C3 All Kinds of Resources

"Xuan, I see something to eat up ahead," Lingyan pointed out.

Following Lingyan's finger, Zixuan spotted the red fruit. "Hang on, sis. I'll go pick some."

The bright red berries, about the size of a fingernail, were sweet and commonly found in the wild.

"Sis, you go ahead and eat. Feng is still picking more. There's plenty!" Zixuan said, holding a handful of the berries in front of Lingyan.

"Thanks." Lingyan plopped down on the ground, not caring about her dirty hands. She squeezed a berry and popped it into her mouth, savoring the sweetness that spread instantly. It was the sweetest, juiciest berry she'd ever tasted.

"There's more, sis!" Fengjiao chimed in, happily jogging over.

"Careful, don't trip," Lingyan cautioned, feeling a lump in her throat.

In her past life, she was born into a wealthy family, but tragically lost her parents in a plane crash. After that, her uncle took over her father's company, and aside from her best friend, no one cared for her.

"Sis, why are you crying?"

"I'm not. I'm just happy to see Feng being so good!" Lingyan replied, looking at Fengjiao and Zixuan's tattered clothes. She silently vowed that as long as she had food, she would never let her family go hungry.

"Heh heh..." Luo Fengjiao laughed sheepishly.

"Let's go find something else to eat." After munching on a couple of handfuls of bright red berries, Luo Lingyan felt revitalized.

"Let's go!"

They hadn't gone far when Luo Lingyan spotted some red, umbrella-shaped fungi ahead.

Are those Russules? Or maybe poisonous mushrooms?

With her stomach no longer empty and her feet more accustomed to the grass sandals, Luo Lingyan moved more swiftly. She crouched down as soon as she reached the fungi.

Seeing the white gills, the red near the edges, and the thick mushroom flesh that had been nibbled by insects, along with a faint, pleasant aroma, Luo Lingyan smiled.

"Sis, are these Russules? Mom picked them before. I heard they're delicious, but she sold them for quite a bit of money, right?" Luo Zixuan had never tasted them, but he knew they were valuable.

"Yes, these are Russules. Remember, if insects have eaten them and they have a nice smell, they're safe to eat. But if they're brightly colored with a strange odor and even insects avoid them, they're poisonous. Never pick those, got it?"

"Got it," Luo Zixuan and his siblings replied in unison.

After gathering half a basket of Russule mushrooms, the three siblings continued on their way. Just then, a plant about as tall as Lingyan caught her attention. Its flowers started white and turned yellow.

"Xuan, Feng, this is honeysuckle. It helps with cooling down, detoxifying, reducing inflammation, and boosting the immune system. We can pick it, dry it, and sell it," she said, pulling down some branches and popping a yellow flower into her mouth to chew.

It tasted sweet, just like honeysuckle.

"Sis, these flowers are everywhere. Can we really sell them?" Zixuan asked skeptically.

"Yes, we can." Lingyan often went up the mountain with the group to sketch, so she recognized most medicinal herbs. Earlier, she had been too hungry to notice, but now she was amazed by the abundance of resources around them.

Especially when she saw a plant one or two yards tall with vibrant purple flowers, tears of joy welled up in her eyes.

Catching fish wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"Feng, help your brother pick these," Lingyan instructed. Zixuan tiptoed to pull down the honeysuckle branches, and once Fengjiao had a good grip, he patiently picked the blossoms.

After they finished gathering the honeysuckle, Lingyan stomped on the ground. "This is Ophiopogon. Its roots are good for nourishing yin, generating fluids, and soothing the lungs."

"Sis, this kind of grass is everywhere," Zixuan said, realizing it could be exchanged for money. He quickly dug it up with his hoe, and soon the whole plant was uprooted.

Fengjiao, holding a hatchet, chopped off the green leaves and tossed them into the basket on her back. "Sis, let's dig up some more. We can sell it and have some money to buy food."

"Let's save it for next time. Mom and the others are still hungry and waiting for us at home!" In less than an hour, Lingyan and her siblings had filled their baskets to the brim. Lingyan had set out to find food, so she continued climbing up the mountain.