Spring rains came one after another.
The crops began to sprout, and life grew busier.
Madam Shi stayed home sewing, while Yuan Zhao took the younger ones to tend the fields and gather wild produce in the mountains.
After the rains, mushrooms sprouted everywhere. The village children went into the hills to pick them—and Yuan Zhao led the way.
He knew exactly where to look.
While others treated it like a pastime, he moved with purpose.
And so, naturally, he gathered the most.
In no time at all, Yuan Yuan’s small back basket was filled with wood ear mushrooms. Even though they were loosely piled, it still came out to about two jin.
Yuan Zhao’s basket, meanwhile, was full of wild mushrooms. After the rain, mushrooms and bamboo shoots in the mountains were sprouting in wave after wave—there was no way to pick them all. He’d gotten quite the bargain from nature this time, no less than ten jin. If he took them to sell, they could fetch several dozen copper coins!
When Heaven provides, this is exactly how it provides.
Shi Qingyue was still a half-grown boy, at the age where he loved running around the most. Now that he had the chance to go into the mountains, he practically wanted to run wild. Even while listening to Yuan Zhao’s instructions, he still managed to gather quite a few mushrooms.
“Brother, what’s this?” Yuan Yuan squatted down and pointed at something in the damp grass. “It looks so ugly—it’s giving me goosebumps!”
Yuan Zhao leaned over to take a look and saw a patch of unusual fungi hidden beneath the grass. The caps were rounded and oval-shaped, with small pits all over the surface, and they felt slick and rubbery to the touch.
He recognized them at a glance—morel mushrooms.
These mushrooms had always grown in this area, but they were rare, and their flavor was far richer than ordinary post-rain mushrooms. Whenever they appeared, they were quickly picked clean. That was probably why they were becoming increasingly scarce.
Yuan Zhao hadn’t expected to come across a small cluster. These mushrooms usually grew in groups—if there was one patch, there had to be more nearby!
“Pick the bigger ones, and be careful. The white stems are fragile—if you snap them off, they won’t look as good,” Yuan Zhao instructed. “I’ll check around nearby.”
Luck was on his side—he found another cluster not far away and quickly gathered them into his basket. Even if they didn’t sell them, there was enough here for several meals at home.
Yuan Yuan was overjoyed, his eyes shining. “Brother, you’re amazing! Are we going to sell these for money?”
“We’d have to sell them while they’re fresh,” Yuan Zhao said, glancing at the time. If they went to town now, it would already be midday, and the mushrooms might dry out. “Let’s head home first.”
They had entered the mountains with empty baskets and returned with them full. On the way back, they stopped by the fields to take a look—everything seemed fine—before heading home.
Shi Zhangshi was still embroidering clothes. Seeing their bountiful harvest, she was delighted. “It’s been a while since we’ve had these. After the rain they grow in batches—people in town would have to spend quite a bit of copper to buy them.”
Yuan Zhao thought for a moment. “I’ll keep some for us to eat, and take the rest to town. I’ll go borrow an ox cart right now.”
“Alright,” she agreed.
For farming households, money was always in short supply. If they could earn some by selling things, that was naturally the best outcome.
Yuan Zhao wasted no time. He borrowed the village head’s ox cart and headed to town. He sprinkled a bit of water over the mushrooms and covered the basket with a thin cloth to keep them from drying out.
The wood ear mushrooms were easier to handle. Since he was worried about losing time, he hadn’t washed them—but that worked out fine. People in town liked them fresh like this; if they were washed, they might suspect they weren’t fresh.
He knew which street had the most vendors, but he didn’t bother setting up a stall. Instead, he carried the basket and called out as he walked.
It didn’t take long before someone stopped him. “How much are these mountain goods?”
“Wood ear and wild mushrooms are five wen per jin. These morels are more expensive—ten wen per jin,” Yuan Zhao replied.
The buyer was neatly dressed and didn’t seem short on money, just craving something fresh. Still, he instinctively tried to haggle. “These wood ears aren’t even washed—they’re full of dirt, and that adds to the weight! Make it cheaper.”
