Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 30: Chapter 28: Indeed, there are people nearby.

“Hmm! Ying’er will remember!”

Di Ying nodded seriously, realizing that Liu Sisi could not see her actions on her back, and hurriedly added.

“Well, how about I carry you to the large stone over there to play? You just stay here quietly, and if there’s anything, remember to call for mom.”

As they spoke, Liu Sisi walked to the large stone on the hilltop and put Di Ying down. Below the large stone was the soft, thick layer of pine needles and fallen leaves, and because the stone was in an open area, she could better notice any movement in the area. If anything happened, she could rush over immediately.

“Alright, mom!”

Once out of the basket, Di Ying happily started picking fruits from the wild plants around the large stone.

At that moment, Luo Shan noticed that it was none other than loquats!

Loquats, also known as wild sweet potatoes, have two types. One type has hard fruits, and breaking them open reveals things like flying ants and snake gallbladders inside, making them inedible. The other type, however, is red, round, and looks like a mini pumpkin the size of a thumb. These loquats are a childhood favorite!

Not only can these loquats be eaten, but their entire plant can be used for medicine. This is quite a treasure!

“Sister, big brother will help you find them too.”

Di Xuan, who was only seven years old, naturally could not resist the appeal of these delicious fruits provided by nature.

Liu Sisi, wearing the basket on her back again, reminded him worriedly, “Xuan’er, remember to take care of your sister! And remember to hold the bamboo stick well. If you see bushes, remember to hit them with the stick before you go over. There are a lot of wasps and insects here… ”

“I know, I know! I often bring my sister here to play, so you can go about your business without worrying!” Di Xuan impatiently waved Liu Sisi off.

Which made her think that the children in these mountains really didn’t need that much care and attention. She had indeed made too much fuss!

Figuring that out, Liu Sisi went to look for mushrooms with her basket. However, she couldn’t help but still worry about the two young children, so she didn’t dare to go far and always kept them in her line of sight.

After searching the nearby hilltops, she looked towards the entrance to the deep mountains but didn’t step out after all.

She had just arrived in this place and was not familiar with the surroundings. She’ll consider going further another time!

Looking at the basket, which was already more than half full, she estimated that the clean, washed mushrooms would weigh twenty or thirty pounds. And as the sun was gradually rising, Liu Sisi turned around and decided to head back to the mansion – no, back home.

Just as she was turning around, the corner of her eye caught sight of a grayish thing, and she instinctively stopped.

After thinking for a moment, she turned around again and walked toward the grayish patch.

After passing through a thicket, what came into Liu Sisi’s view was an abandoned termite nest about one meter in size. Such nests were not uncommon in the humid, rainy mountain forests, so it wouldn’t normally catch her attention – especially not an abandoned one. What caught Liu Sisi’s attention were the clusters of shaggy ink cap in the shade under the bushes above the abandoned ant nest!

Shaggy ink cap, also known as agaric fungus, was named for its taste, which was like eating chicken meat. Boiling it into soup was as delicious as chicken soup! Liu Sisi had often picked mushrooms in the mountains in her previous life, and she had only found shaggy ink cap once. Due to the “wrappings” around some of the fungus, she nearly discarded it as poisonous mushrooms. It was her grandpa who stopped her and told her about the shaggy ink cap, which is a natural anti-cancer food!

Finding shaggy ink cap in the mountains while picking mushrooms is like buying a lottery ticket with two dollars and winning a multimillion-dollar prize!

Especially when it covers an entire termite nest that is more than one meter big!

Liu Sisi’s heart thumped with excitement, and it took her quite a while to believe her own eyes!

It took her a long time to calm down before she carefully took a step forward!

Hiss!

Suddenly, a faint sound woke Liu Sisi. She quickly lowered her head and noticed a giant snake coiled up in the grass beneath her feet, encircling an ant mound!

Oh my gosh! That scared me to death!

Startled and frightened, Liu Sisi hurriedly backed up a few steps. Glancing back, the snake actually raised its head lazily to look at her, flicking its forked tongue in her direction but didn’t make any further moves.

However, Liu Sisi didn’t have the courage to go forward and pick the shaggy ink caps anymore. No matter how good they were, she would prefer to continue gnawing on steamed cornbread and eating wild vegetables rather than face a giant snake!

Only after retreating a considerable distance did Liu Sisi let out a long sigh of relief. Worried, she shouted for Di Xuan and soon got a response from Di Ying. After her usual reminders to be mindful of safety, Liu Sisi finally calmed down.

No way! It’s such a shame to give up on such a large patch of shaggy ink cap.

It felt like knowing that a lottery ticket was worth millions, but she could only watch and not grab. Her heart was itching, as if a little kitty was scratching it, making her unbearably uncomfortable.

“Hmmm…”

Just as Liu Sisi’s heart itched, she suddenly heard what sounded like someone moaning in her ear.

She instinctively listened for a moment but heard nothing further. She couldn’t help but secretly sigh that she had been so scared of snakes lately that she became suspicious of everything. The slightest rustle would make her think something was wrong.

Chuckling, she got up from the ground and decided to walk back in a different direction. Perhaps the giant snake had already left?

“Help… me…”

Liu Sisi stopped in her tracks. This time, she was sure she hadn’t misheard. There was indeed someone nearby.

And it was someone begging her for help!

Who would be asking for help in this place?

Half curious and half nervous, Liu Sisi cautiously approached the source of the sound.

Pushing aside the bushes for a closer look, Liu Sisi immediately understood why the person was asking for help.

It was a person lying on the ground, a young man dressed as a scholar. His face was turning green, and his lips were trembling slightly. He also seemed to be unconscious.

Seeing that he clearly had no power to resist, Liu Sisi cautiously approached him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Where are you injured? Were you bitten by a poisonous snake?”

After asking twice with no response, Liu Sisi refused to give up and tried to poke him with her hand, but hesitated and poked him with her bamboo stick instead.

Maybe her actions woke him, as the young man’s eyes barely opened a slit, and Liu Sisi’s face reflected in them.

After a moment, his eyes closed again, and his mouth kept repeating, “Help… medicine, medicine… save me…”

As he spoke, his arm stretched out futilely, grabbing at the air twice, before falling unconscious once more.

Following the direction of his outstretched arm, she saw a jade bottle rolling down to a nearby slanted ditch.

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