The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 29: A Delicious Picnic

“You’re saying this is a snake mushroom and we can’t eat it?” Feng Xiu’er stared wide-eyed at the father and daughter grinning smugly before her. “That’s right. Look—doesn’t the net-like skirt under the mushroom cap look just like a snake’s shed skin? If you dig up the base of this snake mushroom, you’ll see a cluster of spores that look just like snake eggs.” Fang Yun was quite proud as he showed off his extensive knowledge to Feng Xiu’er. “This is bamboo fungus—the queen of fungi! Wild bamboo fungus is worth its weight in gold!!!” Seeing Fang Yun’s smug expression, Feng Xiu’er couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted. “Bamboo fungus? This is bamboo fungus?” Fang Yun stared in disbelief at the so-called ‘snake mushroom’ in Niuniu’s hand. He’d long heard of the bamboo fungus’s fame but had never seen the real thing. Fang Yun quickly pulled out his phone to check. Thankfully, he still had a signal even though they hadn’t gone far into the mountains. After looking up pictures of bamboo mushrooms online and comparing them, Fang Yun was stunned. Oh my goodness, this really was a bamboo mushroom. Bamboo fungus, also known as “Snow Skirt Fairy,” “Flower of the Mountains,” “Queen of Fungi,” and “Vegetable Chicken,” is a renowned edible mushroom belonging to the genus Tremella in the family Tremellaceae of the order Tremellales. With its exquisite flavor, the bamboo mushroom is one of the most renowned and prized edible fungi. It offers significant health benefits, including weight loss, cancer prevention, and blood pressure reduction. The long-skirted bamboo fungus tops the list of the “Four Treasures”—namely, bamboo fungus, monkey head mushroom, shiitake mushroom, and silver ear fungus. Originally a wild plant, it is difficult to cultivate due to its extremely demanding growing conditions, making it even harder to obtain. It has long been regarded as a rare and precious commodity; as a tribute from the south, only the emperor had the privilege of tasting it. Legend has it that during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi, in her quest for the elixir of immortality, dispatched her trusted aides to search the entire realm and, after great difficulty, managed to obtain a small quantity of “Sengzhu Mushrooms.” The so-called “Sengzhu Mushroom” is none other than the long-skirt bamboo fungus. Empress Dowager Cixi mobilized 3,000 soldiers and officers, who spent nine months gathering just 1. 5 kilograms of long-skirt bamboo fungus—an average of only 0. 55 grams per person—which speaks volumes about its rarity. The Long-Skirt Bamboo Fungus is not merely “valuable because of its rarity.” It possesses an exceptionally delicious flavor, which is why it enjoys an excellent reputation on the international market; there was even a saying that “bamboo fungus commands the price of gold.” “Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you spacing out?” Seeing that Fang Yun had been staring at his feet in shock for quite a while without saying a word, Feng Xiu’er couldn’t help but nudge him. “Oh. Nothing. I was just thinking about how much gold I must have stepped on in the past.” Fang Yun scratched his head sheepishly. “Stepped on gold? What do you mean?” Feng Xiu’er was completely baffled—how could anyone possibly step on gold? “Damn it, I don’t know who first spread the rumor that bamboo mushrooms are snake mushrooms. You wouldn’t believe it, but when I was a kid, we could see these things everywhere in our village’s bamboo groves and even along the roadsides. Just because we thought they were snake mushrooms, we’d stomp on them as soon as we saw them. To prevent the snake eggs buried underground from hatching into baby snakes, we’d even dig them up with sticks and stomp them to smithereens.” “Just think about how much ‘gold’ I must have trampled away. Looking back now, we really were so foolish—the whole village was sitting on a fortune while crying poverty. I wonder how many good things we missed out on,” Fang Yun said bitterly. “Hahaha, that’s hilarious—you’re so cute.” Seeing Fang Yun’s dejected expression, Feng Xiu’er laughed so hard her stomach hurt. “Niu Niu, come on, Daddy’s going to take you to make something delicious.” Feeling a bit embarrassed, Fang Yun grabbed Niu Niu’s hand and made a hasty retreat, while Feng Xiu’er hurried to catch up, rubbing her aching stomach from laughing so hard. Fang Yun had Niuniu lead the way to the bamboo grove where he’d found the bamboo mushrooms. He dug up every single one of them, roots and all, and ended up with a huge handful—though bamboo mushroom spores made up most of it. While the two weren’t looking, Fang Yun tossed some of the spores into his ring, thinking he could grow bamboo mushrooms inside it so they’d always have some to eat. “Fang Yun, why are you chopping bamboo? Are you still mad?” Feng Xiu’er saw that after digging up the bamboo