After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

"Go early and come back early, be careful! Xiaoyin, Xiaoqing, stay close to Dashan and Xiaohe, don't wander off on your own!" Chen's mother stood at the gate of the courtyard, giving her instructions again with concern, her gaze sweeping back and forth between her son and daughter-in-law.

"Yes, Mother!" "We will, Mother, don't worry!" Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing replied in unison, their faces filled with eager excitement.

Chen Dashan carried a machete and rope on his shoulder, while Chen Xiaohe carried an even larger basket on his back and held a machete in his hand. The four bid farewell to Chen's mother and walked along the village path, still damp with morning dew, towards the bamboo forest behind the mountain.

The mountain air was exceptionally fresh in the early morning, carrying the scent of awakening grass and earth. Chen Xiaohe walked in front, his steps light and quick, occasionally turning back to chat and laugh with the two sisters, pointing out the wildflowers and grasses along the roadside. Su Xiaoqing smiled, amused by his antics. Su Xiaoyin followed slightly behind him, her gaze occasionally falling on Chen Dashan, who walked at the rear, his steps steady yet clear. He didn't walk fast, but each step was firm, his machete occasionally clearing away obstructing branches with swift movements.

Reaching the edge of the bamboo forest I had gazed upon yesterday, the view suddenly opened up. A vibrant, verdant sea of ​​bamboo undulated along the mountainside, its slender bamboo stalks reaching straight to the sky, their intertwined branches and leaves obscuring much of the heavens, allowing only dappled golden sunlight to filter through. When the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled softly, like a green ocean whispering secrets. The air was filled with the unique, crisp fragrance of bamboo.

"Wow..." Su Xiaoqing couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, her eyes wide open. Su Xiaoyin was also shocked by the sight. Although there was bamboo in her hometown, it was rare to see such a dense and abundant field. "This... how many bamboo shoots must there be!" she murmured, as if she could already see the bamboo shoots sprouting everywhere next spring.

Chen Dashan stopped and calmly surveyed the depths of the bamboo forest. He said to the two sisters, "You two search around here, but don't go too far. Xiaohe and I will go and cut down a few suitable bamboo stalks first." He pointed to a relatively sparse area on the outskirts of the bamboo forest, where the bamboo stalks were of suitable thickness.

"Okay, Brother Dashan. We'll just wander around the area and see if there are any tender bamboo shoots that are still sprouting at this time of year." Su Xiaoyin nodded in agreement.

Seeing that the two sisters obediently agreed and began to carefully search within sight, Chen Dashan gestured to Chen Xiaohe, and the two walked towards the selected bamboo.

Both brothers were experienced in manual labor. Chen Dashan selected an old bamboo stalk, about the thickness of a bowl, with even joints, straight and without scars. He tapped the bamboo with his knuckles, listened to the sound, and carefully observed the color and texture of the bamboo skin before nodding to Chen Xiaohe. Chen Xiaohe understood, and the two worked in perfect harmony. Chen Dashan used a machete to make a deep cut above the base of the bamboo at a suitable position, while Chen Xiaohe made the same cut on the other side. The sharp blades cut into the bamboo, producing a dull "thud, thud," and bamboo shavings flew everywhere. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a long bamboo stalk, with a crisp "creak," slowly fell in the intended direction, only to be caught by Chen Xiaohe with quick reflexes, preventing it from crushing the nearby bamboo grove.

"Brother, we've cut two, is that enough?" Chen Xiaohe wiped his sweat and asked. Two long green bamboo stalks lay on the ground, emitting a rich bamboo fragrance.

Chen Dashan shook his head, his gaze falling on another bamboo stalk of similar thickness but with denser nodes: "Cut another one. In the kitchen of the new house, I plan to use bamboo to build some storage shelves—lightweight and well-ventilated. The remaining bamboo can be split into strips to weave winnowing baskets and bamboo hampers, and in the summer, we can also weave cooling mats. The new house is empty, and there are quite a few odds and ends missing; bamboo will be very useful."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohe suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly, "That's right! Brother, you've thought of everything! Our new house is practically empty except for the walls and the kang (heated brick bed), we need to cut another one! I'll do it!"

Meanwhile, the Su sisters were already engrossed in their search. They carefully parted the thick layer of bamboo leaves and withered grass on the ground, meticulously examining any potential bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots were indeed scarce this season, but perhaps due to the warm autumn, or perhaps because the bamboo grove was exceptionally fertile, they actually found some tender shoots, barely the length of a finger, with their husks still covered in fuzz, near several sheltered, sunny bamboo roots.

"Sister, look at this one! It's pointed, it must be tender!" Su Xiaoqing exclaimed as if she had discovered a treasure, carefully digging away the surrounding soil with a small hoe.

Su Xiaoyin also found two, carefully dug them out, shook off the dirt, and put them into her small basket. The two sisters searched and whispered about bamboo shoot digging techniques and which bamboo shoots were more tender. Before they knew it, they had wandered around the area and dug up seven or eight relatively fresh bamboo shoots.

