novellhall Chapter 102 The First Batch of Mushrooms Grew
Chapter 102 The First Batch of Mushrooms Grew
Wenrou didn't want Huo Yanchuan to have his relationship with his family affected because of her, so she said, "It's okay, I can stay in the smaller room."
All she wants to do now is harvest these batches of mushrooms, and once she has the money from selling them, she will leave this place.
"You don't need to worry about it. With me here, no one will dare to touch your room," Huo Yanchuan said, looking at Wenrou with a headache.
Wenrou used to have the highest standards for where she lived, but now that she doesn't care about those things anymore, it shows even more that she doesn't care.
I don't care about him anymore, nor about anything here.
Thinking about this, Huo Yanchuan became even more panicked.
"I'll say it again, if you don't want to stay here anymore, get out. Nobody here will put up with you." Huo Yanchuan ignored Huo Tingting's tears, his tone cold and ruthless.
This made Huo Tingting hate Wenrou even more.
She looked at the old man, originally hoping he would speak up for her.
Unexpectedly, the old man also spoke in favor of gentleness.
"Tingting, if you don't want to stay here, I'll have someone send you back right now."
Huo Tingting ultimately had no choice but to agree to live in the storage room.
If she goes back, she'll have even less of a chance.
Wenrou stopped paying attention to Huo Tingting. Since she was living here with the old man, she had to take care of her and his three meals a day and look after him.
After taking care of things at home, Huo Yanchuan went back to training.
That night, he stayed in the military dormitory and did not return.
Seeing his grandson and granddaughter-in-law sleeping separately, the old man couldn't help but sigh for Huo Yanchuan in his heart.
He knows his own son well; in the past, he would hardly even glance at female comrades, let alone show them any concern.
Seeing his unwavering preference for gentleness regardless of the situation, I know he's truly fallen for her this time.
It was just getting dark, and the old man was still awake. When Wenrou came out, she saw that the old man was still sitting in his chair.
She couldn't sleep either. Usually, she would watch TV to pass the time, but when she saw that the old man was still awake, she came over.
"Little girl, come and sit here." The old man beckoned to Wenrou.
Seeing this, Wenrou sat down in the chair next to him.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Wenrou asked the old man.
The old man smiled at her. "I'm getting old, and I need less sleep. If you're not going to sleep now, keep this old man company and talk to him."
She nodded gently; after all, the other party was an elder, and she couldn't very well refuse.
"The moment I saw you, I knew you were a good kid and a perfect match for my grandson, Xiaochuan," the old man praised.
Wenrou remained silent after hearing this, listening as the old man continued, "From a young age, Xiaochuan was extremely strict with himself. Taking the military academy entrance exam was his own decision. His family showed him very little concern, which led to him becoming increasingly cold and indifferent..."
The old man told Wenrou a lot about Huo Yanchuan, especially about his childhood.
This was the first time Wenrou had heard this, and she hadn't expected him to be so distant from his family.
Huo Yanchuan rarely talked to her about his own affairs, and Wenrou rarely asked about them either.
"My grandson is clumsy with words, doesn't know how to coax people, and has never been in a relationship. You are the only woman he cares about. You two have been through so much together, and I believe you must have your own judgment. You are carrying the child of the Huo family. For both emotional and rational reasons, I do not want you to get a divorce. I hope you can think it over carefully."
The old man was also extremely worried about Huo Yanchuan's situation.
For him, as an elder, to say these things to Wenrou, it can be considered that he has put aside his pride.
"I...I'll think about it carefully." Seeing that the old man had already said that, Wenrou didn't want to bring up the divorce again in front of him.
"Grandpa doesn't have much to give you as a gift, but this is something my wife left behind. She said I should give it to my future granddaughter-in-law. Please accept this."
At this moment, the old man took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and slowly opened it to reveal a pair of jade bracelets inside.
These were left behind by Huo Yanchuan's grandmother when she passed away. Now, the old man is giving this pair of jade bracelets to Wenrou, which can be seen as acknowledging her status as Huo's granddaughter-in-law.
"This...this is not appropriate for me, I can't accept it." Wenrou looked at the valuable item in the old man's hand and hurriedly pushed it back.
