“Going up the mountain to pick wild vegetables?” Qiao Yiyi was surprised when she heard Jiang Fei’s plan.
Jiang Fei, who had just finished changing his shoes, nodded. “Yes. The mountains have all kinds of wild vegetables and mushrooms that you can’t find in regular markets. And right now, there’s a particularly delicious delicacy—chicken mushrooms!”
“Chicken mushrooms? What a strange name.” Qiao Yiyi wasn’t from Sichuan, so she had never heard of this before.
Jiang Fei picked up a bamboo basket and explained with a smile, “Chicken mushrooms is the official name, the scientific term. But in different parts of Sichuan, locals don’t usually call them that. In Daocun, villagers call them ‘umbrella mushrooms,’ while in my hometown, they’re called ‘fighting roosters.'”
Chicken mushrooms are a type of fungus unique to the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, and they only grow during the summer. They look like umbrellas, varying in size, and are usually a milky white when fresh. Even without any processing, they have a unique fragrance when growing in the wild.
Anyone with a keen sense of smell can detect their presence from several meters away.
When Jiang Fei was a child, he lived with his grandparents in a small town. Every summer, searching for chicken mushrooms in the wild was one of his favorite pastimes.
Fields, bamboo forests, mountains, soil, and grassy areas were the most common places to find them. Jiang Fei often roamed the hills with his friends, having a great time.
Back then, Jiang Fei loved picking chicken mushrooms for two reasons. First, they were incredibly delicious, with a unique texture. Even the simplest preparation, like boiling and then tossing them in a salad, or coating them in flour and egg before frying and making soup, was mouthwatering. Second, they were quite expensive. Even over a decade ago, in the small town where Jiang Fei’s grandparents lived, they could sell for over ten yuan per jin—a small fortune at the time. In a big city like Jin City, they could fetch seventy to eighty yuan per jin!
For ordinary people, this was definitely a high-priced delicacy.
So, as a child, Jiang Fei sometimes resisted the temptation to eat them and instead sold them at the market to earn some pocket money.
A few days ago, when Jiang Fei returned to Daocun, it had just rained. He saw some villagers coming down from the mountains with fresh, plump chicken mushrooms in their hands. This made him eager to go up the mountains and fields to search for some himself.
Not only would it bring back childhood memories, but it would also satisfy his cravings.
“Fighting roosters? That’s such a funny name,” Qiao Yiyi laughed, her face blooming like a flower when Jiang Fei said the name in his Sichuan accent.
Jiang Fei was in a hurry to leave and didn’t have much time to chat with Qiao Yiyi. After picking the wild vegetables, he still had a lot of preparations to make.
So he said, “You don’t have to come. You can stay in the villa. Daocun doesn’t have internet, so I didn’t set up a computer in the villa. But you can watch TV—all the major national channels are available. There’s also a study on the third floor with plenty of books. You can choose to read or watch TV.”
In Jiang Fei’s mind, a delicate celebrity like Qiao Yiyi wouldn’t want to go up the mountain with him.
Even though she worked hard and had a busy schedule, the “hardship” of her work was completely different from the “hardship” of picking wild vegetables in the mountains.
Even Lin Moli, who was quite resilient, wasn’t used to walking up mountains or through fields. She often stumbled on uneven paths.
But Qiao Yiyi surprised Jiang Fei. She immediately said with excitement, “No, I’ll go up the mountain with you. I actually lived in the countryside for a while when I was little, and I miss those days.”
“Are you sure?” Jiang Fei was taken aback.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Qiao Yiyi nodded.
She wasn’t some delicate, pampered girl. Although she appeared fragile and delicate on screen, those who knew her in real life knew she was tough and hardworking.
Moreover, as an artist, she rarely had time to rest. Going up the mountain wasn’t a chore for her—it was a way to relax.
“Alright then,” Jiang Fei didn’t refuse. He figured Qiao Yiyi wouldn’t cause much trouble if she came along.
He had originally hoped to hunt some wild game, but he knew that was unlikely. Although his Tibetan mastiff, Xinba, had grown large and was more imposing than an average dog, and its intelligence was far beyond that of a regular dog, Jiang Fei wasn’t confident it could catch rabbits or pheasants for him.
So, the main goal was to pick mushrooms, wild vegetables, and chicken mushrooms. It wasn’t too difficult.
Qiao Yiyi was dressed casually today, wearing canvas shoes instead of high heels, so she didn’t need to change. She was ready to follow Jiang Fei right away.
After closing the villa door, Jiang Fei walked to the vegetable field on the left side of the villa and blew a loud whistle.
“Whoo…”
The sound of the whistle echoed across the field, carrying far into the distance.
Jiang Fei’s vegetable field wasn’t as bare as it had been at the beginning. Cucumbers and loofahs had climbed up their trellises, filling the air with vibrant green leaves. It was now dense enough to play hide-and-seek in.
