"Mom, what are you going to the mountain for?"
"Didn't it just rain? I want to see if there are any wild vegetables." Cai Lihua was still a bit weak.
"Mom, it only rained yesterday. Even if wild vegetables grow, they wouldn't grow that fast."
"There's something that grows like crazy overnight when it encounters water. Come with me and see, Junlan, you stay home and look after the baby." Cai Lihua smiled and walked out first.
A Jiu followed closely behind.
"Mom, is it mushrooms?" A Jiu only knew that mountain fungi grew very fast after rain.
But the environment had to be suitable. The place was so dry that all the mushroom spores had died. Unless it rained for several consecutive days, soaking the dead leaves, some wild mushrooms could grow again.
"It's not just mushrooms."
"Then what else is there?" A Jiu was also interested this time.
"If we can find it, you'll know when you see it." Cai Lihua kept it a secret for now.
Mother and daughter went up the mountain. Cai Lihua said that this thing needed to be found in very thick grass.
Three years of severe drought had withered the grass. All they could find were places covered in dead grass.
A Jiu watched her mother bend down and squat in the dry grass: "Jiu'er, come quickly and look, it's this thing, lichen."
A Jiu squatted down and picked it up: "Isn't this wood ear fungus? How is it growing on the ground?"
"Look closer, my silly daughter. Wood ear fungus is black, this is dark green. How can they be the same? Besides, lichen ears are much thinner, while wood ear fungus has such thick ears."
Cai Lihua couldn't stop smiling.
This rain had finally brought some wild delicacies.
"It really is, Mom. What did you call this just now? Lichen? Clothes for the ground?" A Jiu rested her chin on one hand, while the other held a piece of lichen, turning it over and over.
"Yes, it's called lichen, but it's not clothes for the ground. It means it grows close to the ground, so this thing is particularly difficult to clean."
Cai Lihua added:
"Fortunately, we don't lack water. The water缸 in Grandpa Niu's yard has collected a lot of rainwater. Later, we won't waste your spiritual spring water; we'll use rainwater to wash it."
"Oh, Mom, here's one." A Jiu pushed aside the grass roots. It was flat against the ground. She picked it up and compared it with what her mother had found. They were identical.
"There are quite a few, Jiu'er, go over there. I think there are more on that side."
Cai Lihua carried her basket and walked a few steps deeper into the woods.
A Jiu became addicted to searching, her eyes fixed on the grass she parted.
In a short while, her hands were full and she couldn't hold any more. She stood up and looked at her mother, who was still crouching on the ground searching. She hurried over and put what she was holding into the basket:
"Mom, I'll go find more. Dad always says you're a good cook. Jiu'er will definitely have a good taste this time."
"That's a given." Cai Lihua's smile was radiant.
A Jiu quickly went back to the original spot to search, her head down as she walked. She suddenly went up a slope without stopping.
"Oh, why is there a dead person here?"
"Yeah..."
"Oh my heavens, this is too scary. You all come quickly and see how scary this dead person looks."
"Still looking? I've seen many refugees starved to death, but I've never seen anyone die like this. We should report it to the officials quickly."
Only then was A Jiu attracted by the voices. She straightened up and looked back towards the foot of the mountain.
Two or three villagers with hoes were standing at the place where Tuoba Yan had buried the bodies last night.
One of the spots had been dug open, revealing a limp, iron-blue corpse, like a human-shaped bag.
A Jiu gasped.
That area was originally the farmland of Heba Village, but it had been abandoned due to the severe drought in recent years.
Now that it had rained, people were starting to plant something on their land.
Villagers who rushed over from a distance could barely stand up straight, most of them vomiting.
One young man even took a few steps back in fear: "A demon. It's a demon. I heard in the city that a monster appeared on Mount Qiming long ago. Only that monster could beat people into a pulp without damaging their skin. It must be a demon."
As soon as this was said, everyone was terrified.
"A demon?"
"Don't you all know? The officials have been investigating for over a month with no clues. It seems this demon has come to our village."
"Ah?" Instantly, the villagers were filled with panic.