Chapter 6, the palace is a treasure trove

This is the reason why food prices have decreased; the streets leading out of the city are crowded with people, while the shops in the city appear desolate and empty

After walking more than ten steps, he saw a large cluster of grass mushrooms, or rather, a vast expanse of mushrooms here.

The Sweet Water Well Alley is just ahead, Wang Rouhua filled the water tank and the large jar with water, and then she lit a fire to boil the water. Tie Xinyuan has already woken up and is leaning over the edge of the bathtub watching his mother busy at work

This mushroom field is divided in two by a spring, the water flowing clear, occasionally revealing broken lotus leaves flowing out from the outlet, undoubtedly, this spring is the discharge point for the wastewater from the lotus pond in the palace

Wang Rouhua was taken aback and quickly retreated

The epidemic has indeed occurred

A great fire can burn away all impurities, this is something Brother Seven said a long time ago

Five wen can buy a chicken cart, this is indeed a great bargain, there is not a single person in the shop selling water tanks

The child was covered in dirt, and it goes without saying that it was the mischief of the fox. In a fit of anger, Wang Rouhua yanked the little fox out of the bathtub and threw it far down to the base of the city wall.

God knows whether the straw mushrooms of the Song Dynasty are poisonous

Under the high walls of the imperial city, moss is abundant, and there are also numerous fallen leaves. After walking only a short distance of a dozen steps, Tie Xinyuan realized that his legs were currently incapable of undertaking such a journey.

Wang Rouhua shouted several times loudly, but no one came to attend to her. Upon entering the shop, she saw a pair of feet wearing black and white patterned merchant shoes lying outside the threshold of the inner room.

Recently, the price of food in Tokyo has suddenly become cheap, and it is very cheap indeed, so she decided to buy a little more

After pushing the chicken cart for about a hundred steps, I turned back, took six coins from the ten coins, and softly said to the shopkeeper, who was lying in the inner room: "I forgot to negotiate the price..."

Tie Xinyuan was crouched on the ground collecting mushrooms

Tie Xinyuan stood up while leaning against the city wall, stumbling as he continued to follow the fox forward

It is indeed a wonderful thing to be neighbors with royalty, just look at them; even by the sewer, they have essential remedies for home and travel.

This substance was crushed by the people of Northeast China in later generations and mixed with leftover rice to poison flies. It is said that its potent toxicity is its most notable advantage

It is quite normal for peculiar objects or events to appear in the palace

The little fox flipped in the air, spread its limbs, and stood steadily on the ground. It let out a plaintive cry and then lay on the dry earth mound, watching Wang Rouhua move things into the house.

Tie Xinyuan was trapped in the bathtub, unable to go anywhere. He envied the little fox, who could jump into the bathtub from outside and then jump out again, playing joyfully.

The little fox did not know where it had brought a mushroom and tossed it beside Tie Xinyuan. Tie Xinyuan picked it up and examined it closely; the mushroom that this fellow had brought was indeed quite remarkable, as it turned out to be the rare straw mushroom.

Anyone who still has a morsel of food at home would never go out to the streets for no reason, fearing to be tainted by the atmosphere of death

The most remarkable aspect of this type of mushroom is that consuming it in small quantities can induce hallucinations. According to accounts from brothers in Northeast China, the Tungus shaman would consume a bit of this substance before performing rituals, forcing themselves to enter the realm of the divine, though it is uncertain whether this is true or not

Today's tasks are quite heavy, as we need to add a water tank and a rice jar at home

With food at home, one feels at ease

Wang Rouhua shook her head, sniffled a couple of times, looked at her son who was leaning over the edge of the bathtub and babbling to her, wiped her damp eyes, tied a handkerchief around her nose, and then merged into the crowd outside.

Since the little fox urinated a foul-smelling liquid in the bathtub, it has been so tormented by Tie Xinyuan that it no longer dares to urinate near its home. Whenever Wang Rouhua is not around, Tie Xinyuan will hold the little fox and talk to it

It is unclear whether straw mushrooms are toxic, but it is certain that the vibrant red mushrooms before us are poisonous. Tie Xinyuan cannot understand why the poisonous fly agaric, which grows in the extreme northern regions, would appear at the outlet of the lotus pond in the Song Dynasty imperial palace

Both the living and the dead traverse this bustling road, though one walks while the other is dragged away on a cart by others

The guards on the city wall were anxiously watching a child dressed in green, who was crawling and making strange laughter, yet they did not dare to shout loudly for fear of frightening the child

The little fox saw Tie Xinyuan picking up mushrooms and excitedly jumped around, running a couple of steps towards the city wall before returning to tug at Tie Xinyuan's pant leg

Peaches in the third year, apricots in the fourth year, and pears in the fifth year

Since the legs are unable to fulfill the task of long-distance exploration, it is also good to use the eyes to see; at least one can observe what this new world is truly like

As for whether there is still such a thing in the palace, or whether someone has used it to poison or induce hallucinations in someone, Tie Xinyuan does not wish to concern himself with it

Ah, you are a gluttonous child

With a soft thud, he sat down on the ground, leaning against the city wall, gazing at the distant street

Wang Rouhua first moved the grain into the house, and then found some stones to stuff the dry branches under the large vat and the big jar in preparation for starting a fire to barbecue

However, the pear seeds were carefully buried by her in a sunny spot. This is the practice of women from farming families. Pears are very delicious; as long as there are pear seeds, planting them in the ground will yield an abundance of pears in a few years. For crops and fruit trees, the farmer's wife has the patience to wait for them to grow.

