Will get tired.
As she walked, Jiang Heng played a game.
A small Farming Game.
The main thing was that in the game, you could plant and harvest with a single tap, but Jiang Heng had to carry the hoe and do everything herself.
Even though she was stronger now, she still got tired.
Maybe when her cultivation reached a certain level, she’d be able to use Technique to farm directly, just like in the game!
For now, she could only imagine to quench her thirst.
While waiting for her crops to be harvested in the game, Jiang Heng put away her phone, and she had already arrived at the foot of the mountain.
It had rained recently, and the mountain path was hard to walk on.
Luckily, it was spring, and this area had been abandoned for years, so the grass and trees were thick and lush, not muddy enough to stick to her shoes.
Jiang Heng looked around.
Thanks to her much-improved eyesight after cultivation, she was surprised to see no mushrooms at all.
Looking closer, she noticed traces of trampling on the little path—the grass had been stepped on.
It seemed that other villagers had come earlier and picked all the mushrooms here.
So she simply went deeper in.
When she was young, adults always scared the children, saying there were Wolves and Wild Boars in the mountains, telling them not to go too far when playing.
Jiang Heng listened nervously.
Plus, she had always done well in school, and her parents hoped she could test into a good school and make something of herself, so they never let her do farm work.
She’d never even gotten close to this side of the mountain, while other kids sneaked out to play more or less.
In truth, the mountains here stretched on and on.
The two peaks closest to the village had all their trees cut down years ago, then replanted when farmland was returned to forest.
Up to now, the trees were still young and sparse.
Only the peaks farther away were densely wooded, making the interior pitch black and a bit eerie—truly the kind of forest where Wolves and Wild Boars might appear.
But now, Jiang Heng wasn’t afraid of those things.
With her current cultivation, even if she met a Wolf, she could get away unscathed.
Of course, unless Wolves were protected animals, then that would be another matter.
So she walked straight into the mountains.
On the outskirts, she could still only spot a few scattered Oyster Mushrooms and Shiitake Mushrooms.
She didn’t bother with those and kept going.
With her pace enhanced by Spiritual Power, she walked for almost twenty minutes before finally spotting plenty of mushrooms.
The nearest were some Pine Mushrooms, orange-yellow in color, about the size of her palm, clustered together and standing out among the green and grayish-brown grass and twigs.
Jiang Heng took two steps forward and could immediately smell the refreshing pine scent they gave off.
She reached out right away.
After picking those, she glanced around and saw another cluster of mushrooms.
Sure enough, with no one around, there were plenty of mushrooms.
Jiang Heng picked to her heart’s content.
She even found some Tea Oil Mushrooms and Forest Mushrooms, which were rare in this area.
The Tea Oil Mushrooms were thin and long, looking a bit like enoki at first glance.
The Forest Mushrooms had much larger caps and slender stems. Both tasted great, so Jiang Heng made sure to pick more.
By the time her basket was full, there were still some Pine Mushrooms left unpicked right in front of her.
This was Jiang Heng’s first time picking mushrooms—she never thought there’d be so many wild mushrooms in the mountains near her home?!
She only remembered to come pick mushrooms because yesterday, when she went to Uncle’s house for dinner, Uncle’s Wife mentioned it.
They chatted about the weather, saying it would rain, and Uncle’s Wife asked if she wanted some mushrooms—if she picked some tomorrow, she’d give her some fresh ones.
Jiang Heng declined, wanting to pick them herself.
Who’d have thought that just by walking a bit further, there’d be so many mushrooms!
After hesitating for two seconds, Jiang Heng decisively went for that cluster of Pine Mushrooms, squeezing them in as best as she could.
There was still space, so she didn’t go looking for more after that.
But as she was about to leave, Jiang Heng realized she’d gone much deeper than she thought.
Just going down the mountain took her about half an hour, and that was with her pace enhanced by Spiritual Power.
She hadn’t reached the level of Shrinking Earth yet, but she was at least as fast as a small electric scooter.
