Chapter 58: The Treasure is Right in Front of Us

Not long after, Lin Heng and Xiulan crossed over the mountain at the other side of Tongshu Gorge. Once they crossed, the forest became more primitive in appearance.

The trees were tall, over ten meters high, with some so wide that one person couldn’t wrap their arms around them. Vines as thick as a person’s arm sprawled everywhere.

There were no proper paths in the forest, they had to rely on their feet to make their way.

Everywhere around them were broken, decayed tree trunks, and no one seemed to be collecting them for firewood.

The ground was often marked with holes dug by wild boars searching for yellow ginger and yam in the soil.

As they walked, Lin Heng found a beautiful golden pheasant feather, greenish-blue, exuding a luxurious feel.

Although animal tracks were everywhere, unfortunately, he didn’t spot any prey.

The only two red squirrels they saw ran off quickly without giving him a chance to catch them.

The mountain was crossed quickly by the two of them. It was a mixed forest, with steep slopes and scattered rocks, and there were hardly any mushrooms to be found.

This place had plenty of yams, but it wasn’t the season to dig them up.

Heading south along the ridge, they crossed another mountain. Before them appeared a massive gorge.

The gorge was about 700-800 meters wide, with a clear mountain stream running through it. On both sides were tall trees, primarily pine, chestnut, oak, cedar, and redbud trees.

From afar, they could see fallen redbud trees, each over thirty meters long.

“This is Baishi Gorge. There must be a lot of good things here,” Lin Heng said as he looked at the gorge below. The soil here was fertile, unlike the other mountains they had crossed, which were full of rocks.

The trees here were significantly taller, and the species were better.

Baishi Gorge got its name because it was full of grayish-white large stones.

“Yes, this is Baishi Gorge. Very few people from the village come this far,” Xiulan nodded. It was her first time here too.

It was quite far—about six to seven kilometers from home, about the same distance as going to Huangtan Town.

The mountain path was difficult, and only hunters in the autumn and winter months would come this far.

While Xiulan was speaking, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of red.

“Red Lingzhi! We’ve found Lingzhi as soon as we arrived!”

Upon closer inspection, Xiulan’s face lit up with joy.

Under an oak tree stump on the ground, three or four red Lingzhi mushrooms stood proudly.

“My God, this place really is a treasure!” Lin Heng was also amazed.

There were many types of medicinal mushrooms in the mountains, but only the red Lingzhi had significant medicinal value. It could be sold for forty to fifty yuan per kilogram.

Red Lingzhi mushrooms have long stems and grow on the ground, usually near decayed wood. The cap is smooth and reddish, and the mushroom flesh is white, with a texture similar to wood.

“Just picked, not rotten yet!” Xiulan laughed as she picked one.

Lingzhi mushrooms are most valuable when freshly sprouted, before their spores have been released. They are sold for the highest price at this stage.

When they age, the cap turns dark gray-black, and the mushroom becomes woody, losing its medicinal value.

“There are more here!”

Lin Heng also found three or four under another stump, but unfortunately, two of them had already spoiled.

“Woof woof!”

This was the first time Xiongba, their dog, had seen Lingzhi. He curiously sniffed and licked them, as if trying to identify them.

“I’ve picked five, all good ones. Hurry, there should be more nearby.”

Xiulan smiled with excitement; the long journey hadn’t been in vain.

Sure enough, they quickly found many more in the area, accumulating a total of eighteen red Lingzhi mushrooms.

“Even if they’re dried, they should weigh at least half a kilogram!” Xiulan looked at the mushrooms in her bag, beaming with happiness.

“Woof woof!”

At this moment, Xiongba called out again from below.

Lin Heng went over to check and found five or six red Lingzhi mushrooms. Unfortunately, only two of them were fresh, while the others had gone bad.

“Good dog! I’ll get you a green-headed fish later,” Lin Heng patted Xiongba’s head, forgiving him for earlier.

“Woof woof!!”

Xiongba barked twice and then continued searching around.

Red Lingzhi mushrooms have a dark red underside, making them easy to miss if you’re human, but dogs can often locate them with their keen sense of smell.

“Woof woof!!”

Upon hearing Xiongba’s call, Lin Heng and Xiulan quickly rushed over.

In half an hour, Lin Heng and Xiulan were both astonished.

“A small mountain with less than 5,000 square meters, and we’ve found over a kilogram of red Lingzhi mushrooms.”

Xiulan stared at the Lingzhi mushrooms in the bag, stunned.

These thirty or so mushrooms were worth more than the mushrooms and herbs she had collected over the past three or four months.

“Incredible!” Lin Heng was so excited his hands were trembling.

“Come on, wife, give me a kiss!”

Saying this, he grabbed Xiulan and planted a big kiss on her.

Xiulan licked her lips, gave him a playful glare, and smiled. “Let’s go after you’re done celebrating. There might be more.”

“Right, let’s head down the mountain and see.”

Lin Heng nodded repeatedly. There were many treasures in the mountains, and with a pair of sharp eyes, finding wealth wasn’t difficult.

Sometimes, treasure could be right under your feet, but a wrong step could make you miss it.

“It’s strange, after this hill, we can’t find any more.”

Xiulan sighed, but she knew mushrooms were often like this—found in patches.

Finding this spot meant there would likely be more in the future.

“It’s fine, even if we don’t find anything else today, just the Lingzhi mushrooms make it all worth it.”

Lin Heng chuckled.

“Yes, definitely worth it,” Xiulan agreed, nodding firmly.

“Woof woof!!”

Suddenly, Xiongba barked again.

“Could it be more Lingzhi?”

The couple turned around excitedly.

“I’ll go take a look,” Lin Heng said, quickly heading towards the sound.

Grabbing onto trees, he made his way swiftly, covering the 100-meter distance in less than a minute.

“To think it’s just桑黄 (mulberry fungus), a whole tree of it. Not bad either.”

Though he said he was happy, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. That’s just how people are.

The medicinal value of桑黄 is actually higher than that of Lingzhi, but it wasn’t discovered until much later.

It wasn’t until 1968 that its cancer-fighting properties were found, and the anticancer drugs didn’t appear until 1993. By then, the price had skyrocketed.

Domestic prices for桑黄 only started rising recently, and by 2023, prices had already doubled. They were expected to keep increasing.

However, since Lin Heng had found it, he wouldn’t let it go. He picked it all and estimated there were about four to five kilograms, which was still a good haul.

He placed it in his bag, and he and Xiulan continued searching.

By the time they were near the gorge, they hadn’t found anything else valuable, except for a few yellow-edged mushrooms here and there.

Xiongba, too, had stopped finding anything of value.

“Husband, come over quickly, I’ve found a whole patch of good stuff!”

Lin Heng was about to move forward when he heard Xiulan’s excited voice from behind.

(End of this chapter)