My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 176 Mushroom Picking
"Where is it? Is it in the mountains?"

"It's in the mountains, but not far..."

The place Chen Ling wanted to take Zhao Dahai to was naturally the Wild Man Valley they had visited last time, which had now become a mountain lake.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! I've had this dog for almost a year, and it's never even chased a rabbit. I came here this time to have some fun with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dahai couldn't wait any longer and excitedly began to try it out.

"No rush, I'll go get something."

Back in the courtyard, Chen Ling went to the woodshed and took out a basket, a pitchfork, and other odds and ends, picking out a few items to take with him.

"Da Hai, Fu Gui, what are you two doing?"

The two looked up and saw Qin Qiumei pushing her bicycle into the yard.

"Sis, you're here. I went to your house to pick you up, but you weren't home..."

Zhao Dahai stood up and laughed.

They agreed to come to Chen Ling's house together today, otherwise his wife would be a little awkward since it was her first time here.

"Yes, the temple fair is about to end, so I went to visit my mother."

Qin Qiumei finished parking the car, walked up to the two of them, and asked what they were doing.

As the three were talking, Wang Susu and Zhao Dahai's wife also came out.

Hearing that Chen Ling and Zhao Dahai were going to the mountains, the three women wanted to go with them.

Go if you want to.

However, the location of the lake in the mountains is relatively secluded.

The path leading up from Chen Ling's orchard is very steep.

Even if the three women could get up there, it would be very difficult for them to get down.

We'll have to take a longer route from other directions.

"It's fine if it's a bit far, I can take you mushroom picking."

Wang Susu said to Qin Qiumei.

She used to go up the mountain often and knew several mushroom burrows. Although it's no longer the best time for mushroom picking, having these mushroom burrows can still guarantee a fairly good harvest.

Qin Qiumei perked up at this and told Zhao Dahai's wife how delicious the mushroom hot pot Chen Ling had made last time was.

This made the shy woman quite expectant.

"Picking mushrooms is wonderful, little girls picking mushrooms, carrying a big bamboo basket on their backs, barefoot in the early morning, walking all over the forests and hills..."

Chen Ling stood up with a smile and sang to the little girl in Zhao Dahai's arms.

This made the little child so shy that he clung to his father's shoulder, too embarrassed to look up.

Have you named the baby yet?

"He's here. His full name is Zhao Xiaoya, and his nickname is Yaya."

"Yaya, quickly call him uncle..."

But the little girl was very shy; she glanced at Chen Ling and then covered her face and turned away.

Zhao Dahai was helpless and urged him several more times, but he still refused to speak.

Then, holding her daughter, she pointed at Wang Susu and said, "If you don't call me uncle, then you should call me aunt."

Surprisingly, Ya Ya was very accommodating this time, obediently raising her head and softly calling out "Auntie".

Wang Susu immediately responded happily.

Chen Ling, however, was extremely frustrated.

Everyone burst into laughter upon seeing this.

The weather was fine, and the group went out into the cool autumn breeze.

Autumn is growing stronger.

Pale yellow leaves drifted down from the branches, fluttering in the autumn wind like butterflies.

As we walked into the fields, flocks of geese flying south appeared under the blue sky.

Flocks of geese flew in neat V-shapes or straight lines, calling out loudly in the sky as they flew into the distance.

Wild geese fly south one after another, day and night without stopping.

On this crisp autumn day, with its clear skies and gentle breeze, I watched flocks of migratory birds depart.

It's a spectacular sight.

As we were walking uphill, a small, yellowish-brown creature suddenly darted out from the side, clumsily leaping forward through the withered grass.

"Rabbit!" Zhao Dahai immediately perked up and led his greyhound forward.

Heiwa and Xiaojin had long lost interest in rabbits. Now, they tilted their heads back, their eyes shining as they watched the flock of geese flying overhead. They kicked their legs and circled around anxiously, making whimpering noises.

The two dogs, having rarely suffered such a loss, were extremely envious of their enemies. If the geese hadn't flown so high, they would have already charged at them.

"Don't rush. The old flock of geese has left, but a new flock is coming. Let's sneak over and ambush them, and get our revenge."

Chen Ling offered a reassuring remark.

Qin Qiumei and Zhao Dahai's wife, Xiang Wenxia, ​​who were standing nearby, were greatly surprised when they heard this.

"No way, your dog got this messed up by geese?"

"That's right, no matter what, a goose can't be more powerful than a dog, can it?"

After hearing this, Wang Susu shook her head and said to the two of them, "I didn't understand it before either. It was only after Heiwa was made like this that I heard from A Ling that geese are actually called wild geese. The geese we raise at home were domesticated from them. These geese are fierce too, no less so than regular geese."

