Chapter 5

Wang Cuizhu's voice was filled with anger! The entire courtyard fell silent. Lu Yue turned around and met the old woman's gaze. Wang Cuizhu looked her up and down. Her eyes paused briefly on the wounds on Lu Yue's arm before moving to her face. She stared at her for several seconds. Then the old woman began scolding her. “So you've gotten quite bold, haven't you?” No one in the courtyard dared to say a word. “Running off into the mountains all by yourself! Who do you think you are? The king of the mountain? “Do you have any idea how long everyone at home has been looking for you? “Your mother ran to the village entrance three times this afternoon. “Your father ran around so much that he wore out a pair of shoes. “Your eldest and second brothers searched every inch of the mountain, from top to bottom…” She paused and struck her cane against the ground. “If anything had happened to you, how would your mother have gone on living?” Shen Qing turned her face away and sniffed hard. Lu Yue lowered her head without saying anything. Wang Cuizhu glanced at her again. Her lips moved as though she still had more to say. But when her gaze fell on Lu Yue's arms, which were as thin as stalks of hemp, the words she was about to say took a different turn. “Go inside!” The old woman turned around and took two steps. Then she looked back and added, “Show me your arms later. We still have some medicinal herbs at home. I'll crush them and apply them to your wounds.” “Thank you, Grandma!” Lu Yue quickly replied. Wang Cuizhu snorted without turning around and entered the house, leaning on her cane. Shen Qing supported Lu Yue as they walked inside. Just as they reached the doorway, Lu Liang's voice came from behind them. “Um…” “Third Brother, what should we do with this thing?” Everyone turned around. Lu Liang was still standing in the courtyard, holding the bundle of lingzhi mushrooms. He didn't know whether he should keep holding them or put them down. His expression was completely bewildered. Lu Cang came closer and reached out to touch one of the largest mushrooms. “Is this really lingzhi?” he asked in a hushed voice, as though he were afraid something might overhear him. “Yue'er said it is!” Lu Man replied. Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward Lu Yue. Leaning against the doorframe, Lu Yue found herself being stared at by more than a dozen pairs of eyes. She calmly nodded. “They're lingzhi. Purple lingzhi. They're in excellent condition.” “Excellent what?” Lu Liang looked utterly confused. “It means they're good quality and valuable!” Lu Yue explained. The courtyard fell silent for two seconds. Then all hell broke loose. “Valuable? You mean these things can be sold for money?” Liu Xiuying had the loudest voice. Holding Lu Hua, she squeezed forward a couple of steps. Her eyes were fixed on the bundle of lingzhi, as though they were about to pop out of their sockets. “How much can they sell for?” Zhou Laifeng also poked her head out of the kitchen, having completely forgotten to put down her spatula. “That depends on the market!” Lu Yue thought for a moment before giving a conservative estimate. “But mushrooms this big shouldn't be cheap.” “What do you mean by 'shouldn't be cheap'? Could they be worth a dou of rice?” Lu Cang asked. Lu Yue glanced at him and couldn't help laughing. “Dad, explain it to Second Uncle!” Lu Man nudged Lu Liang. Lu Liang placed the lingzhi on the stone table in the courtyard and brought the torch closer to illuminate them. The purplish-black caps gleamed with an oily sheen in the firelight. Their patterns were intricate and delicate, while the pores underneath were a brilliant golden yellow. At a glance, they were clearly no ordinary mushrooms. “Th-this… How much could they possibly be worth?” Lu Liang swallowed nervously. Lu Man scratched his head. “I don't really know. But I once saw lingzhi being sold at a medicine shop in town. They were much smaller than these, and their quality wasn't nearly as good, yet they cost five taels of silver.” The courtyard fell silent once again. Five taels of silver. Five taels could feed the entire Lu family for nearly half a year. And the largest mushroom on the table was bigger than a washbasin. There were also three other large ones, two medium-sized ones, and even the smallest was twice as big as the ones sold at the medicine shop. “Five taels… for one mushroom?” Lu Cang's voice sounded almost dreamlike. “How would I know? I've never sold one before,” Lu Man replied. “Anyway, why don't we take them to town tomorrow and ask?” “I'll go tomorrow!” Lu Liang immediately volunteered. “I'm going too!” Lu Cang stepped forward. “I want to go too…” Lu Zhi squeezed through the crowd. He was a young boy from his second uncle's family, his eyes shining like light bulbs. “Eldest Uncle, let me go! I'm fast!” “What good is being fast? You don't even know how to negotiate a price.” Lu Liang pushed him aside. “I may not know how to negotiate, but I'm strong! I can…” Before Lu Zhi could finish speaking, Zhou Laifeng grabbed him and pulled him behind her, covering his mouth with one hand. “Children shouldn't interrupt!” Zhou Laifeng glared at him, though the excitement shining in her own eyes was brighter than anyone else's. At some point, Wang Cuizhu had come out of the house again. She stood at the doorway, staring at the bundle of lingzhi on the table for quite a while. “Everyone, stop arguing!” The moment she spoke, the courtyard fell silent. The old woman walked over and picked up the largest lingzhi mushroom. She turned it over to examine the pores underneath the cap. Then she brought it closer to her nose and sniffed it. Narrowing her eyes, she ran her fingers around the edge of the cap. “When I worked in the prefectural city, I once saw a lingzhi mushroom stored in the old madam’s storeroom. They said it had been collected deep in the mountains and was of excellent quality. It was worth eighty taels of silver.” She put the lingzhi down. “That one wasn’t even half the size of this one.” The courtyard fell completely silent. It was so quiet that they