The fans in the live stream were curious about what the giant panda had discovered after rolling down the slope.
Some of them immediately recognized the strange growth as a wild mushroom.
“More wild mushrooms!
City people are asking, ‘Can we eat these?'”
“I heard that if it doesn’t have a red cap and white spots, it’s probably safe, right?”
“I think that’s a termite mushroom.
It makes a really delicious soup!”
“Oh, isn’t that a cockscomb mushroom?
That’s what we call it here.
They usually grow after the summer rains.”
“Don’t eat wild mushrooms if you don’t know what they are, hahaha.”
Su Lin glanced at the live stream and recognized the mushrooms.
He began explaining to his viewers.
“Everyone, these are termite mushrooms, also known as chicken mushrooms.
They’re edible and have different names in different regions, such as chicken-foot mushrooms and chicken-shred mushrooms.”
“In Sichuan, they’re sometimes called fighting-cock mushrooms.
They’re nutritious and rich in protein.
They’re delicious in soups, steamed dishes, and dry-pot dishes.”
Su Lin looked around and noticed clusters of the mushrooms growing everywhere.
Some had already matured, their caps spreading outward, while others still had small, brown, cone-shaped tops.
“These mushrooms also grow in a rather special environment.
Termites are usually found living beneath them, which is why they’re called termite mushrooms.
Unlike many wild mushrooms that grow in symbiosis with plant roots, these mushrooms have a unique relationship with termite colonies.”
“They’re called chicken mushrooms in some places, and they’re quite delicious.”
“Wow, I found something good again.
I’m so jealous of Zhu Bo for getting to eat wild food every day, hahaha.”
“I’m from Sichuan.
Whenever I went into the mountains during the holidays, I’d pick all kinds of wild mushrooms.
There were never just one or two varieties.”
“Hahaha, SuSu can’t possibly eat all of this!
Yesterday she picked a huge pile of bamboo fungus, and today she’s found another pile of fighting-cock mushrooms.
She really can’t finish them all!”
“In ancient times, Zhao Zilong charged into battle seven times to rescue A Dou.
Today, a giant panda is rolling down a hill to find wild mushrooms!”
“She’s definitely a treasure-hunting mama!
From now on, I’ll just follow the panda on treasure hunts, haha.”
The viewers were filled with envy once again as Su Lin discovered another delicious wild mushroom.
Su Lin placed the mushrooms into his basket.
Seeing what he was doing, the giant panda also began moving its paws, grabbing mushrooms—and quite a bit of soil along with them—and dropping everything into the basket.
Seeing this, Su Lin patiently explained that there was no need to dig up so much soil.
Animals might not understand everything, but with enough patience, they could learn.
The mother panda stared at him with her innocent, bewildered eyes for a moment before seemingly understanding.
Following Su Lin’s example, she carefully pulled the mushrooms from the loose soil, brushed off the dirt with her paws, and then placed them into the basket.
“I’d call him a master bear trainer.
He’s incredible!
The panda is clumsy, but you can clearly see that it understands what Zhu Bo is saying.”
“Oh my God, I’m calling the police!
This giant panda is being illegally adorable online!”
“The deadliest kind of cuteness is the natural kind.
My old heart can’t take it anymore!”
The giant panda diligently followed Su Lin’s movements.
Its clumsy but earnest behavior made it even more adorable.
Su Lin reached out and patted its round, fluffy head in satisfaction.
Encouraged by the praise, the giant panda searched even more enthusiastically for mushrooms.
Every now and then, it would turn around and let out a soft whimper, as if asking whether it had found the right ones.
Su Lin walked over.
Sure enough, there were several more clusters of termite mushrooms nearby.
After collecting enough, Su Lin stopped the giant panda, which was still enthusiastically searching.
There were already dozens of mushrooms in his basket—more than enough to eat for quite some time.
The bamboo fungus he had picked the previous day was still at home as well.
After that, Su Lin continued along his patrol route.
So far, he hadn’t discovered any signs of poaching or illegal logging.
However, during his inspection, he found that several monitoring devices had malfunctioned.
Some had been in service for too long, while others had batteries that were nearly depleted or memory cards that were full.
Forest rangers had to replace batteries and memory cards, clear away anything obstructing the cameras, and adjust their angles to ensure that the monitoring equipment continued functioning properly.
By the time Su Lin had been out for several hours, the sun was gradually beginning to set.
He called out to the giant panda, which was darting around in the bushes.
“Mommy Bear, we’re going home.”
Rustle, rustle…
A faint sound came from the bushes.
A round, black-and-white body slowly emerged.
The giant panda pushed the bushes apart with its front paws, revealing only its head.
It let out a soft, playful growl, looking just like a mischievous child playing hide-and-seek.
“Mommy Bear: Daddy, come play hide-and-seek!”
“Mommy Bear: You can’t see me!
You can’t see me!
Wait…
where did my body go?
Hahahaha!”
“Hahaha, that’s hilarious!
It actually plays hide-and-seek with Zhu Bo!”
“Ahhh, I want one so badly!
