Chapter 138: Lots of Mushrooms, a Continuous Harvest
Ye Shengge was very excited. She urged Li You to hurry up and get ready, adding that she would treat him to all three meals today.
Li You didn’t refuse. He smiled and said, "Miss Ye is very generous. In that case, thank you, Miss Ye."
Ye Shengge rolled her eyes. "What’s with this ’Miss Ye’? It sounds so awkward."
Li You chuckled again and said, "Since you’re treating me to meals, how about I get you a pair of rain boots? In the countryside where I’m from, we call them ’tube shoes’."
"Rain boots? Do we need to wear rain boots to go up the mountain?" Ye Shengge asked.
Li You nodded. "It rained last night, so the mountain path will be wet and slippery. There are probably still some puddles. For this kind of trail, only our ’tube shoes’ can handle it."
Ye Shengge said, "Alright then. But do you have any ’tube shoes’ here that I can wear?"
"I don’t have any here, but the market does! We can go to the market in town and buy a pair later. It won’t take long."
"Okay."
Once that was settled, Li You started to get ready.
After he was ready, he went downstairs with Ye Shengge.
He cooked two small bowls of Yangchun Noodles for them to eat.
Something light for breakfast.
Ye Shengge paid.
After eating, they went to the town market to buy rain boots.
Even though it wasn’t a market day, the various shoe stores would still be open for business.
"Let’s take my motorcycle," Li You said. "It’s not far, and we don’t need to bring anything. In a situation like this, a motorcycle is more convenient than a car."
After a moment of hesitation, Ye Shengge nodded. "Alright."
Li You swung his leg over the motorcycle and started the engine.
Ye Shengge swung her long legs over and sat on the back seat.
"Hold on tight."
"Okay!"
He set off with Ye Shengge.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the town market.
Inside a shoe shop that sold rain boots, Li You told Ye Shengge to pick whichever pair she liked.
She could buy any pair she wanted, as long as they fit. Taller ones would be best.
In the end, Ye Shengge chose a pair of light purple, knee-high rain boots.
They were 43 yuan.
Li You paid.
"They’re pretty cheap," Ye Shengge said after they walked out of the shop.
Li You nodded. "This type of shoe isn’t expensive to begin with."
Afterward, Li You drove Ye Shengge back to the shop on his motorcycle.
"Change into your boots. We’ll head out right away."
"Okay."
Ye Shengge agreed and changed into the newly bought rain boots.
Li You also changed into his own rain boots, which were black.
He grabbed a few bags to carry with him for the mushrooms they’d find later.
"Da Bai, Xiaohai, we’re going into the mountains to look for mushrooms. You two watch the shop."
"Yes, Boss."
With Da Bai and Xiaohai there, Li You still didn’t plan on closing the shop doors.
The two of them set off toward the mountains.
"Boss, do you think we’ll find anything today?"
"We’ll definitely find something. It’s just a matter of how much."
"I hope we find a lot."
"Me too."
"..."
About half an hour later, in a patch of forest, Ye Shengge shouted in pleasant surprise, "Boss, come quick! I found something!"
"Really? What kind of mushroom? Let me see."
Li You was also very happy. He strode over and followed the direction Ye Shengge was pointing, looking down at the ground.
He saw it.
It was a single greenish-blue, flat-topped, spherical mushroom.
It wasn’t small, either. The cap was nearly ten centimeters in diameter.
This was a Green-Head Mushroom.
The entire cap was a vibrant bluish-green, making it look like it might be poisonous. In reality, it was a non-toxic, edible mushroom with an incredibly delicious flavor.
"Ingredient: Green-Head Mushroom.
Quality: Superior."
The system promptly provided its quality assessment.
’It’s even Superior quality. This Miss Ye has some pretty good luck!’
Li You marveled inwardly before saying, "This Green-Head Mushroom isn’t just big, its appearance is excellent too. Starting with this is definitely getting off on the right foot."
Ye Shengge was delighted. "It seems my luck is pretty good today," she said.
