Hao Yulan’s family was considered well-off in the village, and since her husband was the village chief, she wouldn’t take advantage of such a transaction—if only for the sake of appearances. Her brother-in-law had just handed over a basket, and she followed right behind him, casting a sidelong glance at the others as if to say, “Don’t even think about trying to get a bargain.” Look at that—they’ve already been outdone by people from the neighboring village.

But since this was her brother-in-law, she felt a bit smug. Oh my, that’s just how decent her family is—poor in means but not in spirit.

“Yue, don’t forget mine. I promise they’re all wiped clean.”

Lin Yue was busy weighing the mushrooms and couldn’t spare a hand, so Shen Lingzhi stood up to take them. “Alright, Auntie, just wait a moment. I’ll weigh yours right away.”

Hao Yulan waved her hand. “No rush, no rush. Take your time weighing them.”

“Uncle, your basket of mushrooms comes in two varieties. Two catties of porcini, and just under one catty and one tael of green-capped and milk mushrooms combined, plus one catty of the open-cap variety. That comes to fourteen wen. Please count it.”

Lin Yue’s hands moved with remarkable dexterity; in no time at all, the transaction was complete, and the man took his leave.

“Fourteen wen—I’ve already counted it. Thanks, young man. Come back tomorrow to sell more mushrooms. The villagers asked me to pass along a message: they’d like to come sell mushrooms too. Will you still be here?”

Since people from other villages were coming, it wouldn’t be appropriate to stay all the way in the back. Lin Yue thought for a moment and replied, “It’s not convenient for you to come all the way back here. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be collecting at the village entrance. You can just come straight there. I’ll just have to trouble Uncle to explain the requirements to them.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell them. Well then, you two get back to work—I’ll be heading back now.”

After saying this, he turned to bid farewell to Hao Yulan, then hurried off carrying his basket.

By then, Lin Yue had finished weighing Hao Yulan’s mushrooms. After they finished their conversation, he spoke up, “Auntie, this basket comes to sixteen wen in total. Here you go.”

Hao Yulan let out an “Ooh” and laughed, “That’s quite a bit. Looks like I’ll have to get up early tomorrow to pick mushrooms.”

With the first two customers out of the way, things went much more smoothly afterward, until he came to weigh an old man’s mushrooms. At a glance, Lin Yue noticed a stone stuffed inside one of the mushrooms.

As luck would have it, this old man’s daughter-in-law was Zhou Xiulian. The two families had had a falling out recently, and Lin Yue had assumed they wouldn’t come to him to sell mushrooms—yet here they were.

Lin Yue didn’t call him out on it directly, but simply said, “Uncle, there’s still dirt on several of these mushrooms. I suppose you didn’t see it clearly when you were wiping them. You’re getting on in years; you should rest more at home. Next time, have my uncle and aunt come, or even your grandson—that would work just fine.”

“Ahem, ahem. I am getting on in years. I’ll make sure to wipe them clean next time.”

Lin Yue nodded and chuckled lightly, “That’s great. I’ll help you wipe them clean this time.”

Old Zhou, however, looked as if he’d been startled, stammering, “No, no need. Just weigh the next one. I’ll handle this one myself right here.”

The moment those words left his mouth, it was practically a glaring hint to Lin Yue that something was amiss. Even if Lin Yue hadn’t seen the stone earlier, he would have sensed something was off by now.

Grandma Shen sighed and stood up, giving him a gentle tug. They used to visit each other often in the past; it was only in recent years, when she could no longer get around easily, that they hadn’t seen each other much.

At his age, he’d never really had a mind of his own. In his youth, he’d listened to his wife; later, he’d listened to his son. But his son was just as indecisive, and he’d let his father be manipulated by his daughter-in-law. This whole affair was most likely Zhou Xiulian’s idea—she wanted to gain an advantage and didn’t care about her father’s dignity.

“You, next time, don’t get dragged into your daughter-in-law’s mess.”

