"Why give such a gift? Why not give some good cigarettes and wine instead?"
"Dad, Old Master Zhao doesn't smoke or drink. He's particularly fond of these wild mushrooms. Don't worry, I'll just pick some and bring them back. It'll be fine."
Seeing Liu Yifeng say this, Liu Chunsheng couldn't object further. "Alright then, be careful!"
"Dad, remember to bring the potion I developed!" Tongtong also reminded him.
Liu Yifeng shivered instantly. "I wouldn't forget it for anything!"
"Why are you cold?" Liu Chunsheng asked, noticing his son's reaction.
Liu Yifeng shook his head. "No, why would I be cold in the middle of summer?"
"Then why did you shiver?" Liu Chunsheng muttered, and said no more.
After breakfast, Liu Yifeng, carrying the potion given by Tongtong, drove back to the previous location where he had found wild mushrooms. There should be more nearby, so he decided to look again.
After fully gearing up, Liu Yifeng headed towards the mountain with a small sack.
After walking for about forty minutes, Liu Yifeng arrived at the place where he picked medicinal herbs. The cliff was still there, but the herb was gone.
Immediately, he sprayed the potion given by Tongtong. Otherwise, if the wolves found him, he would be pounced on and torn to shreds before he could do anything.
After making the necessary preparations, he felt relieved and began to search for wild mushrooms.
After searching for about half an hour, he didn't find any edible wild mushrooms.
He remembered Tongtong's words: brightly colored wild mushrooms were mostly poisonous. He warned him to be careful when picking them, as even touching them could lead to poisoning.
This reminded him, and he immediately put on a pair of gloves to avoid touching any poisonous wild mushrooms.
Seeing that he couldn't find any edible wild mushrooms nearby, Liu Yifeng walked deeper into the mountains.
Indeed, this place was quite terrifying. Even in broad daylight, there was not much sunlight, as it was all blocked by the dense canopy of trees. Coupled with the chirping of birds nearby, it sounded rather eerie and frightening.
Even as a grown man, he felt a little scared. If it were a woman, she might be scared to death.
However, fortune favors the persistent. Deeper in the woods, he found a large quantity of chicken foot mushrooms and a small amount of matsutake mushrooms.
Since he had picked quite a bit last time, he recognized them at a glance. He excitedly crouched down and began to pick them.
Unbeknownst to him, the wolves he had encountered last time were approaching him again. However, after smelling his scent, they quickly ran away without a trace, as if they had never been there.
By the time he returned with a full sack, he had no idea he had been targeted by wolves. He assumed the wolves had gone to another mountain and were no longer here.
Arriving at the parking spot by the roadside, Liu Yifeng was drenched in sweat. He set down the sack of wild mushrooms and then took off his jacket.
It wasn't hot in the mountains; in fact, it was a little cool. But as soon as he came out, he felt like he had entered an oven.
At this moment, two villagers walked over. They looked curiously at the contents of Liu Yifeng's sack. "Yifeng, you just came down from the mountain. What are you carrying in that sack?"
Liu Yifeng smiled and said, "Some wild mushrooms."
"What, wild mushrooms? These things aren't cheap! Let us have a look!" Liu Qingyun's eyes immediately lit up.
The other person also stared intently at Liu Yifeng's sack.
Liu Yifeng thought that since they were villagers, it wouldn't hurt to show them. He untied the sack, revealing a bag full of wild mushrooms.
"Damn, they really are wild mushrooms! And there are matsutake mushrooms! These are very rare locally. They can sell for at least two to three hundred yuan a pound, right?" Liu Qingyun was stunned when he saw the wild mushrooms in the sack.
He had initially thought they were just common Hand-Green mushrooms, but to his surprise, there were also matsutake and chicken foot mushrooms.
Although chicken foot mushrooms were not as valuable as matsutake mushrooms, they still sold for a good price.
Liu Yifeng had gathered a small sackful, at least twenty to thirty jin.
This must be worth several thousand yuan, more than what they earned from two months of labor, and it cost nothing.
