“This Potato is delicious!”
“The Sweet Potato Starch noodles are so good! Mom, it’s great you used Sweet Potato Starch—so soft, chewy, and springy!”
“Yeah, Sweet Potato Starch is the best!”
At the dining table, three adults and a child were eating Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms. At first, their heads stayed down as they ate, but midway through, as they started to feel full yet couldn’t bear to stop, they tried chatting to distract themselves while still stuffing food into their bellies.
The Chicken and Mushrooms disappeared first, leaving a fair bit of Potato and Sweet Potato Starch.
The Potatoes were cooked to a fluffy perfection, and the Sweet Potato Starch had soaked up the rich, savory broth—every bite was just as delicious as the first.
The more they talked, the more fragrant the dishes seemed.
Their taste buds didn’t dull with fullness, and their hands just couldn’t stop reaching for more food.
For a while, everyone grew even greedier, and their stomachs felt even tighter.
Luckily, Jiang Heng and the others all had hearty appetites.
Even though they were stuffed, after a short rest, they could eat a bit more—especially Jiang Heng, who secretly used some Spiritual Power to cheat, speeding up her digestion and making more room.
Finally, after all that effort, the once heaping plate of food was reduced to just a few scattered bits.
Just then, they spotted a small piece of Chicken left in the corner.
Xiao Xiao, having eaten her fill, was the first to put down her chopsticks.
Still unwilling to leave the table and the delicious food, she leaned against her grandma, asking her to rub her tummy while her eyes lingered on the food.
Suddenly, she caught sight of that last piece of Chicken, and her eyes lit up.
Before she could speak, Jiang Peng scooped it up with a spoon, grinning, “Oh, there’s actually one more piece of meat left! Who wants it? Xiao Heng, you have it? Our Xiao Xiao always says she doesn’t like meat anyway.”
Jiang Heng played along, “Even though I’m already stuffed, since no one else wants it, I’ll eat it. Can’t let it go to waste.”
Chen Aying watched these two big kids being silly and shook her head, amused but silent.
Xiao Xiao glanced at her mom, then at her conflicted aunt, then at her silent grandma, and suddenly spoke up, “Mom, I want it!”
Jiang Peng pretended to be surprised, “But don’t you not like eating meat?”
Xiao Xiao’s little face flushed, and she declared loudly, “This meat is delicious!”
She straightened up and raised her bowl, “If Auntie doesn’t want it, I’ll eat it! Can’t let it go to waste.”
Jiang Heng immediately said, “Okay, give it to Xiao Xiao.”
Jiang Peng snickered as she passed it over, not forgetting to tease, “Then will Xiao Xiao eat meat from now on?”
Xiao Xiao wrinkled her little face, a bit troubled.
Chen Aying suddenly understood, “Oh, so our Xiao Xiao didn’t like eating meat because it wasn’t tasty before? Now that it’s cooked well, she loves it!”
Jiang Peng:
Suspecting my mom is hinting at my cooking skills.
Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously, “If it’s as tasty as today, I’d love to eat it.”
Now it was Jiang Peng’s turn to be unhappy.
She put the little piece of meat into her daughter’s bowl and complained, “Maybe you should just stay in the Village. How could I possibly make food this good!”
Her own father was a professional chef, often hired to cook for banquets.
Before she got married, her mom would help out too, so her mom’s cooking skills were well-honed.
As for herself… she was about the same as Jiang Heng.
Pampered by her parents, if not for getting married and raising kids, she’d still be too lazy to learn how to cook.
Chen Aying affectionately patted her granddaughter’s head, then looked at her slacking daughter and said, “Just send her back here for the summer. I’ll just tell her it’s because you don’t cook well! I guarantee she’ll be plump and healthy by the end of summer.”
Xiao Xiao gnawed on her meat and nodded in agreement.
Jiang Heng: “……………Pfft.”
So it’s because Cousin’s cooking isn’t tasty, huh?
