“The reason matsutake sells for so much is, first, it has medicinal value, and second, its growing conditions are extremely demanding, it only grows in an environment where fallen leaves have piled up year after year, cool and damp. The conditions in the forbidden grove match perfectly, that’s exactly why matsutake would grow there.”
Yu Fuling watched Liu Meimei’s smile fade away bit by bit, while her own smile deepened little by little. “You just said your family eats matsutake all the time, and it has to be freshly picked, if your father isn’t picking it from the forbidden grove, where else could he be picking it from?”
“Village Head Liu’s house is the closest to the grove. Right after the grove was first sealed off, Village Head Liu even had the hired hands take the big wolfhound in to patrol the grove and drive off beasts.”
Her sister’s words further confirmed Yu Fuling’s suspicion. “A dog’s sense of smell is very sharp, not only can it drive off beasts, finding matsutake or medicinal herbs would be child’s play for it, wouldn’t it?”
“I… I suddenly remembered there’s something going on at home, I… I need to go home.” If her father found out she’d carelessly let slip a family secret, Liu Meimei would be in for a beating.
“Didn’t you come specially to find Lehuan to play?” Yu Fuling knew Liu Meimei must have bullied her sister plenty of times before, how could she let her off so easily? “Won’t you two good friends share a few heartfelt words before you go?”
“Next time.”
Liu Meimei smiled, looking awkward. “Next time I’ll come find Lehuan to play again.”
“Fine, then.”
Yu Fuling nodded, then looked at her sister. “Lehuan, say goodbye to Meimei.”
“Bye, Meimei.” Yu Lehuan didn’t understand what her fourth sister meant, but she did as she was told.
Only once Liu Meimei had run out of sight did Yu Lehuan’s tensed body relax. “Liu Meimei’s bullied me plenty of times before.”
“After today, she’ll be sure to steer clear of you whenever she sees you from now on.” Yu Fuling patted her sister’s head. “Come on, let’s go home.”
“Ah? Where did these mushrooms come from?”
Zhang Qiaofeng, seeing her two daughters had been slow to return, had just been about to close the gate and go look for them, when the two of them came back.
“Picked them in the grove.”
Yu Fuling had her sister put all the mushrooms they’d gathered on the table and picked out the damaged ones. “We’ll fry these up to eat, the rest, let Father take to the market to sell.”
“The grove?”
Zhang Qiaofeng came closer, staring in shock at the mud stains on her two daughters’ clothes. “You—you two went into that grove? There’s a man-eating beast in there, are you two tired of living?”
“Mother, there’s really no beast in the grove at all, instead there are lots of mushrooms.” Yu Lehuan picked up a matsutake. “Fourth Sister says this is called matsutake, it’s really valuable.”
“Mother, if there really were a beast, that little wooden fence at the entrance wouldn’t be able to stop it at all, and on our way back we ran into Liu Meimei too.” Yu Fuling could tell that beneath her mother’s agitated tone was a genuine, heartfelt worry. At the Marquis’ estate, if it ever came down to a choice between her own life and the household’s reputation, the Marquis and his wife would choose the latter without hesitation.
“She didn’t give you two trouble, did she?” Zhang Qiaofeng pulled her two daughters close, looking them up and down, and only let go once she’d confirmed both were unharmed. “She’s the village head’s eldest granddaughter, and in this village she gets whatever she wants. Back when your father’s household registration was arranged, it was thanks to Village Head Liu’s help, and all these years later, our family still has to keep our heads half a bow lower than the other villagers.”
“So that’s the reason Liu Meimei picked on Lehuan for no reason?” Yu Fuling suddenly understood, no wonder Liu Meimei had looked so arrogant.
“Because of that, your father has suffered plenty over the years. We’d meant to grit our teeth and save up some silver to repay Village Head Liu, but the silver we managed to save all went to treating Leyi’s illness instead…” Zhang Qiaofeng shook her head with a sigh. “Let’s not talk about these upsetting things anymore. You two go wash your faces and cool off, Mother’s going to make dinner, I’d guess your father will be back any moment now.”
“Big Brother hasn’t come back?” Yu Fuling guessed her eldest brother must have realized the value of the pearl by now.
“How could he have the face to come back?” Zhang Qiaofeng gave a spit of disgust, then turned and hurried into the kitchen.
After Yu Fuling and her sister washed their faces, they sorted the matsutake by size.
Less than five minutes after they sat back down in their room, Yu Qingshan came home.
“Qiaofeng, Fuling, Lehuan, I’m back.”
Yu Fuling heard how especially light her father’s tone was, and knew right away that the pearl they’d found had sold for a good price.
“You’re back?”
Zhang Qiaofeng handed her husband a bowl of tea that had cooled, along with a towel. “What took you so long? Did something not go well?”
Yu Qingshan gulped down half the bowl of water, then wiped his sweat with the towel. “I went to several pawnshops and none of them would take it. In the end I went to the Duan Family Painting Shop. The owner there is a very good man, he’s helped poor common folk for years and years. Last year, during the heavy snow, he even set up a shed outside the city to hand out porridge, anyone truly desperate who came to him could either stay and work, or at least get a full meal before moving on.”
With that, he took out a pawn ticket and five taels of silver.
“That tiny pearl was worth this much?” Zhang Qiaofeng’s eyes went wide with shock. “That’s enough for a whole year’s expenses for us.”
“In my heart I was only hoping for three taels, I never expected it would pawn for five.” Yu Qingshan handed the things in his hand to his daughter. “Fuling, you keep these.”
Yu Fuling didn’t know much about jewelry, but getting five taels for a pearl picked up off the roadside was already quite good. “Father, you keep the pawn ticket, and give the silver to Mother, Mother has a whole household to worry about, she can’t be without silver on her.”
“No, no, that won’t do.”
After the incident of the pearl being stolen by her eldest son, Zhang Qiaofeng no longer dared keep a single copper coin on herself. “Fuling, you keep the silver and the pawn ticket, keep them with you, I’ll feel more at ease that way.”
Yu Fuling could tell her mother was worried the silver might get stolen by her eldest brother again. She thought it over, then took out two taels and handed them to her mother. “Whenever Eldest Sister-in-law comes back, as her husband’s family, we still need to have everything properly prepared for her. As for the pearl Big Brother stole, I did say from the start that I wasn’t sure if it was real or fake, so he’ll just have to swallow that loss quietly. It’s Eldest Sister-in-law who’s hard done by, she’s about to give birth, and there’s still no midwife arranged.”
“Fuling, how did you turn out so sensible?” After hearing her daughter’s words, what Zhang Qiaofeng felt wasn’t comfort, but a heart full of aching pity. “I never once let Leyi worry herself over such small matters, what kind of hard life did you really live at the Marquis’ estate?”
“Thinking about it now, it wasn’t really so hard. Having Father and Mother care for me like this is already enough.” Yu Fuling had once wondered just how much she’d have to do to earn her parents’ approval, but from the moment she met her birth parents yesterday, she understood, true approval means simply being approved of for who you are, nothing else needed.
“I feel for Fourth Sister too.” Yu Lehuan meant it sincerely, her fourth sister had helped smooth things over for her the moment she’d come home, and had never once said a bad word about her, unlike the old Xie Leyi, who used to put on airs and speak with veiled sarcasm, relying on her frail health.
“Father, these are the matsutake Lehuan and I picked, and on our way back we ran into Liu Meimei…”
Yu Fuling pulled her father aside to talk, while Zhang Qiaofeng called her youngest daughter over to help in the kitchen.