The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 176: Tremella

Since the outing was arranged last minute and they had just finished breakfast, it was estimated they should return before or around meal time. Sang Luo decided not to bring dry food, instead packing two bamboo tubes of cool boiled water.

As they were finishing their preparations, Shen Ning ran down, her eyes sparkling. She whispered to Sang Luo, “Sister-in-law, has the fairy tofu recipe been found already?”

Sang Luo smiled, “It should have been found last month. I just didn’t have a chance to go out. I’ll check later, and if I find it, I’ll bring some back for you to satisfy your cravings.”

Shen Ning was thrilled and then remembered something else. She asked, “Which families are going out? If there are too many people, maybe we shouldn’t go. I’m not that desperate.”

She didn’t want to reveal the recipe and risk it becoming widely known; if times were peaceful in the future, there wouldn’t be a need to sell it anymore.

Seeing Shen Ning’s vigilance, Sang Luo smiled with her eyes crinkled, “It’s just you, Aunt Youtian, and Brother Dashann. I have it under control. We’ll go if there’s an opportunity; if not, then it’s fine.”

The two women whispered to each other, attracting several glances from Shen Lie, who was outside changing the handle on a hatchet.

Once Shen Lie was ready, the Chen family arrived as well. Chen Dashann had a new long-handled hatchet, provided by Chen Youtian.

Previously, their hunting targets had been wild boars and wild chickens, so they often went to the relatively open areas near forest edges, grasslands, and mountain streams. However, for Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang, hunting was not the primary goal.

Since their focus was on gathering, they had to climb mountains and navigate through forests, making a long-handled hatchet essential for clearing paths and startling snakes. As long as they were a certain distance from the valley, it didn’t matter if they were spotted, so both families prepared similarly.

Qin Fangniang accompanied the Chen family. Mrs. Chen reminded her and her grandson, “These things grow at the forest edge and in broadleaf forests. Be thorough and gather as much as you can.”

Qin Fangniang nodded.

The greatest pressure in the valley was undoubtedly on Shen Lie and Brother Dashann, as they were responsible for guiding everyone. Therefore, Qin Fangniang was quite concerned, feeling more at ease with additional protective gear.

Sang Luo was now quite adept at climbing to the cave, but it was Qin Fangniang’s first time. She relied on Chen Dashann’s guidance and Shen Lie’s assistance to get her up. Her legs were trembling, but she made it.

The valley entrance was normally secured from the inside. If someone left the valley, it could still be locked from within, but someone needed to guard it. Shen Lie and Chen Dashann left, and without hesitation, Shi Erlang came up to guard the cave entrance, locking it from the inside and sitting by the entrance.

The path outside the valley was initially not too difficult, as it was mostly along the forest edge. After walking for about half an hour, they were quite a distance from Yun Valley and began to delve into the peak forest. Given the height of the surrounding peaks, it was evident that the peak forest was very tall, making exploration challenging. Shen Lie and Chen Dashann took turns clearing the path.

As they entered the peak forest, the sounds of insects and birds were constant, and small unknown animals occasionally scurried past their feet. Sang Luo even saw something leap from the base of a tree onto its branches. She turned to Shen Lie and asked, “Was that a little monkey just now?”

Shen Lie nodded and smiled, “Yes, it was. There shouldn’t be any large carnivores in this peak.”

If there were large carnivores around, the small animals wouldn’t be so relaxed and active.

Although the path in the peak forest was challenging, the rewards were clearly greater than in the open areas near the forest edge. They hadn’t found the medicinal herbs yet, but the mushrooms were abundant, especially in places with lots of fallen leaves.

Since they were familiar with the mountains, they didn’t just rush in. They first used their sharp hoes to stir the thick layers of leaves, startling any hidden insects before approaching.

They were not only wary of poisonous insects hidden among the leaves but also of snakes that could blend in with the fallen leaves. Animals are adept at using camouflage for protection.

When both families had collected a large amount of mushrooms, Sang Luo finally spotted the herb mentioned by the old lady. She called Shen Lie and the others over to confirm, and they all agreed it was the right one. After digging it up and examining the root, Qin Fangniang smiled, “This must be it. Let’s dig it up and take it back to see.”

The herb was toxic, so Qin Fangniang had brought a small basket to keep it separate.

While they were gathering mushrooms, digging wild vegetables, and searching for herbs, they came across a bunch of mountain grapes. Although they were still green, they were fairly large. Qin Fangniang was surprised and asked Sang Luo, “Is it almost autumn?”

Qin Fangniang knew Sang Luo kept track of dates, having seen her record them during her previous visits to the Shen family.

Sang Luo nodded, “In eight or nine days, it will be July.”

The calendar of the Daqian era was similar to the lunar calendar of later generations, so by the Gregorian calendar, the end of the lunar sixth month was actually already August.

Qin Fangniang sighed, “Time flies so fast.”

It had only been early February when they fled from Shili Village into the mountains, and now it was almost half a year later.

She only made this observation briefly before being drawn to the mountain grapes. She picked a large one from the bunch and handed it to Sang Luo, “Try this.”

She picked one for herself, peeled it, and put it in her mouth. The sourness made her frown and shiver.

Seeing her reaction, Sang Luo laughed and tried one herself. Her expression was similarly affected. Shen Lie, watching from the side, laughed quietly, then turned his gaze away, looking around and moving a few steps forward. He used the hatchet to hook down a few branches and vines.

After Sang Luo recovered, she said with a hiss, “It might need another twenty days or so to ripen. Should we come back next time?”

Qin Fangniang was about to nod when Shen Lie and Chen Dashann, who had moved ahead a few steps, used their hatchets to hook down a few more branches. They brought back a bunch of grapes that were slightly purple and handed them to Sang Luo, “Try this bunch and see if they’re ripe.”

