Chapter 14: Delivering Porcini Mushroom as Thanks

The door opened, and a man in a white tank top stepped out of the house.

They were standing a little distance away, so Fang Mingxi couldn’t see his features clearly, only that he had a square, stern-looking face.

A brick-tiled house… a stern face… Fang Mingxi quickly guessed who this man might be.

“Captain, I never had the chance to properly thank you for prescribing medicine for Xixi. We happened to find some porcini mushrooms on the mountain today and brought them over as a small token of our gratitude.”

As soon as the man appeared, Fang Bo Song stepped forward and set down the bamboo basket he was carrying.

The man lifted his eyes. Under the moonlight, Fang Mingxi could clearly see He Daixing’s face.

So he was the brigade captain. With that upright, trustworthy look, she felt a little relief. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about the brigade secretly causing trouble for her grandparents.

He Daixing froze when he recognized them. “Is the child doing better?”

Fang Bo Song nodded. Lifting the quilt covering Fang Mingxi’s head, he revealed her tiny face. “Much better. She’s eating and drinking fine now, shouldn’t be any big problem.”

Hearing this, He Daixing let out a subtle breath of relief. “Good. As long as she’s okay. But I’m not taking this. Bring it back and eat it yourselves. That bit of grain you have won’t last until next year when rations are distributed.”

Those who arrived unexpectedly often received temporary grain loans from the brigade. Only after earning enough work points could they pay it back.

Even though they would get grain later, surviving until next year wasn’t easy. That was why He Daixing usually turned a blind eye whenever they foraged in the mountains. Still, he hadn’t expected Fang Bo Song to actually find porcini.

Porcini were rare in these mountains. They usually appeared after rain, but it had been dry for a long time. Even brigade members hadn’t found any recently.

Since He Daixing refused it, Fang Bo Song had no intention of taking the basket back. Without a word, he turned and ran off, covering several meters in just a few strides.

“Captain! It’s our heartfelt thanks. Please accept it! We’ll repay your lifesaving kindness properly when we have the chance!”

“Ah—”

He Daixing watched helplessly as the man ran farther and farther away. With a resigned smile, he could only carry the bamboo basket back inside.

When he closed the gate, he purposely left a small gap. After waiting in the courtyard for a moment, he returned to the house.

“Who was that? Who comes knocking so late at night?”

Zhang Guihua yawned as she walked out of the outhouse, draping a jacket over her shoulders.

He Daixing lit the kerosene lamp. The faint light illuminated the bamboo basket.

Inside were two beautifully shaped porcini mushrooms, several unopened chicken mushrooms, and a small handful of red thorn berries.

“This…” Zhang Guihua’s yawn instantly disappeared. “These are from the one who knocked?” She paused, then asked suspiciously, “Was it them?”

“Mm.” He Daixing smiled, covered the basket again, extinguished the lamp, and handed it to her. “Mom, let’s eat them tomorrow. We haven’t had chicken mushrooms in a long time.”

Zhang Guihua accepted it cheerfully. “Xiao Yu has been craving them for ages. Tomorrow morning, we can finally eat some.”

Maple Leaf Mountain did have porcini and chicken mushroom, but most were picked early by the brigade members. Finding any required sheer luck at dawn.

They were fortunate tonight, though who knew whether the family had kept any for themselves?

The two chatted a little longer before returning to their rooms. When all sounds inside faded, a shadow quietly passed the courtyard gate and slipped away into the night.

Fang Mingxi slept soundly through the night. When she finally woke the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky.

Seeing the bright sunlight, she jolted.

Oh no! It’s already this late? How did I sleep so long?!

She turned her head, searching for Tang Yao, but the room was empty. Tang Yao wasn’t there. Had she sneaked up the mountain again?

Fang Mingxi panicked. Without her Exploration function activated, Tang Yao wouldn’t be able to find much. At best, she might stumble upon some wild greens but nothing compared to the abundant finds guided by her cheat ability.

She scrambled to her feet, tossing aside the quilt at the edge of the bed. Crawling forward, she wriggled toward the edge in an attempt to climb down.

Luckily, the bed wasn’t high. Barefoot, she could step directly onto the quilt.

She wore short sleeves and shorts, so she wasn’t cold. But the moment her feet touched the floor, they wobbled, unable to support her weight. Her legs gave out, and she plopped back onto the quilt.

Ugh!

Fang Mingxi slapped the quilt, flipped around, and got into a kneeling position.

Gripping the leg of a stool, she pushed with her knees first, then engaged her toes.

She lifted her gaze toward the door, determination shining in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she summoned all her strength.

Thump!

She failed and fell again.

But she didn’t give up. She tried the same method seven or eight more times. Each time, she fell, but she could feel her legs gradually growing stronger.

On the ninth attempt, Fang Mingxi finally stood fully with the stool’s support. Disbelieving, she took two small steps and then burst into laughter.

“Ha!”

Heavens above, she could walk again!

Excited, Fang Mingxi held onto the long bench as she slowly shuffled forward. First to the wall… then along the wall… then to the door.

She pressed against it and peeked through the crack.

Tang Yao must have gone out. If she had heard movement, she would have come in. Good thing she wasn’t here, otherwise Fang Mingxi wouldn’t have been able to practice walking.

A light breeze slipped through the door crack, cooling her overheated body. She turned back, intending to return to the bed, when something in her peripheral vision froze her.

A man was walking up the small path opposite the house.

He had shifty eyes and a sneaky expression, with dogtail grass dangling from his lips. He crept toward the cattle shed, glancing around as if terrified someone might suddenly appear.

A stranger.

Fang Mingxi pressed herself against the side of the door, hiding while keeping one eye on the crack.

The man crouched on the ridge beside the field, picked up a stone, and tossed it to test for movement. After waiting a few seconds and seeing no one emerge, he climbed the ridge and sneaked toward the neighboring house.

Fang Mingxi followed his movements intently.

He first peered through the window of Tang Yao’s home, then quietly pushed it open and crawled inside.

Fang Mingxi’s heart tightened.

She didn’t know what he wanted, but it was definitely not good.

She hurried back to the bed, climbing up with effort, and pressed her ear against the wall.

The man seemed to be rummaging around. She heard tables and stools shifting, bowls and chopsticks clattering.

Panic crept up her spine. She hadn’t seen what everyone ate for breakfast. If the man found the porcini mushrooms, it would be disastrous.

She quickly opened her system panel and entered the Sound Adjustment function, selecting “Footsteps Playback.”

Tap-tap-tap—

Urgent footsteps sounded right beside her ears. She immediately raised the volume.

Tap-tap-tap—

The man in the neighboring room heard the noise. His expression changed instantly. He hurried to restore the items he had disturbed, then pulled out a bundle from his chest and stuffed it into the gap between the bed frame and the wall.

Then he scrambled out the window, rushed down the ridge, and ran along the ditch until he disappeared from sight.

Only after waiting a long time, confirming he wouldn’t return, did Fang Mingxi climb down again.

She walked straight to the door this time. Hooking her fingers into the crack, she pulled and the door opened easily.

Luckily, the family hadn’t locked it.

Fang Mingxi swaggered out. By the time she realized she didn’t need to hold onto furniture anymore, she had already reached Tang Yao’s doorway.

That door wasn’t locked either.

She pushed it open and entered. The house was mostly empty, sparse, but very clean.

She didn’t know what the man had stolen or hidden, so she could only search one spot at a time.

Thankfully, the house wasn’t big. The moment she climbed onto the bed, she saw the bundle stuffed in the gap between the board and the wall.

She opened it.

The instant she saw what was inside, her pupils contracted sharply.