The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

Grandma Li's joyful shout echoed through the mountains, reaching the ears of the people who were still squatting by the roadside, heads down, digging for wild vegetables.

Upon hearing this, everyone paused for a moment, then quickened their pace, hurriedly putting the wild vegetables into their baskets and rushing towards Granny Li.

The lichen won't run away; we can just dig it up again when we get back. Morel mushrooms, on the other hand, are much more expensive, so naturally, picking the precious morel mushrooms is the priority.

A group of people quickly gathered around the old mushroom house.

Last time, the group arrived in a hurry and didn't have as many people as they do now. Today, with more people and quicker hands and feet, a bunch of thriving morel mushrooms were picked clean in no time.

After picking them, no one went back. The forest was damp, and there were bound to be more further in. Even if there weren't morel mushrooms, they could pick other kinds of mushrooms.

Not far away, Niu Cuihua found another hidden mushroom nest between two trees, densely covered with fresh and tender morel mushrooms. She was overjoyed, her face crinkling into a deep wrinkle.

Before Niu Cuihua had finished picking the mushrooms, good news came from afar.

Grandma Liu pointed to a patch of collapsed, dead trees and called out loudly, "Everyone, come and see! There's something good here. It looks like a minefield, a whole lot of it!"

There is a folk legend that when thunder strikes the ground at night, small white mushrooms will sprout from the ground where the thunder has struck. These mushrooms are called "thunder nests".

Grandma Liu stepped over a moss-covered, rotten log, put her basket aside, and looked down at it.

Amidst the decaying leaves and withered grass, plump, white little round mushrooms sprouted tenderly, almost all of them still unopened, with round heads and plump bodies.

These unopened croakers are top-quality, with tender meat and a rich, fresh flavor. They taste like tender meat, without being dry or bitter, and are clean inside.

If you wait for the mushrooms to grow a little longer, and the caps fully open, the layers of folds make them very easy for mud and insects to get trapped, which also greatly diminishes the taste.

The restaurants in town weren't very willing to accept items in this condition.

They dried them and kept them to eat slowly; farmers don't have picky eating habits.

Grandma Liu skillfully extended two fingers, firmly pinched the tender stem of the mushroom, and gently pulled it upwards with her fingertips, allowing the whole little mushroom to fall easily into her palm.

Other villagers joined them one after another.

"How much thunder was there yesterday? You can't see it from a distance, but you can really see how much it was up close!"

Dr. Chen and the village chief didn't go mushroom picking; instead, they went to look for mushrooms in the other direction.

At this time of year, bamboo shoots should be sprouting.

The bamboo grove near Lotus Village is not lush; the bamboo is sparse.

It's not that the soil and water can't nurture thriving bamboo, but rather that they've deliberately cultivated it to this state.

Bamboo is incredibly resilient; its underground rhizomes spread at an alarming rate. If left to grow unchecked, it will spread its roots everywhere within a few years, covering the entire mountainside.

By then, the entire mountain will be covered with dense bamboo, squeezing out all the other trees at the foot of the mountain and draining all the nutrients from the soil. The only living thing left on the whole mountain will be bamboo.

In the mountains, all things live and depend on each other. How can a single tree species dominate a place? If the whole mountain becomes a bamboo forest, it will be difficult for grass and trees to grow, wild vegetables will not grow, mushrooms will not sprout, and medicinal herbs will have no place to grow. It will be even more difficult to find some mountain products to exchange for money in the future.

Because the bamboo forest is appropriately spaced and the bamboo rhizomes underground are rich in nutrients, the bamboo shoots that emerge are all plump and sturdy.

Doctor Chen and the village chief walked slowly through the bamboo forest, carefully selecting the plump bamboo shoots that were sturdy, had tender outer shells, and had not yet fully matured.

These bamboo shoots have a crisp and tender texture, and they fetch a high price in town, selling even better than the thinner bamboo shoots I saw last time.

Those bamboo shoots that were clustered together and vying for space were also dug up.

"What's this thing that Nannan bought called again? It's a military shovel, and it's really useful." The village chief squatted on the ground, digging up bamboo shoots bit by bit, and every now and then he would pick up the shovel and take a look at it.

"Indeed, it's lightweight and convenient. I was worried it might break at first, but now I find it very easy to use."

Dr. Chen walked to a clump of bamboo, squatted down, and ruffled the small leaves at the bottom.

He took out a small shovel and started digging.

He wasn't digging bamboo shoots, he was digging up pheasant rice.

This herb, when its leaves are processed and boiled in water, can clear heart fire, relieve thirst, and promote urination and remove dampness.

The root can cool the blood and promote childbirth.

It can be said that every part of it is a treasure, and the tender seedlings that sprout after the spring rain have the best medicinal effects.

The villagers of Lotus Village were scattered in twos and threes in the woods, carrying small shovels or shoveling away decaying leaves. Laughter and chatter filled the mountains and fields, and occasionally, water droplets left on the leaves would fall with a soft patter.

It is said that spring rain is the most precious thing, as the rainwater nourishes the entire mountain and also benefits the lives of everyone in Lotus Village.

……

Zhao Hu and Da Niu walked slowly along the blocked mud wall. After two days of torrential rain, all the traps had to be rearranged and inspected.

The mud wall seemed shorter, the soil had become soft from being soaked, and several pieces of stone had fallen from the simple stone wall at the entrance of the village.

Zhao Hu stood on the mountainside, looking at the winding mountain road in the distance.

The roads were blocked, so they couldn't go out. The area outside was deserted, and they all migrated south.

At this moment, the vegetation began to grow wildly, and the yellow mud road that had been trodden out by generations of people in Lotus Village was gradually being covered and swallowed up by weeds and vines.

Perhaps a large portion of this road will disappear next year.

Looking back at the once bustling village entrance, it now appears somewhat desolate, as all the villagers have moved to the vicinity of Granny Liu's house.

Both sides of the road are filled with damaged houses. Half of them were destroyed by natural disasters, and the other half were deliberately destroyed by the people who moved out.

The largest house at the village entrance belongs to Fang Tiesheng.

Now the roof is gone, half of the wall has collapsed, and after a rain, the exposed house is filled with mud and water, a complete mess.

With this disguise, even if an outsider were to turn over, they would most likely turn back unless they were deliberately investigating.

Who would be interested in a deserted village?

Da Niu glanced at his home a few more times, then looked at the road outside the mud wall.

"How can he eat so much at such a young age? Dad, I don't want my little brother, he eats too much."

"At such a young age, he's as strong as an ox. Dad really knows how to name someone."

"Da Niu, take good care of your parents, and wait for us to come back."

Soft, gentle words seemed to echo softly in my ears.

The end of the muddy road, eroded by vegetation, is shrouded in shadow.

Da Niu shook his head.

If he had never been on the battlefield, perhaps he would still have a sliver of hope.

But he had been there; he knew how dangerous and difficult the road was.

But people are ultimately greedy.

Even though you know it's impossible, you still hold onto that tiny sliver of hope.

"Let's go, Da Niu. Go check out the place you mentioned where we can dig ditches. We need to measure it and then report the findings to your father!"

"Alright, Tiger!"