. He hadn't collected enough yet—he still had to check the other side of the forest.
Outside the forest, Yang Ruoqing ran down a slope and reached the area behind the village. Only when she was sure the sense of being followed had completely vanished did she stop and collapse onto a large rock, gasping for breath.
She turned back to look at the dark, ominous woods behind her, still shaken.
"Damn it, what the hell was that thing?"
She realized she really shouldn't enter the forest so carelessly again. It was way too dangerous. If something happened to her in there, how would her parents ever find her?
But still… so many treasures were hidden in that forest. Not going in would be such a waste!
So conflicted!
Once she had collected herself, she checked the sky—it was already getting dark. Villagers were returning from the fields, getting ready for dinner.
Yang Ruoqing went to the little stream behind the village and sorted through her basket of wild greens and mushrooms. Using the clear running water, she washed everything thoroughly and repacked her basket.
Then she took off her shoes, rolled her pants up to her knees, and stepped barefoot onto the stones in the creek. She untied the cloth that held up her tangled bird's nest of hair and bent over to rinse it in the flowing water.
There was no shampoo, but this was fresh, running water—endless and clean. After scrubbing and rinsing for a while, she wrung out her hair and climbed back onto the bank to put her shoes back on.
By then, the last sliver of daylight had vanished into the night.
Dusk had fallen. In the village below, warm lights began to twinkle, accompanied by the occasional bark of a dog.
Yang Ruoqing slung her basket over her shoulder and, without delay, hurried toward the village—feet flying.
(End of chapter)