Chapter 176 - Silver Ear Mushroom

Since the trip was spontaneous and they had just finished breakfast, Sang Luo assumed they would return by the time it was time for the afternoon meal. Thus, she didn't bother packing any food and simply filled two bamboo tubes with cold water.

As she and Shen Lie were getting ready, Shen Ning came downstairs hastily, her eyes sparkling. She whispered into Sang Luo's ear, "Sister-in-law, did Aunt Tian make the divine tofu already?"

Sang Luo chuckled. "She probably did last month, but I haven't had a chance to go out. I'll check when I'm back and bring some for you if I find it."

Shen Ning was overjoyed. Then, she remembered something and said, "Which families are going? If there are too many people, we shouldn't get it. I'm not that hungry anyway."

If the recipe got leaked, they wouldn't have anything to sell in the future, and life would be peaceful.

Seeing how cautious Shen Ning was, Sang Luo's eyes curved into a smile. "Just Aunt Tian and Brother Da Shan. I'll keep that in mind. If there's an opportunity, I'll bring some back. If not, then it's fine."

The two of them whispering together caught Shen Lie's attention, who was sharpening his machete with a longer handle.

Once he finished preparing, the Chen family arrived, and Chen Da Shan held a machete with a new long handle, given to him by Chen You Tian.

Previously, their hunting targets were mainly wild boars and chickens, so they usually ventured towards more open areas near the forest edge, grasslands, and mountain streams. However, Sang Luo and Qin Fang Niang's outing clearly didn't prioritize hunting.

With foraging as their main task, climbing mountains and delving into forests was inevitable. A long-handled machete was crucial for opening paths and scaring away snakes. As long as they kept a safe distance from the valley, they wouldn't worry about being detected. Thus, both families coincidentally prepared similarly.

On the Chen family's side, Qin Fangniang accompanied them. Old Lady Chen exhorted her daughter-in-law and grandson, "That plant grows at the edge of the forest and in broad-leaved forests too. Search carefully and gather as much as you can."

Qin Fangniang nodded.

In this valley, the greatest pressure undoubtedly fell on Shen Lie and her husband, Chen Dashan, since they led every outing. Hence, Qin Fangniang took this matter seriously, feeling more secure with extra means of defense.

Sang Luo had become quite skilled at climbing rocks and entering caves, but it was Qin Fangniang's first time. Relying solely on Chen Dashan's guidance and Shen Lie's strength to pull her up, Qin Fangniang's legs turned weak. Nonetheless, she managed to ascend.

The entrance to the valley was usually locked from the inside. If someone left, it could still be secured, but someone needed to guard it. When Shen Lie and Chen Dashan set out, Shi Erlang immediately volunteered to watch over the cave. After the group exited and he locked the entrance, he sat below it.

The path outside the valley wasn't initially difficult, as they stuck to the forest edges. After about an hour and a half, they had traveled a considerable distance from Yun Valley before venturing deeper into the mountain range. Judging by the height of the surrounding peaks encircling Yun Valley, these mountain ranges were towering. To explore the dense forest would be challenging. Shen Lie and Chen Dashan took turns clearing the way.

Inside the mountain range, the sounds of insects and birds filled the air. Small, unknown animals occasionally darted past them. Sang Luo even saw something leap from the ground to a tree. She grabbed Shen Lie's arm, asking, "Was that a little monkey just now?"

Shen Lie nodded and smiled. "Yes, there should be no large carnivores in this mountain peak."

If large carnivores roamed, small animals wouldn't be so relaxed and active.

Upon entering the mountainous region, although the path was challenging, the rewards were evidently more abundant than in the open areas at the foot of the mountains. They had yet to find any herbs, but due to the continuous rain, mushrooms grew in clusters, especially in places with ample fallen leaves.

Being experienced in navigating the mountains, they wouldn't rashly approach. Instead, they would first use their pointed hoes to disturb the thick layer of leaves, scaring away any insects lurking beneath before venturing closer.

This precaution wasn't just to avoid venomous insects hidden in the leaves; it was also to protect themselves from snakes that could blend seamlessly with the leaf litter. Animals were adept at using similar colors for camouflage.

