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

"Dad, Mom, dinner's ready! Xiaoqing and I picked a lot of mushrooms in the back hill today. They're so fresh! You two should try some!"

Su Xiaoyin carried a large, steaming earthenware pot of mushroom soup out of the kitchen, followed by Su Xiaoqing, who carried a large plate of golden-yellow cornbread and a small dish of homemade pickled vegetable shreds. Inside the main room, Chen's parents, who had just finished cleaning their farm tools and washing the mud off their hands, along with Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe, who were also covered in sweat, all sat down around the square table upon hearing the commotion.

Chen's mother took the soup bowl from Su Xiaoyin, first bringing it close to her nose to smell it. A warm, fragrant aroma, infused with the unique flavor of mushrooms, wafted towards her. She carefully blew on it, took a small sip, and the hot soup slid down her throat. The delicious flavor made her squint her eyes: "Mmm! It has to taste like this! Fresh! Delicious! These first-harvest mushrooms of spring are just different!"

As Su Xiaoqing distributed cornbread to everyone, she said happily, "Mom, it's not just mushrooms! Today we went to the back mountain and specifically went to the bamboo forest to take a look. Hey, guess what? Bamboo shoots have sprouted up! They're so dense, even more than I saw last autumn! My sister and I dug up almost half a basket this morning and had a taste of the fresh ones. This afternoon we plan to go again and dig up more while there are fewer people. Mom, what do you think? Should we dry these bamboo shoots into dried bamboo shoots this year, or pick out some of the good ones and try to sell them in the county town?"

Mr. Chen was eating a cornbread with pickled vegetables when he heard this. He looked up and asked, "Are there many bamboo shoots growing? If so, pick the ones that are growing evenly and have tight husks. You might actually be able to make some money from them. Didn't the winter bamboo shoots sell quite well last year? Spring bamboo shoots are cheaper, but there's a large quantity available."

Su Xiaoyin served Chen Dashan a bowl of soup and said, "Dad, there are so many bamboo shoots. In many places in the area we looked at, the soil has already been pushed up. I reckon that everyone in the village is busy with spring planting right now and doesn't have time to dig for bamboo shoots, so there must be few people in the bamboo grove. If we hurry, we can get quite a few."

Mother Chen hesitated for a moment, her mind racing. Their spring planting was progressing smoothly, so she said, "Our cultivated land should be almost finished planting this afternoon if we work on it all. As for the remaining fourteen acres of reclaimed land, there's no rush. Let your father and Xiaohe take their time." She looked at Chen Dashan, "Here's what we'll do: tomorrow morning, Dashan, you, me, Xiaoyin, and Xiaoqing, the four of us will go to the bamboo forest and dig up as many bamboo shoots as possible. Once we bring them back, we'll pick the best ones and go to the county town tomorrow or the day after to check the market. If we can sell them for a good price, that's great. If we can't sell them or the price is too low, we'll dry them ourselves or pickle them. We won't waste anything; they're good vegetables even in winter."

This arrangement was reasonable, and everyone nodded in agreement.

After a quick lunch, Chen's father, mother, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe rested briefly before shouldering their farm tools and heading to the fields again, determined to finish planting the last row before sunset. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing quickly cleared away the dishes and spun the stove until it gleamed. Without even taking a break, they each slung their largest basket over their shoulders and carried small baskets for mushrooms, setting off once more towards the bamboo forest behind the mountain.

The bamboo grove was indeed more tranquil in the afternoon than in the morning. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the newly sprouted, tender green bamboo leaves, creating dappled shadows. Apart from a few distant birdsongs, the only sounds were the sisters' soft footsteps and the scratching of their hoes against the soil. They skillfully dug along the clump of bamboo shoots they had found that morning. Spring bamboo shoots were easier to find and dig than winter ones, and soon their baskets were filled with a harvest still covered in fresh soil.

"Sister! Come and see!" Su Xiaoqing suddenly lowered her voice, her voice filled with unbelievable joy, and waved to a shady, damp place with a thicker layer of fallen leaves not far away.

Su Xiaoyin quickly walked over and looked in the direction her sister was pointing—and saw several snow-white "little umbrellas" standing tall among the thick, withered leaves covering the roots of several clumps of green bamboo, with bell-shaped caps and delicate net-like skirts!

It's bamboo fungus! And not just one, but several clustered together!

