Chapter 207: The Mushroom-Picking Girl

Yan Lao’er: …

You might as well just say you don’t trust me. “Looking out for each other” basically just means you want those three brothers to watch over me.

But since Old Yan was this worried, he couldn’t help but be affected too.

Thinking about how he’d be heading off alone, carrying silver to some unfamiliar place to buy medicine—what if he needed to use the restroom? With all the herbs loaded on the cart, how could he feel at ease walking away?

Someone had to take turns watching the cart.

But taking Qi Da, Qi Si, and Qi Wu along wasn’t feasible.

The villagers still needed to head up the mountain. He knew his brothers’ capabilities better than anyone. With them holding the line, only then could the others safely forage in the mountains.

“Just Qi Si and I will do. If there are too many people, we won’t be able to fit much on the cart.”

Yan Lao’er explained the plan to go into the mountains for medicinal herbs.

“…The villagers all care about you. They’re hoping the epidemic ends quickly so you can come back sooner.

Big Brother, don’t tell the lord about this just yet—wait until it’s done.”

Yan Huaiwen chuckled.

This clearly came from Tianyou.

Didn’t sound too proper, but on second thought, it might just work.

“Help me thank the villagers: tell them I’m deeply grateful.

When I return, I’ll give them proper thanks.”

Yan Lao’er agreed.

This was a favor worth remembering. People weren’t even rushing to rebuild their homes—they were heading into the mountains to help find herbs. That kind of sentiment needed to be remembered.

Wait a minute—

The lord gave them money to buy herbs. Then the herbs we find in the mountains—once processed—couldn’t we sell those too?

No, can’t ask Old Yan that.

Too many people around. What if someone with sharp ears overhears?

Better talk to his daughter back home.

That kind of talk—he and his daughter really enjoyed scheming over it together.

Yan Huaiwen went off to write documents.

Doctor An, seeing the matter settled and with follow-up herbs accounted for, happily took his servant and headed for the patient camp.

Yan Lao’er smacked his forehead and called out, “Doctor An, don’t forget to copy that prescription list for me.”

Doctor An turned around and replied, “I’ll be right back.”

They’d agreed before coming that the prescriptions from the doctors here would be copied for Yan Lao’er so he could gauge what to gather and buy.

A lot of prescriptions overlapped in ingredients. That meant for those specific herbs, they’d need much larger quantities.

Yan Lao’er was busy loading and moving supplies.

Some familiar constables came over and received them from the other side of the wooden fence.

Yan Lao’er kept talking nonstop: “Boys, if you’re short on masks, I’ll bring more. Don’t be stingy with them—wear them. And the ones who aren’t sick but are caring for sick family, they need masks too.

We’re working in the government compound—we can’t afford anyone else falling ill. There’s already too few of us, and everyone’s stretched thin. Look at you lot, I came first thing in the morning and it was you on duty, and now it’s nearly dawn again—and it’s still you…”

“Yan Lao’er, you’re absolutely right. If we fall sick, there won’t even be anyone left to make porridge or boil herbs.”

Yan Lao’er: “You all need to rest in shifts. Look at those sunken eyes of yours.

And if there are any clean, healthy refugees around, put them to use. Why let them sit around?”

“We don’t dare use them. What if they’re carrying something?” a constable exclaimed, waving his hands nervously.

Yan Lao’er: Look at your cowardly selves.

“That’s why you isolate them first, observe for a few days. If they’re fine and healthy, give them something to do. If there’s no work, just keep them at a distance so they’re not in the way.”

He’d said similar things before, but back then, no one really listened.

Now, though, this guy in front of them wasn’t an outsider anymore—he was one of them, a brother from the constables’ team.

This time, the words didn’t just go in one ear and out the other. They sank in, made them think.

And truth be told, he had a point.

Most importantly—he could help take some of the load. Damn it, they were exhausted.

When Yan Lao’er said their eyes were sunken, he wasn’t joking. They’d seen each other’s faces—ghastly messes.

Even the healthiest people couldn’t survive this kind of grind.

If things went on like this, even if they didn’t catch the disease, they’d still collapse.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way. We’ll talk it through with the guys later.”

They finished moving the masks and medicine.

All that remained were the new cotton blankets, fragrant soap, and some other useful bits he’d brought for Old Yan.

Yan Lao’er thought for a moment, then went back to the cart and grabbed two bamboo canisters.

One for Old Yan, one for Man Shan.

A sip of ginger soup on a chilly night—just the thing.

Yan Huaiwen returned with cash and official documents in hand.

“I’ve already washed my hands. But just in case, you should rinse everything again with clean water.”

What he meant to rinse was the bright, shiny silver.

Real—silver ingots.

“As for the documents, you should…burn some mugwort and fumigate them a bit,” Yan Huaiwen added.