She chuckled, “Sis, I still have plenty of Mushrooms. Take some home with you later. If you can’t finish them, just dry them out. You can use Mushrooms to make lean meat soup or cook them with other meats—the taste should be great either way.”
Jiang Peng nodded immediately, “Alright! I’ll come with you later to pack some up.”
Chen Aying watched the two sisters with a big smile.
Their good relationship was a blessing—when their generation was gone, at least they’d have each other to rely on.
At 5 p.m.
Jiang Heng set out right on time.
This time, she headed straight for the County Town, arriving at 5:30.
The girl selling sushi hadn’t arrived yet, so Jiang Heng drove her tricycle around the area, bought a stack of plastic bags, and grabbed a cup of lemon water.
When she returned,
Song Ming greeted her happily, “You’re here! Those two girls who opened your business yesterday came back again, but you’d already left. I’ll let them know.”
“Thank you,” Jiang Heng said, a little surprised but not really.
Her Mushrooms definitely tasted great.
Repeat customers were a given.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have picked extra today.
Jiang Peng hadn’t taken the perfect Mushrooms—she only took half of the ones that had been half-dried in the yard or had damaged caps.
So Jiang Heng still had about fifty jin of Mushrooms to sell: seven or eight jin each of Chashu Mushroom and Wuzhong Mushroom, and less than two jin of Boletus, even after using Spiritual Power to speed up their growth.
The bulk was still Pine Mushroom and Forest Mushroom.
Song Ming quickly shook her head, “No need to thank me! I should be thanking you—your Mushrooms are really delicious! I made soup with them last night, and it was so fresh! I barely added any seasonings, and it was so good. I drank two bowls of just the soup and couldn’t even finish my rice.” Then she suddenly asked, “Will you be here again tomorrow?”
Jiang Heng looked at the sky and nodded, “Unless something unexpected happens, I should be.”
As long as it didn’t rain and she could pick Mushrooms, she’d definitely come.
Song Ming was reassured and said cheerfully, “I didn’t finish the Mushrooms you gave me yesterday, so I’ll buy more from you tomorrow.”
Jiang Heng was happy too.
Another customer for herself!
After a brief chat, Song Ming had a customer, so they stopped talking.
Jiang Heng set up her price sign, sat down, and was about to open a game on her phone when she saw a familiar figure hurrying over. “Boss, you’re here!”
It was the second customer from yesterday. Jiang Heng smiled, “Yep, just got here. Were the Mushrooms tasty yesterday? Want to buy some more?”
“They were delicious! The flavor was really something else. I’m here to buy more and make some Mushroom sauce for my daughter to take with her. She works in North City and only comes home on weekends, so she can’t eat well during the week.” Li Ruqin beamed at the Mushrooms, satisfied with their quality, but still confirmed, “These are freshly picked today, right?”
She glanced at the seller’s face.
Not a seasoned businessperson—lying would make her nervous.
Jiang Heng replied calmly, “Yes, I went out early this morning to pick them. Had to climb several hills to gather this much.”
The deeper you go into the mountains, the more Mushrooms there are, but she only picked the higher-value ones.
Since she was working, she had to do her best to maximize her hourly wage.
Especially since she was strapped for cash.
Li Ruqin understood—good Mushrooms were hard to come by, and the mountains could be dangerous.
Then she noticed a new type of Mushroom, surprised, “Is this Boletus?”
She immediately checked the price on the sign and clicked her tongue.
Oh my!
One hundred eighty yuan a jin!
That’s outrageous!
But Boletus usually went for about that price.
Jiang Heng nodded with a smile, “That’s right. I was lucky to find some, so I picked them. There’s only a little.”
Li Ruqin was tempted but pained.
She packed some of the other Mushrooms first—the Wuzhong Mushroom she bought yesterday tasted so good it made her want to try the others too.
She took about a jin or half a jin of each, and nearly two jin of Wuzhong Mushroom.
Finally, the Boletus.
She’d never had the real thing but had heard of its reputation.
