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

Chen's father and his three companions, carrying baskets on their backs and small hoes, headed towards the back of the mountain.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated from the mountain forest, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation. Dew dampened their trouser legs, but no one minded. Chen's father walked ahead, his steps steady, occasionally turning back to offer a few words of advice.

"Little River, stay close to me and don't wander off."

"Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing, go to the barren mountain area, but don't go too deep in. You're familiar with that area."

The two sisters responded and parted ways halfway, heading towards their own barren mountain.

The Chen family has been buying this barren mountain for over a year, and they have gradually cultivated part of it, planting melon seedlings and fruit trees. However, most of the area remains in its original state, overgrown with weeds and tangled with trees. It is precisely in this kind of place that wild mushrooms grow best.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing ventured into the mountains and began a thorough search.

"Sister, over here!" Su Xiaoqing spotted a cluster of mushrooms, squatted down, carefully picked them, and put them into her basket.

Su Xiaoyin then discovered several yellow mushrooms under the decaying leaves on the other side. They were golden in color, with thick caps, and clearly of high quality. She gently pried them up with a bamboo stick, shook off the soil from the roots, and put them in her basket.

The two sisters worked together seamlessly, one searching and the other picking, and before long, their baskets were half full.

"Sis, we have a lot of mushrooms here." Su Xiaoqing wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled.

Su Xiaoyin was also happy: "Yes, we should pick more, dry them, and sell them for money, and we can also eat them ourselves. There's been a lot of rain this year, so there will definitely be a lot of mushrooms."

As they were talking, Su Xiaoqing suddenly spotted some medicinal herbs and squatted down to examine them closely: "Sister, this is Sophora flavescens, and this is Bletilla striata. Didn't Doctor Li say we should help collect medicinal herbs? These can be sold for money."

Su Xiaoyin leaned over to take a look: "Yes, pick them all. Anyway, we still have room in our baskets."

The two picked mushrooms and herbs, and even gathered wood ear mushrooms, plucking them all and putting them in their baskets. Before they knew it, their baskets were getting heavier and heavier.

"Sis, it's too full, I can't carry it anymore." Su Xiaoqing straightened up and stretched her shoulders.

Su Xiaoyin looked at her basket, which was also full. She nodded, "Let's go, let's take it back first, empty the mushrooms, and then bring two empty baskets up. We can pick more this morning."

The two supported each other as they slowly walked down the mountain.

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Back at the foot of the mountain, they ran into several women from the village who were also strolling around nearby. One of them, with sharp eyes, spotted the two sisters carrying baskets full of mushrooms and greeted them enviously, "Oh my, Xiaoyin and Xiaoqing, you've picked so many! There are so many mushrooms on this mountain!"

Su Xiaoyin replied with a smile, "Auntie, the rain has been good this year, and the mushrooms are growing very well. You should go and take a look too."

Another aunt clicked her tongue and said, "Look at those two daughters-in-law, they do embroidery, take care of the children, and even go up the mountain to pick mushrooms. They're busy all day long. Unlike my daughter-in-law, she won't do any work unless I tell her to, and she's always slacking off."

Someone nearby joked, "Then you should just divide the family property among your family members. A big tree branches out; your three sons are all married but you're still all tangled up together. Everyone wants to slack off, so who can you blame?"

The aunt sighed, "It's an old saying that families don't separate while parents are alive. I'll think about it some more."

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing didn't have time to chat much, so they hurried home with their baskets on their backs. When they got home, they spread the mushrooms out on the bamboo mat in the yard, drank a big gulp of water, grabbed two more empty baskets, and headed back up the mountain.

On their second trip up the mountain, the sisters were more experienced and specifically sought out areas with abundant mushrooms. This time, they not only picked mushrooms but also discovered several wild toon trees. Although the leaves were old, they could still pick some tender shoots. Su Xiaoyin picked a handful of shoots and put them in her basket, thinking she would blanch them and make a cold dish when she got home.

By the time we made our second trip down the mountain, the sun was already high in the sky.

---

In the courtyard, Chen's father and Chen Xiaohe had already returned. They sat on the porch to rest, with two large baskets beside them, filled to the brim with mushrooms and some wild vegetables.

"Dad, Xiaohe, you're back too?" Su Xiaoyin put down her basket and wiped her sweat.

Mr. Chen nodded: "There are even more mushrooms on the back hill. We picked them twice and got more than you."

Chen Xiaohe grinned, "I also found a nest of wild eggs, and I collected seven or eight!"

Su Xiaoqing's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Great! We can add an extra dish tonight!"

Just then, the sound of a mule cart came from outside the courtyard gate. Chen's mother returned, driving the mule. She looked a little tired, but her spirits were still good.

"Mother? Why are you back so early?" Su Xiaoyin went to greet her.

Chen's mother drove the mule cart into the yard, jumped off, and waved her hand: "Don't mention it. There were few people in the county town today, and business was so-so. Those refugees have arrived, and the county government has arranged for them to stay outside the town. People in the town are all talking about it, so there are fewer people at the market. I saw there wasn't much business, so I came back early. It's perfect timing, I was also thinking about going up the mountain to pick mushrooms."

Mr. Chen handed her a bowl of cold tea: "Take a break and have some water. We've picked quite a few mushrooms; we can dry them this afternoon."

Chen's mother took the teacup and gulped down more than half of it before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

---

At noon, Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing went into the kitchen to start preparing lunch.

When she left in the morning, Su Xiaoyin had already started cooking the mixed grain rice, so all she had to do now was stir-fry a few dishes. She picked a few cucumbers from the vegetable garden, smashed them, and made a cold salad; she also sliced ​​a plate of cured meat and stir-fried it with the tender toon sprouts she had picked that morning; she beat the wild eggs and steamed a bowl of egg custard, especially for the four children.

Mr. Chen brought out a cleaned pheasant from the backyard—he'd caught it in a trap yesterday, along with a rabbit. He handed the pheasant to Su Xiaoyin: "Stew this tonight, add some mushrooms, it'll be delicious."

Su Xiaoyin took it and said with a smile, "Okay, tonight we'll have chicken stew with mushrooms. I'll clean the rabbit, smoke it, and save it for later."

The family sat around in the main room, eating a simple lunch and talking about what they had accomplished that morning.

With his mouth full, Chen Xiaohe mumbled, "There are so many mushrooms today. Let's go again this afternoon. Let's take advantage of the good weather these days and sunbathe as much as possible."

Mr. Chen nodded: "Yes, we've been going up the mountain these past few days. The mushrooms will get too old in a few days and won't sell well."

Chen's mother also said, "I heard from people in the county town that there are quite a few people fleeing the famine this time, and the county government is going to assign them to various villages. Our village may also be divided into several households."

Chen Dashan put down his bowl, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Let's help if we can. We've been through the same thing."

Su Xiaoyin gently held his hand without saying a word.

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