novelraw Chapter 176: Mushrooms
Chapter 176: Mushrooms
Evelyn Ford decided against sleeping after all. She went back to the log cabin, grabbed two bamboo baskets, and tossed one to Ronan Kendrick.
"You’ve had way too much energy lately," Ronan Kendrick said faintly as he caught the basket.
Evelyn Ford chuckled. "Would you rather see me looking half-dead? Stop wasting time and help me dig for mushrooms. This is a delicacy."
Hearing the word "delicacy," Ronan Kendrick finally perked up.
"Should we tell everyone?"
"Sure, we can tell them tomorrow. Let’s just dig some for ourselves tonight." Evelyn’s heart bloomed with joy. ’It’s like tons of mushrooms are waving at me. As the great hero who discovered them, I deserve to dig up a few extra.’
Ronan Kendrick watched her excited back, a helpless smile on his face, and crouched down to dig with her.
The mushrooms growing in the sandy soil were different from those in the mountains. They looked like clumps of styrofoam, devoid of moisture and covered in sand. The ones with open caps were a bit old, but Evelyn Ford didn’t discard them, gathering every single one.
In the yard alone, the two of them filled two bamboo baskets. The more Evelyn Ford dug, the happier she became, until she was practically lying on the ground.
Mushrooms could be dried for preservation and eaten even after two or three years. They could also be rendered in oil to make a savory side dish.
A host of recipes had already popped into Evelyn Ford’s mind. ’Oh, and they can be used for soup, too.’
They dug from the yard to the path outside, through the grassy patches and into the woods. By the time dawn was approaching, every basket and crate in the house was full. Although Evelyn Ford didn’t want to go back yet, Ronan Kendrick forcibly dragged her home.
"They should be easy to clean. Ronan, for lunch, how about stir-fried mushrooms with sliced pork, chicken and mushroom soup, and stir-fried mushrooms with bamboo shoots?"
What else could he do? Conquered by the promise of a feast, Ronan Kendrick obediently went to wash the mushrooms.
These desert mushrooms were in no way inferior to the ones from the mountains; in fact, they were quite delicious. The soup they made was especially savory. By now, Ronan Kendrick was completely won over—by both Evelyn Ford and the food.
In the afternoon, Evelyn Ford stir-fried all the cleaned mushrooms with sliced pork. Once cooked, she placed them in a basin, sealed it with plastic wrap, and finally stored it in her dimensional space.
In the evening, Evelyn Ford slept for a few hours. She had Ronan Kendrick go tell Quincy and the others about the mushrooms. When darkness fell at ten, she went out again with her basket and a small hoe. Ronan could only follow, dutifully obeying her commands.
But there were many people out digging for mushrooms tonight. Serena Lynch came running up to Evelyn Ford with Annie, so excited she nearly knocked Evelyn over.
"Auntie Ford."
Evelyn Ford patted Annie’s round head. "Did you miss me, Annie?"
"I did."
"She’s been talking my ear off about you every day. Evelyn, you’re just incredible! You actually found mushrooms in the sand? Are they really edible?"
"Yes, they’re not poisonous. Ronan and I both ate some today. They’re delicious—you can stir-fry them, boil them, or deep-fry them."
Serena Lynch’s face was alight with excitement. "Then let’s get digging! We came over without even washing our bowls after Ronan told us. But he also said Taylor Vance and the others were told too, so more people will be here soon."
Evelyn Ford smiled. "It’s fine. Everyone was bound to find out sooner or later. Besides, you can dig on the outskirts, too. More mushrooms will grow back after you pick them. Come on, let’s get to work."
Even Annie had a small cloth bag, putting any mushrooms she found inside it.
There was a bit of moonlight tonight, so you could faintly see the mushrooms in the sand even without night-vision goggles. Evelyn Ford explained the technique for finding mushrooms to Serena Lynch just as Quincy and Wyatt Vaughn arrived.
"Evelyn, what do the mushrooms look like?"
Evelyn Ford took a clump of mushroom from her basket and handed it to him. It was covered in sand, with a hint of white barely visible.
"Why does it look so much like a puffball?"
"It’s not. This is a desert mushroom. The puffball you’re talking about explodes with brown powder when you step on it. This one, when you cut it open, looks like a king oyster mushroom."
Quincy picked it up and sniffed it. "It really does have a mushroomy scent."
The others gathered around. Evelyn Ford showed the mushroom to everyone and explained how to find and dig for them. Everyone was thrilled, grabbing sticks and small shovels, eager to start digging.
Evelyn Ford glanced around and saw that Taylor Vance, Zion Lowell, and Secretary Hawthorne had all arrived. It seemed everyone placed great importance on this rare appearance of food.
Evelyn Ford also crouched down to search carefully, and soon she found another one.
Ronan Kendrick was still the fastest. His eyes were completely unaffected by the darkness, and his sense of smell was so keen he didn’t even need to search carefully. His basket was full in no time. Amid the envious gazes of the others, he picked up another empty basket and continued digging.
Because there were so many people, everyone except Ronan Kendrick only managed to dig up five or six pounds. Still, that was a decent haul.
Once Evelyn Ford’s basket was full, she and Ronan Kendrick headed back. After several busy days, Evelyn was feeling a bit tired.
"Sometimes I feel like God wants to wipe everyone out," she said. "But then, at other times, just when everyone is in despair with nowhere to turn, He opens up a path to survival. Isn’t that strange?"
Officer Graham always used to say that there’s always a way out. ’I guess this is what he meant,’ Evelyn thought.
Just when the land was being buried by sandstorms, plants were withering, and animals were dying from the heat, edible mushrooms suddenly sprouted from the soil.
「 」
The residents began leaving the safe zone to dig for mushrooms outside. The days remained scorchingly hot, so they could only leave their homes to search for food during the few precious hours of darkness each night.
Every week, the bamboo water channels had to be cleared of the sand that had collected inside. Sometimes, the residents digging for mushrooms would get lucky and find small animals that had accidentally run into something and died.
Evelyn Ford went out several more times as well. When it came to food, one could never have too much.
For the residents of the safe zone, the nighttime was especially precious. Not a minute could be wasted. Everyone, from the elderly to the children, had to go out and dig for mushrooms.
Every little bit they could gather counted. Everyone had personally experienced the feeling of starvation.
Fortunately, the pond in the mountains still showed no signs of drying up. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick went to check on it once and found it was still full. However, when they arrived, a snake happened to be bathing in the water. Their sudden appearance gave it a major fright, and it reflexively tried to attack Evelyn. But Ronan grabbed it by its vital point, killing it in a single move.
Evelyn Ford stared at the snake, which was as thick as two fists, and wondered, ’Is it poisonous? Can we eat it?’
The trees and bamboo around the pond were thriving due to the abundant water. Evelyn Ford took a walk around the mountain. Although grass had grown, the sandstorms were too strong, so the vegetation barrier wasn’t very successful. Still, it was better than nothing.
On the way back, Evelyn Ford’s gaze was fixed on Ronan Kendrick’s hand, and the snake he was holding.
The snake’s scales were vibrant and mottled. She pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out what kind of snake it was.
With a bamboo basket and a small hoe in her hands, Evelyn Ford dug up any mushroom she saw. They had originally only come out to check on the mountain pond, but they were returning with a bountiful harvest.
Just as they reached the entrance to the safe zone, Evelyn Ford saw several figures under the moonlight, rummaging through the grass.
Seeing the mushrooms in Evelyn Ford’s basket, the group mustered their courage and left the safe zone to continue digging for mushrooms in the sandy soil outside.