The domestication process of wild mushrooms is essentially a detoxification process. Many mushrooms consumed by people in later generations are actually toxic; however, they have been rendered non-toxic through long-term cultivation by humans.

In the forge, where the flames blazed fiercely, there were often only myself and Seventh Brother present. With each strike of his hammer, sparks flew, and the iron bars on the anvil would flicker in brightness and darkness. When the sparks landed on Seventh Brother's glistening chest, they would bounce twice before dimming and falling away.

When Wang Rouhua returned, pushing the heavy chicken cart, the first thing she did was check on her precious treasure. Upon discovering it sleeping soundly nestled with the little fox, the tension that had been building up during the journey eased away.

These are the words that Brother Seven taught himself. Brother Seven once said that in terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, eating should actually be prioritized above all else. As for clothing, as long as there is food in the stomach, one can survive even if wrapped in leaves.

Such a good thing, Tie Xinyuan believes, must not be missed

In five years, Yuan'er will have an endless supply of pears to eat

Today, Tie Xinyuan was eager to explore, so he pushed aside the mat that was laid in the bathtub and placed it under his feet, then he flipped out of the bathtub.

In order to avoid transmitting her illness to her son, Wang Rouhua decided that she absolutely could not touch the child before she had thoroughly bathed herself

Although the return journey was made by crawling, my mood was exceptionally good. It is often said that within ten steps, there must be fragrant grass, and today I have indeed proven this saying.

In her youth, she did not lack the enjoyment of wealth and splendor, but once the fleeting clouds dissipated, people went their separate ways. Whether it be the affection of parents, the love between spouses, or the bond of siblings, all are unable to withstand the strain of a small lie. Such a world is best left unthought of.

Wang Rouhua sat in her dimly lit room, holding Tie Xinyuan, gazing at the faint glow of the oil lamp, playfully teasing the child with satisfaction. A fox curled up beneath the small bed, squinting its eyes and secretly watching a small piece of cured meat hanging from the ceiling.

Tie Xinyuan believes that as long as one keeps their eyes wide open and waits cautiously, they will surely gain countless benefits from this grand and unparalleled palace

You child, you cannot always be breastfeeding, can you? You have already grown two teeth, aren't you ashamed?

Thinking of Seventh Brother, Wang Rouhua proudly puffed out her chest, looking at her chubby son in her arms with a sense of accomplishment

Seventh Brother pulled himself out of the water, then sent himself away from the water. Is it not all predetermined by heaven, whether it be a sip or a peck

Wang Rouhua entrusted the guard brother on the city wall to keep a close watch on Tie Xinyuan, and then hurriedly went to the horse trading street

When leaving, I placed ten wen on the counter

Mushroom picking is a highly specialized task. He is unsure whether the mushrooms from the Song Dynasty differ from those of later generations. However, he is very certain of one thing: he would never take a bite of these mushrooms unless they had been tried by someone else first

The guard threw a pear from the city wall to Wang Rouhua, who then cut the pear into small pieces and gradually fed them to Tie Xinyuan after flattening them.

Looking at the sun above, Tie Xinyuan felt that his mother would soon return, and thus he prepared to conclude his journey.

It did not take long for Tie Xinyuan to realize that the bear was referring to him when it spoke of peeling corn. Collecting toxins is a meticulous process, and his underdeveloped little hands were simply not capable of handling this task.

With this house, Wang Rouhua is confident in raising her child to adulthood. Although the family's finances have already been halved, what more can a widow like herself ask for in such a year of great disaster

Standing on the empty street to calm her restless heart, Wang Rouhua returned to the shop, rolled out a fine large black jar with great effort, and tied it onto the chicken cart. Looking back to see that no one was around, she went inside to move out two enormous grain jars.

Wang Rouhua, who had thoroughly washed herself, poured out all the water and added fresh water to wash Iron Heart Source again, until both mother and son were very clean. Only then did she frown and look at the fox huddled in the corner of the wall

On the night of the wedding, Seventh Brother spat into the sky and laughed, saying: "What nonsense about a fate of no descendants? I don't believe it!"

When Seventh Brother was forging, he was typically wearing nothing but a pair of calf-length trousers.

He was a strong man who seemed capable of carrying a mountain on his back

After falling in a disheveled manner, he was finally able to turn over with the help of the little fox and began to support himself against the city wall, embarking on his first journey into this world.

As the sun set behind the western mountains, the water that had taken a considerable amount of firewood to boil gradually cooled down. Wang Rouhua poured the water into the bathtub and hid in the low-roofed house to take a bath

When the child placed something under his feet and fell headfirst into the bathtub, the watching guards finally breathed a sigh of relief