"If you don't accept it, I won't be able to explain it to my wife. Do you want to see an old man like me unable to rest easy?" the old man said, a hint of sadness on his face.
The old man, who was always so dignified in front of outsiders, looked like a heartbroken old man in front of Wenrou.
Wenrou stared wide-eyed at the old man, truly at a loss for what to do.
"I...I'll take it, please don't be sad." In the end, she really had no choice but to accept the bracelet.
Seeing that Wenrou had accepted it, the old man was finally relieved.
Although Wenrou accepted the jade bracelet, the old man was still somewhat uneasy.
After all, his grandson and granddaughter-in-law sleep separately, so of course he has to think of a way to prevent his granddaughter-in-law from running away.
The next morning, she woke up early and was gentle.
After dinner, she was about to go to the village to find someone to help harvest mushrooms when she heard Huo Tingting shouting from the old man's house.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?"
Wenrou heard the sound and hurriedly went over to check the situation.
As soon as she reached the door, she heard the old man's weak voice: "It's nothing, just an old ailment, don't make a fuss."
"What's wrong with the old man?" Wenrou asked with concern when she saw that the old man, who was fine yesterday, had become so weak.
Huo Tingting looked at Wenrou by the door, finally finding an opportunity to target her. She confronted Wenrou, demanding, "What did you do to Grandpa? He was perfectly fine yesterday."
Wenrou looked completely bewildered. What could she possibly do?
Also, is there something wrong with Huo Tingting's brain? She only met the old man for the first time yesterday, and she has no grudge against him. Why would she want to harm him?
"Take care of the old man first, I'll go find a doctor." Wenrou ignored her, said this, and turned to walk outside.
"Come back here, Wenrou! If anything happens to Grandpa, I will never let you get away with this!" Huo Tingting shouted loudly at Wenrou's retreating figure.
Wenrou had just reached the entrance of the family compound when she ran into Huo Yanchuan, who had just returned from training.
Seeing Wenrou's flustered expression, he immediately asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"Your grandfather is sick, I'm going to find him a doctor." Wenrou said anxiously, grabbing Huo Yanchuan's arm as he returned.
"Sick?" Huo Yanchuan was taken aback.
The old man is usually in good health, except for some old ailments he had before. Could it be that his old ailments have flared up again?
"No need, Grandpa's old ailment is probably acting up again. He has his medicine with him, he'll be fine after taking it." Huo Yanchuan reached out and grabbed Wenrou.
Wenrou was unaware of the old man's health problems, so she had no choice but to listen to Huo Yanchuan and go home with him.
As soon as they reached the door, Huo Tingting's dissatisfied and complaining voices came from inside the house.
"Grandpa, you're in this state, why are you still speaking up for her? Who knows if she did something to you that caused your sudden illness?"
Upon hearing Huo Tingting's voice, Huo Yanchuan's face immediately darkened.
He walked in gently and saw the old man leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, resting.
"You need to provide evidence when you speak here, otherwise it's slander," Huo Yanchuan said sternly to Huo Tingting.
"Brother, you're back." Huo Tingting was excited to see Huo Yanchuan return, but her face immediately darkened when she saw Wenrou behind him.
Seeing the old man's appearance, Huo Yanchuan knew what was going on.
He took a bottle of medicine from a drawer, poured two pills into his palm, and then brought over a glass of water, handing it to the old man.
After taking the medicine, the old man's complexion improved significantly.
"Grandpa's old problem has relapsed. What does it have to do with Wenrou?" Huo Yanchuan glanced at Huo Tingting, his eyes filled with undisguised warning.
Wenrou was relieved to see that the old man was much better.
However, given the old man's condition, she was worried about Huo Yanchuan still living in the military base.
After leaving the room, Wenrou considered it carefully and said to him, "Why don't you move back in for a while?"
After all, the old man and Huo Tingting were his family. With him around, she could feel more at ease.
"Can I move back now?" Huo Yanchuan asked with a hint of joy upon hearing the gentle words.
Looking at the excited expression on his face, Wenrou immediately felt a pang of regret.
"Don't overthink it. It's just that you're moving back temporarily. The bed is still mine, so you can sleep on the floor," Wenrou quickly added.
"Okay, whatever you say." Huo Yanchuan naturally had no objections.
