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And so, Xu Yin became the sole buyer of the red mushrooms that her uncle brought. 

As for the prices, she added 20% to the typical purchase price of regular red mushrooms on the market. 

Given the superior quality of her uncle’s red mushrooms, the higher price was entirely justified.

During her visit to her grandmother, she brought the money along. “Auntie, this is the money from the red mushrooms.  I’ve sold five kilograms of the mushrooms for you. Don’t give it to me to buy food with. I can’t possibly eat that much.”

At first, Li Axiang hesitated to accept the money, feeling a bit embarrassed. It only took her little effort to dry these wild mushrooms, which her husband had collected from the mountains. To her, it didn’t seem worth taking the money that her niece was giving her.

However, Xu Yin insisted and even said she wouldn’t accept any of their family’s goods from now on if Li Axiang didn’t accept the money.

“You rascal!” Li Axiang scolded her with a slight glare. She lifted her apron to wipe her hands and reluctantly accepted the money.

When she held the money, she felt something was off and looked down. “Oh! Why is there so much?”

“It’s not much. This is the normal purchase price for red mushrooms in the city, Auntie. Those people have underpaid you before. In the future, you should negotiate with them. You shouldn’t overdo it, since they come here to collect the goods and they also need to consider their travel expenses and shipping costs. However, if they negotiate too much, you should keep the mushrooms, and I’ll help you sell them later.”

Li Axiang listened to Xu Yin’s explanation and nodded. When she compared the prices, she realised just how cheaply she had been selling the red mushrooms before. Those shady middlemen always claimed that they weren’t making any money from their sales and that they also needed to pay a lot of expenses related to shipping. If they were truly not making any money, then why would they keep returning so eagerly to their village year after year?

She and the other villages had been so stupid. They didn’t catch the tricks of those middlemen before this. 

“Thank you, Xu Yin. If it weren’t for you, we would still be in the dark,” Li Axiang said with an appreciative tone.

“No wonder, then! They’d come to collect the goods this year and I’d told them that I wanted to keep mine so I could use them as gifts. They kept trying to convince me and even offered to give me a slightly better price, as long as I didn’t tell anyone else… How infuriating! Next time I see them, I’ll expose their true faces! “They’re so despicable! They’ve taken advantage of us for so many years!” Li Axiang vented her frustration.

Xu Yin patted her hand to comfort her. She said, “Auntie, next time, why don’t you and your uncle sell your goods directly, without going through them? This is actually quite simple. Have a few people come together to gather the mountain produce that the villagers have lying around before those middlemen come to collect them. Then, take them to the city and sell them. While it might not be easy to make the trip, it’s more profitable than having them collect it. You put in more effort, and in return, you get a bit more. The villagers won’t object.”

As Li Axiang listened to what Xu Yin was saying, her eyes brightened. “That’s right! If we only sell our own goods, we won’t make much profit, but if we gather everyone’s goods, we can make more. I’ll discuss this with your uncle right away. I’ll have him talk to the village chief. Yinyin, if this works out, you’ll be the hero of our village! I’ll make you dried rabbit meat to celebrate it then.”

Xu Yin waved her hand, smiling. 

She had only suggested an idea; whether it would be successful depended on the people who’d carry out this idea.

Luckily, the people of Da’ao Village were poor, but not lazy. Their poverty was primarily due to a lack of arable land and inconvenient transportation. They couldn’t get rich quickly, but they also wouldn’t go hungry thanks to the mountains. 

Xu Yin’s idea had created ripples, like a stone dropped into a calm lake.

The village officials found it feasible. Since the village had little arable land, and the autumn harvest wasn’t too busy for them. They decided to send one person from every four or five families to gather the mountain produce and take it to the city. With the address Xu Yin had provided for the dried goods market, they wouldn’t need to wander around aimlessly carrying heavy loads.

This way, they could leave the mountain early in the morning, stay in a small hotel in the county, and sell the goods at the market the next day before returning.

“My niece said that matsutake mushrooms, bamboo fungi, and red mushrooms are worth more than regular mushrooms. They should be set aside. For other items, if you don’t want to sell them cheaply, it’s best to sort them by type. For example, gather the wood ear mushrooms together. In major markets, prices are determined by type. Also, when drying the dried vegetables, touch them up a bit by removing any old or withered parts. In short, making them look better will fetch a higher purchase price.”

