Chapter 55: Poisonous Mushrooms and Questions

The children had just woken up from their afternoon nap and gathered around, eager to help Lu Qingqiang.

Lu Qingqiang had come to a realization.

These little rascals didn’t seem to like napping at all.

It was as if they had an endless supply of energy.

Every day they were bouncing around, running, chasing each other, full of life and energy.

Especially Zhou Yang, who loved playing with swords. He carried his beloved wooden sword everywhere, poking and slashing at everything in sight.

He looked like he wouldn’t rest until he became a martial arts master.

Lu Qingqiang couldn’t help but admire him.

She even thought about asking Madam Lu later if there were any swordsmanship coaches or good schools she could send Zhou Yang to for proper training.

More than once, when she and Yuan Yuan did their midday rounds, they found some kids simply couldn’t fall asleep. Not even a little.

But the moment they heard footsteps approaching, the kids lying in bed would immediately shut their eyes and pretend to be asleep.

One time, Yuan Yuan stood at the door and whispered, “We’re starting room checks now. Kids who sleep well will get a reward.”

“Raise your hand if you’re asleep.”

In an instant, several of the pretending-to-sleep Little Radish Heads raised their tiny hands.

Lu Qingqiang had to stifle a laugh.

Kids really were strange little creatures—so weird, yet so adorable.

Like now, a group of bright-eyed, cute, and mischievous children with clear gazes were crowding around her, calling out, “Mama Lu! Mama Lu!”

They were all scrambling to help her with the work.

It completely melted her heart.

“I need to drill holes in these wooden logs first. Once I’m done, you guys can help me stuff the spores inside,” Lu Qingqiang explained.

“Got it, Mama Lu! Mission accepted!”

“Mama Lu, why do we have to drill holes in the wood?”

“Mama Lu, what kind of spores are we putting in?”

“Dummy, Mama Lu already told us. We’re using the wood to grow white fungus, black fungus, and lingzhi mushrooms.”

“So the spores must be the ones that grow into those mushrooms.”

“But the wood’s all dry. Can mushrooms really grow out of it?”

“Of course they can! If Mama Lu says it can, then it definitely can.”

“I think so too! When we went into the mountains before, I saw mushrooms and little black things growing out of the tree trunks.”

“Mushrooms! Wow, mushrooms stir-fried with meat and mushrooms with veggies are so yummy! Mama Lu, when can we go mushroom picking?”

“Teacher Yuan and Grandma Feng said we can’t just pick mushrooms in the mountains. Some are poisonous!”

“That’s not true. Not all mushrooms are poisonous. The brightly colored ones usually are.”

“Also, you can tell if a mushroom is poisonous by its shape, what it secretes, and how it smells.”

“As for the little black things, those were probably wild black fungus,” Gu Cheng said slowly and clearly.

“Big Orange Brother, you know so much!”

“Then tell me, what kind of mushrooms aren’t poisonous and are safe to eat?” Su Tao asked curiously.

She loved dishes like stir-fried mushrooms with meat and chicken stew with mushrooms.

Next time they went into the mountains, after finishing her chores, she wanted to pick lots and lots of mushrooms to bring back for Grandpa Zhao.

That way, Grandpa Zhao could keep making delicious mushroom dishes for them. Hee hee.

“Gu Cheng, tell us! I want to know too~” Lu Qingqiang joined in, curious as well.

Of course, even while chatting with the kids, she didn’t stop drilling holes in the logs.

At this point, she was calm and focused.

She had also gotten quite skilled with the drill in her hand.

“I might not know everything. Mama Lu, you can help fill in the gaps later.”

“Alright,” Lu Qingqiang nodded.

Good thing she had the system as her cheat code.

Once Gu Cheng finished, she could ask the system to search for more information and add to it.

Otherwise, she’d be stuck and embarrassed.

Tsk! Clearly, her knowledge was too limited. She didn’t know enough.

She had to study—study hard.

Once she had some free time, she’d dive into books and learn everything she could.

Study like her life depended on it!

Oh right, now that she had money, she could also buy a whole batch of books for the orphanage.

Everything from children’s books to extracurricular readers, magazines, novels, essay collections, fairy tales, picture books, comics, history, geography—you name it, she’d get it.

She’d fill up the five-story spiral library planned for the orphanage.

Hmph, she had money now. She could afford to be extravagant!

“Edible, non-toxic mushrooms usually grow on clean grasslands or under pine and oak trees. They rarely have a ring around the stem, and their colors are mostly brown, light purple, or reddish-gray.”

“Also, non-toxic mushrooms usually smell like bitter almonds or fruit.”

“You can also tear the mushroom open. If it secretes a clear, water-like liquid and doesn’t change color when broken, it’s safe.”

“But remember, some mushrooms aren’t poisonous, but if you don’t cook them properly, they can still cause poisoning.”

“Sometimes poisoning can be fatal. Other times, it just causes hallucinations.”

“Not bad, Gu Cheng. That was really good. Everyone, give him a round of applause!” Lu Qingqiang said.

Immediately, a wave of enthusiastic clapping erupted.

All the kids looked at Gu Cheng with admiration in their eyes.

Gu Cheng’s face stayed mostly expressionless, but Lu Qingqiang noticed the tips of his ears turning red.

Oh ho, the little guy was shy.

“Director, what are you all chatting about? Sounds lively!” At that moment, Doctor Feng walked over, holding her thermos.

“We’re talking about the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms,” Lu Qingqiang replied.

“Oh, now that’s a topic I’m interested in.”

“Director, do you have another drill? Give me one, I want to help too.”

Looking at Lu Qingqiang working away at the logs, Doctor Feng was itching to join in.

After all, the pay was high and the workload was light.

If she didn’t do something, she felt oddly guilty.

“Nope, just this one. Doctor Feng, why don’t you take a break for now? In a bit, I’ll need you and Teacher Yuan to help the kids water the vegetables in the backyard.”

“Sure, no problem at all,” Doctor Feng nodded quickly.

Great, finally something to do again. She was happy.

“Doctor Feng, since you’re here, why don’t you give everyone a quick lesson on what to do if someone gets poisoned by mushrooms?”

“Gladly.”

“If someone eats a poisonous mushroom, the first thing to do is call emergency services and keep a sample of the mushroom.”

“Who remembers the emergency number?” Doctor Feng asked.

“120!” the kids all shouted in unison.

“That’s right. You all have great memories. Now, I’ll continue.”

“If someone gets poisoned, the hospital will usually induce vomiting, perform gastric lavage, give laxatives, or do an enema.”

“Before that, you can give the person lots of warm salt water to drink.”

“But if the person is already unconscious, don’t force water into them. That could cause them to choke.”

“Also, make sure to keep the poisoned person warm. Cover them with a blanket or have them wear more clothes…”

Doctor Feng explained everything in detail, and the kids listened attentively.

When she finished, she started asking questions.

“Xu Kai, can you summarize what I just said?”