Thinking of how good the other Mushrooms tasted, she gritted her teeth and took half a jin.
Jiang Heng weighed everything, rounded down the price, and said, “Four hundred and sixty.”
The moment she named the price, Li Ruqin and the onlooking passersby all gasped in unison.
Passerby: “So expensive?!”
Jiang Heng smiled apologetically, “They’re all wild Mushrooms picked from the mountains—purely natural.”
The passerby didn’t say anything, but it was clear they couldn’t accept the price.
Li Ruqin was pained, but mentally prepared. She took out her phone to scan and pay, “Boss, if you can sell all this, you’ll really make a fortune.”
Jiang Heng was unabashed, “I have to go deep into the mountains. It’s not the same as usual.”
“True,” Li Ruqin muttered.
She was envious, but wouldn’t dare pick Mushrooms herself.
After paying, she left with her bags, leaving the onlooker behind.
Lin Yirui had come over to shop at the large supermarket nearby.
Young people didn’t haggle and often got ripped off at the wet market, so everyone preferred the supermarket where prices were clearly marked.
He only glanced at the roadside stalls as he passed by, but the shocking price glued him to the spot.
The key thing was—
That lady looked like she was a master at bargaining, and she still bought them without hesitation?!
Could such a small stall really have hired a shill?
He was tempted, but afraid it was a setup. He’d been scammed buying groceries before.
Just then, two young girls hurried over, faces beaming, “Boss, you still have Mushrooms!”
“We thought you’d sold out and wouldn’t be here!”
That’s why they were so upset yesterday.
So today, they rushed over after work.
They’d been a little worried, thinking the boss might have just picked extra Mushrooms to sell for a day or two.
Fortunately, the sushi stall owner told them on the way, so they were relieved.
Jiang Heng smiled, “Yeah, I sold most of them yesterday. Since I could make money, I went to pick more this morning.”
Wang Miaoyuan nodded vigorously, “Mushrooms this tasty are sure to sell! Anyone who buys them will definitely come back! Boss, keep it up—we’re rooting for you! Please keep selling!”
Yu Gui was already picking out Mushrooms, excited, “Shall we buy the more expensive ones today?”
“Sure!”
Yesterday, they felt they’d gotten a great deal—seventeen yuan’s worth, plus a bit of Chicken, made a dish that tasted like something from a restaurant costing over a hundred yuan! No, actually, it was even better than the famous claypot chicken place upstairs in the mall!
So they weren’t afraid to buy more.
If they couldn’t finish the Mushrooms, they could dry them for longer storage.
They each bought a bit of everything, including a Boletus, not too much in total.
The final bill was rounded to 120 yuan.
Wang Miaoyuan paid cheerfully and discussed with her friend, “Shall we go to the market and buy a fresh Chicken? The supermarket ones all seem frozen—not fresh enough.”
“Good idea! Maybe some beef too? I saw a recipe online for beef and Mushroom sauce—if we use these Mushrooms, it’ll be amazing!”
The two girls went next door to the sushi stall to say thank you to the owner, just as they’d promised.
Lin Yirui: “?!”
Was it really that worth it?
That was over a hundred yuan for Mushrooms!
Aren’t Mushrooms at the supermarket just a few yuan a pack?
He couldn’t resist asking, “Hey, are these Mushrooms really that tasty?”
The two girls turned around and, realizing he was asking them, replied firmly, “Definitely! Just smell them—they have a natural fragrance. You can tell they’re good Mushrooms. We don’t feel ripped off at all.”
Lin Yirui made up his mind and turned to the boss, “Boss, I’ll buy some.”
Jiang Heng handed him a bag, “Pick what you want, just be careful not to mix them.”
“Okay, then give me two more bags.” He took them and, copying the girls, picked a bit of everything. His total was just over a hundred yuan. Then he headed to the market—after all, fresh meat really was better at the market.
Since he’d bought such expensive Mushrooms, he had to get the freshest meat to match!
He was determined to find out what made these Mushrooms so expensive!