“Are you calling something?” Qiao Yiyi asked, puzzled. But the next moment, she let out a scream and quickly stepped back, moving away from Jiang Fei.
A large, yellow Tibetan mastiff, over half a meter tall and seventy centimeters long, came bounding toward them from a distance. Its head, framed by a thick mane of fur, looked intimidating. At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for a lion!
In fact, when Qiao Yiyi first saw Xinba, she thought it was a lion, which was why she was so startled and stepped back.
But she quickly realized it couldn’t be a lion and calmed down. Still, she didn’t dare get too close to Jiang Fei.
Watching the massive dog, with its powerful build and incredible speed, leap toward Jiang Fei and circle him excitedly, she felt a pang of fear.
“Jiang Fei, is that… a Tibetan mastiff?” Qiao Yiyi asked tentatively.
“Yes, it’s a Tibetan mastiff. His name is Xinba,” Jiang Fei replied with a smile. Xinba was now over three months old. Under Jiang Fei’s careful care, it had grown larger and heavier than the average Tibetan mastiff at this age.
“Woof… roar~~~” Xinba let out a deep growl toward Qiao Yiyi.
The roar of a Tibetan mastiff was already quite distinctive, but Xinba’s roar was especially powerful, almost like that of a wild beast. Hearing it, Qiao Yiyi took another step back, her heart racing.
“Stop that!” Jiang Fei lightly tapped Xinba’s head.
As Xinba grew larger, its temperament had also become more imposing. Unlike the gentle puppy it had been when Jiang Fei first brought it home, it now had a strong protective instinct, even after evolving into a spirit beast. It was wary of strangers.
Currently, the only people Xinba was close to were Jiang Fei, Lin Moli, and Tongtong, Su Nan’s daughter.
Even Xia Xiaozhi, who had seen Xinba many times, didn’t receive much attention from it.
Jiang Fei was grateful that he had given Xinba the Pet Evolution Pill, turning it into a highly intelligent spirit beast. Otherwise, with the fierce nature of Tibetan mastiffs, if he hadn’t trained it properly, it might have caused serious trouble, like biting or injuring someone.
After Jiang Fei scolded it, Xinba quieted down. Jiang Fei pointed toward the distant mountains and said, “We’re going into the mountains today!”
“Woof… roar~~~” Xinba’s eyes lit up with joy. It barked once and then dashed off toward the mountains. After running a short distance, it stopped and waited for Jiang Fei, as if urging him to hurry.
Jiang Fei chuckled and turned to Qiao Yiyi, who was still a bit nervous. “Let’s go. Xinba is different from other Tibetan mastiffs. Although it looks fierce, it’s very smart and won’t attack people randomly. With my instructions, it definitely won’t. So you don’t have to be afraid of it.”
Qiao Yiyi nodded and followed Jiang Fei, asking, “Your Tibetan mastiff is named Xinba? That’s such a fitting name. When I first saw it, I really thought it was a little lion!”
Jiang Fei felt a surge of pride whenever someone complimented Xinba.
He had bought this purebred, high-quality Tibetan mastiff for just a thousand yuan. If people knew, they’d be shocked.
As they made their way up the mountain, Jiang Fei expected Qiao Yiyi to struggle with the climb, perhaps even needing his help or a piggyback ride. He didn’t mind—after leveling up to Level 2, his physical abilities were extraordinary. Carrying Qiao Yiyi, who weighed around a hundred pounds, up the mountain wouldn’t be a problem. He was more than willing to help…
But Qiao Yiyi surprised him again. She climbed the mountain without any difficulty, even helping to pick mushrooms and wild vegetables, venturing into the grass without hesitation. It seemed her claim of having lived in the countryside as a child was true.
“What a shame!”
Watching Qiao Yiyi’s cheerful figure skipping ahead, Jiang Fei shook his head.
In elementary school, there was a story about Uncle Lei Feng carrying an old woman across the river for free. Today, Jiang Fei had wanted to follow Uncle Lei Feng’s example and carry a beautiful woman up the mountain for free. But she didn’t give him the chance…
About half an hour later, Jiang Fei’s bamboo basket was filled with various mushrooms and green wild vegetables, but there were only two chicken mushrooms, and they were still small, in their spore stage.
“Jiang Fei, these fighting roosters are really hard to find,” Qiao Yiyi said, panting slightly, her face flushed and her forehead glistening with sweat.
Jiang Fei also noticed this. “It’s probably because it hasn’t rained in a few days. Chicken mushrooms usually grow more after rain. If we can’t find any more in the mountains, we can look in the fields on our way back.”
Just then, Xinba, who had been running around somewhere, suddenly dashed back to Jiang Fei. It looked at him with excitement, gently tugging at his pants leg, trying to pull him forward.
Jiang Fei’s eyes widened in surprise. “Xinba, did you catch something?”