I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel-Chapter 189 - 186: Sending Jiang Beiyang to the Hospital?

Xu Modun requested Yan Jinzhi’s help to connect with Secretary Bai, and by the next morning, there was a response. In the afternoon, Qiao Mingtang drove to pick up Xu Modun, and later picked up Yan Jinzhi in Qingshan Village.

Jiang Mingyue was as usual strolling around the space, but today she whimsically went to the woods to observe the acre of pine forest, wondering what kind of wild mushrooms would grow. She went with full anticipation but was dumbfounded, as this plot of woodland usually sprouts little elves breaking through the ground, yet now not a single one was visible. Unconvinced, she used a branch to lift the dry pine leaves at her feet, finding no mushrooms and not even a trace of mycelium.

Jiang Mingyue blinked, thought about it, and then released her spiritual power. She was like a jealous husband, conducting a carpet search to catch the paramour collaborating with his wife.

Fortunately, she really found the paramour... No, it was wild mushrooms, but this time they were not growing by the pine tree roots; instead, they were on the fences. Previously, she had cut trees into one-and-a-half-meter segments and set them upright, stringing them together with vines to create a chicken-and-rabbit fence. Now, mushrooms selectively grew around these segments of the logs, producing clusters of shiitake mushrooms, although still small, only as big as fingernails, with occasionally one larger one.

Jiang Mingyue felt puzzled. Firstly, these were pine trees. In the previous life, a professor at the base loved growing his own vegetables and took a particular interest in log-grown shiitake mushrooms, as he disliked those cultivated with artificial substrates for their flavor. Jiang Mingyue had tasted them; though they are cumbersome to grow, log-grown shiitake mushrooms are much tastier. She recalled that the professor never picked pine trees because they inhibit fungal growth, while shiitake mushrooms are fungi.

He mostly chose maple trees, oak trees, wild chestnut trees, and Castanopsis sclerophylla.

As for why mushrooms grew on logs in the space, it could only be attributed to the magic of the space! Amazing!

Jiang Mingyue suddenly had an idea, Qingshan Village could also produce log-grown shiitake mushrooms and then process them into mushroom sauce, to be sold in department stores, or perhaps ask her cousin for help in finding a market. See! This is another avenue to prosperity for Qingshan Village.

Jiang Mingyue couldn’t sit still, so she hauled a log with mushrooms out of space, and placing it in the empty backyard made no difference.

The log was carried to the village committee. When Shu Wenquan saw Jiang Mingyue carrying a segment of the tree, he was surprised but instinctively rushed over to help carry the log.

"How can you carry this yourself? Such heavy stuff, why didn’t you call someone for help?"

He wanted to take it, so Jiang Mingyue cooperated and eased some of the weight. Together, they leaned the log against the wall, and that was when Shu Wenquan noticed something unusual.

"Eh? Is this fungi? Can you eat it?"

"Of course you can eat it, these are shiitake mushrooms. You’ve had them in the city." Actually, the country started artificially breeding mushroom strains two years ago, but they are seldom seen in the grocery stores as people find them expensive and hard to afford. However, at state-owned restaurants in big cities like Yun Dian, they are frequently ordered; eventually, these mushrooms were only supplied to restaurants and some organizations. Jiang Mingyue didn’t know if anyone had made mushroom sauce, but at least she hadn’t seen it in Nanxi City.

"Shiitake mushrooms!" Shu Wenquan was momentarily dazed, as he certainly knew shiitake mushrooms, having seen log-grown shiitake mushrooms firsthand. People have been cultivating shiitake mushrooms for centuries, though according to books, pine trees cannot grow shiitake mushrooms.

"Where did you get it?"

"On the mountain! Quite a few trees were cut down near Wuyun Mountain. I happened to pass by with Yan Jinzhi, saw it, and brought it back for you to see."

A few friends for years, everyone knows each other’s personality well. Shu Wenquan was aware that it wasn’t simply for them to see, so he thought about it for a moment.

"You want to implement a model like the brick factory, allowing everyone to cultivate shiitake mushrooms?"

Jiang Mingyue truly admired this scholar now; he was knowledgeable, well-read, and quick-witted.

"Right! The brick factory seems profitable now, but if surrounding counties catch on and build a few kilns, customers coming to Qingshan Village to buy bricks would need to queue and haul them themselves, whereas over there, they wouldn’t have to. With connections to arrange transportation, do you think the Qingshan Village brick factory could compete? Wenquan, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. Hence, I don’t want to be constrained someday; it’d be better to have several industries."

Shu Wenquan nodded, "Correct! I agree with you. But now your brother is out leading the team drilling wells, so it’ll be a while until he returns. For now, we can leave this here; I’ll move it to a shady spot later. When everyone is together, we can discuss it."

"I understand your intention. Then I’ll head back."

"Wait, Yueyue, regarding the school plans..."

Jiang Mingyue felt somewhat amused, this person truly...

"Wait for my brother to settle down; it won’t be long. I’ve already discussed it with him, no need to rush. If the preliminary plans are well-laid, construction will be quick. I estimate by the time the batch of kiln bricks are sold, the next batch starts firing, school plans will be on the agenda; after all, having money in hand gives us confidence to carry it out."

"Yueyue, could I be involved in the designing process?"

Jiang Mingyue couldn’t be happier, she was hoping for it.

"You already have to be involved. You’re a member of the village committee."

Shu Wenquan was reassured!

Meanwhile, at the Jiang Family’s old house, there was a minor change; Hehua truly agreed to the divorce, and Wu Cuilan, afraid her eldest son would grow soft-hearted, urged him to get the procedures done quickly. She couldn’t stand that crazy woman anymore. Who knows if the baby inside her is even Beihua’s. That woman didn’t show any filial piety towards her either, making faces when asked to do something. She brought so much bad luck with her; in the beginning, she didn’t like this daughter-in-law. If she hadn’t schemed against her son, her son wouldn’t have ended up in such circumstances. He lost his job in the city—a promising future ruined. Her son was supposed to marry the factory manager’s daughter, only for it all to be destroyed by that cursed woman.

Such a hindering woman shouldn’t have entered their family.

Jiang Beihua certainly wasn’t soft-hearted; isn’t family what it’s all about? He proposed the divorce out of impatience, so now it can be considered his desire fulfilled. That woman was sensible enough not to demand compensation. But he’s not one to be utterly merciless; since they’re parting ways, why not leave some goodwill? In the end, he let her take her clothes, even if Wu Cuilan wanted to stop her.

Additionally, he secretly gave her twenty yuan, which happened to be his share from the dividend.

They had originally planned to divide the family, which would also fetch a bigger share of the dividend. But now, since the marriage is off, the village committee probably wouldn’t count it. There’s a village rule that division of the family must involve the wife, so the elders can rest easy.

The day after Hehua left, Jiang Beihua sent Jiang Beiyang to the mental asylum in the city. That’s the said change at the old house.

Wu Cuilan felt puzzled: "Beihua, the village is vast; your brother wouldn’t get lost. Why send him away? That’ll just cost extra money."