“Did everyone hear what Jinxiong said?” the village  chief shouted from a large rock.

“We heard!” replied the villagers in unison.

“Alright, then do as he said! From now on, our mountain goods will not be sold to those middlemen!”

“We’re not selling to them anymore!”

“We’ve sold cheap to them in the past!”

The village chief was about to dismiss the meeting when Geng Jinxiong, Xu Yin’s uncle, suddenly recalled his niece’s suggestion and added, “Most of this year’s mountain produce has already been collected, but it’s still early before the heavy snow seals off the mountain. Everyone can completely sun-dry another batch. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Let’s consider it as a trial before the New Year. I’ve heard that people in the city go crazy shopping for New Year’s goods before the holiday. Who knows, we might fetch a good price!”

Upon hearing this, the villagers became very enthusiastic. They set off in groups to gather mushrooms, dig winter bamboo shoots, and more. 

Occasionally, they caught mountain chickens and wild rabbits. They prepared to smoke the chickens and air-dry the rabbits for sale at the market. 

If they couldn’t sell them, they could bring them back for their family to enjoy during the New Year. After all, they had picked two baskets full, and a little extra wouldn’t matter.

Xu Yin didn’t expect that her casual suggestion would lead Da’ao Village into the 1990s in advance, when mountain farmers carried their goods out of the mountains and enriched themselves by selling mountain produce.

During this time, she felt somewhat uneasy because her sister-in-law’s due date was approaching. 

Although she had mentally prepared herself to face the worst-case scenario with the most proactive approach, she was still worried that the plot might be too powerful to be overturned at this critical juncture.

“Yinyin, why have you been so absent-minded lately? It’s one thing to do it after class, but even in class, you’re zoning out. The teacher has even called your name. This isn’t like you. Is something going on at home?” 

Tong Guihua noticed her unusual behaviour and couldn’t help asking one day after class.

Xu Yin propped her cheek with one hand and absentmindedly flipped through the pages of her textbook with the other.

“My sister-in-law is about to give birth, my brother is still in the army, and my parents… Well, I’m feeling anxious, that’s all.”

“Hey, what’s the big deal?” Tong Guihua replied. “Why don’t you just go back this weekend and bring your sister-in-law to the city? My mom has connections at the hospital. We can arrange for her to stay in a private room. What could be better than having professional doctors and nurses take care of her?”

Xu Yin had thought about doing this too. However, she was afraid that her parents wouldn’t agree with this suggestion. Even convincing her mother to let her sister-in-law stay in the hospital for three days had taken some serious persuasion.

“Just say that you want her to have an early prenatal checkup. Many expectant mothers these days go to the hospital early for ultrasounds and stuff.”

Of course, those people did so to know the sex of their babies and see if they were having a son.

Xu Yin’s eyes lit up. “You’re right! Why didn’t I think of bringing my sister-in-law to the hospital for a prenatal checkup? Thanks a lot, Guihua!”

After finishing her morning classes, Xu Yin packed up her bag, hopped on her bicycle, and hurried home. She told her sister-in-law to get ready and go to the hospital for a prenatal checkup.

Lately, Xu Yin’s sister-in-law had been feeling anxious, so upon hearing the suggestion, she didn’t hesitate and immediately started preparing to leave.

Mother Xu, however, wore a displeased expression. 

Her daughter ran over and massaged her shoulders, saying, “Mom, don’t worry. You can relax at home. I’ve got everything covered. When my sister-in-law gives birth, I’ll come and inform you, and you can go to the hospital then. It won’t be too late. I’ve got to ask you and Dad to look after our home. Thank you, Mom!”

Mother Xu was touched but maintained her stern expression. She didn’t want to make her daughter feel too proud. 

Her daughter had been getting more and more assertive lately, and if she gave her too much face, she’d become even more headstrong.

The two sisters-in-law arrived at the hospital. Xu Yin paid the fee for the prenatal checkup, which was according to the expectant mother’s examination standard fee, and accompanied her upstairs for the examination. 

If they hadn’t come, she would have deeply regretted it.