Jiang Fei had taken Xinba up the mountain before to pick wild vegetables and hunt for rabbits or pheasants. Although Xinba was smart and obedient, Tibetan mastiffs weren’t naturally suited for chasing small, agile prey like rabbits. They were better at fighting off larger, more dangerous animals, guarding territory, and protecting their owners.
Once Xinba fully matured, Jiang Fei thought it might be possible to take it hunting for wild boars or other large game. But asking it to chase rabbits or other small, quick animals was a bit unfair.
It was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—not only overkill but also ineffective.
If Jiang Fei wanted to hunt in the mountains around Daocun, he either needed to get a local hunting dog or achieve his goal of “raising eagles and training dogs” sooner rather than later.
Jiang Fei had been keeping an eye out for an eagle or falcon to raise, but he hadn’t found any for sale yet. He had even asked around at the flower and bird market, but no one had a reliable source. He would have to wait for the right opportunity.
Many species of eagles and falcons were protected under national law, making their sale illegal. Even if they were available, the prices were astronomical, often reaching millions in the Middle East.
Of course, those were trained hunting birds. Wild, untrained eagles or falcons were much cheaper. For someone like Jiang Fei, who was already a master at pet training, there was no need to buy a trained bird. A wild one would do just fine.
“Woof… roar~~” Xinba barked and shook its head, indicating it hadn’t caught any prey. It just wanted Jiang Fei to follow it.
“If it’s not prey, then what is it?” Jiang Fei was curious and motioned for Qiao Yiyi to follow.
The two of them followed Xinba for about forty or fifty meters until they reached a slightly flat area with a depression in the middle, covered in tall grass. Xinba stopped there, wagging its tail vigorously, urging Jiang Fei to come closer.
“Did it find some kind of treasure?” Jiang Fei chuckled at Xinba’s behavior, but as he got closer, his expression changed. He sniffed the air and quickened his pace.
“There really are chicken mushrooms here, and such a big cluster!” Jiang Fei’s eyes lit up as he saw the milky-white chicken mushrooms poking out from the grass. He couldn’t help but exclaim in excitement.
“Chicken mushrooms?” Qiao Yiyi, forgetting her fear of Xinba, hurried over. She had already gotten into the spirit of the hunt and found it quite fun.
“Wow… there really are a lot! And they’re so big!”
In the grass, there were at least a dozen fresh chicken mushrooms, their caps fully open and emitting a unique fragrance. The mushrooms were uniform in size, with caps about twelve to thirteen centimeters in diameter. Each cap was thick, and the stems were sturdy. If sold at the market, these would be considered top-quality.
“Xinba, good job!” Jiang Fei patted Xinba’s head and ruffled its golden mane as a reward.
Then he set down his bamboo basket and pulled out a sharpened bamboo stick about twenty centimeters long. He began carefully digging up the mushrooms.
Qiao Yiyi, not afraid of getting dirty, crouched down and started helping, using another bamboo stick to carefully dig around the mushrooms.
Jiang Fei smiled but didn’t stop her. By now, he had a pretty good understanding of this rising star who had returned from South Korea and was adored by countless fans.
Despite her star quality and the undeniable aura that set her apart from ordinary beautiful women, Qiao Yiyi was surprisingly down-to-earth. She didn’t have the haughty attitude of her manager, Aunt Mei, and was very approachable and genuine.
Who would have thought that a hot, rising star in the entertainment industry would follow Jiang Fei up a mountain to pick wild vegetables? If someone had told Jiang Fei this yesterday, he wouldn’t have believed it.
“Alright… that’s enough. You can pull it out now. Don’t dig too deep,” Jiang Fei said after pulling out one mushroom.
“Why not? You said the roots underground are edible too, and they taste different from the caps. The roots here are so thick—we could dig more,” Qiao Yiyi looked up at Jiang Fei with her big, beautiful eyes, confused.
Jiang Fei helped her pull out the mushroom, their hands brushing briefly. But since both their hands were covered in dirt, there was nothing particularly intimate about the contact.
“Haven’t you heard the saying? Don’t take things to the extreme. If you do, you’ll run out of luck sooner or later,” Jiang Fei said mysteriously.
“Speak plainly!” Qiao Yiyi laughed.
After spending half a day together, the two of them had hit it off—mainly because Jiang Fei got along well with beautiful women.