Old Mr. Zhou’s back was bent nearly to the ground. After a long while, he let out a deep sigh. “I’ve grown senile, haven’t I? Is it Brother Yue? Brother Yue, please sort through this for me. Take out anything I can’t keep.”

As soon as Lin Yue heard Grandma Shen’s words, he guessed most of it and felt even more hesitant. Given his usual style, he would have simply handed the basket back right then and there, saying one thing: “I won’t take it.”

If he made it clear and straightforward, with the first person taking the lead, those who came after would likely not dare to do the same.

But as a newcomer and a junior, and since the old lady wasn’t being unreasonable—it seemed he wasn’t entirely unwilling—picking through the items one by one to reject them wouldn’t look good.

Instead, Grandma Shen nudged him. Everyone in the village knew what that family was like; it was best to settle things clearly now, to prevent Zhou Xiulian from dragging the old man into trouble again.

They hadn’t bothered to speak in private; people had already gathered around. As long as it wasn’t their own family in trouble, they loved to watch any kind of commotion.

Lin Yue couldn’t think of what to do for a moment, so he picked up a pumpkin leaf and began wiping the mushrooms. He’d thought there wouldn’t be many with pebbles inside, but one after another, they turned out to have quite a few.

Seeing this, Lin Yue felt a sense of relief wash over him. Ever since he’d decided to do business in the village, he’d been prepared for this. Cheating and taking advantage of others were inevitable; it was better for the problem to surface now rather than later. If it had to happen, it was better to have it all come out at once—that way, he’d only have to offend one family.

As Lin Yue picked out the problematic mushrooms one by one and placed them on the ground, the onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

“What a fuss over nothing. Even if they stuffed them all with stones, it’d only add an ounce or two. Is a single coin really worth going to such lengths?”

“You’re right. That reputation for cutting corners isn’t exactly flattering.”

Those who dared to gather and speak now were all with clear consciences; those who’d done the same were already crouched in the back, rummaging through their baskets. If Lin Yue could spot one, he’d surely spot a second—it was better to fess up now and get it over with. If he actually found them, it would be truly embarrassing.

Lin Yue glanced around and spotted three or four people crouched down. He didn’t look any further, instead fixing his gaze on the basket in front of him. Hesitantly, he said, “It might have been an accident, but since we’re all neighbors here, I won’t stand on ceremony with you all. I won’t accept mushrooms like these. It’s fine for personal consumption, but I can’t sell them to others.”

Hao Yulan was a kind-hearted soul. Seeing that Lin Yue had no intention of making a big deal out of it, she spoke up: “I actually ran into Xiulian picking mushrooms on the mountain earlier today. I suppose she’s too busy right now, which is why she sent Uncle Zhou. Just pick out the ones that can’t be sold, and when we pass by her house later, we’ll pop in together and explain everything to Xiulian.”

“Exactly. It was probably just an oversight. We’ll just sort them out.”

Lin Yue looked at Old Man Zhou; the smile on his face faded somewhat, but his voice remained gentle. “Uncle, I’m truly sorry—these mushrooms can’t be sold. But the rest are fine. If you’d like, I can weigh the remaining ones for you. If not, I’ll just pack them back up for you.”

Old Mr. Zhou sighed again. “I’m ashamed to say it. Go ahead and weigh the rest—whatever you can sell is fine.”

Lin Yue shook his head without speaking, sorting out the sellable mushrooms to weigh them while packing the unsellable ones back into the basket. “Three liang of porcini, plus one jin of the others—that’s ten wen in total. Please count it.”

Had the customer today not been an elderly man, Lin Yue wouldn’t have felt so torn. He could only silently console himself: if even an old man like this wouldn’t let him turn a blind eye, others would surely think twice before trying anything.

After this incident, the remaining people stopped joking around. They quickly finished weighing their mushrooms, and those who didn’t want trouble went home. The few who stayed, along with Lin Yue’s group, escorted Old Man Zhou back home and laid the whole matter out in the open.