Just as they were about to expand their search area, Su Xiaoyin, with her sharp eyes, spotted several strangely shaped, pure white "little umbrellas" quietly standing at the base of several clumps of lush green bamboo not far ahead. Her heart skipped a beat, she held her breath, and tiptoed over, parting the bamboo leaves that were covering them—it was indeed bamboo fungus! And there was more than one! The rare fungus, as white as snow, with bell-shaped caps and delicate net-like skirts, stood gracefully among the decaying bamboo leaves, like forest spirits.

"Xiao Qing! Come quick!" Su Xiaoyin lowered her voice, but couldn't hide her excitement, and waved her hand hurriedly.

Su Xiaoqing quickly came over, and upon seeing it, she almost gasped in surprise, immediately covering her mouth, her eyes wide with astonishment. The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the ecstatic joy in each other's eyes. Bamboo fungus! This was the rare and precious delicacy her mother-in-law had mentioned just yesterday!

They dared not be careless, carefully using the small wooden pieces they had brought to gently pry up the bamboo fungus from the base, afraid of tearing its delicate veil. There were five in total, some large and some small, but all in good condition. Su Xiaoyin quickly tore off a few clean, large bamboo leaves, carefully wrapped the bamboo fungus, placed it at the bottom of the small basket, and then covered it with another large bamboo leaf.

"Sis, shall we wander around a bit more? What if there are more?" Su Xiaoqing suggested softly, her heart pounding.

Su Xiaoyin was also tempted, but remained calm: "Okay, but we need to tell Brother Dashan and Brother Xiaohe first, so they won't worry if they can't find us after they've cut down the bamboo."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Chen Xiaohe's cheerful voice came from behind her: "Sister-in-law, what are you worried about?"

The sisters turned around and saw that Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe had already cut the third bamboo stalk and were using ropes to tie the three bamboo stalks together as they walked towards them. The brothers had beads of sweat on their foreheads, but they were full of energy.

Su Xiaoyin quickly picked up her small basket and went to meet them with Su Xiaoqing, her face filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Brother Dashan, Brother Xiaohe, look! We not only dug up tender bamboo shoots, but we also found this!" She gently lifted a little of the bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots covering them, revealing the white bamboo fungus underneath.

Chen Dashan's gaze swept over the basket, and a hint of surprise and sharpness flashed in his previously calm eyes. He stepped forward, examined it carefully, and confirmed that it was correct.

Chen Xiaohe leaned closer, his eyes wide, and exclaimed in a low voice, "It really is bamboo fungus! And there are several of them! Sister-in-law, you're so lucky!" He quickly looked around and lowered his voice, "Quick, put them away! Let's look around carefully again! Dried bamboo fungus fetches a particularly high price in the county town restaurants during the winter! Much more expensive than ordinary mountain products!"

Chen Dashan nodded, his expression becoming more serious: "Bamboo fungus often grows in symbiotic groups, so there are likely more nearby. Xiaohe is right, let's search more carefully. Stay close to us and don't stray too far."

So, their original plan to return after cutting down the bamboo was temporarily put on hold. The four of them began a careful and quiet search of the nearby bamboo grove, using the location where they had found the bamboo fungus as a starting point. The brothers had better eyesight and more experience, especially Chen Dashan, who could more accurately deduce areas where bamboo fungus might grow by observing the condition of the bamboo roots, the thickness of the humus layer, and the humidity. The sisters, on the other hand, were meticulous, not overlooking any unusual white spots or suspicious protrusions.

The bamboo forest was deep and secluded, with dappled sunlight. The four of them tacitly dispersed and then regrouped, exchanging whispers about their discovery. In addition to finding three more slightly smaller bamboo fungus, they unexpectedly discovered a loose mound of soil that appeared to be evidence of bamboo rat activity, as well as freshly gnawed bamboo roots. Chen Xiaohe carefully examined the burrow entrance and paw prints, excitedly whispering that there was something in the burrow, but they didn't bring any special tools today, so they could only note the location and come back another time.

As the sun rose higher, the mist in the forest dissipated. The small basket I brought was already full, with bamboo fungus carefully wrapped at the bottom, tender bamboo shoots on top, and some edible wild mushrooms and mountain vegetables picked along the way.

"That's about enough," Chen Dashan looked up at the sky, estimating the time. "The harvest has exceeded our expectations. Let's carry the bamboo and head back."

Chen Xiaohe responded and, together with his brother, hoisted the three long, bundled bamboo stalks onto their shoulders. The bamboo was heavy, but the two brothers walked steadily. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing followed behind, carrying heavy little baskets, their faces flushed with the health benefits of their labor and the joy of returning home with a full load.

On the way back, Chen Xiaohe was still excitedly talking about how much the bamboo rat burrow and bamboo fungus could sell for. Su Xiaoqing quietly discussed with him how to cook bamboo shoots. Su Xiaoyin walked quietly, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Chen Dashan's back ahead, carrying bamboo, leaning slightly forward yet remarkably steady. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo forest, dancing on the bamboo poles on his shoulders.

This trip into the mountains not only yielded precious delicacies, but also allowed the two sisters to truly feel that they were being accepted and trusted by this new family, and that they were working together for a better life. The surprise deep in the bamboo forest was like a good omen, foreshadowing that this newly formed family might discover even more unexpected treasures on this land in the future.