As she spoke, she took out her phone and snapped several pictures. Only then did she bend down and carefully pluck the Green-Head Mushroom from the ground.
Li You took out a bag, and Ye Shengge placed the mushroom inside.
Then, Li You said, "This kind of mushroom usually appears in pairs. So, there should be another one nearby."
"I think I’ve heard that before. Let’s look around," Ye Shengge said.
The two of them then began searching the area carefully.
And sure enough, they found another one in a patch of grass not far away.
"Ingredient: Green-Head Mushroom.
Quality: Medium."
This one was Medium quality.
’Superior-quality ingredients are indeed very rare in the natural world.’
’Of course, Medium quality is still pretty good.’
"They really do appear in pairs."
Ye Shengge said this happily, then bent down again and plucked this Green-Head Mushroom as well.
Then she added, "It’s pretty amazing that these mushrooms grow in pairs."
Li You smiled. "Nature is full of amazing things."
Ye Shengge nodded. "That’s true."
After that, the two continued their search.
Soon, Li You made another discovery—two more Green-Head Mushrooms.
Both were Medium quality.
’Medium quality isn’t bad.’
After plucking the two Green-Head Mushrooms, Li You continued searching.
Before long, they discovered a new type of mushroom.
And it was a whole patch.
Once again, Ye Shengge shouted in pleasant surprise, "Boss, come here, quick! There are so many chanterelles over here!"
Li You ran over and, sure enough, saw a patch of apricot-yellow mushrooms on the ground.
These mushrooms were apricot-yellow and trumpet-shaped. Leaning in for a sniff, he could smell a very rich fragrance.
They were indeed chanterelles.
’What a great find!’
Although this type of mushroom is relatively common, it is also famous—one of the four most renowned mushrooms in the world.
Not only are they delicious, but they are also rich in nutrients. They are known for their benefits in clearing the liver, improving eyesight, aiding the lungs, and promoting gastrointestinal health.
Truly wild chanterelles can sell for several hundred yuan per pound.
’With a whole patch on the ground right now, this is like striking it rich.’
"Ingredient: Chanterelle.
Quality: Medium."
’They’re all Medium quality. A little bit of a shame.’
’But that’s alright, it’s still a fantastic surprise.’
These were all precious ingredients gifted by nature.
’Miss Ye’s luck really is great today.’
Ye Shengge took out her phone again, recording videos and taking photos.
While filming, she said, "This is my first time hunting for mushrooms in the mountains, so I want to document it properly."
Li You smiled. "You should definitely document it. Besides, your luck is fantastic today. Take your time filming, there’s no rush."
Ye Shengge hummed in agreement.
After she finished filming, the two of them began to pick the mushrooms.
Chanterelles aren’t large individually, but there were so many of them.
There were at least a hundred in this patch.
So, picking them was incredibly satisfying for the two of them.
It took them quite a while to harvest the entire patch of chanterelles.
The bags Li You had brought weren’t small, and they filled one to the brim.
Onward, onward.
As their harvest grew, so did their excitement.
’We have to get a huge haul today.’
Soon, Li You made another new discovery.
This time, it was the most familiar kind: Termite Mushrooms.
It was a huge one, with a cap diameter of at least twenty centimeters.
The ingredient quality was Medium.
Even though it was Medium, a Termite Mushroom this large was a rare sight.
Li You was overjoyed, and Ye Shengge exclaimed that it was her first time ever seeing such a massive Termite Mushroom.
’So Termite Mushrooms can grow this big. Nature truly is amazing.’
Afterward, Ye Shengge went through another round of picture-taking.
After she was done, Li You carefully plucked it from the ground.
Not only was the cap large, but the stalk was also long and thick. It felt incredibly satisfying to hold.
This single mushroom was enough for a whole dish.
’We’ll stir-fry it for lunch or dinner today.’
’Even though I haven’t mastered a specific recipe for it, it doesn’t matter. High-end ingredients like this don’t need complicated cooking methods. A simple stir-fry will taste incredible.’
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