Chapter 20 - 19: Mushroom and Shepherd’s Purse Soup

The dried mushrooms quickly plumped up in the hot water, returning to their fresh state. Sev Steele couldn’t help but lick her lips at the sight.

Ever since she got into university, her trips back to the countryside had been few and far between. Later, when she realized her grandfather’s health was deteriorating, she completely abandoned the idea of staying in the city to work.

But her grandfather adamantly refused to let her drop out. He told her that if he didn’t see her university diploma, he wouldn’t be able to rest in peace. For the sake of his wish, she had no choice but to stay in the city and continue her studies. By the time he passed away, she still hadn’t graduated, so naturally, he never got to see her diploma with his own eyes.

Now, looking at the mushrooms in the pot, her mouth watered, but she also couldn’t help thinking of her grandfather. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She took a few deep breaths and tilted her head back to keep the tears from falling.

Sitting beside her, Doctor Jenkins clearly sensed the aura of sorrow radiating from her. He wondered why this woman was letting her mind wander while busy cooking. Couldn’t she just focus on the task at hand? It just went to show that women were fickle by nature. Expecting them to be single-minded was simply impossible!

Completely unaware of the man’s bizarre train of thought, Sev reined in her emotions and turned to the cupboard. She opened the door and took out some dried mutated shepherd’s purse that the original owner of her body had sun-dried.

Shepherd’s purse had a natural, refreshing fragrance and a slightly sweet taste. Back in the countryside, her neighbor, Miss Lewis, had always been very kind to her. So, whenever Sev went hunting in the mountains with her grandfather and picked wild mushrooms, she would always give some to Miss Lewis. Miss Lewis was an excellent cook. Whenever she made mushroom soup, she would go to her private plot, pick a few stalks of shepherd’s purse, and toss a handful in right before serving. It tasted incredible.

Of course, the ingredients she had right now weren’t fresh, but Sev figured the end result wouldn’t be too far off.

The mushroom soup was just about done. She took the dried mutated shepherd’s purse, casually broke it into one-inch pieces, and tossed them into the pot. It was a pity she didn’t have any wild garlic or silken tofu. If she could add those, this pot of mushroom soup would taste absolutely heavenly.

Sighing inwardly, Sev turned and instructed Rusty, "Bring the bowls over. I’ll serve the soup!"

Rusty didn’t dare disobey. He obediently brought over all five of the family’s bowls. Doctor Jenkins took one look and couldn’t help but frown. The backs of the bowls clearly had green and yellowish-brown residue on them. Could anyone really eat soup served in such filthy containers?

In truth, the children washed the dishes very earnestly. Unfortunately, purified water was simply too expensive to be used for repeated rinsing. Left with no choice, they could only do their best to clean the insides of the bowls and make do with the outsides.

Sev naturally understood this as well. Because of that, in the two days since she had transmigrated here, she hadn’t complained about the dirty dishes. She had originally planned to find some thinner bamboo segments after chopping bamboo and carve them into cups to replace these old bowls.

Although Doctor Jenkins was scruffy and looked unkempt, he was extremely particular about what he ate. He absolutely refused to take a single bite of anything unsanitary! However, while watching Sev cook, the rich, savory aroma wafting from the pot had left him craving a taste. Asking him to give up on trying the mushroom soup now was completely out of the question!

With that in mind, he opened his Space Button and took out a clean, wide-mouthed flask. It was one of the tools he used for his research.

Seeing the wide-mouthed flask, the four little ones’ eyes widened, staring at it like it was some bizarre novelty.

Sev, however, slightly narrowed her eyes. This man seemed quite the polymath; his main job was appraising and valuing treasures, but his side gig was actually being a chemist. Though she didn’t know what his field of research was, the fact that he could casually pull out a wide-mouthed flask proved that he was consistently dedicated to his work.