mushrooms, Fang Yun had taken out his machete and started chopping the bamboo nearby. She thought he was still upset that she’d teased him earlier. Fang Yun couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Did he really seem like the type to hold a grudge? “You’ll find out in a minute.” Fang Yun wanted to make bamboo tube rice. Just thinking about the delicious bamboo tube rice he’d eaten before made his mouth water. Fang Yun selected some bamboo that had been growing for about a year—still relatively tender—and cut three sections to use as bamboo tubes. Bamboo tubes like these aren’t tough and won’t crack easily during cooking; plus, the rice cooked in them takes on a fresh, bamboo-like fragrance, making them perfect for bamboo tube rice. After gathering some wild greens from the grass and using stones to hunt a wild pheasant and a wild rabbit in the woods, Fang Yun led the two of them to a small mountain stream nestled between the foothills of two mountains to prepare the meal. Seeing how close Niuniu was to the animals, Fang Yun had been quite worried that his family would no longer be able to kill animals for meat in the future. But it turned out the little girl was only affectionate toward the waterfowl at the reservoir, the large carp in the pond, and the two dogs at home—she paid no attention to anything else. Fang Yun wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that these animals had drunk from the spring water and gained a touch of sentience; all the animals that were close to Niuniu seemed particularly spirited. This discovery put Fang Yun’s mind at ease—he no longer had to worry about not being able to eat meat in the future. They cut a small slit in one end of a bamboo tube, filled it with washed rice and a little water, plugged the slit with a leaf, and propped it next to the fire. The two of them kept turning it frequently to make sure it didn’t burn, while Fang Yun busied himself preparing the meal. He skinned and cut up the wild rabbit, tossed it into the pot with some dried chili peppers, ginger, and garlic cloves, stir-fried it for a while, added some wild greens, and let it simmer slowly. Then he prepared today’s main event: bamboo fungus and wild pheasant soup. A mouthwatering picnic meal was ready. When Fang Yun sliced open the roasted bamboo tube rice, a fragrance blending the aroma of the rice with the fresh scent of bamboo wafted toward them, making the mother and daughter—who had been watching eagerly from the sidelines—unable to resist swallowing hard. “Daddy, give it to me! Niuniu wants some delicious bamboo tube rice.” Unable to hold back any longer, Niuniu—lured by the aroma of the bamboo tube rice—immediately drooled as she lunged toward the bamboo tube in Fang Yun’s hand. Fang Yun hurriedly stopped her—the freshly roasted bamboo tube rice was scalding hot, and if the little girl grabbed it like that, her two chubby little hands would end up looking like roasted pig’s trotters. “Niu Niu, slow down. Be careful—the bamboo tube is very hot.” Once the bamboo tube had cooled down a bit, Fang Yun handed the sharpened bamboo chopsticks to the mother and daughter, who were waiting impatiently nearby, while reminding them, “Eat slowly.” But the two, having just received the chopsticks, had no interest in listening to Fang Yun; they buried their heads in the food the moment they got them, exclaiming how delicious it was. After the meal, all three were stuffed and lay lazily on the grass to rest. “I’m so full! I never imagined a picnic could be this much fun and this delicious. Oh no, oh no—I’m definitely going to have to go on a diet again,” Feng Xiuer muttered plaintively as she rubbed her stomach. “Daddy, can we have bamboo tube rice again tomorrow?” The little girl had gotten hooked on it. “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.” Feng Xiu’er, sitting nearby, nodded wildly in agreement with Niuniu’s suggestion; the mere thought of that delicious bamboo tube rice made her completely forget that she’d just said she needed to lose weight. “Sure, sure, sure. As long as our Niuniu likes it, Daddy will make it for you every day.” Fang Yun ruffled Niuniu’s little head, his heart brimming with pride. “Daddy’s so nice.” “Daddy’s so nice—but what about Mommy?” Feng Xiu’er protested. “Mommy is just as nice as Daddy.” Niuniu quickly flattered her. “You little sycophant,” Feng Xiu’er said, ruffling Niuniu’s hair. “Giggle, giggle, giggle.” The little girl’s crisp laughter echoed through the small valley. By then, the sun had already set, leaving only a sky ablaze with crimson hues in the west. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of grass, trees, and flowers, filling the air with a sense of serenity. Watching the mother and daughter, one on his left and one on his right, resting their heads on his legs as they quietly admired the beautiful mountain scenery at dusk, Fang Yun’s heart was filled with warmth and a deep sense of contentment.