As soon as Shen Fanglin finished speaking, she shoved the money into Lin Yue’s hand and quickly said, “Don’t refuse it—take it now, or I won’t buy anything.”

Lin Yue had been worried about exactly this when he first started doing business in the village. Since they were all neighbors, taking money felt a bit awkward, but not taking it wasn’t an option either. After pondering for a long time, Lin Yue finally accepted it, smiling as he said, “Well then, I won’t stand on ceremony with you, Auntie. Please wait a moment—I have some peach juice today. The peaches were actually from the last time I traded with you. Why don’t you try it and see if you like it?”

As he spoke, Lin Yue reached for a bamboo cup, filled it more than halfway with the peach juice, and handed it over. “Go ahead and try some.”

Shen Fanglin paused for a moment, then accepted the cup without hesitation. She took a small sip and said, “Delicious. Your skills, Yue, are truly unmatched.”

As the group stood chatting by the roadside, upon hearing Song Xunchun mention that Lin Yue wanted to buy mushrooms, Shen Fanglin immediately said, “That’s wonderful. The mountain behind our village has produced quite a few matsutake mushrooms in past years, but hardly anyone comes to buy them. The few who do offer ridiculously low prices. I think Yue’s business is sure to take off—everyone finds it a hassle to go all the way to town.”

Lin Yue gave a shy smile. “I’ll take Auntie’s good wishes to heart. I don’t know if it’ll work out, but I’ll give it a try.”

When they mentioned they planned to go around the village today to spread the word, Shen Fanglin waved her hand. “Then you should hurry off. Everyone’s at home right now. Where exactly are you collecting the mushrooms? Once we’re done with our chores, I’ll have Yuan and his husband go up the mountain to take a look, too.”

“Right by that big rock behind the village. We collect them around lunchtime every day.”

“That’s a great spot. Everyone passes by there on their way up and down the mountain. Selling mushrooms there is so convenient—people will definitely be eager to go pick them. If I run into anyone from the village today, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Lin Yue smiled. “Thank you so much, Auntie. Please come visit us when you have time.”

After exchanging a few words, they went their separate ways. Lin Yue walked along, calling out as he went. At first, he only shouted about selling pastries, but after walking just a few steps, he realized not many villagers were interested in buying them. If he only told the people who came out about collecting mushrooms, he feared he wouldn’t reach many people in a day, so he decided to shout both at once.

“Pastries for sale! Delicious rice cakes and buckwheat cakes—two big pieces for three wen! We’ll be buying mushrooms before noon tomorrow at the big rock behind the village—porcini, green-capped mushrooms, milk mushrooms, and chicken-oil mushrooms!”

Sure enough, as soon as Lin Yue finished his call, doors opened everywhere he looked. From one house, a child ran out; from another, a woman still holding her bowl of rice; and from yet another, both husband and wife came out.

The little boy was the fastest; in the blink of an eye, he dashed right up to Lin Yue. Looking up, he realized the man looked a bit unfamiliar, so he turned to Shen Lingzhi and asked, “Uncle, are you the ones buying mushrooms?”

“Yes, Xiao Hu, are you going to pick some?”

The little boy nodded proudly. “My mom said she’d take me, but she told me to come ask about the price first.” The little boy was Shen Yanzhi’s son, by family hierarchy, Shen Lingzhi’s nephew.

Shen Lingzhi really didn’t know the price, so he could only shake his head silently. He raised his hand to gesture in another direction. “Ask this uncle.”

Xiaohu tugged at the hem of his shirt and lowered his voice. “Which uncle is that?”

Shen Lingzhi bent down, covering his face with his hand as if speaking in a whisper. “He’s Uncle Huaizhi’s husband.”

Xiaohu’s eyes widened instantly. “Uncle Huaizhi’s husband is so handsome! I want to marry a husband just as handsome as him when I grow up.”

“Haha, Xiaohu, you’re only seven and already thinking about marrying a husband? Does your mom know?”

Everyone present burst into laughter. Lin Yue was teased repeatedly until he was actually embarrassed.

Finally, he had to speak up to beg for mercy, “Auntie, Sister-in-law, please stop teasing me. Let’s get down to business.”