could hear the firewood crackling in the kitchen. Eighty taels. And that one was less than half the size of this! Then this one… Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the pile of lingzhi mushrooms, as if they had been frozen in place. Leaning against the doorframe, Lu Yue watched the expressions on everyone’s faces and silently calculated the value in her head. But she said nothing. Instead, she lowered her head and glanced at the wound on her arm. The skin around the two puncture marks had already turned purple. A small patch of dark bruising could faintly be seen beneath the skin. She needed to treat it immediately! “Mom, do we have any alcohol?” she asked Shen Qing. “Alcohol? What do you need that for?” “To wash the wound and disinfect it.” “Disinfect?” “It's… to prevent inflammation and keep the wound from getting infected.” Shen Qing’s expression changed instantly. “It could get infected?” “If I don't treat it, yes!” Lu Yue replied. “Do we have any alcohol? Something strong, preferably.” “Where would we get alcohol in this house…” Shen Qing rubbed her hands anxiously. “Your father likes a drink or two, but we don't have the money to buy any for him…” “I'll go ask!” Lu Hao suddenly jumped up beside them. “Second Uncle must have some!” “Don't bother!” Wang Cuizhu came out of the house, holding a small clay jar. “There’s still a little left in here. Your eldest aunt brought it back from her parents’ home last time. It was originally meant for your grandfather to drink, but he’s been saving it and hasn't touched it.” She handed the jar over, then glanced at the wound on Lu Yue’s arm. Her brows furrowed. “What bit you? It doesn't look like a snakebite. Snakebites don't usually look like that.” “I don't know. I didn't see what it was!” Lu Yue took the jar and opened the lid. The strong smell of alcohol rushed out, stinging her nose. It was quite potent. She found a stool and sat down, extending her arm. Shen Qing stood beside her, holding an oil lamp. “Mom, help me pour it. Slowly. Let it run directly over the wound.” Shen Qing’s hand trembled, and the alcohol missed the wound, spilling onto the table beside them. “Mom, don't shake!” Lu Yue steadied her hand. “Aim carefully. Just pour it all at once!” Shen Qing gritted her teeth and poured the alcohol directly over the wound. “Hiss…” Lu Yue sucked in a sharp breath. Every hair on her arm stood on end. The pain made her grip the edge of the stool with her other hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The alcohol washed away the blood from the wound, flowing down her arm and dripping onto the ground. The smell of blood mixed with the sharp scent of alcohol filled the air. Shen Qing’s face twisted with heartache, but she didn't stop. She poured all the remaining alcohol over the wound. Lu Yue gritted her teeth and endured the wave of pain. Then she lowered her head to examine the wound. The blood had been washed away, revealing two small puncture marks. The flesh around the openings had turned pale, while the surrounding skin remained purple, though it looked a little better than before. “Bring me another piece of clean cloth.” Liu Xiuying had already brought one over. It had been scalded in boiling water and was still steaming. Lu Yue took it, wrapped it around her arm twice, and tied a knot. “That's it!” Lu Man stood beside the stone table, still holding the bundle of lingzhi mushrooms. His expression was difficult to read, somewhere between heartache and helplessness. “You little girl…” He shook his head. “Even after getting hurt, you're still thinking about going into the mountains tomorrow.” “I’m not thinking about it anymore. Didn't I already promise you?” Lu Yue stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. “We'll talk about it after the farm work is done.” “Now that's more like it!” Lu Man nodded. But by the time he finished speaking, Lu Yue had already turned away. She glanced at the cloth wrapped around her arm, then looked toward the dark mountains beyond the courtyard. She still remembered that bubbling sound from the hot spring. And that patch of yam vines. If she didn't dig them up tomorrow, she could always go back in a couple of days. They weren't going anywhere. Then she remembered the little cherries she had brought back! “Dad, give those little cherries to my brothers and younger siblings.” After saying that, she turned and headed inside. But just as she reached the doorway, she stopped and glanced back at the pile of lingzhi mushrooms on the stone table. Under the firelight, the largest purple lingzhi gleamed with a glossy sheen. The golden thread-like patterns around the edge of its cap seemed to glow faintly in the darkness. Lu Yue stared at it for two seconds. Then she lowered her head and looked at the wound on her arm. Even through the bandage, she could still see the purple bruising around the two puncture marks. Its color looked somewhat similar to that of the lingzhi. She looked away and pushed open the door. Behind her, Lu Hao’s clear voice rang out. “Dad, can we eat this thing?” “Eat it? What are you talking about? That's something we're going to sell!” “But Sis just ate some fruit from the mountains…” “That was fruit! This is lingzhi! How can you compare the two?” “Isn't lingzhi a mushroom? And aren't mushrooms edible?” “You…” “Shut your mouth! Take the fruit and share it with your brothers and sisters. And don't touch those lingzhi mushrooms again…” Lu Yue closed the door and leaned against it, the corner of her mouth twitching. Outside the window, Lu Hao was still pestering Lu Man with questions. Lu Man’s voice grew increasingly irritated, while laughter from Lu Liang and Lu Cang could be heard in between. She walked over to the bed and sat down, then untied the bandage on her arm to take another look. The purple around the wound seemed to have grown darker. She stared at the discolored skin for a long while before wrapping the bandage around it again. As she lay down, only one thought kept circling through her mind… What exactly was that thing? This wound seemed almost like it had been poisoned…