Sang Luo had lost the courage to try the grapes, saying, “Let’s take these back for the kids to try. Remember this place, and let’s come back in about twenty days.”

Shen Lie, naturally, agreed with a smile.

As they moved forward, they found several clusters of mountain grapes, which could easily amount to dozens of pounds.

Sang Luo was quite excited about this, as they were great for making wine. Sang Luo wasn’t as willing to use up grain for brewing, having made some sweet rice wine in June which she was still cherishing. She used a bit for making steamed buns and only occasionally made wine for herself.

Further ahead, far from the path cleared by Chen Dashann, Sang Luo noticed a white object high up on a tree trunk. Her eyes lit up, and she stopped in her tracks.

Shen Lie followed her gaze and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sang Luo pointed to the white object on the tree and said, “That looks like white fungus.”

None of them had heard of white fungus before.

Chen Dashann and Qin Fangniang, who were walking ahead, turned back to look at where Sang Luo was pointing. Qin Fangniang had seen something like this before and asked curiously, “Can this be eaten?”

She had only seen it once in the mountains near Shili Village, and it was rare.

People living in the mountains knew not to eat unknown fungi and wild fruits casually. Since white fungus was so rare, Qin Fangniang didn’t know it was edible.

Sang Luo wasn’t hiding anything and nodded, “Yes, it’s edible and very delicious. It’s a nourishing delicacy, but it should be dried and soaked before cooking. Eating it fresh might be toxic.”

It was like a commoner’s bird’s nest, though in modern times it can be cultivated, finding white fungus in ancient times was quite rare. In her time and place, it was considered a royal delicacy that commoners could not afford.

Sang Luo’s assurance convinced everyone present.

“Let’s go check it out,” Shen Lie said, clearing a path. It was a difficult climb, but once he reached the top, he turned around and helped Sang Luo up.

Up close, Sang Luo confirmed with joy, “It’s indeed white fungus.”

She turned to Shen Lie, Chen Dashann, and Qin Fangniang who had climbed up and said, “The environment here should be suitable for white fungus to grow. Look around the trees; there should be more.”

Chen Dashann and Qin Fangniang moved closer to check and then began searching for more white fungus.

Shen Lie didn’t go far, staying a few steps away from Sang Luo and scanning the area. He quickly found several more patches.

As Sang Luo had said, the foggy, humid conditions in the mountains were ideal for white fungus growth.

After over an hour of searching, both families collected more than twenty pieces of white fungus each. Sang Luo was thrilled; in her eyes, even if they hadn’t found anything else today, finding these herbs and white fungus was a great harvest.

They climbed two more mountains and spotted some Osmanthus wood but decided to leave it for now as there was too much to carry.

During their search, they also found a few caves. Sang Luo thought of something and asked Shen Lie and Chen Dashann, “Have you seen any caves near our valley that could hide people?”

Shen Lie shook his head, “There are a couple, but they’re quite shallow. I haven’t noticed any deeper ones or looked into them in detail.”

Sang Luo suggested, “We should look for them, especially around the valley’s entrance peaks. It would be best to secure a spot now. Even if the area is unoccupied now, it might not be later. It would be good to have a temporary resting place if entering and exiting the valley becomes inconvenient.”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan exchanged glances, realizing the importance of her suggestion.

Shen Lie said, “We’ll keep an eye out for that.”

By late afternoon, the baskets they brought were full, including the small basket for herbs. Seeing it was getting late, they prepared to return. However, shortly after descending, they encountered two small lambs frantically running around.

They were very young, with their horns yet to appear.

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan quickly caught them. The lambs bleated in panic.

Having encountered flocks of sheep before, Shen Lie and Chen Dashan sensed something was off. They handed the lambs to Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang and carefully put down their baskets, grabbing their weapons to investigate the corner of the mountain.

They soon smelled blood and, pushing aside the branches, found a wolf attacking a struggling ewe, with a dead lamb nearby.

Without needing further communication, both men nocked their arrows and, as the arrows flew, struck the wolf in the head and body, killing it.

Once they confirmed there was only one wolf, they signaled for Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang to come over.

The ewe was still alive but severely injured, with a large chunk of flesh torn from one of its front legs. It limped around the dead lamb and occasionally looked at the two lambs held by Qin Fangniang and Sang Luo.

Shen Lie shot another arrow into the wolf to ensure it was dead, then said, “This ewe was probably foraging with its lambs for the first time.”

Sang Luo looked at the ewe and asked Shen Lie, “Did you bring any wound medicine?”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan always carried it whenever they went out of the valley.

Hearing Sang Luo’s question, Shen Lie raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you want to keep it?”

Sang Luo nodded, “The big cave is still empty. With so many layers of blockage at the entrance, the sounds of the sheep won’t be heard outside.”

Qin Fangniang’s eyes lit up, “That’s a good idea. Our firewood is stored in the high cave, so raising some animals there would be great. We can cut and dry more grass for them, and sheep can eat dry grass too.”

Farmers have an inherent instinct for raising livestock.

“Alright.”

Shen Lie didn’t say much more and took out the medicine to treat the ewe.

The ewe wanted to avoid the treatment, but with the lambs in their hands, Shen Lie managed to apply the medicine to the ewe after some effort.

The wolf and the dead lamb were tied up and carried with a stick, while Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang held the other two lambs. Due to the presence of the lambs, the ewe allowed Shen Lie to put a rope on her and lead her along.

When they returned to the valley, Shen Lie opened the secret door at the entrance. Shi Erlang, who was guarding inside, recognized Shen Lie and unlocked the door. As soon as it opened, the sound of bleating made everyone freeze in surprise.

“Live sheep?”