Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 18

Lu Ying pulled at Song Yu’s sleeve, glancing at Xu Jing who stood not far away. With a strange expression on her face, she lowered her voice and asked.

“Sister Song, why did she follow us today? She didn’t threaten you, did she?”

“If you’re being threatened, I’ll find my brothers and have them teach her a lesson for you.”

Hearing this, Song Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She explained, “She’s just coming up the mountain with us to pick mushrooms. She didn’t threaten me, Yingzi, don’t overthink it.”

Lu Ying knew exactly what kind of person Xu Jing was, they had practically grown up together. Their families were neighbors, so everyone knew everyone else’s business. There were rumors that Xu Jing had changed a lot lately, but based on Lu Ying’s understanding of her nature, she didn’t believe a leopard could change its spots. She suspected Xu Jing had only changed on the surface while remaining that same small minded person lurking in the shadows, fond of playing dirty tricks.

Seeing that Lu Ying remained guarded and skeptical, Song Yu didn’t say more.

With the enhancement of her superpowers, Xu Jing’s hearing had become increasingly sensitive. Even though Lu Ying lowered her voice, she heard everything clearly. However, she couldn’t be bothered to argue with a young girl and pretended not to hear; after all, Lu Ying couldn’t really do anything to her.

The Harvest of the Forest

It had just cleared up after the rain. The roads were still damp, and the forest foliage was heavy with water. If you accidentally brushed against a branch, it would drench you. Picking mushrooms after rain seemed to be common knowledge in Dayue Village. On their way up, they saw many village aunts carrying baskets into the mountains for the same purpose.

Fortunately, Mount Dayue was vast with many peaks. Everyone dispersed to forage, and the scattered presence of people in the woods reduced the chance of conflict.

There were many types of mushrooms in the forest: brown, white, yellow, red and white striped, some with open caps, some closed, a chaotic variety. Aside from the common ones, Xu Jing didn’t dare pick anything randomly, fearing she might pick a poisonous one that would “send them all away” in one pot.

Xu Jing gathered some common shiitake and oyster mushrooms, which were of low value. While rummaging through a patch of grass, she suddenly spotted several short, fat mushrooms with thick caps of a yellowish-brown color. The caps and stems had marks from insect bites, and the exposed flesh turned an eerie cyan-blue, looking quite “sinister.”

“Oh, I actually found these,” Xu Jing’s eyes lit up. She instinctively reached out to pluck them. She knew these before the apocalypse, she had often seen them in foraging videos. They were the famous and delicious Boletus (Porcini) mushrooms, specifically the variety that causes hallucinations or “seeing little people” if not cooked thoroughly.

“Wait, that mushroom is poisonous.”

A steady, pleasant female voice came from beside her.

Xu Jing held the Boletus in her hand and looked at the speaker. It was Song Yu, who had ended up foraging in the same spot. The girl stood there gracefully with her basket already half-full of various mushrooms, a bountiful harvest.

Xu Jing pinched the mushroom and raised an eyebrow, explaining: “This mushroom is indeed toxic when raw, but the toxins vanish once fully cooked. It’s delicious. If anyone was poisoned by it before, it was likely because it wasn’t cooked through.”

Song Yu pursed her lips, realizing she had failed to persuade her, but she couldn’t stand by and watch Xu Jing take poisonous mushrooms home to eat. The atmosphere momentarily grew tense.

Seeing the girl’s worried yet stubborn expression, Xu Jing smiled. She couldn’t explain it with words, but the results would speak for themselves once she ate them and didn’t get poisoned.

While Song Yu wondered why she was smiling, Lu Ying caught up from behind.

“Won’t listen to good advice,” Lu Ying snapped after hearing their conversation. She turned to Song Yu and said, “Sister Song, she’s taking poisonous mushrooms back. Whatever you do, don’t eat them.”

Xu Jing’s lip twitched. She chose to skip the topic and shifted her gaze to Song Yu’s basket. “You found Morchellas and Termitomyces? You found quite a lot; your luck is good.”

Morchellas (Morels) and Termitomyces (Termite mushrooms) were treasures among fungi, delicious and highly valuable in this region. Lu Ying’s small face filled with pride, and her boasting was evident.

“Yes, Yingzi knows where they grow best and brought me along,” Song Yu said softly, a hint of joy in her eyes.

Xu Jing gave Lu Ying a surprised look.

“We’ve picked most of the mushrooms in this area. Any further and we’ll be in the deep forest. Let’s gather a bit more and head back,” Lu Ying suggested. Song Yu nodded in agreement.

Xu Jing looked toward the direction of “Wulong Mouth” and turned to the two. “There are some herbs not far from here that I didn’t finish digging up last time. Can you help me dig some?”

Lu Ying opened her mouth to refuse, who wanted to help her dig herbs? But Xu Jing looked at her with a smile: “Help me out? Yingzi, there are quite a lot of herbs. It would take Xiao Yu and me ages.”

Song Yu, who had effectively been volunteered and received a “you understand” look from Xu Jing, remained silent. Lu Ying glanced at the quiet Song Yu and huffed, “For Sister Song’s sake, I’ll help you this once.”

Xu Jing gave Song Yu an appreciative look. Song Yu looked away.

The Labor of the Mountain

The three went deeper into the pine forest and found the spot where Xu Jing had previously dug for Poria cocos (Tuckahoe). Xu Jing activated her sensory powers to tell them which pine trees had Poria beneath them, and an intensive digging session began.

They dug from 10:00 AM (Si hour) until 2:00 PM (Wei hour). Mid-way, they rested to eat vegetable cakes and drink water.

“Sister Song, these are so delicious! Better than my mother’s,” Lu Ying praised repeatedly. Song Yu smiled shyly.

