Chapter 12: Sorry, She’s Cheating
Xu Youshan couldn’t help but feel pleased as he saw the panic on the Marquis family’s faces.
Jiang Lili and the others were forced out of the dilapidated temple by the bailiffs and followed the young servant to the mountain where Chef Hai was searching for mushrooms.
The rain had lightened a bit, and they still had raincoats, so the rain wasn’t a big problem. The real issue was that they had no idea what edible mushrooms even looked like!
Sister-in-law Chen anxiously grabbed Xin Cheng’s arm. “What should we do? This is a life-threatening task!”
Xin Che calmly reassured them, “Don’t panic. I know a few types of mushrooms. Just follow me and look.”
The two of them closely followed Xin Che, but it wasn’t long before they encountered a problem.
“Big Brother, these two mushrooms look so similar. Which one is the deer flower mushroom and which is the morel?” Xin Cheng asked, holding up a wrinkled, brown mushroom.
Xin Che frowned as he examined it. “I’ve only ever seen cooked morels.”
Sister-in-law Chen’s face twisted with worry. “This is taking too long. That brat set a time limit for us!”
“But we only know one or two types of edible mushrooms. Finding enough for twenty people in half an hour is impossible!”
After she finished speaking, Sister-in-law Chen caught sight of Jiang Lili, who was leisurely strolling through the woods and wasn’t joining them in the search. This made her a little irritated. “Jiang Lili, why aren’t you worried at all?”
“If we don’t find enough ingredients, you’ll be the one in trouble!”
Jiang Lili waved her hand dismissively. “Give me fifteen minutes, I’ll be done quickly.”
At that moment, Jiang Lili was busy posting in a group chat, seeking help!
She remembered that Hou Xiaoxiao, from a minority ethnic group, came from a family that dealt in wild mushroom distribution. She knew mushrooms like the back of her hand, after all, it was her family’s business.
Once, during a class outing, Hou Xiaoxiao had impressed everyone by finding all kinds of wild mushrooms on the mountain. She prepared a feast with them, stewing, stir-frying, pan-frying, and cooking them into a wild mushroom banquet!
Jiang Lili, remembering this, tagged Hou Xiaoxiao in the class group chat and quickly explained the situation. Hou Xiaoxiao messaged her back and initiated a video call.
Hou Xiaoxiao: “Lili, you came to the right person! Let me see what’s going on over there!”
Jiang Lili flipped the camera on her phone, and Hou Xiaoxiao immediately began to take charge.
Hou Xiaoxiao: “On the left is the morel mushroom, edible. On the right is the deer flower mushroom, highly toxic! Eating it can cause liver and kidney failure!”
Jiang Lili quickly swatted the deer flower mushroom out of Xin Cheng’s hand and relayed Hou Xiaoxiao’s warning.
Hou Xiaoxiao: “The yellow ones are chicken fat mushrooms, very fragrant, pick those!”
Hou Xiaoxiao: “Whoa, this one’s called the ‘death bell’—throw it away, far away!”
Hou Xiaoxiao: “That’s the rice mushroom, it’s safe to eat!”
Xin Cheng and the others watched in amazement as Jiang Lili, who had initially seemed unsure, suddenly became an expert, speaking with confidence and clearly explaining the differences between the various mushrooms. The group’s doubts gradually shifted to trust.
With Hou Xiaoxiao’s support, their efficiency skyrocketed. Xin Che and the others quickly learned to identify the mushrooms, and soon the basket was filling up.
The four-person mushroom-gathering team became more skilled, with each person taking on specific tasks. Xin Cheng, Sister-in-law Chen, and Xin Che were responsible for collecting, while Jiang Lili carefully checked their finds to ensure they hadn’t picked the wrong ones.
The team worked like a well-oiled machine, combing through the mountain and clearing it of mushrooms!
By the time the bailiffs came to hurry them back, the four of them had gathered far more than the 20-person portion required.
Back at the dilapidated temple, Xu Youshan and the others were stunned when they saw two full baskets of mushrooms.
“Ahai, come and sort through the mushrooms they’ve submitted.”
Xu Youshan called over Chef Hai, who immediately began sorting. The mushrooms Jiang Lili and the others had gathered were so numerous and varied that some of them were beyond Chef Hai’s knowledge. He hesitated and set aside the ones he wasn’t familiar with, forming a separate pile.
“These mushrooms aren’t commonly seen, and some of these smaller ones, I’m not sure if they’re safe to eat.”
Xu Youshan stroked his chin. “This is easy. People from the Marquis family can eat these. After all, whether they’re poisonous or not, it’s on them.”
He watched as Chef Hai sorted through the mixed wild mushrooms, convinced that there were some poisonous ones hidden among them. Xu Youshan’s men brought their own cooking utensils, and he glanced over at Wang Zifu and the others’ old cooking tools. “Captain Wang, just let them use your pots.”
Wang Zifu complied.
Xu Youshan urged, “Hurry up. I want to see you eat them with my own eyes!”
Xin Cheng picked up a pot and spoke to Jiang Lili. “Sister-in-law, you should know how to make mushroom soup, right? We’ll assist you; you just need to direct us.”
“Aunt, I’m hungry too. Let me help.”
Xin Yan, already starving, hurried over to help his mother with the ingredients. His parents had always told him that if he wanted to see results, he needed to put in the effort and not always rely on others.
With so many people helping Jiang Lili, the pot was soon set up, and Jiang Lili followed Hou Xiaoxiao’s instructions without hesitation.
While they were gathering mushrooms, they had also found some wild ginger and wild onions, which were perfect for seasoning. Wang Zifu and the others were gathered around Xu Youshan, drinking fine aged wine, leaving their old, worn-out cooking equipment unattended.
Jiang Lili helped herself to salt and other seasonings without hesitation.
The various wild mushrooms were soon added to the pot, and a fragrant aroma began to rise, making everyone’s mouths water.
Although everyone in the dilapidated temple knew that the mushroom soup could be poisonous, the fragrance quickly spread, causing them to retreat even further.
When Hou Xiaoxiao sent Jiang Lili a notification on her phone, reminding her that the timing was right and it was time to eat, Jiang Lili eagerly scooped out the mushroom soup and began eating with the people from the Marquis family.
The soup was incredibly fragrant!
It was steaming hot, freshly made, and tasted exceptional.
It was so different from the quick, concealed meals they had eaten on the road; Jiang Lili didn’t even care that the soup was scalding! The tender mushrooms burst with juice in her mouth, and the flavor was absolutely explosive!
Even the usually dignified Marquis couldn’t maintain his composure. He hungrily devoured the soup and rice, not caring that some of the broth dripped onto his beard.
Xu Youshan, still waiting for his luxury dining set, with his white jade plate and jade chopsticks to be delivered so he could slap Jiang Lili’s face, was watching the scene. But seeing how everyone from the Marquis family was enjoying the soup and how delicious it smelled—possibly even more aromatic than Chef Hai’s own pot—he couldn’t help but feel envious.
Xu Youshan covered his throat with his fan and swallowed hard. Despite having just eaten several exquisite pastries, his hunger only grew stronger.
As Jiang Lili and the others savored their meal, Xu Youshan’s doctor and a young servant arrived, both having rushed to bring their supplies.
The doctor stepped down from a finely crafted carriage, while the servant, Luo Er, had been riding a fast horse, cutting their travel time significantly, so they arrived quickly.
“We’re here! We’ve arrived!” they announced.
At that moment, Jiang Lili also received a message from the bandit queen, Guan Yue:
“Lili, we’re here!”