Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed. The wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms had all been dried under the scorching sun.
Madam Chen nimbly sorted the mushrooms into different cloth bags, then tied the openings tightly. This was to keep out mice; these foodstuffs were precious commodities, and not a single bit could be allowed to go to waste. Once winter arrived and there were no more wild vegetables to forage on the mountain, the family would have to rely on these mushrooms for sustenance.
They owned no farmland, so there was no hope of harvesting anything from the fields all year round. Success in the fields was a matter for other families, having absolutely nothing to do with theirs. For now, they lived off what the mountain provided, occasionally heading to the market to buy some rice. That was how they got by.
Chapter 40