"Yifeng, where exactly did you find these? Are you willing to tell us so we can pick some to sell outside?" The other person looked tempted.
Liu Qingyun nodded repeatedly. "Yes, tell us the location. If we find a lot, we'll give you some then, so you won't have spoken for nothing!"
Liu Yifeng remembered the experience of encountering wolves and was still trembling with fear.
He was lucky to have Tongtong's potion, which contained something that could suppress the bloodline of wild beasts, thus saving him.
But they didn't have it. Tongtong's potion was too magical, and it wouldn't be good if outsiders found out about it, so he couldn't give it to them.
He said, "These wild mushrooms can only be found after crossing several mountain ranges. But that's deep in the mountains and old forests, and there are wild wolves inside. You must not go there. If you encounter wild wolves, you really won't be able to escape."
He said this very seriously, hoping the two would listen.
Unexpectedly, Liu Qingyun laughed. "Yifeng, you're afraid we'll pick all the wild mushrooms, so you're making up an excuse?
This isn't the Northeast provinces; where would there be wild wolves?
Besides, I've lived for over forty years, and I've never heard anyone say there are wild wolves here.
You've gotten rich selling watermelons, so why would you be stingy with these wild mushrooms with us?"
"Exactly. How could there be wolves in this plain area? If there were, they would have appeared long ago.
Besides, this mountain isn't yours. Why can you pick them and we can't?"
Seeing that the two not only didn't believe him but also misunderstood his intentions, Liu Yifeng was a little helpless. "It's not that I'm afraid of you picking them. To be honest, I wouldn't say anything even if you picked them all clean.
But I am genuinely thinking of your safety. I've seen wild wolves with my own eyes, three of them. If you encountered them, do you think you'd still be alive to come back?"
"How could we not be alive when you are? You're bragging without a second thought.
Even when those martial artists fight tigers, they only kill one tiger. But you're facing three hungry wolves. Let alone you, even the entire village would have been eaten by them by now." Liu Qingyun still didn't believe Liu Yifeng's words.
"What I'm saying is true. Why don't you believe me? This is about your lives. I hope you won't take such a big risk for a few wild mushrooms." Liu Yifeng continued to persuade them.
Because he knew that if he couldn't dissuade them, and they went into the deep mountains, encountering wolves would mean certain death.
He regretted showing them the mushrooms. He didn't expect them to be so tempted that they insisted on picking wild mushrooms too.
"Okay, okay, we know you mean well. We won't go, alright?" The other person said impatiently.
Liu Yifeng didn't know if he was telling the truth. "I've said it several times. I sincerely hope you'll listen and not joke with your lives."
Liu Qingyun: "We know, we know. Why are you so long-winded? You just don't want us to go, and we've already said we won't!"
Seeing that both of them were starting to get impatient, Liu Yifeng stopped talking. "Alright then, it's getting late. I'm going back. You should go home early too. The weather is so hot; staying outside can cause heatstroke."
After speaking, he put the sack of wild mushrooms in the trunk, then got into the driver's seat and drove home.
He had said what he needed to say. As for whether these two would secretly go, he didn't know.
But there's a saying: good advice is wasted on deaf ears.
Some things are destined. He just hoped that these two had taken his words to heart.
Or perhaps, when they secretly went, they would be as lucky as he was today and encounter nothing.
Watching Liu Yifeng drive away, Liu Qingyun's expression immediately fell. "This Liu Yifeng is fabricating stories about wild wolves to scare us away so he can hoard the wild mushrooms in the mountains all to himself. Does he think we're easily frightened?"
"Exactly. Let's go home to eat first, and then we'll head to the mountains in the afternoon to find a batch of wild mushrooms. Let's see what Liu Yifeng has to say then." The other person chimed in.
Liu Qingyun nodded. "You're right. We'll go this afternoon. Let's call a few more people. We'll make money together."
"Does he really think he's the only one? He found so many wild mushrooms by himself but didn't think of telling anyone.
Next time, he'll go pick them!
But this time, we will return with a full harvest, surpassing Liu Yifeng."