Lin Feng was stunned. Good heavens, these old women were treating him like a monkey in a zoo.
They stared at him, fierce as wolves and tigers. Had it been that long since they'd seen a man?
Lin Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he quickly put on his clothes.
"Young man, look at you, you're shy. We aunties have seen it all. If you're missing a woman, we can help you."
Several women, seeing the large characters written on Lin Feng's back, covered their mouths and giggled.
"I'm missing a woman? What does that mean?"
Lin Feng had no idea Shen Xinyue had written on his back.
Without thinking further, he put on his clothes and hurried out of the room.
Outside the room, Lin Feng saw Lu Jingzhe and Shen Xinyue, each with a bamboo basket on their backs.
"Hey, where are you two going? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Lin Feng asked with a smile, seeing Lu Jingzhe and Shen Xinyue in that state.
"You were sleeping so soundly, we couldn't bear to wake you!"
"Lu Jingzhe and I are going to the mountain to pick mushrooms. Old Master Wu said there are plenty of mushrooms and wild hazelnuts on the mountain. We're going to pick some to take back."
Shen Xinyue, seeing Lin Feng's dirty face hadn't been washed, struggled to suppress her laughter.
"Picking mushrooms? I'll go with you. I haven't eaten yet, so I can pick and eat as we go."
Lin Feng thought that there must be many poisonous mushrooms on the mountain, which would be a great tonic for him.
Thus, Lin Feng led Lu Jingzhe and Shen Xinyue towards the mountain.
As they passed the medicinal fields around the village, the villagers had already begun their day's labor. They were weeding the medicinal fields with high spirits, chatting and laughing merrily.
Clearly, the people here were accustomed to the life of farming from sunrise to sunset.
Standing by the roadside, looking at the vast expanses of medicinal fields, the gentle breeze rustled the lush green leaves.
The gurgling mountain springs converged from the surrounding high mountains, forming a source of life that irrigated the land.
All three of them were deeply captivated by such beautiful scenery.
Perhaps, this was the life that many city dwellers yearned for.
Peaceful and serene!
"It's so beautiful here, I really want to stay here longer."
Lu Jingzhe looked like she was enjoying herself, spreading her arms to embrace the gentle wind and breathing in the scent of nature.
Sunlight dappled her beautiful face, and her faint dimples were like blooming hibiscus, graceful and elegant.
Shen Xinyue also felt very relaxed. Since coming to the small mountain village, she felt particularly at ease.
Here, there was no hustle and bustle of traffic, nor was the sky shrouded in haze.
Here, all one could see was endless green, and the sky above was azure blue.
It was as if such a place could heal the soul, calming restless hearts.
Lin Feng led the two girls up the mountain along the small path. Not long after entering the mountain, Lu Jingzhe discovered many hazel mushrooms.
"Xinyue, come over here, I've found so many mushrooms."
Lu Jingzhe, as happy as a child, crouched down and began picking mushrooms enthusiastically.
Shen Xinyue came over and was also surprised.
The mushrooms were incredibly abundant, densely packed, one cluster after another.
"Pick more. These mushrooms sell for at least seventy to eighty yuan per jin in the city."
Lin Feng took a glance and confirmed they were authentic hazel mushrooms.
"Seventy to eighty yuan a jin? Then Old Master Wu and the others could have the entire village pick mushrooms to sell. Isn't that very profitable?"
Lu Jingzhe was puzzled. With so many mushrooms here, if they picked them every day, they could earn a considerable income in a month.
"Oh, Miss Lu, you're too naive. These mushrooms, when dried, can sell for seventy to eighty yuan in the city. But think about it, there isn't even a road to the city here."
"When the picked and dried mushrooms are ready, only outsiders will come to buy them. Do you think they will offer such prices?"
"More importantly, if the picked mushrooms aren't sold quickly, they'll spoil and attract insects, forcing people to sell them at a low price."
"Therefore, the only ones who truly profit are those capitalists. They make a fortune by exploiting farmers, while the farmers can barely make ends meet."
Lin Feng smiled. He grew up in the mountains and was well aware of the living conditions of mountain people.
"Capitalists are truly detestable. They appear respectable in public but are actually bloodsuckers in private."
Lu Jingzhe realized the problem and suddenly hated capitalists.
"Then isn't there a solution?"
Shen Xinyue frowned, also feeling indignant.
"There is a solution, and that is to raise the purchase price so that farmers can truly earn money."
"As the saying goes, low grain prices hurt farmers!"
"If capitalists were to earn a little less and share more profits with farmers, society would be much better."
"After we return this time, I will plan for Sheng Tang Group to develop in various ways and undertake some agricultural support projects."
"The group can earn a little less, and the farmers can earn more. They are the ones who truly put in the effort and deserve to live prosperously!"
Lin Feng felt deeply. Since those capitalists wouldn't change, he would force them to.
Feeling Lin Feng's benevolence, Lu Jingzhe and Shen Xinyue began to think that this man was not what they had imagined.
On the surface, Lin Feng was always indolent, but in reality, he had a strong sense of patriotism and concern for his country.
Such a man, shouldn't he be liked and admired by everyone?
Shen Xinyue smiled slightly, realizing she was understanding Lin Feng more and more.
"You're right. If people here made money, then Yueyue's parents wouldn't have to leave their homes to work elsewhere."
"Yueyue is so young, she can't even go to school. Ultimately, it's because it's too poor here, and people can't earn money."
Lu Jingzhe felt a little sad.
"Alright, let's not talk about this. This mountain is so large, there might be wild animals. You two be careful and call me if you encounter any danger."
Lin Feng reminded them.
"Then what are you going to do?"
Lu Jingzhe was confused.
"I'm going to look around over there."
Lin Feng said, and went to search for poisonous mushrooms.
His stomach was empty, and if he didn't eat something soon, he'd starve.
"You go ahead, don't worry about us. There's not even a sound here, where could wild animals be? You're just trying to scare us."
Shen Xinyue was dismissive. In her opinion, the biggest wild animal was Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was a big pervert!
As a result, not long after Lin Feng left, as the two girls were focused on picking mushrooms, they suddenly heard a rustling sound.
"Xinyue, did you hear something?"
Lu Jingzhe stopped what she was doing and frowned.
"It must be Lin Feng. He wants to scare us, don't pay attention."
Shen Xinyue didn't take it seriously. Perhaps after squatting for a while, she felt a strong urge to urinate.
"I need to relieve myself."
Shen Xinyue stood up. Seeing that there was no one around, she found a thick tree and squatted under it to pee.
As she was relieving herself, she heard a panting sound.
"Lin Feng, don't mess around. I'm peeing. Don't go too far!"
Shen Xinyue yelled impatiently. She turned her head and saw a huge black bear's head.
The black bear bared its fangs at her, panting hot breath.
"Help, help me!"
Almost instinctively, Shen Xinyue screamed, so terrified that she didn't even pull up her pants. She collapsed on the ground, crawling backward with her hands and feet.