Once she reached the foot of the mountain, where she might be seen, she walked honestly and slowly.
After another ten minutes or so, Jiang Heng finally spotted her own house in the distance.
Living by the mountain had its advantages—the resources were relatively abundant.
Of course, in today’s modern world with developed transportation, that didn’t mean as much, and the downside was clear: less farmland.
Years ago, when the family split, Grandfather and Grandmother lived with Uncle in the center of the village, but because there wasn’t enough land for houses, Jiang Heng’s father, Father Jiang Erqiu, got his land at the edge of the village near the mountain.
It felt a bit lonely as a child, but now it seemed just right—peaceful and quiet.
Jiang Heng quickened her pace a bit, carrying her big basket of mushrooms home.
It was just past nine o’clock.
Jiang Heng used a soft brush to gently clean the mushrooms, brushing off the twigs, leaves, and dirt, then spread them out on a bamboo tray, leaving them in the yard to bask in the sun.
There was no way she could eat so many mushrooms.
She’d dry them to preserve them, and later, they’d be delicious in chicken soup or whatever.
Fresh mushrooms could be stir-fried, or made into a simple mushroom and pork soup.
As Jiang Heng was thinking about all the different ways to cook mushrooms, she heard someone calling her.
She looked over right away and saw a… creditor, carrying a basket of vegetables, smiling as she came over warmly: “Xiao Heng, you’re back! I’ve been at my son’s place these past few days, discussing his marriage with the bride’s family, and just found out you’re back. There probably isn’t much food at your place, so take these and eat them.”
Jiang Heng hurried over to greet her: “Shen Liniang, when did you get back?”
Shen Li smiled: “I just got home last night. The flight was delayed. I told your Xiao Ming-ge not to buy plane tickets, but he wouldn’t listen. Wouldn’t the high-speed rail have been fine?”
As she spoke, she shoved the basket into Jiang Heng’s hands.
Jiang Heng took it: “Thank you, Shen Liniang. I just picked some mushrooms. Take a look—do you want some?”
Shen Li was a bit surprised: “You went to pick mushrooms? Just now, your Uncle’s Wife said she picked a bunch and told me to take some on my way home.” Then she looked in the direction Jiang Heng pointed, and her eyes lit up. She went over, squatted down, and looked through them, exclaiming in delight, “Wow, you found some really good ones! Even better than what your Uncle’s Wife picked! Where did you find all these?”
Jiang Heng took out the vegetables from the basket—two radishes, some celtuce, a head of lettuce, enough for her to eat for several days.
She walked over with the empty basket, feeling a bit guilty as she replied, “Oh, just over there.”
“Wow, you’re really lucky.” Shen Li said enviously, “Your Uncle’s Wife said there weren’t many good mushrooms left, probably all picked by those mushroom gatherers. Didn’t expect there’d be so many left. Young people really do have sharp eyes.”
Jiang Heng: It’s normal there aren’t many. The place they go has such sparse trees you can see the ground at a glance.
And those mushroom gatherers probably don’t go too deep—she didn’t see any other footprints over there.
Of course, she didn’t dare say she went deep into the mountains, or Uncle’s Wife would definitely lecture her for more than half an hour later.
Luckily, Shen Li didn’t press further, still happy about all the mushrooms.
Seeing that she really liked them, Jiang Heng started packing some up for her.
She hadn’t sorted the mushrooms, just grabbed them at random.
Shen Li’s eyelids twitched as she watched, embarrassed, “Don’t give me so many Pine Mushrooms, those are expensive! You should sell those for money. Just give me some of the cheaper ones.”
“These are worth a lot?” Jiang Heng asked curiously.
Her family used to eat mushrooms often, so she knew the common types here, but as for their value, after growing up and working, she really hadn’t kept up.
Shen Li held her forehead: “Of course! These Pine Mushrooms—the yellow ones—are really valuable. Yours look great, big and tender. You could sell them for at least forty or fifty! The others aren’t cheap either. Just keep them for yourself.”
