Lu Qingshan crouched down beside her and looked carefully.
The mushrooms growing beneath the pine trees really did resemble tiny little umbrellas.
The caps were reddish-brown with faint pale spots, and a ring-like veil circled the stems exactly as Ye Mengyi had described.
“They really are different from the poisonous mushrooms we usually see…”
he muttered in surprise.
Ye Mengyi smiled and nodded.
“Most poisonous mushrooms have strange smells, overly bright colors, or sticky surfaces. These pine umbrella mushrooms smell earthy and fresh. Look at how firmly they grow in clusters too—that’s another sign.”
As she spoke, she carefully twisted one free from the soil and handed it to him.
“Try smelling it.”
Lu Qingshan brought it closer to his nose.
A clean woodland fragrance drifted into his senses, carrying the scent of pine needles and damp earth.
The last trace of doubt in his eyes slowly faded.
“It really does smell good.”
The children crowded around excitedly.
“Then we can eat these too?”
“Can we pick them all?”
“Will they sell for money in town?”
Questions flew everywhere at once, making Ye Mengyi laugh.
“Slow down, slow down. We’ll pick the mature ones first and leave the tiny ones behind so they can continue growing.”
She pointed toward several younger mushrooms hidden under the pine needles.
“See these? They’re still too small. If we leave them for another few days, they’ll grow bigger.”
The children obediently nodded.
Even lively little Lu Qingshuang carefully avoided touching the tiny mushrooms now.
The entire forest gradually filled with cheerful voices.
Lu Qinghai was the fastest picker among them. Before long, half his basket was already full.
“Big Sister-in-law!”
he shouted proudly.
“Look how many I found!”
Ye Mengyi glanced over and couldn’t help praising him.
“Not bad at all. You’ve already learned how to recognize them.”
Lu Qinghai scratched his head bashfully, grinning so hard his teeth showed.
Nearby, Xu Ru and Sun Yanfang sorted the mushrooms into separate baskets while quietly marveling to themselves.
They had never imagined these things growing all over the mountains could actually be eaten.
If they truly could sell them for money…
Then perhaps the Lu family’s days really might improve.
Lu Qingshan stood watch nearby with his firewood knife in hand, occasionally sweeping aside thick grass with a branch to make sure no snakes were hiding nearby.
But every now and then, his gaze drifted toward Ye Mengyi.
The morning sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, scattering across her face in shifting patches of gold.
She crouched beside the mushrooms patiently teaching the children, her eyes bright and lively.
Compared to the pale, dying girl he had carried down the mountain days ago, she now seemed filled with life.
Lu Qingshan’s tense heart gradually relaxed.
Maybe…
Bringing her home truly had been the right decision.
Just then, Lu Qingyu suddenly cried out from deeper in the woods:
“Big Sister-in-law! Come quick! There’s a huge cluster over here!”
Everyone hurried over.
Sure enough, beneath a fallen rotten log grew a massive patch of oyster mushrooms layered tightly together.
The gray-white caps overlapped one another like blooming flowers.
Even Ye Mengyi’s eyes widened.
“So many!”
Xu Ru covered her mouth in shock.
“My heavens… this whole patch must weigh several jin!”
Sun Yanfang’s face flushed with excitement.
“If these can really be sold, wouldn’t this whole basket be worth quite a bit?”
The children became even more energized after hearing that.
They crouched around the fallen log carefully twisting mushrooms free one by one, afraid of damaging them.
Soon, the baskets they carried began filling rapidly.
The fresh mushroom fragrance spread through the forest.
Even the air seemed to become richer and livelier.
After another stretch of walking, Ye Mengyi unexpectedly spotted several thin green stalks poking through the underbrush.
Her eyes immediately sharpened.
She hurried over and pushed aside the surrounding grass.
Hidden beneath the leaves were tender bamboo shoots just beginning to emerge from the soil.
A pleasant surprise flashed across her face.
“Bamboo shoots!”
“What’s that?”
Lu Qinglian blinked curiously.
Ye Mengyi gently brushed dirt from the shoots and explained:
“These are edible too. Slice them thin and stir-fry them with mushrooms or dry them for later. They taste especially fresh.”
Xu Ru looked astonished.
“These can be eaten too?”
“In spring, almost all tender bamboo shoots are edible,” Ye Mengyi explained. “But they need to be boiled first to remove bitterness.”
Lu Qingshan silently memorized every word she said.
The more he listened, the more amazed he became.
How did this girl know so many things?
Even the village elders didn’t understand half of what she did.
Yet somehow, everything she said sounded logical and convincing.
The group continued gathering food while moving through the forest.
By noon, nearly every basket was packed full.
The children’s faces were flushed red from excitement, but no one complained about being tired.
Even little Lu Qingshuang stubbornly carried her own tiny basket, refusing help.
Ye Mengyi looked at the harvest before them and finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
At least now—
The Lu family would have one more path to survival.