That trick had become common practice among the constables at the city gate, and it had quickly spread throughout the city and beyond in just a day.

Yan Lao’er hadn’t thought about it, but after hearing Old Yan mention it, he let out a loud “oh!” and remembered.

“Wait a sec.” He returned to the ox cart and fetched the cloth bundle he used for wrapping medicine.

He laid it out flat and had his brother place the items on it.

Yan Huaiwen placed everything down one by one, then stepped back.

Yan Lao’er didn’t move forward either. He kept glancing back. “Still waiting for Doctor An—he still has to bring the prescriptions. I’ll wrap everything up together, heh heh.”

Although Old Yan still wouldn’t be coming home, truth be told, just seeing him healthy, working hard, and disease-free was enough to put Yan Lao’er’s mind at ease.

His whole demeanor had relaxed a lot.

Compared to the somber gloom he carried when he first arrived, he was much better now.

Doctor An didn’t come in person—it was his servant who delivered the copied prescriptions.

“Big Brother, this is the new cotton quilt we made. Super warm. The nights have been chilly—make sure you use it.

Check out this fancy soap! Haha, the ones in shops are all round—ours is square, and we stamped a logo on it. It’s selling pretty well,” he whispered like a thief. “Sold over a hundred taels’ worth! I didn’t bring the money this time, but when you get home, ask Xiao’er for the account—she’s got it all noted, heh!”

“These two bamboo canisters have homemade ginger soup. Give this one to Man Shan. Tell him his family’s doing great. The old man’s full of spirit. Fengnian’s been memorizing from the book list every day—takes it super seriously. Everyone’s fine at home, and the veggies we planted are sprouting! That rain really helped. They’ll probably shoot up more tomorrow.”

“Da Ya said the shoes and socks you took last time weren’t enough, so she made two more pairs of socks. These shoes—made by Madam Rong, nice, huh? Real tight stitching.”

Yan Huaiwen gathered everything into his arms.

“Go on now.”

Yan Lao’er sighed but didn’t move.

He didn’t want to. Just wanted to stand there a bit longer.

Yan Huaiwen smiled, took out a piece of silver, and gently placed it on the cloth.

“If you pass any postal stations along the road, show the official letter—you can rest without paying for lodging. But if they prepare meals or rations for you, be sure to tip them with a few coins. Travel like a rich man, not a pauper. Don’t skimp, Tianyou.”

“Big Brother!” Yan Lao’er called out, his chest tight with emotion.

“Go on,” Yan Huaiwen said with a smile in his eyes.

Yan Lao’er carefully wrapped up the bundle. When he looked up again, Old Yan had already walked far away.

All that remained was his retreating back.

He lowered his head, picked up the bundle, and walked toward the ox cart.

Unaware that behind him, that retreating figure had quietly turned around—silently watching him fade into the distance…

…

Guuu—

Yan Yu felt it was too noisy.

Something itchy brushed across her face, and she swatted at it absentmindedly.

It felt like her hair was acting up again, misbehaving on its own. She rubbed her face a few more times.

Still there?

A fuzzy sensation—she finally caught it.

Huh?

Fur?

She opened her eyes and saw a cat’s tail swishing back and forth across her face. It was so lifelike it even made that signature cat purring sound.

Could you be any more realistic?!

She scooped it up in one motion and buried her face in its fluffy fur.

This cat was very clean—always kept itself well-groomed. Even better, the fur it licked had a naturally fresh scent.

Resting her chin on it, Yan Yu caught sight of two… ginseng roots curled up under the cat’s tail.

GINSENG!!!

Oh my god!

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, seeing it in person was a whole different story!

The ginseng had distinct root tendrils and a bit of dirt clinging to them—not much, as if they had been cleaned in advance.

She instantly perked up.

She carefully examined the two roots.

Hmm, one was slightly bigger, one slightly smaller.

They looked very similar…

Beyond that, she couldn’t tell much else.

They seemed aged. She had seen young, one- or two-year-old wild ginseng before—her dad once used it to stew chicken. That was their family’s first time doing something “health-conscious,” and everyone had looked forward to it. But the taste…

It was a little bitter. Would’ve been better without it, honestly.

These were clearly much bigger than those small wild ones.

She couldn’t help but feel excited.

They had to be worth some silver.

Seeing that no one else was awake, Yan Yu quickly hid the ginseng.

She lay back down, but couldn’t fall asleep.

So she rolled over twice and sat up.

The dew in the forest was heavy, and older folks were already stirring. Yan Yu felt damp all over and went to poke at the family’s fire.

“Xiao Er, come here,” Little Doggy whispered.

She ran over. “Brother Doggy, why are you up so early too?”