"A flock of geese is a dangerous thing. If you anger them, they'll swarm up and peck at you like bees. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

This statement left the two women completely stunned.

"We never knew that geese and white geese were related."

They knew that geese were notoriously fierce. Since geese are untamed wild geese, it's not hard to understand why they're so formidable.

"That's right. Wild geese are the ancestors of domestic geese, they're of a higher generation, and they taste better than geese. We still have two at home, take them with you when you leave, so you can have a taste."

Chen Ling continued.

Just then, Zhao Dahai came running back, panting heavily and covered in sweat, leading the dog.

With their hands empty, it was clear they hadn't caught the rabbit.

After calming down, the fat man started scolding the greyhound beside him.

Then he said to Chen Ling, "This dog that hasn't trained its legs is no good. It can't even catch a rabbit. It's terrible."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling comforted him, "Brother Dahai, this dog is pretty good. It knows to chase rabbits when it sees them. It's just that its legs aren't well-trained from being raised in the city, so its stamina isn't great and it can't run fast. Be patient with it and don't keep scolding it, otherwise you'll ruin even a dog that could be trained..."

"Huh? How do I train them? How did you raise your two dogs? Teach me."

Zhao Dahai, wiping his sweat and panting heavily, asked.

"Haha, this thing doesn't need to be taught. Just train it from easy to difficult. As long as it cooperates well, reward it more. Over time, it will get used to it and become smarter."

Chen Ling smiled and said to him, "Look at me..."

As he spoke, he took off his shoes and threw them forcefully into the distance.

He pointed in that direction and ordered, "Heiwa, go and pick up the shoes."

Heiwa immediately darted out, and in a few quick movements, he picked up the shoe and trotted back.

Chen Ling put on his shoes, patted Heiwa's head, and said to Zhao Dahai, "When you first start training, begin with something simple like this, understand?"

"Got it, got it, this is easy."

Zhao Dahai's eyes lit up. "I'll give it a try."

Then take off the shoe and throw it away, waiting for the shoe to fly far into the grass.

He said to his greyhound, "Huahua, go and fetch the shoes." This greyhound is a pretty good hunting dog breed. With Heiwa demonstrating before, and Huahua watching from the side, it roughly understands what he means.

It wagged its tail and hurriedly ran over, bringing the shoe back to Zhao Dahai.

Good heavens, this made Zhao Dahai extremely happy.

He rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "It works, Fugui! This trick works!"

Chen Ling smiled and said, "Then give it a reward."

"award?"

Zhao Dahai patted his pockets; he had nothing with him.

She looked around and saw her daughter munching on some of Chen Ling's snacks. She went over and took all the snacks out of her daughter's pocket and fed them to the dog.

This pleased the dog, but it made the daughter burst into tears.

Zhao Dahai was engrossed in training the dog and didn't bother to comfort the child, which drew a scolding from his wife.

Others who saw the couple found it quite amusing.

And so everyone laughed and joked all the way.

Gradually, we entered the mountains and forests.

The group first had Wang Susu lead them to pick mushrooms.

In the past, Wang Susu would never bring outsiders into the Mushroom Nest.

Such a wonderful place would be carefully hidden by the villagers if they discovered it.

After each harvest, the remaining mycelium is protected so that it can grow back and be harvested again next time.

But now their family's wealth has increased significantly, and they are earning a steady income.

In comparison, wild mountain products like mushrooms are a small amount of money.

The young woman broadened her mind and led the way to the mountain forest where she used to pick mushrooms.

As they approached, Qin Qiumei spotted a clump of things on a half-rotten tree stump and quickly called out, "Susu, look! There's a huge pile over there. What kind of mushrooms are they?"

As everyone approached for a closer look, Zhao Dahai's eyes immediately lit up: "My goodness, this is a Ganoderma lucidum!"

On the old tree stump grew a clump of things that looked like Ganoderma lucidum, but the color was not as bright as Ganoderma lucidum, and it was a brownish-yellow.

Wang Susu shook her head and said, "This is not Ganoderma lucidum, it's old wood fungus."

"In our local dialect, we also call it 'yellow board' or 'tree tongue,' and this stuff is very poisonous."

"Huh? It's poisonous?"

Upon hearing this, the two women quickly withdrew their hands.

Wang Susu laughed and said, "Yes, most of the colorful mushrooms are poisonous. Sister Qiumei, Sister-in-law Wenxia, ​​you don't come to the mountains often, so you don't know which mushrooms are poisonous. It's best to wear gloves and not touch them with your bare hands."

The two nodded immediately, saying they understood and that they had prepared it when they came. They had thought it was Ganoderma lucidum and were too excited.

Zhao Dahai also said, "No wonder no one goes to pick it in such an obvious place; it turns out it's poisonous."