Jiang Heng’s hands didn’t stop, giving her a third of the mushrooms, a mix of all kinds, not picking out anything special: “It’s fine, I don’t have that many. Can’t sell for much anyway. I’ll bring some to Uncle’s Wife later, and keep the rest for myself.”
Shen Li was speechless for a moment, but happy, and didn’t insist.
She took the basket: “That’s plenty, enough to eat for several days.”
She seemed like she wanted to say something more.
She’d actually come with a purpose, but being treated so generously by the younger generation made her feel awkward about it.
But seeing how Jiang Heng had tidied up the house inside and out in just a few days, everything neat and clean, she couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Heng, are you really planning to stay in the village for good?”
Her tone was hesitant, a bit probing.
In her previous life, Jiang Heng had only been poor at the beginning.
Once her cultivation improved, and with her natural affinity for plants and animals, she made plenty of Spirit Stones growing Spirit Plants and raising Spirit Beasts.
So she didn’t really care much for ordinary things, but given the situation now, she understood and replied seriously, “Yes. But don’t worry, Shen Liniang. My salary will be paid on the tenth next month, plus my previous bonus, I should have fifty thousand. I’ll be able to pay you back by the tenth at the latest.”
Back when her mother got sick, her relatives all helped out a bit.
Over the years, Jiang Heng had paid back most of them, but she was just a regular worker and didn’t make money that quickly.
She still owed twenty thousand to Shen Liniang’s family, fifty thousand to her own Uncle’s family, thirty thousand to Aunt’s family, and ten thousand to her Uncle (maternal).
Shen Li was probably worried about her ability to pay back the rest.
Fortunately, there was still unpaid salary and project bonuses, and the reason she couldn’t even afford an air conditioner was because she’d used her own money to cover medical expenses first. The company would reimburse her once the hospital documents were sent in. All together, the fifty thousand would be enough to pay back Shen Liniang and Aunt’s families.
Shen Li blushed, not expecting Jiang Heng to be so direct, and said awkwardly, “I’m not here to ask for money, I just heard you quit your job and came back. I was worried and wanted to check in.
Why come back to farm? There’s no money in farming! Don’t you remember your parents farmed two mu of land for years, and after costs, they barely made two thousand?”
Of course, she was worried.
After all, without a job, where would the money come from? They’d lent her so much money because they believed in Jiang Heng—she was the top student in the village, surely she wouldn’t do badly in the future.
And they weren’t wrong.
She’d already paid back almost a hundred thousand in just over two years, with only about twenty thousand left.
But then she quit her job and came home.
As soon as Shen Li heard, she couldn’t sit still, and came back from her son’s place to check things out.
And now she’d been given so many mushrooms, she almost couldn’t bring herself to bring it up.
But with her son getting married and needing money, Shen Li had no choice but to mention it.
Jiang Heng nodded understandingly: “I know, but I want you to feel at ease.”
Shen Li’s face grew warm again and she smiled, “As long as you know what you’re doing. If you really have trouble, there’s no rush to pay it back.”
As she spoke, she got up to leave: “You just got back, and there’s a ton to do at home. I’ll get going now. If you need anything, just call me.”
“Okay.” Jiang Heng saw her out of the yard and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Owing money is just uncomfortable.
She’d worked herself to death before just to make a bit more, since overtime pay was money too, always thinking she could pay off the loans sooner.
She wondered how much she could make from these two mu of land she was opening up.
Maybe she should plant more?
Too bad the soil was still wet from the rain, so it wasn’t suitable for plowing these couple of days.
Jiang Heng found a bag, planning to pack up some of the pricier mushrooms Shen Li mentioned to bring to Uncle’s Wife.
As she reached out, she paused.
That’s right.
The vegetable field wouldn’t yield results for a while, but there was something else!
These mushrooms grew wild in the mountains—selling them was perfectly normal!