Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 216 - 214: Mushroom Cultivation Plan

By the time the two returned to the village, night had already fallen, and usually, at this hour, the villagers would have already turned off their lights and retired for the night.

Shen Chengyao was pacing anxiously outside his door, constantly peering towards the village entrance.

Upon seeing the two figures on horseback, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As they came to a stop at the gate, Shen Chengyao first paid his respects to Shangguan Xuanyi, then reached out to lift Xiao’er from the horse. Noticing that her clothing had been changed, his anxiety rose as he glanced at the two of them, "What happened? Why did you change clothes?"

"Father, don’t worry, nothing happened! We were luring fish by the river at noon. After squatting for a while, my legs got numb. When I stood up, I accidentally stepped into the water and soaked my clothes. Brother Shangguan was worried that I would catch a cold, so he bought a change of clothes from a nearby villager," explained Xiao’er, even doing a twirl to show she was perfectly fine.

She didn’t mention that she had jumped into the river to save a horse, otherwise, they probably wouldn’t let her venture out anymore.

Shen Chengyao and Mrs. Liu would surely think it was reckless and dangerous for a child like her to jump into a river to save a horse. They would certainly not agree to let her go out on her own easily again.

After all, there were always stories in the village every year of people attempting to save others from the water but ending up drowning themselves. Such incidents occurred every year.

Shangguan Xuanyi looked at Xiao’er, who was telling blatant lies without so much as blushing or batting an eye, but he didn’t expose her.

"Why did it take you so long to get home?" Shen Chengyao asked suspiciously.

"There was a bridge that collapsed halfway, and we couldn’t cross it. We had to take a detour, which delayed us," answered Shangguan Xuanyi.

He thought that Xiao’er was clever in her fabrication, spinning a mix of truth and lies. If he hadn’t been part of the actual incident, he too would’ve been fooled by her. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Shen Chengyao ended up believing them. He knew that they were supposed to go to Maba today, and since he had been traveling frequently to source supplies for the supermarket in recent years, he was aware of the bridge situation. "Has that wooden bridge collapsed again? I heard that it breaks once or twice a year, what coincidence to happen when you guys passed!"

The two thought to themselves: How coincidental indeed, considering they were the ones who caused it!

The three of them then entered the house together.

"Father, you knew about that bridge?" Xiao’er asked as they walked in.

"Yes, I heard the villagers complaining about it last year when I was sourcing supplies for the supermarket."

"Do you know what the villagers mainly rely on for a living?"

"Don’t you know what the villagers make a living on? They either sell what their family produces or what they gather from the mountains. During slack farming periods, they go out to find work," Shen Chengyao replied.

"I think I heard a villager mention that they sell mushrooms. Not many of our villagers go mushroom picking to sell though."

"The bamboo mushrooms I bought before were from the villagers of that village. Maybe the mountains and bamboo forests there produce more of these. The mountains here don’t produce that much, and the children love them. We usually don’t have many good things to feed the children, so whatever we gather is saved for them, hence why not many people sell them."

Xiao’er nodded, "Father, I’m thinking of building a cement bridge there. In the future, the supermarket can also procure fresh mushrooms from there."

Shangguan Xuanyi raised an eyebrow, this girl was thinking of ways to make money again.

"Let’s discuss this later, have your dinner first, you must be starving."

When the three arrived at the front yard, Mrs. Liu asked the same questions Shen Chengyao did moments ago.

Of course, Xiao’er’s answers remained the same, with Shen Chengyao further explaining about the bridge situation, Mrs. Liu accepted their words.

"The food has been warming in the pot, you both should freshen up and have dinner."

Both agreed, having spent the day outside and soaked in river water, they both felt grimy and yearned to bathe.

After dinner, Xiao’er returned to her room and entered the study in her private space to research on mushroom cultivation.

In her previous life, there were numerous types of artificially grown mushrooms in the market.

Furthermore, these fungi were rich in nutrition and delicious, making them very popular.

Whether served chilled in the summer, in the hotpot during winter, or turned into soup or a dish in spring and autumn, they could be grilled, fried, anything!

As long as they were artificially grown, there would be a huge demand all year round.

Moreover, many types of fungi could be sundried for preservation, giving them a different flavor and texture from when they are fresh.

In her previous life, there were many who attained wealth by growing fungi.

Xiao’er thought that the villagers seemed simple and honest, so she wanted to help them.

Raising fungi required less light, but needed higher humidity and temperature. It could be easily done by constructing a cheap thatched house for cultivation.

Moreover, the villagers could cut down some trees or use straw as the culture medium.

Having read up on the relevant materials, Xiao’er found it manageable. Nevertheless, she would need to attempt cultivation at home first before teaching others, or else it’s likely not many people would dare to take the first step.

The next day, Xiao’er sent a message to foreman Liang, asking him to come over.

This time, Liang brought Xu Wenhui with him. Xu Wenhui was more than six months pregnant. They had found out about her pregnancy during the New Year. She had shown signs of a false pregnancy, so Doctor Luo said she needed to stay in bed for three months. Therefore, she wasn’t able to visit during the New Year, only Liang came bearing gifts.

Seeing Xu Wenhui struggling to walk with her swollen belly, Mrs. Liu quickly came to help her sit down, assisting Liang.

"Why on earth would you bring her out when she’s like this? What if something happens!" Mrs. Liu couldn’t help but reprimand Liang.

Liang looked wronged, try as he might, he couldn’t convince her not to come. She insisted on coming along, resulting in him being worried throughout their entire journey, sweating bullets!

"It’s not his fault! He kept me confined at home, I wasn’t allowed to go out for half a year. I felt so cooped up, I insisted on coming" Xu Wenhui defended Liang, laughing.

She felt supremely blessed since their marriage. There were no in-laws to interfere, her husband doted on her immensely, she was in charge of household matters and manages the family finances, and they even hired a maid to serve her.

"It was for your own good, and for the child’s. The doctor said that you got pregnant before fully recuperating, you need to be extra careful, otherwise there is a high risk of miscarriage," Liang fervently implemented the doctor’s advice as if it were the imperial edict.

"Why wouldn’t you listen when the doctor said so!" This time, Mrs. Liu shifted her blame onto Xu Wenhui.

"Well, now the doctor has also said that my pregnancy has stabilized, and I can start moving around a bit."

"Be careful, don’t be so wilful next time. If you want to move around, stroll around the courtyard at home," Mrs. Liu stood on Liang’s side this time.

"I know, I just missed everyone so much after not seeing you for so long!" Xu Wenhui admitted, knowing they were worried about her. Thinking back on it, she was a bit scared herself, if something really happened, she wouldn’t know who to turn to!