“My dad woke our whole family up at the crack of dawn.” Little Doggy looked pitiful as he complained to Yan Xiao Er. “He said there are mushrooms in the forest and dragged my mom and brother out to gather them. But he didn’t even take me! What did he wake me up for then!”

He had a point.

Physician Cui’s move didn’t make much sense.

If he wasn’t going to bring Little Doggy along, he might as well have let the kid sleep in. It’s not like anything bad would happen in a village full of neighbors.

But… mushrooms…

Gulp!

Yan Yu swallowed her saliva.

“If he won’t take you, we’ll just follow them. They can’t have gone far.”

She grabbed the family’s basket, thought for a moment, then slung on her little backpack. She scanned the area, spotted the cat curled up next to her mom, scooped it up and stuffed it into her backpack.

“Let’s go! We’re mushroom hunting too!”

Yan Yu announced softly.

Little Doggy nodded and led the way.

“I remember—they went this direction.”

Neither of them had any experience. When they came across mushrooms on the way, they didn’t dare pick them. The bright colors alone screamed do not eat.

But with the cat secretly guiding them, they quickly found Physician Cui and the others.

Yan Yu gleefully ran over and picked out a cluster of mushrooms from Big Doggy Brother’s basket.

And made a completely unnecessary statement: “So these are mushrooms!”

She patted the cat’s little head and whispered, “Start scanning. The ones in the basket too—scan everything.”

While pretending to put the mushrooms back, she gave the basket a good long look.

The cat meowed softly.

Yan Yu’s eyes squinted in a smile.

Scan successful.

Physician Cui asked, “What are you two doing here? Hm, well, now that you’re here, stick close and don’t run off, alright?”

“Yes, Uncle!” Yan Yu chirped sweetly.

Physician Cui: Just listen to that. He was used to it by now. This father and daughter pair were doing it on purpose. Around outsiders, they never called him brother-in-law or uncle. But the moment it was just family, they wouldn’t stop. Especially this clever little brat Er Ya.

Aunt Cui reminded them, “Just pick the ones you see us picking. Don’t touch anything else—might give you diarrhea.”

Yan Yu gave a quick “Okay!” and mimicked their foraging movements.

In truth, she was secretly letting the cat guide her.

Before long, her basket was more than half full of mushrooms. Under Little Doggy’s amazed gaze, she shamelessly grinned and said, “Lucky, huh!”

When they returned fully loaded, most folks were already up.

Big Sis Da Ya quietly asked, “Xiao Er, are there more mushrooms in the forest?”

“Yeah, tons!” Yan Yu handed the mushrooms over to Nanny Rong, who smiled and patted her head.

Da Ya said, “Xiao Er, let’s go pick some more.”

Exactly what she was thinking.

Not just the ones in the forest—she wanted the ones on the mountain too.

And not just Da Ya. She wanted the whole family out!

“Mom, let’s all go! Let Aunt Rong stay and watch the house.” Mainly so Nanny Rong could cook. That way they’d have food ready when they got back. Perfect timing.

“Alright! Let’s all go!” Li Xuemei was feeling energized too.

Everyone got ready—baskets on backs, baskets in arms.

By the time they were set, many villagers had already headed into the forest.

Yan Yu exchanged a glance with her big siblings.

“Run!”

She dashed off on her little short legs.

Yan Xiangheng, rarely this spirited, took off behind her, chasing her like a hawk chasing a chick.

Yan Yu darted left and right, running wild. Her laughter echoed through the trees, drawing everyone’s attention.

The other kids couldn’t sit still either. One by one, they ditched their parents and chased after their little leader, Yan Xiao Er.

The older girls like Da Ya also followed behind, giggling as they quickened their pace.

Li Xuemei, carrying a basket, walked steadily and light-footed.

The smile never left her face.

No one strayed too far—some gathered more mushrooms, some less.

That morning, everyone wordlessly agreed—breakfast would be mushroom soup.

The unique aroma of wild mushrooms spread out.

Yan Lao’er returned driving the cart. Even before he got close, he smelled it.

His mouth started watering.

He’d traveled under the stars all night, only catching a few winks wrapped in a heavy blanket on the way back.

Busy as could be, and now—he was starving.

When he reached their fabric tent, the mushroom soup Nanny Rong made smelled especially fragrant.

Yan Lao’er sniffed the air.

He jumped down from the ox cart, took the bowl Nanny Rong handed him, blew on it, and downed it in big gulps.

“Ah!” He smacked his lips. “These mushrooms are delicious!”

“Of course! They still had dew on them when we picked them!” Yan Yu’s cheeks were red, her hair a bit messy with blades of grass sticking to it—she looked like she’d just rolled around in the fields.

“Dad! How was Crouching Tiger? Did you see Big Uncle?”

Everyone turned to look at him, eyes full of hope.

(End of chapter)