Xu Jing finished her last bite of the fragrant, crispy cake and took a swig of water. “Xiao Yu’s cooking is indeed excellent. Very impressive.”

Hearing the compliment, Song Yu felt a warmth rise in her cheeks and looked away uncomfortably.

“Hmph, of course Sister Song is amazing. What are you smiling at?” Lu Ying muttered. She then looked at the black, ugly, root like lumps on the ground with disgust. “I really don’t know why you’re digging these up.”

“They’re good things. I’ll share some with you later.”

“I don’t want them! They’re ugly, dirty, and heavy.”

Xu Jing just smiled. Once they finished with the Poria, she showed her “evil capitalist” side and moved the two girls to the He Shou Wu (Polygoni Multiflori) site. By the time the sun began to set, they had dug up nearly half the patch.

In the end, Xu Jing’s large back-basket and the two girls’ smaller ones were packed full. As for the mushrooms they picked in the morning, they had to carry them in separate baskets. The Poria was heavy, weighing over 200 catties, while the He Shou Wu, being harder to dig, amounted to about 60 or 70 catties.

Xu Jing carried the most, but with her strength, her pace remained light. The two girls, however, were exhausted after a day of digging.

Conflict on the Path

As they hurried home, a startled pheasant suddenly flew out of the brush. Xu Jing’s eyes lit up. She wasn’t about to let a meal fly away. She dropped her basket, grabbed her hunting bow, and gave chase.

“You two go ahead! I’ll catch up after I get the chicken.”

Before they could respond, Xu Jing had already run off to draw her bow.

Song Yu and Lu Ying looked at each other. “Let’s go. The sooner we get down the mountain, the sooner we can rest.”

Once Xu Jing was out of earshot, Lu Ying spoke freely: “Sister Song, do you really believe her? Can these things really be traded for money?”

“She says they are herbs. Herbs can usually be sold.” But as for how much, Song Yu didn’t know. Most herbs in pharmacies were processed or sliced; commoners rarely knew what the raw plants looked like.

“I hope she’s not wrong, or we worked for nothing,” Lu Ying grumbled.

Suddenly, several people appeared from a fork in the road. Lu Ying’s brow furrowed as she recognized them, and she pulled Song Yu to the side of the road. One young man in the group raised an eyebrow when he saw them.

“Xu Jing’s wife? What a coincidence.”

Lu Ying heard the lewdness and ill intent in his voice. She stood protectively in front of Song Yu. “Wang Ergou, what do you want?!”

Wang Ergou had been nursing a grudge since Xu Jing mocked him a few days ago. He hadn’t found a chance to retaliate until now, finding Xu Jing’s wife alone on the mountain.

“Hmph, Lu Ying, this has nothing to do with you. Get lost! If you interfere, I’ll deal with you too!” Wang Ergou snarled. He didn’t want to mess with Lu Ying because of her muscular brothers, but he wasn’t afraid of a “outsider” wife.

“If you dare touch Sister Song, Xu Jing is right behind us! She’ll beat you when she gets here!” Lu Ying stood her ground like a hen protecting a chick.

Wang Ergou, a local thug, stepped toward them. “Where is she?! That useless loser! I’m going to mess with her wife today, and let’s see if she dares to lift a finger against me!”

He was confident in the friends standing behind him. He wanted to humiliate Xu Jing’s wife to make sure Xu Jing could never hold her head up in the village again. Seeing him approach, Lu Ying, who was only sixteen, began to panic.

“Run!”

They dropped their baskets and tried to flee. Wang Ergou shouted to his companions, “Brothers, catch them! And then… hehe…”

The malicious tone sent a chill through the girls. These thugs didn’t care about their reputation; they knew most victims would be too ashamed to speak out, and even if they did, the husbands would often blame the wives.

The Arrow’s Flight

Swoosh!

An arrow tore through the air and pierced Wang Ergou’s thigh. Blood blossomed as he let out a blood-curdling scream, clutching his leg. “My leg!”

Before his companions could react, more arrows flew. Some were hit; others barely escaped.

“Someone’s shooting! Help!” The thugs, having never faced such lethality, scrambled into the bushes in terror.

Xu Jing lowered her bow, her gaze cold and murderous as she watched Wang Ergou writhing on the ground. Regardless of the era, there were always disgusting scumbags. If not for the existence of the local government, she would have aimed for his throat, not his leg.

She softened her gaze as she turned to the terrified girls. “It’s over. He can’t hurt you.”

Song Yu had never seen this side of Xu Jing. Neither had Lu Ying.

“Xu Jing! Ah! You dared to shoot me! I’ll kill you!” Wang Ergou roared through his tears.

Xu Jing gripped her bow and sneered. “Kill me? Wang Ergou, can’t you see the situation you’re in?” Her voice was low and heavy, sending a shiver down his spine.

Wang Ergou stopped shouting. He looked around, two of his friends were also crying on the ground with arrows in their calves. A sudden, overwhelming fear took hold of him. The Xu Jing before him looked like she truly could and would kill them. He completely lost his nerve.

Xu Jing gathered the spilled He Shou Wu and mushrooms, put on her large basket, and picked up the girls’ smaller baskets in one hand.

“Let’s go. I’m sorry you were frightened. We’re going home.”

“What about them?” Song Yu looked at the men clutching their legs.

“They won’t die. They got what they deserved. Ignore them.”

Song Yu nodded and helped Lu Ying walk. Lu Ying, finally snapping out of her daze, stole a glance at the calm Xu Jing. When Xu Jing looked back with a questioning gaze, Lu Ying flinched like a startled quail and clung tightly to Song Yu’s arm.

Xu Jing nodded toward the relatively composed Song Yu and led the way down the mountain.