Across Ranch Story: Friends of Mineral Town

After coming out of the grocery store, Lin Xia went straight to Dart's hotel. Seeing Dart at the counter, she immediately approached him to invite him to dinner: "Dart, I'll have lunch at your restaurant at noon!"

Dart laughed and said, "Great! I have just added several new dishes to my restaurant. I'll give them to you to try!"

"Hey, I'm here just for the new dishes. I heard your new dishes are very popular recently. Even Rick's chickens are affected~"

Dart: "Haha, that's an exaggeration. Today I'm going to make you a black chicken soup that's very popular recently. I've added mushrooms and cordyceps to it. I just happened to receive some matsutake mushrooms today, so I'll add some to yours. It will definitely taste great. Just wait!"

"Thank you, brother!" Lin Xia was very happy. When she saw Lin coming down from upstairs, she immediately greeted him in a friendly manner.

"Hi, Lin, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, it's just~ah~"

"What's the matter?" Lin Xia asked puzzledly.

"It's Cliff. I think he's been getting more and more lost lately, and he seems to be thinking about leaving. I feel a little sad~"

"Oh~" Lin Xia understood. Cliff had been living in Dart's hotel since he came to Mineral Town. After being together for such a long time, if he really left, it would indeed make those close to him feel uncomfortable.

However, he didn't find anything he liked to do in the small town, which was really frustrating.

While eating lunch, looking at the matsutake in the chicken soup, Lin Xia couldn't help but ask: "Dart, you are amazing. You can actually collect matsutake to make dishes and sell them!"

You know, it's already the 5th, and Lin Xia has been wandering around in the mountains almost every day, but has only picked one matsutake. If he hadn't picked this one, he would have doubted whether there were no matsutake left in Mineral Town.

"You're overthinking it!" Lin said with a smile, "Matsutake mushrooms are rare mushrooms. Dad has been purchasing them from outside, and at a high price, but we rarely get them. We just received a few yesterday. I wanted to save them, but since you rarely come here, I used them right away. To be honest, I'm jealous!"

Dart: "Lin, don't be naughty. If you want to eat, there's more in the pot! But, Lin Xia, if you pick matsutake in the future, remember to send some to me. You ate my matsutake today~"

Lin Xia: ... Looking at the matsutake in the bowl, I don’t know whether I should eat it.

Lin laughed beside him, and Dart also smiled and said, "Don't feel pressured. If you want to sell it, remember to choose me first. I will definitely give you a good price!"

Lin Xia nodded with difficulty and agreed.

After having a delicious lunch and resting for a while, Lin Xia went to the hospital again. She shared peanuts and chestnuts with Ellie, and gave poisonous mushrooms to Dot. He was not very interested in roasted nuts, so she didn't give him any.

Then I went to the church to see Carter and Cliff and share my snacks with them.

When I entered the church, I found that there was no one in it. Carter was not there. Where did he go?

I first went to the confessional on the left and found that the door was locked. I looked around again and found that the door on the right side of the church, which was usually locked, was now ajar.

Lin Xia curiously pushed the door open and walked in. Behind the door was a small forest. The area was not very large, but~ but in this small forest, Lin Xia had already seen several mushrooms, and there were also several Matsutake mushrooms!!!

It almost blinded Lin Xia’s eyes!

Looking at these tempting mushrooms, Lin Xia tried hard to hold down her restless hands - these were owned by someone else, so don't be impulsive!

As Lin Xia entered, she finally heard a low murmur coming from behind a tree not far away. "Autumn is so comfortable. Although I don't have much money, I can still be extravagant... Don't tell the kids. Hehehe... I'm welcome."

It turned out to be Carter. Lin Xia immediately walked forward, and the undisguised footsteps startled Carter: "Who? Lin Xia, why are you here?"

Seeing Carter who was a little panicked, Lin Xia felt that she was a little rash. It seemed that she shouldn't have walked into this place without permission. She had to apologize: "I'm sorry, Carter, I came to give you and Cliff some peanuts and chestnuts that I made myself, but there was no one in the church. I saw that the door was open, so I couldn't help but walk in. I'm really sorry!"

Carter said a little frustrated after hearing this: "The door is not closed? Oh, I am so careless..."

Lin Xia couldn't help but ask curiously, "Carter, why are you hiding here alone?"

"Ah, what am I doing? Ahem~ I... I'm cleaning, yes... yes, I'm just cleaning."

Lin Xia looked at him politely—and continued to make up stories.

Carter whispered, "Don't look at me like that...Okay, I'll tell you the truth. Actually, I'm here to pick mushrooms."

Lin Xia suddenly realized that there were indeed an unusually large number of mushrooms here. Not only were there edible ones, but there were also poisonous mushrooms that could not be eaten. Lin Xia saw several of them at a casual glance.

"Mushrooms have grown here for a long time, and we can harvest them in the fall." Carter continued, "Although I don't have money, I can still have a big meal. This is my only enjoyment, and I don't want to share it with others, so I kept it secret. Lin Xia, please, don't tell others, okay?"

Lin Xia: “……OK.”

It turns out that God's messengers can also have selfish desires! It seems that I don't need to care too much about the criticism I received in the confessional. After all, the people who are responsible for guiding others are like this. All I can say is that all beings are equal.

Carter said happily after hearing this: "Thank you. From now on, I will open the back door at this time so that you can come in and out freely. This is my way of thanking you."

After hearing this, Lin Xia said in embarrassment: "I'm really embarrassed that you asked me to come in. You said that these mushrooms are your only enjoyment..."

Carter laughed after hearing this and said, "Ah~ When no one knew about it, these mushrooms were like a special place in my heart. Although I would be complacent about my unique wealth, I would actually feel guilty in my heart. I would even feel uncomfortable when I was explaining it to others. Now that I have talked about it, I feel open-minded and relaxed."

"That's the only enjoyment~"

"Hey~ How can I eat mushrooms every day? I'll miss it only if I eat it occasionally! Feel free to come pick them!"

After hearing this, Lin Xia was indeed relieved. She did not lack a place to pick mushrooms. Although the mushrooms here were indeed denser than elsewhere, it would be unnecessary if it really hurt others.

"Okay, I'm leaving now... I'll open the door for you later."

"Thank you, Carter. By the way, these are the chestnuts and peanuts I made myself. Take some and have a try!"

"Oh~ I like it very much. Thank you, Lin Xia!" Looking at Carter's back as he left in a hurry, Lin Xia guessed that he was still a little uncomfortable.

However, since he said so, I should just be generous and accept his kindness. I can also share things from my ranch with him often in the future.

While thinking this, Lin Xia kept working and immediately picked all the mushrooms and matsutake mushrooms he could see, especially the matsutake mushrooms. Hehe, he didn't expect that there would be so many in such a small forest. He made a fortune!

Today is a good day!