At this moment, Sev felt incredibly fortunate. Given her current status, getting to know a hidden bigshot like him meant she would definitely receive unexpected help from him in the future. She decided that from this moment on, she was going to get on his good side.

Her expression unchanged, Sev took his wide-mouthed flask and ladled the soup into it, scoop by scoop. Once the piping hot mushroom soup was set on the table, she took a vacuum-sealed bag of dried wild yam from the cupboard and handed it to Doctor Jenkins.

"Give this a try. It’s dried wild yam that the kids and I roasted. I even added my exclusive, secret seasoning!" she said, blinking at Doctor Jenkins with feigned mystery.

The man was a germaphobe, so naturally, she couldn’t make him eat from the same vegetable washing basin that held the rest of the dried wild yams for the family.

The four little ones looked at them in unison. None of them dared to take the first bite.

Rusty was already feeling the pinch, thinking that this bad woman was far too much of a spendthrift. A pound of dried wild yam could sell for 199 points! For the moment, he had even forgotten to worry about whether the mushrooms were actually poisonous.

Sev was the first to pick up her chopsticks. Under normal circumstances, the host would invite the guest to eat first. But considering they were in the wasteland, if she didn’t take the first bite, how could anyone else feel at ease?

She didn’t think her own little brats would worry about her poisoning them, though. After all, she had just had Doctor Jenkins test the mushrooms with his equipment, proving they were non-toxic and safe to eat. Besides, Doctor Jenkins was an official; his credibility should be high enough, right?

The moment a bite of mushroom entered her mouth, it was smooth and springy. Plump juices gently burst between her teeth, and the concentrated umami instantly filled her entire mouth! Sev had never expected the taste of the large mutated mushrooms to far surpass the mushrooms from her hometown.

Seeing the look of pleasant surprise and intoxication on her face, Doctor Jenkins couldn’t hold back any longer. He picked up a piece of mushroom and popped it into his mouth.

A second later, a muffled gasp of admiration escaped his lips. "Mmh! It’s so delicious!"

The smooth, tender, and incredibly springy texture was practically on par with the most delicious mutated grouper he had ever eaten—yet this was purely vegetarian! Furthermore, its savory flavor lacked any fishy undertones. Instead, it was mixed with the fresh fragrance of vegetation, creating a completely different flavor profile from the mutated grouper.

With just this one bite, Doctor Jenkins felt that following this woman home today, being bossed around to add firewood, and being forced to endure unsanitary cooking utensils—all of it was completely worth it!

With two adults testing the food for poison themselves, the four little ones naturally let go of their concerns.

Rose was the first to dig in. She praised it as she ate, "Mom, I didn’t know the big mushrooms were this good! Even if I die from poisoning, I’ll die happy!"

Doctor Jenkins’s cheek twitched. What kind of nonsense was this child spouting? If the mushrooms were actually poisonous, how could Sev, as their mother, possibly let them eat them?

For her second bite, Sev chose the shepherd’s purse. It was slightly bitter, carrying a crispness unique to plants, like the cool breeze of early spring. As that hint of bitterness melted away on the tip of her tongue, the savory flavor of the mushrooms surged forward. It was a mellow, warm umami, making it feel as though she could taste the earthy scent of her hometown.

For her third bite, Sev tasted the soup. The slight bitterness of the shepherd’s purse had faded by now, leaving behind a lingering sweetness that was light and clear, like a mountain spring flowing over stones. Meanwhile, the savory taste of the mushrooms lingered tenaciously in her throat, prompting her to lower her head and take another large gulp.

At this moment, Doctor Jenkins felt incredibly tongue-tied. He felt as if his vocabulary was far too limited to describe the wonderful taste of this mushroom soup.

Frowning, he thought for a long time before finally uttering, "It tastes... like spring."

The phrase was simple and unadorned, but to Sev’s ears, it felt incredibly fitting. She recalled the days back in the countryside. Whenever it rained in the spring, the mountains would be teeming with mushrooms waiting to be picked.