Zhou Xiulian had been bottling up her anger, but knowing she was in the wrong, she’d intended to make a scene but ultimately kept her mouth shut. She didn’t dare actually do anything to her father-in-law, so she had no choice but to swallow her pride.

Lin Yue couldn’t care less what she thought. After thanking Hao Yulan, the group shouldered their bamboo baskets and headed home.

It was their first day collecting mushrooms, and they’d unexpectedly gathered quite a lot—about twenty pounds of porcini alone, plus another dozen or so pounds of green-capped mushrooms and milk mushrooms. The large haul actually made Lin Yue a bit anxious, fearing they might not sell everything. As soon as Shen Lingzhi pushed the cart out, they headed straight for town.

“Lingzhi, do you want to man the stall or keep selling pastries?”

Shen Lingzhi had built up his stamina over the past ten days or so; though his voice was still soft, he had no trouble calling out to customers along the street.

Hearing Lin Yue’s question, he didn’t hesitate for a moment and replied crisply, “Brother, I’ll keep selling pastries. It’s our first day selling mushrooms, and I’m afraid I might mess it up, but I can shout out about the mushrooms while I’m selling pastries.”

Lin Yue nodded. “Alright then. Go once we’ve set up the stall. Leave a bucket of bayberry soup at the stall for me to sell.”

Over the past few days, the two had wandered the streets of the town, and Lin Yue had gained a good understanding of the place. He had figured out the basics—which streets sold what—as well as where the wealthiest residents lived and which spots were best for setting up a stall.

Upon arriving in town, Lin Yue first spent four wen to rent a stall at the corner of Beimen Street, across from Lihua Alley. Stalls here were charged by the hour—two wen per hour—and securing a good spot was entirely a matter of luck.

He then laid out the mushrooms one by one: a basket of porcini, a basket of green-capped mushrooms and milk mushrooms, and a basket of chicken-of-the-woods. He set the chicken-of-the-woods aside because they were small and light, yet had a great flavor. Lin Yue planned to sell them for nine wen per catty; if they didn’t sell, he’d lower the price to eight wen and mix them with the green-capped and milk mushrooms.

Once Shen Lingzhi had pushed the cart away, Lin Yue began to hawk his wares:

“Mushrooms for sale! Fresh mushrooms! All small, plump porcini, delicious green-capped mushrooms, juicy milk mushrooms, and chicken-oil mushrooms—buy some to take home and try!”

“Sweet-and-sour bayberry soup, one wen per cup, one wen per cup!”

After calling out more than a dozen times, still no one stopped at the stall. Lin Yue didn’t get discouraged; he took a sip of water and kept calling out.

It took about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the first customer arrived, carrying a birdcage. Lin Yue looked closely and recognized a regular—the same big guy who’d stood up for them on their first day selling pastries when they got into a fight, and who’d bought pastries from them a few times since.

“Young man, have you switched careers and stopped selling pastries?”

Lin Yue laughed heartily. “We’re still selling them. Today we have pumpkin rice steamed cakes and red bean glutinous rice cold cakes. My younger brother just pushed the cart out; he’s probably hawking them in Lihua Alley right now. If you go there, you’ll definitely hear him.”

“Is that so? My kids have been craving these. I’ll go buy a few.”

“Did you pick these mushrooms yourself? They look fresh.”

Lin Yue shook his head. “Some are from my own gathering, but most were just harvested from the village—they were still growing on the mountain an hour ago.”

“Haha, that’s an amusing way of putting it. How much are they?”

Lin Yue smiled even more broadly. “Porcini mushrooms are six wen per pound. They’re great stir-fried with ham or in a stew. Green-capped mushrooms and milk mushrooms are seven wen per pound—just stir-fry them with some garlic, and they’re absolutely delicious. chicken-oil mushrooms are a bit pricier at nine wen per pound, but they have a wonderful flavor and taste great no matter how you prepare them.”