Chapter 15: Various Precious Mushrooms, Delicious To The Point Of Tears!

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Various types of mushrooms—some with very large and enticing caps, some light yellow, pink, red—completely altered Zhou Cheng and Li Haixia's perception of mushrooms!

Just as Li Haixia was reaching for a beautiful red mushroom, Gu Ling immediately interrupted her: "Red umbrella, white stem, eat it and lie flat together!"

Li Haixia instinctively pulled her hand back. "What?"

Gu Ling chuckled. "This is a folk saying from the south. It means that a red mushroom with a white umbrella-shaped stem is poisonous and eating it will cause death. Sometimes the more beautiful the mushroom, the more toxic it is. I've studied mushrooms before and can roughly tell if they are toxic. When picking mushrooms, you must be careful and make sure they are edible."

She explained to Zhou Cheng and Li Haixia the way to recognize the mushrooms, and the two of them started to be cautious.

In this rainy forest, mushrooms were growing abundantly. The three of them couldn't stop their excitement while gathering them until they could barely carry more. Despite being completely soaked, they reluctantly made their way back, feeling like they could have continued the fun.

"When they got under the tent, Li Haixia sneezed hard: 'Ah Choo! It's over, it's over. I'm addicted to mushroom picking. I might catch a cold!'"

Saying this, Li Haixia was a bit anxious because there is no doctor on the island if you catch a cold!

Who knows? Gu Ling smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just pulled out a bit of indigo woad root and broadleaf plantain. I'll boil it in water later and drink it. Although getting soaked made me feel a bit congested, a preventive cold remedy will do."

"The three of them went to the tent to change their clothes, then lit a fire again. They boiled indigo woad root and broadleaf plantain in water. After drinking a warm bowl, their bodies felt a lot more comfortable.

Then Gu Ling began sorting the mushrooms. Zhou Cheng curiously asked, "How do we eat these mushrooms? I've only had button mushrooms and shiitake. I haven't tried the others."

Li Haixia also nodded. "I haven't eaten many types of mushrooms either. I don't know if they're good."

"Gu Ling smiled and picked up one of the mushrooms. "Sister Haixia, you'll know once you eat this. This type of mushroom is a specialty on the mainland and sells for quite a bit per catty."

The tea bowl in Li Haixia's hand almost fell off in shock. "What? It sells for a lot per catty? What mushroom is this?"

Gu Ling explained in detail, "This type of mushroom is called Morel, it's very rare and only appears in places with sufficient rainfall. It's a seasonal product, and if it weren't for such heavy rain at this time of the year, we wouldn't be able to enjoy it. The taste is said to be extremely good. Then there's this one called Chicken of the Woods, also very expensive. For such high-quality wild ones, I reckon they could sell for over a hundred yuan per kilogram. It has thick flesh and tastes fresh, sweet, and crispy, even better than meat."

Zhou Cheng was salivating. "A mushroom tastier than meat? I've never seen one. Do such mushrooms really exist in the world?"

Shortly after, Gu Ling cleaned and arranged the mushrooms, skewered them onto sticks made from branches, and put them on the fire to roast. The aroma quickly filled the air; it was a unique gift belonging to nature, enticing to the utmost!

"Gu Ling skewered the remaining shrimps from yesterday along with the mushrooms. The aroma of the roasted mushrooms and shrimps quickly aroused everyone's cravings. Li Haixia couldn't help but praise, "No wonder they're so expensive! Many people will probably never get to eat these in their lifetime!  "

Zhou Cheng took the skewer of roasted mushrooms handed by Gu Ling, took a bite despite the mouth-burning heat, and was almost in tears!

"'Meat... Where can meat compare to the taste of this Chicken of the Woods? Oh my goodness! This is so delicious!'

Seeing both of them unanimously praising, Gu Ling, with a sly smile, also picked up a skewer of morel and began eating.

She had seen these things before but never tasted them, especially once when Yu Mingxin brought back some precious morel mushrooms, telling her it was for clients. Later,  she found out it was all given to that little secretary to eat.

Haha, in this lifetime, I won't serve anymore. With top-quality morel mushrooms, isn't it delightful to eat them by yourself?!

Gu Ling took another bite of the morel mushroom, the mouthful was fragrant and sweet, and her mood, needless to say, became extremely comfortable!

The three of them had a comfortable and hearty breakfast. Afterward, they started stringing the mushrooms they had collected, quickly eating the ones with a short shelf life, and preparing to dry the ones suitable for drying after the rain stopped. These could fetch a good price if taken to the mainland in the future!

Later, Zhou Cheng went back to the seaside to collect the fishing net in the rain. To his surprise, due to the prolonged heavy rain, many fish had surfaced for air. This haul brought up about a dozen large and plump fish!

He was overjoyed, carrying the net in the rain, barefoot, and shouting, "We're making a fortune! Gu Ling, Haixia! We're making a fortune, hahaha!"

However, as soon as Zhou Cheng ran to the tent, a few people also ran towards them not far away. These individuals looked extremely distressed, resembling ghosts, and as they ran, each of them tumbled and fell on the rainy ground!

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