Fu Xinci said, "We're not going out to pick mushrooms for profit. They're doing it to sell, we're just doing it to eat."
Fu Xinci wanted to make mushroom sauce. She thought about making a lot of mushroom sauce, as well as beef and pork sauce, and then sending some to her friends.
She already regretted not thinking to make a few jars of meat sauce for Qi He and the others to take with them before they left, so that their food would be more palatable on the road.
Alas, she always did things like this in hindsight.
Fu Xinci kept blaming herself, and the rain outside, like her mood, had not stopped.
It wasn't until evening that the person who had tossed and turned on the kang countless times finally heard Chun Yu's voice, "Miss, the rain is getting lighter."
"Ah!"
"Miss, listen."
Fu Xinci listened carefully; the rain had indeed become much lighter.
Chun Yu also saw that her young lady was cooped up in the house and quietly suggested, "Miss, when the rain stops tomorrow, let's go up the mountain to pick mushrooms together."
"Mm." Fu Xinci liked hearing this the most right now, and she agreed quickly. But she had been lying on the kang all day and couldn't sleep at all that night.
Habitually, she entered the space, and Little White, her personal pendant, followed along.
"Chirp chirp chirp." What was there to be upset about for such a small matter?
Having watched humans fuss around all day, Little White really wanted to say: This is so annoying.
But it also understood that humans with sour faces couldn't be provoked, or it would be itself that suffered.
After harvesting the crops that were ready and planting new seeds, the idle person tidied up the space again, and then she found a pile of good things near the teleportation platform.
—Crystal cores.
This was purely an accident. Fu Xinci hadn't expected such a windfall.
Crystal cores were now as valuable as treasures, and her friends needed them to level up.
With such a large pile of crystal cores, Fu Xinci was overjoyed at first, but then she thought about their origin, and no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't figure it out.
These crystal cores were not exchanged for supplies by the ability users in Dragon City, and she had a new discovery: the quality of these crystal cores was excellent, none below level three.
Many were level five or six. After thinking for a moment, Fu Xinci suddenly had a bold guess: the teleportation system had forcibly confiscated some people's private stashes.
Heh, Fu Xinci chuckled at the thought.
Fu Xinci didn't realize she had hit the nail on the head.
This method was too good; all their private stashes, no matter how large, would belong to her.
Of course, this was limited to crystal cores; she wasn't greedy for anything else.
After all, weapons and ammunition were in her hands, along with her wood ability. She was confident that she could now beat anyone she wanted, and no one could defeat her.
Alas, she had no ambition; otherwise, she could have been a queen.
But she was too lazy; she preferred to lie low.
Her entire life was dedicated to accumulating wealth and comfort.
Of course, if anyone dared to provoke her for no reason, she wouldn't tolerate it.
She'd smack them, and she definitely wouldn't hold back.
The next day, after breakfast, they wanted to go pick mushrooms. However, Madam Tian told them they didn't need to go far; they could find plenty just by going around their own house.
She also mentioned that as soon as it was dawn, Madam Xu, Madam Liu, and young Madam Li had already gone out with baskets to pick them.
Chun Yu became a little anxious upon hearing this, "If they've picked them all, what's left for us?"
Madam Tian wanted to laugh at Chun Yu's words, "You child, how do you know there's none without looking everywhere?"
After Madam Tian finished speaking, she pointed to the basket by the kitchen door and said, "Look, that's what Ke'er picked before breakfast. See, she took her basket out again after eating."
Madam Tian also shared some experience with Chun Yu, "Ke'er always goes to the southwest to pick mushrooms." She then pointed in the direction of the other two branches of the Meng family's residences and said, "The aunts and sisters-in-law over there won't go."
Madam Fang also didn't want her daughter to go far and strongly urged her daughter and Chun Yu to find Ke'er.
Fu Xinci didn't disappoint Madam Fang; she nodded in agreement. Chun Yu also picked up her basket and followed her young lady out the main gate.
Indeed, not far after they stepped out of the gate, they had a harvest. "Miss, look, there's a patch here," Chun Yu said loudly, pointing under a large tree ahead.
"It really is." Fu Xinci had focused her attention on the mountains outside for the past few years and hadn't paid attention to the land outside her own courtyard walls. Today, it gave her a surprise.
When they caught up with Ke'er, and with Grandpa Meng and Ning'er, who came chasing after them, the group truly had a bountiful harvest.
Especially Ning'er, who pointed to a large clump of yellow mushrooms in his basket and boasted to Madam Fang, "Mom, I found these mushrooms. Grandpa said they're delicious, so we'll stir-fry them with meat slices today."
"Okay, we'll stir-fry them with meat today."
Ning'er was happy to hear this and told his grandfather that he would go again after lunch.
Grandpa Meng, remembering how his grandson had been acting like a little mud monkey that morning, didn't agree.
Ning'er was still in the mood for picking mushrooms. Seeing that his grandfather didn't agree, he prepared to go find his sister, or sister Ke'er.
However, just as they were having a good time with the sisters, guests arrived in the afternoon.
Madam Fang looked at Nuanxin, who had grown into a graceful young lady. If the other party hadn't called her "Godmother" as soon as they met, she would have almost not recognized her.
"Sister Xin'ci." Although several years had passed and they had all gradually grown up, Nuanxin had always been grateful to Fu Xinci.
Looking at the true classical beauty before her, in a peach-colored upper garment, a rosy long skirt, and matching embroidered shoes.
Her eyebrows were like distant mountains filled with spring, her eyes sparkled like autumn waves, her lips were like cinnabar and her teeth like jade. Even her slightly flat nose from childhood seemed to have become more prominent. Upon closer inspection, there was not a single feature that wasn't exquisite.
Fu Xinci admitted that she was moved by her beauty and said compassionately, "Sister Nuanxin, you're here. Why didn't you send word in advance, so I could have come to pick you up?"
"It's still Godmother and Sister Xin'ci who love me."
After Nuanxin finished speaking, accompanied by Fu Xinci, she first paid her respects to Grandpa Meng, and then followed Fu Xinci back to the small building in the backyard.
The west room was still for Nuanxin. The little maid and the wet nurse Nuanxin brought went to tidy up the west room. Fu Xinci then had Nuanxin's personal maid help her wash up.
About half an hour later, Nuanxin, who had changed into a casual and light gauze dress, did not go to rest as Sister Xin'ci suggested.
Instead, she sought her out and sat with her in a rocking chair, enjoying the shade under the trees.
"Sister Nuanxin, is something on your mind?"
Seeing that Sister Xin'ci spoke with certainty, Nuanxin lowered her head and remained silent for a while before looking up.
Fu Xinci saw the moisture in her eyes and guessed that the child might have been wronged.
At such times, she couldn't speak and could only be a silent listener.