It was simply because they lacked too many things at the moment.
Not only were there too few bamboo baskets and carriers for daily use, they did not even have winnowing trays for drying things. All of these needed to be made from bamboo.
Now that he saw the bamboo grove, Li Shu felt as though he was looking at an endless supply of household tools walking toward him.
The items they had accumulated in the cave over the past few days could also be stored properly in containers.
Combined with the wooden rack Li Mai had assembled earlier, at a glance, it did not look much different from a home.
Little by little, it began to resemble the home in his memory. Although they had not worried about food or drink while living in the cave in the deep mountains, Li Shu still could not forget their previous home.
Beside him, Li Qiao was just as delighted. She said excitedly,
“What second brother mentioned before leaving was exactly this bamboo grove. Bamboo can be used not only to make baskets, but next spring, bamboo shoots will grow here. At that time, we will not have to worry about food at all.”
Thinking that the vast bamboo grove before them belonged to their family made her unable to suppress her joy.
Hearing about bamboo shoots, a glimmer of light flashed in Li Mai’s eyes as she looked at the grove.
“Not bad.”
Only then did Li Shu snap back to his senses.
When he turned around, he noticed the bag hanging at Li Mai’s waist, completely filled. He could not even imagine how she had managed to pick so many in such a short time.
Then he looked down at his own harvest and subconsciously tightened the opening of his bag, unwilling to let his eldest sister see his poor mushroom-picking skills.
Li Mai did not care what Li Shu was thinking. She had only come over because her own bag no longer had any space.
“Switch with me, I still need to pick mushrooms.”
After saying that, Li Mai untied the bag from her waist, placed it on the ground, and extended her hand toward Li Shu.
Faced with his eldest sister, who still wanted to continue picking mushrooms, Li Shu found himself unable to refuse. With flushed cheeks, he handed over the bag in his hand and said awkwardly,
“Eldest Sister, here.”
Li Mai quickly took it and was about to head back to the area she had been harvesting from.
While the two of them were talking, Li Qiao had already rushed toward the bamboo grove. She quickly discovered a rare type of mushroom growing within it, the Snow Skirt Fairy.
In previous years, she, her eldest sister, and their mother would go together into the bamboo grove to search for it.
Because this kind of mushroom was considered delicious and nourishing by wealthy families, its price was high.
Their family had often used mushroom picking to supplement their household income.
Now, although they no longer needed to sell them, it did not stop them from eating it themselves. It was a perfect opportunity to taste what wealthy families were willing to pay fifty coins per jin for.
So, when Li Qiao spotted the Snow Skirt Fairy, she immediately waved frantically at her eldest sister and second brother across from her, shouting loudly,
“Eldest Sister! Second brother! Come quickly, there are especially delicious mushrooms here!”
As soon as Li Mai heard this, her feet moved uncontrollably toward the mountain below.
Seeing this, Li Shu, who was lagging behind, quickly followed.
The two of them descended the slope, crossed a small ditch, and climbed up again, soon arriving beside Li Qiao.
Under the deep green bamboo grove, the air carried a fresh scent. Li Mai could not help but take a deep breath, enjoying the coolness beneath the blazing sun.
When Li Qiao saw them arrive, she immediately pointed toward the spot she had identified and said,
“Look! If we had come a bit later, the skirt of the Snow Skirt Fairy would have fully opened. Those would not sell for as much.”
Li Mai immediately followed the direction of Li Qiao’s finger. She saw a kind of organism with a gray-green top, a lower half that spread into a white net-like structure resembling a long skirt, and a stem at the very bottom.
She realized this must be what Li Qiao called the Snow Skirt Fairy.
Thinking of the words “especially delicious,” she immediately swung the knife in her hand, cutting away the thatch blocking her path.
At the same time, she stepped forward and quickly arrived beside the mushroom.
This time, Li Mai saw the mushroom clearly and recognized it as bamboo fungus.
She had seen a particularly nourishing soup in a recipe before, made by stewing chicken together with several precious mushrooms and medicinal herbs. It was said to be both nourishing and delicious.
Just recalling the description made her mouth water.
But soon, she realized another issue, they did not have enough chicken at home.
Both chicken stewed with mushrooms and chicken soup required chicken. It seemed she would need to hunt another pheasant soon.
While thinking about where pheasants might appear, Li Mai continued harvesting the bamboo fungus, and her speed was anything but slow.
From behind, Li Qiao and Li Shu felt as though she had accelerated. Every time she looked, she found one, and all they could see was the Snow Skirt Fairy dropping into her bag.
By the time Li Mai had nearly reached halfway up the mountain, Li Qiao quickly followed after her.
Li Shu, meanwhile, stayed behind to cut bamboo.
He had brought a knife with him today for self-defense, though he was not sure if it could handle cutting bamboo.
He first touched a young bamboo stalk from this year and could still faintly feel the fine fuzz on it.
Although he had never formally learned bamboo weaving, he had seen plenty of it before. This kind of young bamboo was clearly not his target.
