The livestock in the base, cattle and sheep, need to eat grass.
The dry grass they had stockpiled earlier had already been consumed, and now they were bawling for more.
Pigs were easier to feed, as they would eat almost anything, but cattle and sheep were a bit more troublesome. So, under these circumstances, Li Yu led some people into the mountains to pull up grass and bring it back to the sheds.
The heavy rain was too much; if the livestock came out and caused a commotion, they might run wild throughout the base, creating unnecessary trouble.
When Li Yu and the others arrived in the mountains, they found that the pasture grass was growing very lushly; instead of being drowned by the heavy rain, it was growing exceptionally vigorously.
Xiao Lata also followed behind to help cut some pasture grass.
In the heavy rain, everyone still habitually wore raincoats. Although they would eventually get soaked, a layer of raincoat could still somewhat block the rain.
Xiao Lata, wearing her raincoat and holding a sickle, vigorously cut the pasture grass. After cutting for a while, she suddenly discovered a large mushroom under a small tree stump.
This mushroom was large and white. Xiao Lata excitedly pulled up the mushroom and shouted towards Li Yu, "Yu Ge, can this big mushroom be eaten?"
Li Yu was lowering his head, cutting grass, when he heard her. He looked up and saw Xiao Lata's tall figure standing amidst the wind and rain. Carried by the wind and rain, her graceful figure was accentuated. The beautiful woman smiled charmingly, her eyes full of joy.
"Let me see. You can't just eat any mushroom. Where did you find it?" Li Yu said, walking towards Xiao Lata.
Xiao Lata handed the large mushroom in her hand to Li Yu.
She said, "It was right next to that pine tree, under the grass."
As they made contact, Li Yu touched Xiao Lata's hand; it was wet and fair. But because she had been cutting grass, there was a red scratch on it, likely from a sharp blade of grass.
Li Yu glanced at Xiao Lata's hand but said nothing. He began to examine the mushroom in his hand. This mushroom was white, not a vibrant color.
The entire cap of the mushroom was clean and smooth.
Moreover, it was found in a grassy area, so there shouldn't be much of a problem.
Finally, Li Yu gently tore open the stem and squeezed it a bit; the secretions inside were clear like water.
"This mushroom can be eaten. It's been raining for so long now, so I expect many mushrooms have grown," Li Yu nodded, looking at Xiao Lata, who had a face full of anticipation, and said.
Xiao Lata happily waved her hand, then her eyes darted around. Remembering Li Yu's actions when he took the mushroom, she asked curiously, "Yu Ge, how do you tell if a mushroom is edible?"
Hearing this question, Li Yuan and Xiao Lue, who had come along to cut grass, also looked up. They also wanted to know.
Li Yu saw that everyone wanted to understand, so he decided to explain to them to prevent them from picking poisonous mushrooms. He held the mushroom in his hand and began, "The main way to identify edible mushrooms is by looking and smelling.
There are several identification methods:
1. Growth area. Edible, non-toxic mushrooms mostly grow in clean grasslands or on pine and oak trees, while poisonous mushrooms often grow in dark, damp, and dirty places.
Like just now, Xiao..." Li Yu saw Xiao Lue beside him and suddenly paused.
He turned his head and saw Xiao Lata looking at him, her eyes clear and sparkling with focused attention. Li Yu suddenly thought that Xiao Lata had grown up, and with the younger Xiao Lue still present, calling her Xiao Lata felt a bit inappropriate.
So he said, "Like the mushroom Yu Tong just picked, it was picked from the grass, and those under pine trees are also relatively safer."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Lata's face instantly turned red when she heard Li Yu call her Yu Tong. This was the first time Li Yu had called her that.
The sky was dark, and with only the light from the lamps and the obstruction of the rain, no one noticed her face turning red for a moment.
Li Yu continued, his voice steady and mellow, carrying a convincing tone:
"2. Color. Poisonous mushrooms are brightly colored, with shades of red, green, black, blue-purple, etc. Especially purple mushrooms are often highly toxic and tend to change color easily after being picked.
3. Shape. Non-toxic mushrooms have relatively flat caps, smooth surfaces, no rings on the surface, and no fungi underneath. Poisonous mushrooms have a raised center and a peculiar shape. Their stems are slender or thick and break easily.
4. Secretions. Tear off the stem of a fresh wild mushroom. Non-toxic secretions are clear like water (a few are white), and the fungal body does not change color after being torn; toxic secretions are sticky and reddish-brown, and they change color easily in the air after being torn.
5. Smell. Non-toxic mushrooms have a special fragrance, while poisonous mushrooms have an unusual smell, such as spicy, sour, or fishy."
After speaking in one breath, Li Yu saw that everyone was listening attentively. So he added, "Theory and practice go hand in hand. Let's cut grass first, and after we're done, we'll pick mushrooms together. You can show me any you find then."
"It's been raining for so long, so let's pick some mushrooms to take back. Tonight, we'll ask Grandma to make chicken stew with mushrooms and stir-fried mushrooms with green peppers," Li Yu said.
Hearing Li Yu say this, everyone's eyes lit up—an extra meal!
So they sped up their grass-cutting, sliding their sickles and diligently harvesting the pasture.
Li Yu, however, walked straight towards the residential area. Everyone thought he had something to do and didn't ask much.
Less than 5 minutes later, Li Yu returned, holding some gloves.
He handed them to everyone one by one. He had been negligent, as his own skin was thick, and cutting grass rarely left red marks on him. But it would for the girls.
Xiao Lata put on the gloves Li Yu handed her, feeling a little sweet inside.
...
With everyone's efforts, the four quickly harvested a lot of pasture, piled it up, and then tied it with ropes.
Now it was time to pick mushrooms.
In the rain, everyone searched for mushrooms under pine trees and among wild grasses.
Picking mushrooms is a very joyful activity. Imagine, when you are constantly sifting through grass and turning over branches all over the mountains, often there is nothing.
You might need to search a dozen times before you finally see that tender, small mushroom, seemingly holding up a tiny umbrella.
Searching through the messy trees and grass, and suddenly seeing such a cute little mushroom that stands out from its environment, the previous hardship of searching suddenly feels worthwhile.
Moreover, in people's memories, among mountain and sea delicacies, mushrooms are a particularly delicious mountain delicacy. That fresh taste makes one's mouth water involuntarily, a familiar and wonderful taste in one's memory.
Mushrooms appear after rain, and with the heavy rain having lasted so long, the mushrooms were growing very abundantly.
Everyone enjoyed the fun of searching for mushrooms. If it were during normal times, with bad luck, you might only find a few mushrooms after searching for half a day.
But today, as everyone circled the grassy areas and under the pine trees, the chances of finding mushrooms greatly increased. They could find mushrooms almost every half minute, sometimes even clusters of several mushrooms.
"Brother! Yu Tong Jie, come look!!!" Suddenly, Li Yuan, who was searching for mushrooms under a large pine tree, shouted loudly, his voice filled with surprise.
