Chapter 302: Discovering Lingzhi

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Jiang Xia nodded and followed Jiang Chuan, taking refuge in the car.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, dispersing some of the thick fog. Jiang Xia seemed to recognize a familiar cave in the distance.

“Dad, do you see that? Isn’t there a cave over there? It looks just like the one in my dream!”

Jiang Chuan looked through the car window and indeed, it appeared to be a cave. And it was not far from them. Given the current visibility, they could easily reach it.

“Let’s go and check it out.”

Saying that, Jiang Chuan led Jiang Xia out of the car towards the cave.

Luck truly is unpredictable. The cave wasn’t deep. By Jiang Chuan’s measure, it was only about six steps from one end to the other, with signs of frequent human visits.

Yet, in such a small cave, Jiang Xia managed to find a Lingzhi mushroom!

Jiang Xia carefully dug out the Lingzhi and showed it to Jiang Chuan, who was visibly elated. “This Lingzhi is of excellent quality. It must’ve grown for at least seven or eight years. Keep it safe!”

Jiang Xia promptly placed the Lingzhi in the interspace and planted it in the grass.

Though the grass didn’t allow for plant growth and fruition, it had a preservation function. Plants planted there remained as fresh as when they were first uprooted, without excessive growth.

Just as Jiang Xia finished planting the Lingzhi and emerged from the interspace, he heard Zhang Ping calling them from outside the cave.

It turned out that Zhao Wan was worried about their safety in the storm, so she had sent the Zhang brothers to find them.

Jiang Chuan and Jiang Xia followed the Zhang brothers back. Zhao Wan shared her decision with Jiang Chuan and Zhou Lan.

“Dear, after discussing with the children, we decided that Zhang Ping’s family and Third Brother Zhang will accompany you to the village.”

Zhou Lan, puzzled, asked, “Aren’t you and Zhang Hu coming with us?”

Zhang Hu was still upset, but he looked much better than at noon, seemingly in agreement with Zhao Wan.

Zhao Wan explained, “I’ve lived on this mountain for almost twenty years. I can’t bear to leave now. Su Zhen said he’d find a solution, so I’ve decided to stay. Second Brother Zhang will stay with me.”

Zhou Lan didn’t press further.

Su Zhen had connections in the government, ensuring that a hunter didn’t have to relocate was not a big deal. Given Zhang Hu’s stubborn nature, it was better he didn’t go to the village to avoid any potential trouble.

As long as Jiang Qing could return with them, and the family could be reunited happily, Jiang Chuan’s family would be satisfied.

In the end, it was decided that Jiang Chuan’s family would head back first to handle the residency paperwork, while Zhang Ping, Jiang Qing, and Third Brother Zhang would stay with Zhao Wan until the government’s deadline.

This meant they had one month to prepare.

After discussing the matter, Zhou Lan took out something she had bought from a department store—a pair of floral fabric shoes.

She carefully observed the size of Zhao Wan’s feet and found them to be roughly the same size as her own, although a bit slimmer. Taking advantage of Jiang Chuan’s absence, Zhou Lan made some adjustments to the shoes to make them a perfect fit for Zhao Wan.

She then brought out five jars of meat sauce she had made herself, three strips of cured meat, and a piece of blue cotton cloth.

She said, “This is the first time our two families have met, so I prepared some gifts. 1 hope you won’t find them too modest.”

Zhao Wan knew that these items must not have come cheaply given the current circumstances of the Jiang family. She was touched even before she could think of refusing.

“You are too kind,” she said. “1 also prepared some gifts for you to take back.”

What Zhao Wan had prepared was a complete tiger pelt.

The pelt had been cleanly peeled starting from the neck down, with not a single wound or tear anywhere on it.

It is important to know that tigers are extremely fierce. In those days, killing a tiger was difficult enough, let alone ensuring that the animal’s body wasn’t damaged. Aiming precisely for the vital spot without harming the rest of the body was even more challenging.

Skinning the animal wasn’t an easy task either. To peel off the skin intact required a lot of effort, showcasing the value and rarity of this tiger pelt.

Such a valuable gift, if sold on the black market, could easily fetch over a hundred dollars. Yet, Zhao Wan gifted it without a second thought.

Moved by the gesture, Jiang Chuan grew even more curious about the Zhang family.

Moreover, on this trip up the mountain, he discovered just how close the relationship was between Su Zhen and the Zhang family..