He then walked toward a bamboo stalk he had chosen and swung his knife.
The moment Li Mai heard the chopping sound, she turned to check. When she saw that it was Li Shu, she quickly turned back.
At that moment, nothing was more important to her than the bamboo fungus in front of her.
Following behind her, Li Qiao searched for a long time but could not find any bamboo fungus. She became increasingly certain of her suspicion.
Her eldest sister’s eyesight was simply too strong. Following behind her meant there would be nothing left to pick.
So she changed her target and ran toward an area Li Mai had not yet covered.
Soon, she reached a spot slightly ahead and to the right of Li Mai and quickly found what she was looking for.
Li Qiao excitedly picked up a Snow Skirt Fairy, already imagining its taste in her mind.
Having made her first find, she could not wait to share it with her eldest sister. She quickly turned around and called out,
“Eldest Sister…”
Before she could finish speaking, she saw something shocking.
Goosebumps spread uncontrollably across her body. Her finger trembled as she pointed at a bamboo in front of her, and a weak voice escaped her throat.
“S-snake… snake… snake!”
The overwhelming fear flooded her. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and her face turned even paler than the white skirt of the mushroom.
Li Mai had just placed a bamboo fungus into her bag when she heard the noise.
Following the direction of Li Qiao’s finger, she quickly spotted a snake camouflaged against the bamboo.
Its green color blended naturally with the surrounding bamboo. Unless someone was deliberately observing, it would be hard to notice its presence.
Li Qiao’s terrified expression made Li Mai recall their first day in the mountains. She instinctively licked her lips, beginning to miss the taste of roasted snake meat.
Her thoughts moved with her actions. With a flick of her hand, a flash of silver streaked through the air.
The knife that had just been in her hand instantly appeared before Li Qiao, embedded in the bamboo, pinning the snake firmly in place.
The sudden pain made the snake thrash violently, twisting and writhing, displaying its ferocity right in front of Li Qiao.
But Li Qiao knew she was now safe.
“Thud!”
After the intense terror subsided, her legs went limp. She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Li Shu abandoned the bamboo and rushed over. He retrieved his knife along with the snake.
At this point, the snake had completely lost its life, only blood continuing to drip from the wound.
After thinking for a moment, Li Mai felt that snake blood and the pristine white bamboo fungus were not suitable to be placed together. She casually cut off a bamboo branch and skewered the snake on it as a temporary method of storage.
After securing the food, she returned to what she had been doing, picking bamboo fungus.
No one knew how much time had passed before Li Qiao felt strength return to her body and slowly stood up.
Now, she no longer had any grand ambitions of making a big harvest. It was better to stay safely behind and help where she could.
She took a deep breath and quickly ran toward her eldest sister.
Soon, Li Qiao’s voice echoed through the bamboo grove.
“Eldest Sister! I will help you carry some!”
By the time the sound reached Li Shu’s ears, he had used all his strength to finally cut down the bamboo he had chosen.
He was now trimming off the side branches, the parts that were not needed. His strength was limited, so for now he would only take the usable sections.
Time passed bit by bit, and soon it was time for lunch.
Li Mai glanced at the bamboo grove that had already been thoroughly cleared and nodded in satisfaction before saying,
“Let’s go back.”
“Let’s go home!”
Li Qiao echoed, because today’s harvest had been enormous. Just Li Mai’s harvest alone was more than what they had gathered in five days in previous years.
Aside from the fact that there was no one here competing with them, the most impressive thing was Li Mai’s eyesight. No matter where the mushrooms were hidden, she could find them.
At this rate, after just a few days of picking, they would have enough to vary their meals throughout the winter.
When the two of them reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Li Shu holding onto a bamboo stalk.
Li Shu quickly explained, “I cut one to take back and see if I can weave something ourselves.”
“Second brother, then I will be waiting for your winnowing tray. We can use it to dry the mushrooms.”
Hearing this, Li Qiao immediately showed her support.
Faced with his sister’s expectation, Li Shu gathered his resolve and nodded solemnly, promising,
“I will definitely make it so you can use it.”
Hearing this, Li Mai glanced at Li Shu, tightened her grip on the bag full of bamboo fungus, and walked back.
As she climbed up the mountain, she did not forget to pick up her other bag of mushrooms.
Thus, Li Qiao and Li Shu witnessed another astonishing scene.
Their eldest sister, Li Mai, carried a full bag of mushrooms in each hand, climbing swiftly as if walking on flat ground, without the slightest effort.
Although the two of them carried less, they could not match her ability at all.
They exchanged a glance, speechless. Sparks seemed to flash in their eyes as they silently encouraged each other and quickened their pace.
But when the two of them returned to the cave, panting heavily, Li Mai had already washed herself clean and was sitting to the side waiting.
Li Qiao took a glance, quickly set down her basket, and said,
“I will go cook right now.”
“Make chicken stewed with mushrooms.” Li Shu’s voice suddenly rang out.