I trade in both worlds

Seeing Xu Xu walking further and further away, Chen Lihua hurriedly reminded him, "Sister, don't go any further, we're almost at the inner circle."

Xu Xu looked up after hearing this. Sure enough, he was about ten meters away from the inner circle. He picked up the firewood he had just bundled and was about to go out when he saw a patch of hazel mushrooms next to the firewood pile. Xu Xu hurriedly called Chen Lihua, "Lihua, there are so many hazel mushrooms here. Go get the backpack and pick them."

When Chen Lihua heard about hazel mushrooms, her eyes sparkled. She dropped the firewood she was still holding and ran to pick up the backpack. As they picked and searched, they found a patch of sheep's stomach mushrooms not far away. They picked and searched like this, and even walked to the edge of the inner circle, they still didn't find any.

After Xu Youyin pushed a cart of firewood back, he brought Aunt Xu and Xu Youliang over. They saw bundles of firewood scattered around, and only one backpack was left. The two women were nowhere to be seen. He said worriedly, "They didn't go to the inner circle, did they?"

"You two are so careless, aren't you afraid of encountering wild beasts?" Upon hearing this, Second Aunt Xu ran forward. Xu Youliang and Xu Youyin followed her. After walking a few steps, Xu Youyin came back as if possessed by a ghost and picked up the backpack.

Sure enough, after walking about ten meters, they saw two people squatting near the inner circle. Seeing that they were fine, the three of them could finally put their minds at ease.

Aunt Xu thought the two were too bold and had to scold them to teach them a lesson. As soon as she opened her mouth, she saw the basket next to Chen Lihua filled with half a basket of mushrooms. She instantly forgot what she wanted to say and happily changed her topic to ask, "Xu Xu, Lihua, where did you find so many mushrooms? Oh, so many hazel mushrooms. They're delicious."

He waved to Xu Youliang and Xu Youyin and said, "Hurry up and bring the baskets over. There are so many hazel mushrooms. Pick them up and dry them in the sun. This will give you more vegetables to eat in the winter."

The Xu Youliang brothers looked at each other and silently complained about their mother.

Xu Xu turned around and saw the three people, and smiled happily, "You've come just in time. There are a few Hericium erinaceus over there, but unfortunately they are on the tree, and Lihua and I can't pick them. How about Youyin and Lihua go pick them together?"

"Hericium erinaceus?" Aunt Xu said in surprise: "Give me the backpack if you have silver, and you and Lihua go pick it." The clinic's purchase price for this thing is quite high. Fresh ones can be sold for 100 wen per catty, and dried ones can be sold for 300 wen per catty.

Hearing that it was 100 wen per jin, Xu Youyin immediately pulled Chen Lihua to the side and said, "Come on, come on, where is it? Go pick it up quickly."

Chen Lihua pulled Xu Youyin in anger and amusement: "We're going the wrong way. I'm behind you."

"Hehehe." Xu Youyin scratched his head, turned around and continued to pull Chen Lihua forward.

Aunt Xu smiled and cursed, "Idiot." She took over Chen Lihua's position and continued picking mushrooms.

Xu Youliang squatted beside Xu Xu, looked at the mushrooms in the basket and said with a smile: "Why are there so many mushrooms here? You have picked up almost two baskets."

Xu Xu guessed, "This place is probably close to the inner circle, and no one comes here, so it's a good deal for us."

Speaking of this, Second Aunt Xu remembered this incident and scolded, "How dare you two go in there? What if you encounter wild animals? Look who in the village comes here, it's only you two. Don't come here again next time. Hurry up and finish picking and then we'll go out."

Xu Xu smiled foolishly and said flatteringly, "Second Aunt, we were picking fruits and walked away. We didn't notice it at all. When we found that we were close to the inner circle, we saw so many good things here that we couldn't bear to throw them away, so we had to pick them quickly and get out."

In fact, Xu Xu wanted to look around. It would be good if she could pick more mushrooms. Drying them would not only make more vegetables, but also bring a good price when she sells them in winter. However, when Second Aunt Xu came, she would definitely not let her stay here unless she could find other mushrooms.

Thinking about this, he looked up and around, looking back and forth for a few times, and finally found something that looked like Gastrodia elata. Seeing that the mushrooms under his feet had been picked, Xu Xu stood up and pointed to the left front and said, "Second Aunt, look, does that look like Gastrodia elata? Let's go over and take a look."

Xu Youliang walked over first, dug around and took a look, then turned around and said to Aunt Xu with a smile in his eyes: "Mom, it is indeed Gastrodia elata. There are more than a dozen of them here."

As he spoke, he pointed ahead and said, "There's a patch of hazel mushrooms over there."

When Aunt Xu heard this, she smiled happily, her eyes narrowed into slits, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised: "Hurry up, hurry up, Xu Xu, go pick hazel mushrooms, Youliang and I will dig gastrodia elata."

Xu Youliang used a hatchet to carve two sharp wooden sticks, and he and Aunt Xu each took one to dig out the Gastrodia elata, while Xu Xu went to pick hazel mushrooms.

Not long after Xu Xu finished picking the hazel mushrooms, Xu Youyin and the others dug up two Gastrodia elata. Xu Xu took a hatchet to chop wood and looked for any more Gastrodia elata and hazel mushrooms.

Sure enough, he found another patch of Gastrodia elata about 20 meters away. Just as Xu Xu was about to dig it himself, he saw Xu Youyin and Chen Lihua coming back, and hurriedly called out to them, "Youyin, come here. There is Gastrodia elata here. Dig this first."

Xu Youyin handed the Hericium erinaceus wrapped in a large leaf to Chen Lihua, and went over to help Xu Xu dig the Gastrodia elata.

Second Aunt Xu also heard what Xu Xu said. She looked at the half-dug Gastrodia elata and shouted to Chen Lihua, "Lihua, you go back with a basket of mushrooms first and ask your father to come up and help carry the firewood. Otherwise, it will be afternoon by the time we finish digging."

Chen Lihua nodded, and prepared to go down the mountain with a basket of mushrooms on her back. Aunt Xu remembered something and quickly said, "Lihua, carry the mushrooms to Xuxu's house first, away from people."

Hearing that the mushrooms were going to be kept at home, Xu Xu hurriedly handed the key to Chen Lihua and said, "There is a winnowing basket in the west wing. After you carry them back, pour them out and dry them in the sun while they are fresh. If you stew them for too long, they will rot." After that, he went back to dig Gastrodia elata.

It was almost the end of the day when Chen Lihua arrived at the outskirts carrying the mushrooms. At a glance, there were not as many people as in the morning. It was estimated that the firewood here had been almost picked up, and the sun was too strong, so everyone went home.

In the afternoon, it was estimated that no one would come up until the sun went down a little. Chen Lihua saw someone from afar and took a detour until she returned to the foot of the mountain. No one noticed that Chen Lihua had appeared.

Arriving at Xu Xu's house, Chen Lihua took out four winnowing baskets from the west wing, poured out the mushrooms, spread them out in the yard to dry, then turned around, closed the door and went home.

As for sorting and drying, I'll deal with it in the afternoon when I'm free.

Xu Jizong saw Chen Lihua coming back alone with an empty backpack, and asked with doubtful eyes: "Why are you alone? Where are the others?"

Chen Lihua put down her backpack and went to the kitchen to get some water while answering, "They are digging for Gastrodia elata on the mountain. Dad and Mom asked you to go up the mountain with them and carry down the bundled firewood first."

"Gastrodia elata?" Xu Jizong asked in surprise, "Where did you find it? Are there a lot of them?"