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

Cao Xiulian was already waiting at the stall early on.

Yesterday, Ya Ya told me that it rained in her village, and she expects a lot of mountain produce to emerge after the rain.

Not long after, we spotted a little baby in a cream-colored cotton-padded jacket and a bunny hat, slowly pushing a stroller that was much wider than before towards us.

A bag of vegetables hung on each side of the cart, and stacks of small baskets were piled up in an open box on top, overflowing with other items.

It was her beloved niece, Ya Ya.

Cao Xiulian quickly crossed the road to meet her.

As soon as you get close, a fresh, clean mountain scent wafts over, so fresh it makes your nose itch.

"Oh my, Ya Ya, why did you bring so much?"

Cao Xiulian took the handlebars and pushed the bike; it was quite heavy.

Ya Ya nodded with a smile, "Grandpa and Grandma are amazing! They picked so many mushrooms. After the rain, all the wild vegetables and mushrooms sprouted up on the mountain. They also wove a lot of little baskets."

As the story unfolded, they arrived at Cao Xiulian's stall. The plastic sheet was already spread out. Cao Xiulian had specially bought a new one on Pinduoduo—a yellow checkered picnic blanket decorated with small white flowers.

"Wow! Auntie, this fabric is so pretty!" Ya Ya covered her little mouth, her eyes shining.

Auntie has such great taste in shopping! Even the mats are so pretty!

Cao Xiulian's lips curled up high; she knew the little girl would like it.

Even when setting up a stall, you have to make it look nice.

She squatted down to help Ya Ya take out all the things she had brought, carefully placing the wild vegetables in bunches.

Lamb's quarters, bracken, shepherd's purse—there weren't many varieties this time.

Looking further into the baskets, one by one, small baskets were taken out, with clusters of plump oyster mushrooms on top. After removing the top layer, underneath were white, hammer-shaped chicken leg mushrooms!

Further down, there was a faint layer of black, wrinkled fungus.

As Cao Xiulian smelled the fresh aroma of mushrooms, she removed the small basket covering the mushrooms, her pupils contracted sharply, and she gasped.

It turned out to be genuine wild morel mushrooms!

It's still the freshest and most precious first-harvest morel mushroom.

The kind with the thickest meat, the strongest aroma, and the finest marbling!

Each mushroom has a pointed, glossy black top with a fine, dense honeycomb pattern. Even the stems are cleaned thoroughly, without a trace of dirt or sand.

"Auntie, this little basket contains morel mushrooms that Grandpa Village Chief put in for you. He said they're delicious," Ya Ya said softly as she saw her staring blankly at the dark mushrooms.

Cao Xiulian felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

These are such good things, they could sell for a lot of money elsewhere, but these simple mountain people left her a basket without saying a word.

She knew Ya Ya's personality well; if she said she would give it to her, she meant it sincerely. Pushing it back and forth would only create distance.

She suppressed the warmth in her heart and quickly glanced at the basket. Besides the one given to her, there was about a pound of other items, all of them of top quality.

Cao Xiulian quickly took out her phone and started checking the price of mushrooms.

She couldn't be careless with such good wild game; she had to be sure of the identification so that her child wouldn't suffer from any loss.

After checking the price, she sent a message to the same customers who were waiting to buy wild vegetables last time on WeChat:

We have wild vegetables, fresh wild mushrooms, and first-harvest wild morel mushrooms today. Quantities are limited, so hurry if you want some!

The message had only been sent out for a short while when the customers arrived, most of them wearing long bathrobes and tying their hair up before heading out.

The footsteps were quick and light.

"Sister Cao, we've been waiting for you! Wow, so many varieties!"

"Wow, this really is the first batch of morel mushrooms, purely wild."

"How much are the chicken drumstick mushrooms? They're even cleaned properly. I knew it was worth coming all this way; the owner is really honest!"

"Sister Cao, please tell me the price."

"I ordered small baskets yesterday, one for mushrooms and one for vegetables."

Several regular customers gathered around, chattering amongst themselves, each trying to get a little something, afraid that if they didn't, they wouldn't get any later.

Cao Xiulian smiled and raised her hand to calm everyone down, "Don't worry, everyone. The prices are all reasonable, and the quality of the goods is evident."

"Morel mushrooms, first harvest, wild, that's all, 350 per catty!"

Wild chicken leg mushrooms, 90 yuan per jin!

Wild oyster mushrooms, 30 yuan per jin!

Shepherd's purse and bracken fern are still priced at the same rate, 25 yuan per jin.

Lamb's quarters costs 18 yuan per jin (500g).

If you think it's worth it, then buy it. If not, that's fine too; we're open to business.

Cao Xiulian just checked the prices bit by bit. These mushrooms are all cultivated now. For example, cultivated oyster mushrooms can be sold for as little as two yuan per kilogram, but wild ones are different; it's hard to find purely wild ones. And she doesn't know if it's because the soil and water in Ya Ya Village are so good, but they always taste fresher than other wild products she's bought.

The people in Ya Ya Village are honest; everything is washed, picked, and processed thoroughly.

She quoted the maximum price.

A passerby overheard this and couldn't help but gasp in surprise: "What kind of mushroom is so expensive?"

Upon closer inspection and smelling, their expressions changed instantly. "This is truly wild! I want some too!"

"We were here first, so our regular customers get to weigh themselves first!"

For a moment, everyone was talking and chatting, and the small stall was bustling with activity.

Those in the know understand that the first harvest of wild morel mushrooms only lasts a few days a year, and once that's over, you won't be able to find such good quality ones.

The most expensive morel mushrooms in this pound became the most sought-after.

Cao Xiulian worked quickly and efficiently, weighing, bagging, and collecting money, her forehead beaded with sweat.

Ya Ya helped pass the food and take the money, her little face flushed, and she felt sweet inside.

Wow, that's a lot of money.

Before long, all the mountain produce that Ya Ya brought was sold out, and even the twenty or so baskets were bought up as well.

After everyone had mostly left, Cao Xiulian took advantage of a break while selling fried sugar cakes to calculate the price for Ya Ya.

Some were received as phones, and some as cash.

Besides the basket he gave to himself, there were twenty small baskets and one large basket.

In total, I received 1031.6 yuan via mobile payment QR code and 650 yuan in cash.

Cao Xiulian exchanged all the money for cash, folded it neatly, and gave it to Ya Ya. She also carefully wrote down a list, saying, "Ya Ya, remember to take it back to Grandpa to check it."

"I'll keep this basket of morel mushrooms. Please thank your grandparents on my behalf."

Cao Xiulian patted Ya Ya's small handbag.

Looking at the child's somewhat grayish yellow cotton-padded jacket.

I was thinking that when I had time, I would buy Ya Ya another coat if I could find something nice to wear.