Even though this was a gift from Heaven, they had still worked hard to gather it—of course they should make money from it.
But business required a bit of flexibility. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be returning customers next time.
Yuan Zhao smiled helplessly. “Since you’re my first customer, I’ll sell you the wood ears and mushrooms at nine wen for two jin. They’re very fresh—picked and brought here right away! And if you take all the morels, I’ll let them go for fifteen wen total.”
The buyer was a seasoned foodie and could tell the goods were fresh. He just couldn’t resist bargaining. Seeing Yuan Zhao willing to lower the price, he didn’t push further.
He bought six jin mixed between wood ear and mushrooms for twenty-seven wen, plus the morels for fifteen—forty-two wen in total.
By the time Yuan Zhao started weighing them out, quite a few people had gathered around. It was nearing noon, and many were heading home to cook, worrying about what to eat. Seeing his fresh mountain goods, they naturally wanted to buy some—even if not for today, they’d eat them eventually.
He had brought eight jin of mushrooms, two jin of wood ear, and a bit over one jin of morels—and they sold out in no time.
Aside from the initial sale at nine wen for two jin, the rest sold at five wen per jin. This trip earned him sixty-two wen—more than what a laborer might make in a full day.
It was just a pity these mountain goods weren’t always available. Otherwise, he would have gone into the mountains every day to gather them.
After selling everything, Yuan Zhao headed straight home, arriving just in time for the meal.
After eating, he took out the coins to divide them. There were sixty-two in total. He gave two wen to the village head when returning the ox cart and planned to bring over a basket of grass later, leaving sixty.
He had wanted to split the money with Shi Zhangshi, but she refused, telling him to divide it as he saw fit.
Since Yuan Zhao had done the most work, he took twenty wen. Shi Qingyue and Yuan Yuan each got fifteen, and the remaining ten went to Shi Qingran, who had helped with chores at home. Everyone shared the gains.
After dividing the money, Yuan Zhao prepared to head to the back mountain to gather grass for the village head. This time, all the children wanted to come along, hoping to find more goods to sell.
They didn’t find much this time—not enough to justify another trip to town—so they decided to dry them at home and sell them later.
When the village head saw Yuan Zhao bringing over a basket of grass, he was at a loss for words. “You child, why be so polite among neighbors?”
“It’s only right, Uncle. If you borrow, you return—then it’s easier to borrow again later!” Yuan Zhao said with a smile.
“Hey, Zhao boy, I just got some lettuce—take a couple home!” Liu Shi insisted, stuffing them into his basket without giving him a chance to refuse.
Yuan Zhao understood how things worked in the village—this exchange of small favors helped maintain long-term relationships. He accepted it with thanks, already thinking about bringing something in return next time.
He had just arrived home when the sky darkened again, and rain began to pour down without warning, growing heavier by the moment.
Looking up at the sky, he frowned slightly. “I hope the rain stops soon.”
Plentiful spring and summer rain was good—after all, the crops depended on Heaven—but if it rained nonstop, seeds could be washed away.
Shi Zhangshi knew he was worried about Shi Wuxiang and said gently, “A Xiang isn’t a child. If the rain’s too heavy, he can stay somewhere in town for the night.”
Yuan Zhao knew that, but he couldn’t help worrying. He always felt both comforted and uneasy in this kind of weather.
The past few days had only seen light rain, barely noticeable on the ground or roof. But now, with the heavy downpour, the earthen roof had started leaking!
If it rained like this all night, the house might flood.
“I’ll find some wooden boards to patch the roof!” Yuan Zhao immediately took charge. “Mother, take them and set out basins to catch the leaks. Gather up the bedding first—I’ll go borrow a ladder!”
He threw on a straw raincoat and rushed out into the rain. When he returned, two men from the village were with him, carrying a ladder and tools.
Da Liu and Gouzi braved the rain to help repair the roof, then left just as quickly with the village head.
The house was damp with moisture. Yuan Zhao stared at the basins on the floor, each collecting rainwater.
Being full wasn’t enough—they needed a home that could shelter them from the wind and rain.