So their relationship was quite comfortable, and they could joke around without any issues.
“Alright, plain talk.”
Jiang Fei explained as he dug, “It’s like the saying, ‘Don’t drain the pond to catch all the fish.’ Chicken mushrooms grow where there are termite nests underground. Only places with termite nests can produce chicken mushrooms. If we dig too deep and damage the nest, the termites will abandon it and move elsewhere. Then this spot won’t grow chicken mushrooms anymore. So, to make sure we can come back here and find more in the future, we can’t damage the nest.”
“So that’s how it works,” Qiao Yiyi said, understanding now. She started digging more carefully, afraid of damaging the termite nest.
“These chicken mushrooms aren’t actually that big. They’re medium-sized at best. When I was a kid, I once found one that was huge,” Jiang Fei couldn’t help but brag about his past glories after a moment of silence.
Qiao Yiyi played along. “How big was it?”
“Three of these wouldn’t even compare to the one I found back then. I remember comparing it to a straw hat—they were about the same size. Well, you probably don’t know what a straw hat is. Anyway, it was about thirty-something, almost forty centimeters in diameter!” Jiang Fei gestured with his hands.
He wasn’t exaggerating. He really had found a giant mushroom back then and sold it to a restaurant owner for twenty yuan…
When men and women work together, the work feels lighter.
Especially when it’s a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
Although digging up the mushrooms was a bit tedious, Jiang Fei and Qiao Yiyi finished the job in no time. Even the smaller mushrooms, whose caps hadn’t fully opened yet, weren’t spared.
Qiao Yiyi was puzzled. “We’ve already picked so many today. Isn’t that enough? Why not leave the small ones to grow and come back later to pick them?”
“You’re an amateur. Chicken mushrooms aren’t like crops in a field—they’re wild and belong to whoever finds them first. If you leave them to grow, someone else might pick them before you get back. When I was a kid, we didn’t just pick clusters like this. Even if they were half this size and hadn’t even emerged from the soil, we’d still dig them up!” Jiang Fei said, not feeling stingy at all. In fact, he seemed quite proud of himself.
“Besides, chicken mushrooms don’t last long. They spoil in a day or two. If you leave them to grow, they might rot by the time you come back. So picking them now is the safest bet.”
After digging up the mushrooms, Jiang Fei carefully filled in the holes to protect the termite nests, ensuring that chicken mushrooms would grow here again in the future.
By now, Jiang Fei’s bamboo basket was almost full of wild vegetables, and Qiao Yiyi was holding several mushrooms that wouldn’t fit.
With that, there was no need to stay on the mountain any longer, and they began their descent.
Aunt Mei, who had gone back to Jin City to fetch Qiao Yiyi’s daily necessities and buy the herbs, should be returning soon. It was the perfect time to head back.
Going up the mountain was tough, but coming down wasn’t easy either. Qiao Yiyi had been energetic on the way up, but now she was tired. Jiang Fei waited for her, and it took them about half an hour to get down.
By now, it was past four in the afternoon. The sun wasn’t as harsh, and the foot of the mountain was already in the shade.
As they passed Jiang Fei’s fish pond, they saw several fish floating to the surface due to lack of oxygen. Jiang Fei quickly turned on the aerator, and water began to spray like a fountain in the middle of the pond.
“These fish are growing pretty fast. They’re already the size of my palm,” Jiang Fei said, pleased with the progress of his fish. By his calculations, the first batch of experience points from the fish, fruit trees, and vegetables would soon be credited, giving his experience bar a significant boost.
“This place is so beautiful!” Qiao Yiyi stood by the pond, looking at the serene and picturesque Daocun bathed in golden sunlight. She spread her arms, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes, completely enchanted.
Jiang Fei stood behind her, watching the breeze play with her long hair. The sunlight shone through her fair neck, highlighting the fine hairs and making her look even more stunning.
Her white T-shirt, tight blue jeans, and canvas shoes gave her a youthful, innocent vibe, like the nation’s first love.
Qiao Yiyi was captivated by the beauty of Daocun.
Jiang Fei, standing behind her, was captivated too…
Because Qiao Yiyi, with her arms spread, didn’t realize that her posture perfectly outlined her chest. And her white T-shirt, though opaque, became slightly translucent under the sunlight, revealing the color of her bra.
“I didn’t expect this big star to have such assets…”