The two of them finished eating, slung their bamboo baskets over their shoulders, and hand in hand, left the house. They happened to meet the village chief talking with some women on the road. Seeing her approach, he introduced her to these women as well.
"Granny Zhao, this is our village's newcomer, a widow with a child, quite pitiable. When you have time, take her around the village, help her get acquainted with people, and if she needs any help, lend a hand. Times are hard for everyone these days!"
Granny Zhao narrowed her small eyes and chuckled, teasing him, "Da Mao, you're really attentive. One is a widower, and one is a widow. Perfect match. The child is already here. Why don't I play matchmaker for you?"
After hearing this, Zhao Jiaqi's face turned green. She took Jun Jun and turned to leave. Although it was a joke, she couldn't stand the word "widow."
Seeing her angry, Wei Da Mao glanced back at Granny Zhao, "Your mouth is always running wild. That young wife is thin-skinned. No more jokes like this in the future!"
Granny Zhao touched her face. Well, she hadn't managed to be a good person.
She turned and hurried to catch up with Zhao Jiaqi, grinning and coaxing her, "Little lady, don't be angry. Granny Zhao was just joking. Nowadays, when life is bitter, we can only make light of it!"
Zhao Jiaqi took a deep breath. Making such a joke on their first meeting, she didn't like it.
"Aunt Zhao, such jokes shouldn't be made in the future. Otherwise, as a woman with a child, I won't be able to hold my head up in the village!"
"Yes, yes, yes, it was this old woman's mouth that was rude. I won't say it again!"
This little widow was not old, but she had quite a temper.
The two walked side by side on the road, accompanying each other up the mountain. Zhao Jiaqi learned some things from her, but none of them were crucial.
"What's your name? I can't keep calling you 'widow,' it's too unpleasant!"
Zhao Jiaqi looked down at Jun Jun, an idea struck her. "Just call me Madam Ren. This is my daughter, Ren Yingjun!"
Granny Zhao said "oh." Her husband's surname was Ren. The child was quite pretty, lively and bright.
"You've taken good care of this girl. You look like a capable housewife. It's just that in this era... never mind. Let's hurry to the mountain!"
Granny Zhao had initially wanted to introduce her to Wei Da Mao. They were both young. A widow with a child already had a hard life. If she were to remarry, at least she could eat a full meal.
However, remembering her strong reaction just now, she decided to let it go.
She had just lost her husband. If she were to poke at her wounds now, she wouldn't be human.
She would bring it up again in a year or so!
Zhao Jiaqi saw the change in her expression and smiled slightly. If Fan Zehao knew that someone was trying to find a husband for his wife, she wondered if his face would turn into a shoe sole.
The two of them, plus a child, with their own thoughts, ascended the mountain.
As soon as she entered the mountain, she understood why the whole village hardly farmed. This mountain was truly a natural treasure trove.
There wasn't much wood ear mushroom, but it was all small. Granny Zhao told her, "You can't pick mushrooms like these. Wait until they grow a bit bigger before picking them."
Zhao Jiaqi nodded. So they also had an subconscious instinct to protect things that hadn't fully grown. If they were uprooted, they would have to wait for the next rain and suitable humidity and temperature for them to grow again.
"Auntie, haven't you thought about transplanting these logs to the fields and setting up a cultivation farm?"
Logs? Transplant? Cultivation?
A string of unfamiliar words confused Granny Zhao.
She asked, "We don't understand what you're saying!"
Zhao Jiaqi explained briefly, "It's about cutting down these logs with wood ear mushrooms on them and moving them to the fields, mimicking the growing environment of wood ear mushrooms to cultivate them on a large scale, wouldn't that increase the yield?"
"Moreover, as long as the humidity and temperature are right, wood ear mushrooms can be harvested from summer all the way to autumn. A total of three harvests can be gathered, and the yield per mu is very high!"
Her words further confused Granny Zhao, who waved her hand, "I'm old and truly don't understand, but I grasp a little. You mean it can be harvested for two or three months, with high yield. But girl, I've lived for most of my life, and the wood ear mushrooms on this mountain only grow quickly after it rains. If you don't pick them promptly, they'll rot."
Zhao Jiaqi pursed her lips. Why was she discussing this with an elder?
She shook her head and continued walking into the mountain. When she had time later, she would record this matter and write down the method for cultivating wood ear mushrooms, then hand it over to the village chief.
There was no hope for cultivating wood ear mushrooms this year, as the season had passed.
Only at the end of the year would they collect wood ear spore, adjust the ratio, fill the bags, and continuously tend the fire to produce spawn for twelve hours. Only after that could it be put in the ground, and subsequently, holes would be punched in the bags, watered, ear would emerge, then water stopped, harvested, and dried.
It sounded simple, but it was actually quite complex. As long as the initial steps were done well, everything else would be manageable.
After wandering around the mountain for a while, she didn't touch the wood ear mushrooms. She picked some mushrooms, and even for these mushrooms, Granny Zhao scolded her.
"You can't eat these, you'll die if you do!"
"These mushrooms are not poisonous. I've eaten them. But Auntie, you don't understand. Please don't touch them."
Granny Zhao frowned, her sparse eyebrows knitted. She was trying to persuade the young wife not to eat them, and here she was, trying to persuade her instead.
What was this? Seeing that she couldn't be persuaded, Granny Zhao turned away in exasperation, "This young wife's temper is truly stubborn. Everyone says these things kill people, yet you refuse to believe it."
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled, ignoring her words. She was a highly educated graduate from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences; she understood plant properties too well. How could it poison her?
Mushrooms were so common that no one wanted them. She had gotten a great bargain, a whole basketful. As she descended the mountain with Granny Zhao, they met many villagers on the way. Seeing the things in the basket hanging from her arm, they all tried to dissuade her.
"Oh dear, child, why are you eating this? If you don't have enough food, I still have some sweet potatoes. You can have a few to get by. You really can't eat this, it will kill you."
"Yes, it would be such a shame if you, so young, were to die. Listen to your aunt, don't eat it, throw it away quickly!"
Granny Zhao saw that someone supported her claim and began to persuade Zhao Jiaqi even more, "Do you think I, an old woman, would lie to you? Good child, throw it away quickly."
Zhao Jiaqi stood amidst the group of women, feeling quite helpless. Why did no one believe her words?
"Auntie, aunties, don't worry, I won't kill myself. I've really eaten them before. How about you come home with me, and I'll cook them for you to try?"
Hearing this, everyone's faces changed.
Who would eat these poisonous things if they weren't desperate to die? They still wanted to live!
One by one, they turned away in anger, all believing she was ungrateful.
That afternoon, Wei Da Mao returned to the village and heard such a terrifying story. He immediately went to her house and saw the two of them drinking mushroom soup and gnawing on half a sweet potato in their hands, eating with relish. It made him lose six of his seven souls, the remaining one was still dazed.
"You..."