Although she was unsure, Yao Zhi had come so far, so she was unwilling to go back empty-handed. At the very least, she had to check the situation in the mountains. With this thought, she gritted her teeth and continued to walk toward the mountain.
After walking for another hour, she finally saw the trees. Compared to the situation at the foot of the mountain, the scene in the forest was like another world.
Staring at the dark forest, Yao Zhi swallowed and took a deep breath. After gathering her courage, she finally clenched her fists and entered the forest.
Not only were the trees lush and tall, but even the bushes and grass grew wildly. The dense canopy blocked most of the sunlight, making the temperature inside the forest several degrees lower than outside.
Holding the scythe tightly, Yao Zhi slowed her pace and looked around carefully. As she walked, she could feel the damp, cold feeling penetrating her shoes. The dead leaves were damp and the earth smell in the air was thick.
Half an hour later, she finally saw a patch of mushrooms growing near a dead tree. As an author, she had written many stories that demanded her to do research on various topics.
So while she couldn't be counted as a n expert, she was still able to recognize some edible mushrooms. Seeing the black fungus growing on the dead tree, she quickened her pace and placed her bamboo basket down.
Perhaps because no one had foraged for the mushrooms, the black fungus grew abundantly. The size of the fungus was three times larger than the one she had eaten in her previous life.
Without wasting any more time, Yao Zhi quickly foraged the mushrooms. To ensure they wouldn't go extinct, she didn't take everything and left the young ones behind so she could get more in the future.
When she was done, the basket was almost full. After wiping the sweat from her forehead, Yao Zhi stored the black fungus in the shop's warehouse.
Afterward, she picked up the bamboo basket and continued walking into the mountain. She walked for twenty minutes before finding a familiar-looking plant.
Yao Zhi's heartbeat quickened as she squatted beside the plant and took a closer look. The plant had greenish-white flowers and five leaves. Each leaf was palmately compound with three to five leaflets.
Judging from these traits, a thought flashed in her mind. With trembling hands, she started digging the soil around the plant with the little hoe. She was so focused on digging that her back was drenched with sweat.
Half an hour later, she finally saw the roots of the plant. The moment she saw the root resembling a human body, a smile appeared on her face. Picking up the wild ginseng, Yao Zhi let out a laugh and exclaimed, "I'm going to be rich!"
She laughed so hard that her double chin and belly trembled greatly.
After a moment, she finally calmed down. Seeing that five more ginseng plants were growing nearby, she stored the wild ginseng in the auction storage and continued digging.
When she finished digging up all the ginseng, the sky had already started to darken. Yao Zhi recalled her nominal husband's words and quickly packed up her tools. She knew her limits and didn't dare to stay in the mountain after sunset.
As she passed the mountain foothills, she picked up a basket of firewood. Thanks to her good memory, she found her way home without getting lost.
Not long after she stored the bamboo basket and the firewood in the woodshed and washed her hands, she heard Xiao Shu's voice coming from the front yard.
"Aunt Yao, are you at home?"
Yao Zhi was curious about what the boy wanted and went to take a look. Seeing the boy holding a bowl, she opened the gate and asked, "Xiao Shu, why are you here so late?"
"Aunt Yao, my grandma told me to send this to you," Xiao Shu replied as he handed the bowl to her.
Looking at the steamed buns in the bowl, Yao Zhi went silent for a moment. The buns might have been made from coarse grains, as they were yellowish and dried.
For people in this era, they were tired of eating coarse grains. But for people living in the modern era, they knew the benefits of eating coarse grains. So Yao Zhi accepted the steamed buns and said, "Wait here for a moment."
Xiao Shu thought she wanted to return the bowl and waited patiently.
Yao Zhi stored the steamed buns in a bamboo bowl and then bought a jar of meat sauce from the shop for seven coins. The jar contained five hundred grams of meat sauce.
She poured half of the jar into the bowl and stored the rest in the shop's warehouse. When she was done, she went to the front yard and saw the little boy staring at the ants on the ground.
"Xiao Shu," she called him.
Hearing her voice, Xiao Shu sprang up and turned around.
Knowing that her reputation in this place was not good, Yao Zhi didn't tease the boy. She handed the bowl to him and said, "Take this back and thank your grandma for me."
The moment Xiao Shu smelled the fragrance of meat from the bowl, his mouth watered. Although he didn't know why this person suddenly gave his family a bowl of meat, he still accepted it and said, "Okay. Thank you, Aunt Yao."
After he left, Yao Zhi locked the gate before going to boil a pot of water. Taking a bath was bothersome, but she could take a simple shower.
Using an empty water vat, she mixed the hot water with several buckets of well water and took a simple shower. Without soaking in the wooden tub, it only took her fifteen minutes to clean herself.
When she was done, the moon hung in the sky. Staring at the sky filled with stars, she let out a sigh and muttered, "Such a beautiful sky. I think it's not that bad to come to this place. At least I can see the stars for free."