He broke off another piece of rice cake and handed it to Xiao Hu, earning an even brighter look in return.

“This is our first time buying mushrooms. We’re not daring to buy too much at first—just porcini, green-capped mushrooms, milk mushrooms, and chanterelles. Small, young porcini are five wen per pound; the others are seven wen per pound. If they’re fully grown, they’re half price. We’re not buying green-capped mushrooms, dried mushrooms, or matsutake for now, but if there are any chicken-of-the-woods, we’ll take them at fourteen wen per pound.”

The prices weren’t as high as in town, but they weren’t exactly low either. After all, mushrooms spoil very easily. If mushrooms picked in the morning aren’t cooked right away, they’ll go bad by evening. Factoring in wastage and the stall rental fee, they barely made a penny per pound.

Xiaohu, with a pastry in his mouth, spoke up loudly as soon as he heard the offer: “I’ll go mushroom picking tomorrow. Wait for me, Uncle.”

Lin Yue couldn’t help but laugh and sigh; he could only nod. “Around this time tomorrow, behind the village. Remember to tell your mom.”

“Got it, Uncle,” he said, then dashed off in a flash.

The remaining three exchanged a few pleasantries with Song Xunchun and her son, then prepared to leave.

“Well, after we’ve finished picking mushrooms tomorrow, we’ll wait for you behind the village to collect them. We’ve got work to do in the fields today, so we won’t stay any longer.”

Lin Yue: “Don’t worry, Auntie. We’ll definitely be there.”

The other couple also bought two pastries, saying they were for their children at home. Lin Yue broke off another piece from the pastry he’d just split and handed it over. “Three wen. Here’s a pastry. Take it, brother-in-law.”

“Thanks so much. You’re really giving us a good deal—and throwing in an extra piece.”

“It’s just a little something. I’m just glad you don’t mind it.”

As they were talking, a few more people stopped by, though they didn’t get too close; they just caught a bit of the conversation and moved on.

By the time Lin Yue and the others had made their way around the village, half an hour had passed. They’d sold a total of eight pastries and a cup of peach juice, and told nearly twenty people about their plan to gather mushrooms the next day.

Finally, the three parted ways at the front door. Lin Yue looked at Song Xunchun and said, “Mother, remember to blanch the mushrooms. I’ll come back tonight to cook them.”

Song Xunchun nodded. “I told your father before we left. They must be blanched by now. Don’t worry.”

“Alright, we’re off then. Mother, you should head back.”

Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi pushed their cart toward town, calling out to everyone they passed along the way. To their surprise, they managed to sell four more pastries.

They usually called out like this, too, but had only ever sold two pieces before. Lin Yue chuckled, “We’ve already made a sale right after leaving. Looks like we’ll be home early today.”

Shen Lingzhi nodded twice emphatically and urged, “Brother, let’s hurry up.”

“Alright, let’s aim to sell everything within an hour.”

Lin Yue had only said it offhand, but in the end, they actually sold all the pastries within a single hour. Including what they sold in the village and along the way, they earned a total of fifty-nine wen. Although they didn’t sell out of the apricot and peach juices, they sold better than usual—they’d already sold thirty cups, which brought in another thirty wen.

Passing by the bookstore, Lin Yue stopped and whispered, “Lingzhi, wait here for a moment. I’m going in to buy something.”

Shen Lingzhi knew that Shen Huaizhi often visited this bookstore, but he had no idea what Lin Yue intended to buy. The thought crossed his mind, and he blurted out, “Brother, what are you going to buy?”

Lin Yue blinked twice. “It’s a secret.”

Shen Lingzhi: ???

Brother Lin Yue has changed; he’s not the same person he used to be.

Shen Lingzhi shook his head and sighed, “Alright then. Hurry up, Brother. I’ll be right here shouting to attract customers while I wait for you.”

“Okay, I’ll be right out.”

It took Lin Yue only a moment to go in and come out. Shen Lingzhi had barely called out twice when Lin Yue walked up beside him and joined in the hawking.

“Sweet and tangy, beautifully colored fruit juice! Sweet peach juice! Sweet and tangy apricot juice! Come try a cup—just one coin each.”