Rebirth 1979: Hunting wild boars and saving educated youth

The next morning, as soon as the sky turned white, rain began to fall, covering the remote village with a hazy veil.

Ning Yao got up early and was about to pack up and go to school, but she saw Chen Feng already dressed and standing under the eaves looking at the rain outside.

"Ning Yao, it's raining heavily today. I'd better take you there." Chen Feng said.

Ning Yao shook her head in objection. "I'm not a child. How can I ask you to send me home every day? The kids in school all come to school on their own. It would be embarrassing for a teacher like me to ask someone to send me home."

Chen Feng glanced out the window. The rain was falling heavily and the road was already flooded. "It's different today. The rain is too heavy. Let's at least wait until the sky clears up."

Ning Yao saw his resolute attitude and knew she couldn't persuade him, so she pretended to be angry and muttered, "Really? Then give it to me if you want. But don't do this again next time."

The two of them went out, and the rain was just as Chen Feng said, getting heavier and heavier. After a while, the path became muddy. Every step felt like stepping on a sponge, and one would sink into it if they were not careful.

Ning Yao walked carefully, but still almost slipped several times. His shoes were covered in mud and his trouser legs were mostly wet.

Seeing this, Chen Feng frowned and said, "This won't do. How are you going to teach the children at school when you're all covered in mud?"

Ning Yao said: "I have spare shoes and clothes at school, I will be fine after changing."

"That won't work either," Chen Feng said. "If you keep walking like this, your feet will definitely be rubbed raw. Then it will be very painful to stand and give lectures. Come, I'll carry you."

Ning Yao heard this and quickly waved his hands: "No, no, it would be bad if someone saw this."

But Chen Feng didn't give her any time to explain. He bent down, put his hands through Ning Yao's legs, and lifted her up on his back with a force.

Ning Yao screamed and struggled hard, but was calmed down by Chen Feng's words: "Don't move, you're rubbing my back."

Ning Yao's cheeks flushed instantly, and she had no choice but to lie on Chen Feng's back obediently, holding his shoulders tightly with both hands. She glanced at her chest and dared not move.

The rain showed no sign of stopping, but became even heavier, hitting the straw raincoat with crackling sounds.

Chen Feng carried Ning Yao on his back, taking every step steadily. Although the muddy path made the journey extremely difficult, he never slowed down.

Along the way, there were occasional early-rising villagers passing by, and some of them looked surprised when they saw this scene.

But ever since Chen Feng slapped the village chief, his image in the village has become that of a living bandit. The villagers dare not provoke him. They just take a look at him and stay away from him. Some people even smile at him kindly.

Ning Yao buried her head in Chen Feng's neck, trying her best to avoid those gazes, feeling both shy and sweet in her heart.

Finally, the school gate came into view. Chen Feng walked closer step by step, carrying Ning Yao on his back, until he put her safely on the ground.

After Ning Yao stood firm, she looked at Chen Feng's face, which was wet from the rain, and smoothed his wet hair with her fingers: "Thank you, Chen Feng, do you want to go to school to avoid the rain for a while?"

Chen Feng smiled and patted the water droplets on his body: "It's okay, I'm going back. You should go in quickly and change into clean clothes. Don't keep the children waiting for too long."

Ning Yao nodded, turned and walked into the school, while Chen Feng stood there, watching her go away, until her figure disappeared in the teaching building, then turned around and set off for home.

Chen Feng returned home and sat bored under the eaves for a while. The rain outside began to subside, gradually becoming fine and gentle, and finally stopped completely.

The sky looked like it had been washed by water, revealing a clear blue. The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, casting mottled light and shadows.

As the weather improved, he began to feel eager to go fishing. The image of yesterday's matsutake field kept popping up in his mind, and he thought that maybe he could get something good today.

He stood up and began to walk around the house, gathering up his tools for picking matsutake mushrooms: a small shovel, a bamboo basket, and a thick cloth bag to hold the delicate matsutake mushrooms.

There were also hunting rifles, cutlasses and daggers.

Everything was ready. Chen Feng took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped onto the path leading to the forest.

The mountain road after the rain is much more difficult to walk on than usual, and you have to be careful with every step.

But strangely enough, the forest after the rain has a different kind of vitality, the green leaves appear brighter, and the air is filled with the fresh scent of soil and vegetation.

It made him feel more comfortable than walking on the muddy dirt road in the village.

The trees are covered with crystal water droplets, which occasionally drip onto the face, feeling cool and refreshing.

After a long journey, Chen Feng finally arrived at the place where he discovered the matsutake mushrooms yesterday.

He squatted down and searched carefully, not missing any corner where matsutake might be hidden.

He did find a few flowers, but the number was far less than yesterday. This little harvest was just a drop in the bucket for him.

Just as he was feeling disappointed and about to go home, his foot suddenly slipped, he lost his balance, and rolled down the slippery hillside.

At that moment, he could only try his best to protect his head and let his body roll with inertia.

He didn't stop until he was blocked by the roots of a big tree. His head and face were covered in mud and his clothes were torn in several places. Fortunately, the scratches on his body were not serious. It was probably because the thick vegetation on the hillside acted as a buffer.

Chen Feng struggled to stand up, brushed off the dirt on his body, and was about to check his injuries when he accidentally caught a glimpse of a pile of things not far away - it was chicken mushrooms!

And there were quite a few of them, growing densely together, which suddenly made his eyes light up.

Although chicken mushrooms are not as precious as matsutake mushrooms, they are still a hot commodity in later generations. Moreover, he also knows that this thing can be cultivated artificially, and if cultivated for a long time, the benefits cannot be underestimated.

He walked over quickly and began to pick the fruits carefully, fearing that he would damage these treasures.

Just as he was working hard, he caught a glimpse of something strange at the root of the chicken mushroom out of the corner of his eye - there seemed to be a few small insects hiding there, and the golden edges were flickering slightly in the sun. When he looked closely, he found that they were actually golden-edged yuan!

Chen Feng was overjoyed!

Phnom Penh Yuan is also a Chinese medicinal material. It is very expensive in the market. More importantly, it can be artificially cultivated and its value is immeasurable.

Chen Feng's heartbeat couldn't help but speed up. He gently pushed aside the chicken mushrooms and carefully picked up the golden-edged centipedes one by one, for fear of hurting them.

The little guys seemed to feel his kindness and did not struggle too much. They obediently walked into a lunch box he carried with him.

With a fruitful harvest, Chen Feng was in a very good mood, and even the pain in his body seemed to be relieved a lot.

He picked the chicken mushrooms and filled the cloth bags and boxes he brought with him. After looking around to make sure nothing was left out, he carefully returned along the same route.

This time, he walked more cautiously, fearing that another accident might happen.