The sisters' hearts raced instantly. Bamboo fungus was already a rare treat in winter, but they never expected to find it in spring! They exchanged a glance, both seeing immense surprise and the gleam of "we've struck it rich" in each other's eyes.

They immediately put down their bamboo shoot digging and began carefully searching the area. Experience told them that bamboo fungus rarely grows alone. Sure enough, they found many more in similar humus-rich, damp, and dark places nearby. These bamboo fungus that sprouted in spring seemed more delicate and plump than those in winter, and their veils were more fully extended and intact.

Like fisherwomen gathering pearls, the two moved quietly through the bamboo grove, bending down and picking up the bamboo shoots, even their breathing was soft, for fear of disturbing these forest spirits. They only stopped, reluctantly, when the bamboo shoots they had dug were covered with a layer of white bamboo fungus carefully wrapped in large, clean bamboo leaves, and the small basket was overflowing.

Looking up at the sky, the sun was already setting in the west, and the light in the forest was beginning to dim.

"Oh no! We were so busy looking for bamboo fungus and digging bamboo shoots that we've wasted so much time, and it's almost dark!" Su Xiaoqing exclaimed.

"Quick, pack your things and go home! Parents should be back from the fields by now!" Su Xiaoyin realized what was happening and quickly picked up her heavy basket. Together with her sister, they hurriedly but joyfully embarked on their journey home.

They rushed home, but the old house was still quiet; their parents hadn't returned from the fields yet. The two sisters breathed a sigh of relief and immediately divided the tasks.

Su Xiaoqing was in charge of handling the most precious bamboo fungus. She carefully removed the delicate, white fungus from its bamboo leaf wrapping, gently brushing away any remaining bits of decaying leaves and dirt clinging to the roots with a soft brush, her movements as gentle as if handling fragile porcelain. Then, she took it to a well-ventilated, shady spot behind the house, spreading it out carefully on a clean bamboo mat that had been prepared beforehand to dry. Next, she immediately began preparing the spring bamboo shoots in her basket, peeling off the outer husks to reveal the tender white flesh inside, preparing to blanch them later.

Su Xiaoyin rushed into the kitchen. She had prepared the mixed grain flour at noon and was now quickly kneading and making flatbreads. She then took the large bone that Chen's mother had asked her to set aside from the beam that morning, chopped it up, put it in a large pot with water and ginger slices, brought it to a boil over high heat, skimmed off the foam, and then simmered it over low heat. Next, she quickly washed the tender bamboo shoots that Su Xiaoqing had peeled, cut them into chunks, and added them to the broth to stew together when it was almost ready. On a separate small stove, she boiled water to blanch the wild vegetables she had picked that morning, preparing minced garlic, salt, and a little precious sesame oil for a cold salad.

As the bone and bamboo shoot soup in the pot began to bubble and release its rich aroma, the sounds of Mr. and Mrs. Chen talking and putting down their farm tools could be heard from outside the courtyard gate.

"Dad, Mom, Dashan, Xiaohe, you're back! Wash your hands quickly, the food will be ready soon! We got back a little late from the bamboo forest today..." Su Xiaoyin poked her head out of the kitchen, her face flushed with apology and busyness.

As Chen's mother drew water to wash her hands by the well, she smiled and said, "No rush, no rush! We just finished working in the fields, and we just got home. Let me help you!" With that, she rolled up her sleeves and headed into the kitchen.

The three of them—Father Chen, Chen Dashan, and Chen Xiaohe—were also busy. After washing their hands, seeing that there was still some light in the sky, they picked up buckets and ladles to water the early spring vegetable seedlings they had planted in the corner of the yard a few days ago. The chives had already sprouted tender green tips, and the scallions were also looking vibrant. They watered them, hoping they would grow quickly so that there would be more fresh green on the family's dining table.

The setting sun bathed the courtyard in a warm golden glow. In the kitchen, the rich aroma of stewed pork bones and bamboo shoots mingled with the fresh scent of wild vegetables; behind the house, white bamboo fungus quietly released its unique fragrance in the evening breeze; in the yard, water droplets sprinkled on the vegetable patches, sparkling in the sunlight. The weariness of labor gradually dissipated, replaced by the family sitting together, sharing the satisfaction and peace of a day's toil and unexpected rewards. The gifts of spring, in the rising smoke and warm lamplight, transformed into tangible, nourishing flavors and hopes for life.