When both families had filled their baskets halfway with mushrooms, Sangluo finally spotted the herb the old lady had mentioned. After showing it to Shen Lie and the others, who all confirmed its identity, they dug it up. Qin Fangniang smiled upon inspecting the root: "This should be the one. Let's dig it up and take it back to examine it further."

Knowing this herb was poisonous, Qin Fangniang carried a small basket specifically for it.

As they continued to collect mushrooms, wild vegetables, and herbs, Qin Fangniang glanced up and noticed a cluster of green mountain grapes. Although they were still unripe, they were quite large. She paused and asked Sangluo, "Is autumn almost here?"

Qin Fangniang knew that Sangluo had a habit of keeping track of dates. She had seen her doing so when she visited the Shen family previously.

Sangluo nodded, "In about eight or nine days, it will be July."

The calendar of the Great Qian Empire resembled the lunar calendar of later times. According to the Gregorian calendar, by the end of the lunar June, they would have already entered August.

Qin Fangniang sighed, "Time truly flies."

They had fled from Ten Li Village into the mountains in early February; now nearly half a year had passed in the blink of an eye.

She merely sighed with emotion. The grapes before her were more appealing. She plucked a cluster and picked out the biggest one, offering it to Sang Luo. "Try it."

She then picked one for herself, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth. The sourness caused her entire brow to wrinkle, and she even shivered.

Sang Luo watched her, still smiling, and decided to give it a try as well. Shen Lie, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh at her expression. Before Sang Luo could recover, he averted his gaze, looked around, and took a few steps forward. He used his machete to cut down several branches.

After a long while, Sang Luo managed to stifle a hiss. "These probably won't be ripe for another twenty days or so. Should we come back?"

Qin Fangniang was about to nod when Shen Lie and Chen Dashan had already moved ahead, cutting down a few branches with their machetes. They brought down a cluster that was slightly purple and handed it to Sang Luo. "Try this bunch and see if it's ready."

Sang Luo no longer had the courage to taste it. "Take them back for the children to try. Remember this place, and let's come again in about twenty days?"

Shen Lie wouldn't refuse such a suggestion. He smiled and agreed.

As they continued walking, there were several more clusters of wild grapes. They could easily pick tens of pounds.

Sang Luo found them fascinating. These would make excellent wine ingredients. Honestly, she wasn't willing to use grains for brewing; she had made some sweet rice wine in June and cherished it dearly. She only used a little for making bread and occasionally made rice-wine eggs when she craved them.

Continuing on their path, Sang Luo noticed from a distance a white object attached to a tree trunk. Her eyes lit up, and she halted in her steps.

Following her gaze, Shen Lie inquired, "What is it?"

Sang Luo pointed to the tree above them. "That white thing on the tree trunk looks like a silver ear fungus to me."

It was something that neither Shen Lie, Chen Dashan, nor Qin Fangniang had ever heard of before.

Both Chen Dashan and Qin Fangniang, who were walking ahead, turned back. Following Sang Luo's indication, Qin Fangniang, having encountered this before, was surprised and asked, "Can you eat that?"

In the nearby mountains of Shili Village, she had stumbled upon it once, but it was quite rare.

Those living in the mountains knew better than to taste unknown mushrooms and wild fruits blindly. Qin Fangniang was indeed unaware that this particular one was edible.

Sangluo didn't hide the truth from her and nodded, saying, "It's edible, and very tasty too. It's even considered a nourishing delicacy. However, it needs to be dried and rehydrated before being cooked. Eating it fresh might be poisonous."

It was like a commoner's bird's nest, of course. This referred to the modern era when it could be cultivated artificially. In ancient times, finding Tremella was no easy task, making it a rather rare mountain treasure. In Sangluo's own time, it was treated as a tribute reserved for the royal family; commoners could hardly afford it.

With Sangluo's assurance that it was edible, no one present doubted her.

"Let's go up and take a look," Shen Lie cleared a path, which was rather steep. After climbing up, he turned back to pull Sang Luo along with him, helping her ascend.

As they drew closer, Sang Luo confirmed her discovery with delight, "It's indeed the silver mushroom."

She then turned to Shen Lie and the approaching Chen Dashan and Qin Fangniang, "The environment here seems suitable for the growth of silver mushrooms. Look around on the trees; there should be more."

