Chapter Four: The Little Girl Gathering Mushrooms

After washing the dishes, Banxia saw that Gansui had found her a hatchet and a basket. The hatchet was mottled with rust, clearly unused for a long time.

“Shouldn’t we sharpen it first? What use is it as it is?” she asked.

“But I don’t know how to,” Gansui replied, helpless. “Let me do it. You go and change your clothes.”

Gansui pondered sharpening the blade at the edge of the courtyard, recalling scenes from television as he steeled himself to try. Gan Second Aunt happened to pass by and spotted him. “Scholar, what are you sharpening the knife for? What’s going on?”

Gansui replied while awkwardly sharpening the blade, “Banxia wants to go up the mountain. This will be handy for her.”

It was the first time Gansui had spoken to her, and Gan Second Aunt was momentarily stunned. “The mountain? That’s not safe. Half a month ago, someone from the neighboring Lin Family Village went into the woods and got mauled by a wild boar—half of his face was torn off. Banxia may be good at working, but she can’t fight off a wild boar.”

“Aunt, you worry too much. I’ll just look for wild vegetables and mushrooms near the edge. I wouldn’t dare go deep inside,” Banxia said, having changed into her outdoor clothes. She saw Gansui sharpening the hatchet with practiced skill. Truly, he was remarkable—there seemed to be nothing he couldn’t do.

Soon, the blade was sharp.

“Be careful. Don’t go deep into the woods. If you see a wild boar, don’t panic. They rarely attack people unless provoked. If things get dangerous, just climb a tree. You know how to do all that, right?”

“Actually, I only know how to climb walls,” Banxia admitted.

“Then you’ll have to rely on luck,” Gansui said sternly, giving her a fierce look.

Banxia strapped the basket to her back and headed up the western mountain. At first, she met a few people, but the further she went, the fewer there were. She started by searching the forest’s edge, but it was clear others had come before—only a few tiny mushrooms remained, and the wild vegetables had been picked clean.

With no other choice, Banxia steeled herself and ventured into the woods.

Inside, the air was noticeably cooler. The trees towered overhead, sunlight filtering through the leaves to create a patchwork of shadows on the forest floor. Perhaps because of the recent wild boar attack, no one dared enter, leaving plenty of treasures untouched. Banxia found clusters of mushrooms under several pine trees, darker than oyster mushrooms but similar in shape. She carefully picked the larger ones, leaving the smaller ones to grow. Under another tree, she spotted wood ear mushrooms and ran over excitedly, only to trip and fall. Glancing down, she discovered bamboo shoots poking through the soil. Quickly, she used the hatchet to dig them out, thinking of spicy pickled bamboo shoots and chicken stew. Her mouth watered, and her hands moved even faster.

Meanwhile, Gansui had tilled half a patch of land, his back aching from exhaustion. This body was still too weak. He wondered if that troublesome girl had reached the woods yet—hopefully nothing happened to her.

Gan Second Aunt kept an eye on him. “Scholar, you’re farming, huh? But you probably don’t have any seeds. We have some winter melon and pumpkin seeds here. Take them and plant.”

Auntie, you’re like a game NPC, popping up at just the right moment.

“Thank you very much, Aunt,” he said.

“Oh, a scholar’s words always sound so refined. Wait here, I’ll go get them for you.”

Back in the forest, Banxia worked hard digging up bamboo shoots. Finally, she managed to extract them from the earth, only to find they were tiny. Disappointed, she stretched her back and decided to focus on gathering more wood ear mushrooms. Her basket was half-filled with mushrooms and wood ear, and she found some dandelion greens, wild onions, and purslane. Seeing that dusk was approaching, she decided it was time to head home.

She tucked the hatchet away, smoothed her messy hair, and started walking out. Suddenly, she saw a wild pheasant laying eggs right ahead—tonight, it seemed, a feast awaited. Banxia hurried after it. Startled, the pheasant flapped up into a tree, perching like a golden statue and clucking at her.

“Oh, so you’re mocking me now? I’ll catch you today, just wait and see!” Banxia crouched down and found a stone the size of a goose egg. With a quick aim, she tossed it at the bird. The pheasant took off again just as she moved, and, in a stroke of misfortune, left a warm dropping right on her head.

“Ah!” Banxia wiped her hair in distress, feeling utterly disgusted by the stench of chicken droppings. Fury burned in her chest. You wretched pheasant, just wait—I’ll be back for you.

Suddenly, she remembered the pheasant had been brooding eggs. She pushed aside the bushes for a look and was rewarded with a bounty—more than a dozen pheasant eggs lay nestled there. Carefully, as if cradling pearls, she placed them in her basket and surrounded them with wild vegetables to cushion them.

You dared to poop on my head? I’ll make sure your lineage ends here, you miserable bird.

Banxia slowly made her way out of the forest, the sky ablaze with crimson clouds. As she reached the edge of the woods, she heard labored breathing behind her.