The patriarch would usually take a few young beastmen along. On one hand, it was to exchange enough salt for the tribe's year-long consumption, and on the other, to try and intermarry with females from other tribes. However, none of these attempts had ever been successful.
"Wente, I've never been before. I must go this exchange period."
Wente naturally wouldn't object. "If Yueyue wants to go, we'll go. I'll accompany you."
"Heh heh, Wente, you're so good~" She really wanted to cup the beastman's face and give him a big kiss right now, but she couldn't reach.
"Wente, let's go down and see if any wild vegetables have sprouted."
The dragon beast obediently flew lower. Damp earth pushed forth green sprouts, a scene of vibrant life.
Shu Yue was stunned. Besides green sprouts, large patches of umbrella-shaped mushrooms had emerged!
"So many mushrooms!" she exclaimed first, then her mouth began to water. She hadn't had chicken stew with mushrooms in a long time...
Wente switched to holding her with both arms. Following her gaze, his heart chilled. He quickly said, "Yueyue, those tree fungi are poisonous, you can't eat them!"
Shu Yue fumbled for the silver needle her sister had given her and chuckled, "They're called mushrooms, not tree fungi. Some are poisonous, some aren't. We'll know if we use the silver needle to test them."
She didn't dare to boast. The mushrooms at the base of the trees were as large as opened umbrellas, and the small ones were palm-sized. They grew densely, layer upon layer. If someone with trypophobia were here, they would go mad and try to destroy them.
She, however, just wanted to reach out and pluck them!
Wente knew Yueyue knew more than he did, but he still didn't dare to be careless. Once, a beastman, out of curiosity, ate a bite. Soon after, his entire body turned black and purple, and he died from poisoning, demonstrating how potent the toxin was.
He dared not let her go down. "Yueyue, you stay in the tree. I'll go down and pick them for you."
Shu Yue looked at him suspiciously. "Let's forget it. I'm afraid you'll get poisoned!"
Wente's lips twitched slightly, and he calmly said, "I won't. My skin is thick, and I won't put them in my mouth."
"..."
Shu Yue looked down helplessly. "I won't put them in my mouth either. I'll just go down to take a look and see if I recognize any." In reality, she couldn't distinguish between mushroom species.
Seeing her persistence, Wente couldn't help but furrow his brow. "You promise me you won't touch them, and let me pick them."
It was as if he was saying, if you don't agree, we'll just stay here.
Shu Yue's lips twitched, and she compromised, "Okay, I won't touch them."
Wente's brow furrowed even tighter. If he picked them, he wouldn't be able to hold her. Yueyue's beast-skin shoes would get dirty if she stepped on the ground...
Before he could figure out a solution, Shu Yue urged him, "Wente, you're so slow now. Let's hurry!"
The sooner they picked the mushrooms, the sooner they could go back and make chicken stew with mushrooms.
She couldn't think about it anymore. The more she thought about it, the hungrier she felt. She had eaten her fill before coming out, but alas, her appetite had grown so much. If this continued for a few more months, wouldn't she become a fatso?
The thought of herself becoming so fat that she didn't look human sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn't imagine it.
Shaking off the stray thoughts, she handed the silver needle to the beastman beside her. "Wente, use the silver needle to test."
Wente took the silver needle and asked her, confused, "How do I test it?"
Shu Yue said, "The more vibrant the mushroom's color, the more potent its toxicity. We shouldn't touch the colorful ones. Just pick the ugly ones. Use the silver needle to prick them. If the needle doesn't turn black, it means they're not poisonous and can be eaten."
"If you don't believe me, you can try pricking that small mushroom with red dots in front of you first. I guess it's poisonous. Let's see if it changes color."
"That magical?" Wente, half-believing, half-doubting, took the silver needle and went over. Fortunately, it was a long needle; if it were short, the beastman's fingers would cramp from holding it.
He inserted the silver needle into the tip of the red mushroom, about half a finger's length. After waiting for three to five seconds, he pulled it out. Both pairs of eyes stared intently at the silver needle's change. Soon, the needle turned pitch black at a visible speed, indicating a considerable toxicity...
Wente couldn't help but look at Shu Yue. "It really changed color!"
Shu Yue casually pulled off a leaf and handed it to him. "Quick, wipe off the poison. It looks so scary."
For some reason, looking at the colorful mushrooms gave her an indescribable sense of unease. Even without testing with a silver needle, she wouldn't want to eat such things.
She quickly moved away from that patch and headed towards the large expanse of drab, umbrella-like mushrooms. Although these looked ugly, her mouth watered at the sight.
"Wente, come quickly and test this mushroom."
"Mm, coming." Wente carefully wiped it with a tree leaf until no blackness was visible, then picked another leaf and wiped it again, very cautiously.
Wente poked the ugly-colored mushroom. After taking it out, he waited for a full three minutes. The needle's color didn't change at all. Now he had to believe it – the silver needle was truly a treasure!
Shu Yue was so happy her mouth couldn't close. "Wente, I want to take all of this patch back. We can make soup and chicken stew with mushrooms. They're delicious!"
Yes, roasted mushrooms tasted great too. She'd make them tonight!
Wente shook his head helplessly, unable to imagine how delicious they could be. Knowing they were not poisonous, he could pick them with peace of mind.
The mushrooms were too large. A basket could only hold two at most before it was full. Shu Yue frowned in distress at the large space they occupied. "They're not easy to transport."
She pulled out a whole mushroom from the ground. Each one weighed over ten pounds. Amazing!
Since they wouldn't fit in the basket, she had Wente tie the mushroom roots with vines. Four large mushrooms were tied up and carried away. She was determined to eat this many tonight, and no one could stop her.
While Wente was tying the mushrooms, she wandered among them and discovered another type of mushroom that smelled similar to shiitake mushrooms. They were about the size of a fist. She tested them with a silver needle; they were not poisonous, so she put them in the basket and took them.
After looking around, she didn't find any other varieties. She realized that poisonous mushrooms were quite easy to distinguish. As long as they had a slightly vibrant color, they were poisonous.
Wente transformed into his beast form, throwing the basket and the tied mushrooms onto his back. The dragon beast let out a deep growl. "Yueyue, we're going home."
"Okay." Shu Yue was very happy. Today's harvest was bountiful.
Wente took flight. She lay on the dragon beast's back, looking down. Wherever there were trees, mushrooms grew underneath them, like the trees were wearing small aprons. They stretched as far as the eye could see.
She suddenly felt like she had struck gold. These were all delicious food!
As her view rose higher, she sat up straight. "Wente, when we get back, tell the tribe members to come and pick mushrooms. It's okay if we can't finish them now. Mushrooms can be dried and will still be delicious to eat in winter."
Wente asked in surprise, "Can mushrooms be preserved?"
Shu Yue nodded. "Yes, as long as they are dried and stored. When we eat them in winter, we just soak them in water, and they'll become delicious mushrooms again."
She couldn't take it anymore. She was hungry.
"Wente, let's go back quickly. I want to eat chicken stew with mushrooms. Uh, it seems we haven't caught any chickens yet. Let's go catch two quickly!"
Hearing the female's eager voice, Wente knew she was hungry and couldn't help but smile dotingly. "Understood. We'll go catch them now."