Chen Dashan and Qin Fangniang both examined the area closely before venturing off to search for more silver mushrooms.

Shen Lie, however, didn't venture too far. He remained just a few steps away from Sang Luo, scanning the surroundings. Even from this spot, he spotted several more locations with the precious fungi.

As Sanlao mentioned, the mountains here are perpetually shrouded in mist, with temperatures and other environmental conditions seemingly ideal for the growth of silver ear mushrooms.

Having wandered in these mountains for over an hour, each family had gathered more than twenty silver ear mushrooms. Shangluo was overjoyed; to her, even if they found nothing else of value that day, merely discovering these medicinal herbs and the silver ears would already constitute a bountiful harvest.

Having climbed over two more mountains, the Guanyin wood was indeed sighted, but today the forest abounds with such a profusion of finds that Sanluo fears her basket may not accommodate them all. Thus, she decides to set it aside for now.

During their exploration, they stumbled upon several caves. This reminded Sangluo of something, and she inquired of Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, "Have you ever come across any hidden caves near our valley that could conceal someone?"

Shen Lie shook his head. "There were one or two shallow ones, but I didn't notice any deep ones. I didn't search thoroughly."

Sang Luo commented, "Actually, I think we should search, especially in the mountains surrounding the entrance of our valley. It would be best to occupy one. Just because there's no one in the inner area now doesn't mean it will stay that way. If it comes to a point where entering and exiting the valley becomes difficult, we'll have a temporary resting place."

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan exchanged glances; she had a point.

Shen Lie replied, "We'll keep an eye out for such spots, Dashan."

By the end of the afternoon, all four of them had filled their baskets, and even the small basket used for digging herbs was overflowing. Seeing that it was getting late, they prepared to return home. However, not long after descending the mountain, they accidentally bumped into two panicked young lambs.

They were truly tiny.

Their horns had yet to grow.

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan caught them immediately. The lambs bleated in fear.

The two men were no strangers to encountering flocks of sheep in the mountains. Hearing the distress in their bleats, they straightened their expressions, handed the lambs to Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang, and set down their baskets. They instructed the women to be cautious as they picked up their weapons and headed towards the corner of the mountain.

Before they could fully turn around the corner, the pungent smell of blood reached their noses. Pushing aside the branches and leaves, they saw a wolf tearing at a struggling ewe. Beside it lay a dead lamb, already bitten to death.

No words were necessary. The two of them simultaneously notched arrows and aimed. As the arrows whistled through the air, both struck the wolf, one in its head and the other in its body, causing it to collapse instantly.

After confirming that there was only one sheep, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan dared to call Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang over.

The ewe was still alive but had severe bite wounds. One of her front legs had a large chunk of flesh torn off. She was limping around the dead lamb, constantly looking at the other two lambs being held by Qin Fangniang and Sang Luo.

Shen Lie shot an additional arrow into the wolf, ensuring it was thoroughly dead, before he said, "This ewe must be out foraging with her young for the first time."

Sang Luo looked at the ewe and had an idea. She asked Shen Lie, "Did you bring any wound medicine?"

It was a habit for Shen Lie and Chen Dashan to carry such supplies whenever they ventured out of the valley.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lie raised his eyebrows. "You want to raise it?"

Sang Luo nodded. "Isn't the Big Mountain Cave still empty? With all those layers blocking the entrance, the sheep's bleating wouldn't be heard, right?"

Qin Fangniang's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea. Our firewood pile is in that high cave anyway. It'd be beneficial to keep some livestock. We can cut more grass to dry and store, and sheep can eat hay too."

For farmers, raising livestock was an innate instinct.

"Alright."

Shen Lie didn't say anything further. He took out the medicine and applied it to the ewe.

The ewe tried to evade, but with her lamb in human hands, she had no choice but to submit obediently to Shen Lie's treatment, regardless of how he managed it.

The wolf and the dead lamb were carried on sticks that pierced through their bound legs. Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang held the other two lambs. The ewe, due to her concern for her young, allowed Shen Lie to put a rope around her neck and lead her away.

When they returned to the valley in the late afternoon, Shen Lie pulled open the hidden entrance. Shi Er, who was guarding inside, verified Shen Lie's identity before unlocking the door. Upon hearing the bleating, he was stunned.

"Live sheep?"