Then Wang Susu told everyone the location of the mushroom nest, and everyone scattered and began to search around.

A moment later, Zhao Dahai shouted, "Oh no! Oh no! I've encountered a poisonous mushroom too..."

His dog was barking loudly beside him.

Everyone hurriedly went over.

Zhao Dahai was pointing at a cluster of red mushrooms and said, "These mushrooms are really scary. They changed color as soon as I picked them!"

Underneath the beech bushes nearby, I saw a cluster of red mushrooms with thick caps; they looked quite nice.

However, upon closer inspection, you'll find blue-green finger marks on the mushroom.

"Oh dear, it has really changed color. This must be a poisonous mushroom too."

"It is indeed a poisonous mushroom."

Chen Ling nodded and said, "Although this is also a poisonous mushroom, it is an edible poisonous mushroom, and it tastes quite good."

"It's called 'Touching Green' or 'Seeing Hand Green.' When you pick it, it will change color if you apply a little pressure. It tastes delicious, but you have to be careful to wait until it's fully ripe before eating it, otherwise you'll see fairies dancing."

After Chen Ling finished speaking, Wang Susu nodded in agreement: "The braised pork is so delicious."

These words dispelled everyone's original worries and fears, and instead, they couldn't help but swallow hard.

There aren't many green ones in this pile.

At this time of year, mushrooms naturally become less abundant.

After picking them, the group didn't dare touch any more mushrooms they encountered. They waited for Chen Ling and the other person to come over.

"Here, here, we found another one, a very pretty little mushroom."

Qin Qiumei cried out.

This place also has very brightly colored mushrooms, some of which are small, smooth, delicate and hairless, like yellow mushrooms resembling egg yolks.

Upon seeing it, Chen Ling exclaimed happily, "This is a good thing! It's called butter mushroom. We used this mushroom to flavor and color our mushroom hot pot last time."

Zhao Dahai and his family of three stood aside, and after listening, they pointed to the other side and said, "Then we saw these butter mushrooms over there too. They're bigger and there are more of them than these."

Wang Susu was nearby, so she went over to take a look and looked up, saying, "Brother Dahai, this isn't a butter mushroom, it's an apricot mushroom."

"What? No? They're all the same!"

Zhao Dahai stared wide-eyed as he walked over.

"They're different. Look, the cap of the king oyster mushroom is thin and spread out, like that of the oyster mushroom. Butter mushrooms aren't like that; their caps are small, pointed, but thick."

Wang Susu shook her head.

"This……"

"That's really true."

Zhao Dahai carefully compared the two and found that it was indeed as Wang Susu had said.

After a moment of stunned silence, he sighed with a bitter expression, "I really don't know how you two can tell so many mushrooms apart. My eyes are going blurry."

"They're making me dizzy with all the talk about what's poisonous and what's not. One minute it's poisonous and can't be eaten, the next it's poisonous and can be eaten. If you threw me into the mountains, I'd rather starve than eat this stuff."

Qin Qiumei and Xiang Wenxia nodded in agreement.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ling laughed heartily: "Indeed, it's hard to recognize someone who didn't grow up in the mountains. You'll be fine if you come a few more times in the future."

"However, when it comes to mushrooms that look so flamboyant and colorful, it's safest to just leave them alone if you can't tell the difference."

He then picked all the butter mushrooms and apricot mushrooms and put them into the bamboo basket.

The apricot mushroom, scientifically known as Chanterelle, is called apricot mushroom by many people because it has a bitter almond flavor and a yellow color.

However, it absorbs a lot of oil when stir-frying, and it can bring out the flavor of chicken, making it even tastier than butter mushrooms.

Then, together with Wang Susu, they covered up the mushroom nests they had picked one by one before continuing on their way.

To ensure a bountiful harvest every year, mushrooms must be picked without damaging the mushroom beds.

Living off the mountains and rivers is a simple wisdom that has allowed mountain people to survive for thousands of years.

The practice of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs or draining the pond to catch all the fish is the most unacceptable.

After wandering around in the mountains for a while, we not only picked many mushrooms, but also delicious wild fruits and herbs, such as Japanese raisin tree, dogwood, and dog's milk flower.

For Zhao Dahai and his companions, although it was tiring, it was novel and interesting, and they were able to taste many mountain delicacies that they could not taste before. They spent half a day in high spirits.

We followed Chen Ling along the stream, down the ridge, and through a large bamboo forest.

Slowly, as the view opened up again, birdsong, the sound of water, the blue sky reflected in the water, and white clouds settling at the bottom...

An indescribable mountain beauty suddenly burst into view, and the extremely strong visual impact made everyone feel breathless.

(End of this chapter)