Mommy Bear, come home with me!
My family grows apples.
You can eat as many as you want!”
“Mommy Bear: Does your apple orchard come with a daddy?
Serious question.
Hahaha!”
The giant panda’s adorable antics entertained the live stream throughout the journey.
As they passed through a grove of trees, Su Lin suddenly looked up.
The trees here had tall, straight trunks and an elegant fragrance.
When he took a careful breath, he could smell a faint, pleasant woody aroma.
It wasn’t overpowering, but it was distinctive.
Su Lin immediately began explaining to his viewers.
“Everyone, do you see these trees?”
“This is Phoebe zhennan, also known as Phoebe bournei.
It’s a large tree belonging to the genus Phoebe in the laurel family.
Its branches are generally relatively slender, and its wood has a distinctive, subtle fragrance.”
“The wood is known as nanmu, and Phoebe zhennan is particularly prized.
It has been regarded as ‘gold among woods’ and is one of China’s famous traditional timbers.”
“Nanmu has been used as an important construction material and for high-end furniture since ancient times.
However, because of excessive logging and exploitation, wild populations have declined significantly.
Phoebe zhennan is now a nationally protected plant.”
“So, everyone, please don’t cut down these trees indiscriminately!”
“She’s giving another serious science lecture, hahaha.
Look at Mommy Bear!
She’s tilting her head with that confused expression.
She looks like she understands everything and nothing at the same time.”
“SuSu looks so serious when she’s explaining things, but I prefer her playful side.
Hahaha.”
“Huh?
I’ve never seen her behave frivolously before.
I refuse to accept this!”
“Sisters, draw your swords!
SuSu is mine!
Every side of her belongs to me!”
“Don’t fight, don’t fight!
I love every side of SuSu.
I can accept her as my wife or husband, hehe.”
Holy crap!
+999
Su Lin would always stop to explain whenever he encountered rare or valuable plants.
He also reminded his viewers not to damage or illegally harvest them.
Otherwise, they could face serious legal consequences.
The giant panda sat beside him and adopted a serious listening posture.
Of course, it probably couldn’t understand the complicated terminology.
Still, it seemed to consider everything Su Lin said important.
Every now and then, it would blink and nod, looking as though it were pretending to understand every word.
Perhaps because they had become accustomed to Su Lin’s voice, the two tiny pink “mice” in his basket also moved slightly.
Their little bodies swayed, and their heads tilted upward as if they were listening attentively.
On the way back, Su Lin received a message from the Forestry Bureau informing him that the supplies he had requested had arrived.
When he finally approached his home, the orange glow of the setting sun spilled across the yard, painting everything in a warm golden light.
“Everyone, look at this beautiful sunset.”
As Su Lin walked toward the courtyard, he controlled the drone and slowly raised its altitude.
The setting sun reflected across the river and illuminated the mountains, creating a breathtaking scene that looked like a living painting.
“So beautiful!”
“Wow!
The sunset in the mountains is gorgeous!”
“At this moment, it feels like I’m looking at an endless ocean of golden leaves.
It’s beautiful!”
“Another iconic scene!
Thank you, Zhu Bo, for showing us this stunning sunset.”
“I’m healed.
Thank you, SuSu!”
The breathtaking sunset over the mountains and forest was captured perfectly by the drone.
The live stream was immediately flooded with praise, and gift effects began filling the screen.
The giant panda behind Su Lin, however, seemed completely uninterested in the sunset.
Instead, it was busy chasing several flying insects.
Beside the path was a large patch of grassy ground filled with water.
Although giant pandas weren’t afraid of water, Su Lin wasn’t sure what was beneath the grass.
Worried that the panda might get too excited and roll down the slope, he quickly warned it.
“Mommy Bear, don’t run over there.”
To everyone’s surprise, the very next second—
Rustle!
Su Lin turned around sharply.
The giant panda had already rolled down onto the grassy patch below, splashing water everywhere.
Su Lin was speechless.
The giant panda, however, seemed extremely pleased with itself.
It waved its paws around and slapped at the aquatic plants, apparently finding the whole thing incredibly entertaining.
Then, with another careless swing of its paw—
A fish was suddenly slapped onto the edge of the water-filled field.
Su Lin stared at it.
“Holy crap!
There’s a fish!”
The live stream exploded.
“HAHAHAHA!
Mommy Bear caught a fish!”
“Is this a panda or a fisherman?!”
“Mommy Bear: Daddy, dinner is served!”
“Wait…
can pandas actually catch fish?!”
Su Lin looked at the fish lying on the grass, then at the giant panda.
The panda stared back at him with its innocent black eyes, as if proudly waiting for praise.
For some reason, Su Lin suddenly felt that this forest patrol was becoming more and more ridiculous.
But at the same time…
It was becoming more and more interesting.
Su Lin’s journey is only beginning, and there are still many more adventures waiting for him and his animal companions.
If you’re enjoying the story, don’t forget to add it to your library, leave a comment, and share your thoughts.
Your support means a lot and motivates me to keep writing!
See you in the next chapter!