If gentleness can get him to move back, it means he still has a chance.
"The mushrooms in the field need to be picked. I'll go to the next village to find someone to help." Wenrou was still thinking about the work in the field, so she told Huo Yanchuan and prepared to go out.
Huo Yanchuan reached out and grabbed her arm; he was really worried about her going out alone with her big belly.
"The guys on the team just finished training, and they don't have much to do this afternoon. I'll go ask them to help pick all the mushrooms, so you don't need to go."
Since it's my own brother, I might as well use him; I don't even need to pay him.
Seeing Huo Yanchuan say this, Wenrou had no choice but to agree.
In the afternoon, Wenrou and Huo Yanchuan went to the field and found that most of the mushrooms had been picked.
Previously, she was worried that the environment of the Gobi Desert would affect the growth of mushrooms, but now it seems that not only has it not affected them, but the mushrooms growing in such an environment have undergone natural selection and are becoming more and more plump and robust.
The button mushrooms she grows are especially exceptional in quality.
Wenrou couldn't wait to pick some, and at noon she used these mushrooms to make a stir-fry.
"What's that smell? It smells so good!" In the courtyard, someone smelled the aroma coming from Wenrou's house and asked curiously.
Even Sister-in-law Wang was drawn over and came over with a curious look on her face.
"Hey girl, are you cooking? What kind of meat are you stir-frying? It smells so good!"
Wenrou heard Wang's sister-in-law's voice and came over with a plate of freshly cooked mushrooms.
"It's not meat, I just stir-fried it, sister-in-law, please try it." Wenrou handed her the plate and a pair of chopsticks.
She had just taken a bite herself. The mushrooms had a rich and substantial texture, and with their own savory flavor, they were even more fragrant than meat when stir-fried.
Looking at the food that Wenrou brought over, Sister Wang curiously picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. She was immediately speechless at how delicious it was.
"What...what is this? It's even more delicious than meat!" Sister Wang's eyes widened as she ate.
She had never tasted anything so delicious before. It tasted like mushrooms, but it was thicker and firmer than wild mushrooms, and it was also juicier. It tasted even better than meat.
"These are the mushrooms I planted in my field, and the first batch has already sprouted." Wenrou shared this good news with Sister Wang.
When Wang's wife heard that Wenrou had actually grown mushrooms, she was also incredulous.
"Girl, you're really amazing."
She now admires Wenrou immensely; she's the first person to successfully grow mushrooms in the Gobi Desert.
"Take all of these back with you, and improve the children's diet." Wenrou took the remaining mushrooms and button mushrooms back with Wang's wife.
Seeing this, Sister-in-law Wang declined somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "How could I possibly accept this?"
These mushrooms could fetch a good price if sold.
In the end, she only took a little, leaving the rest for Wenrou.
With these mushroom stir-fries at noon, Wenrou didn't have to go to the military base for lunch.
Although Huo Tingting claimed to be taking care of the old man, she didn't know how to cook. She went to the army canteen at noon and hasn't returned yet.
Wenrou ignored her; the old man was resting in the house.
Besides stir-frying mushrooms, Wenrou also stir-fried two other dishes and steamed some rice. After she finished cooking, she knocked on the door.
The old man smelled the fragrance while he was inside the house. When he heard the sound, he opened the door with his cane.
Seeing that Wenrou had prepared the meal, the old man was even more pleased with her.
Especially after eating the gentle cooking, he even wanted to stay here forever.
"Little girl, are these mushrooms?" The old man also recognized the new dish that Wenrou had just cooked and asked with a surprised look.
Gentle nodded. "Yes, these are mushrooms that were just grown here."
"Growing mushrooms in the Gobi Desert?" Hearing the gentle words, the old man found it even more unbelievable.
It seems his granddaughter-in-law is quite capable, managing to come up with such a way to make money here.
In the afternoon, after all the mushrooms had been picked, Wenrou took some out and gave them to the army canteen to improve their meals.
After tasting the mushrooms from the Gentle Seedlings, everyone praised them highly.
As for the remaining mushrooms, she planned to have the army issue letters of introduction and go to state-run restaurants and county guesthouses to discuss cooperation, or ideally, supply and marketing cooperatives would accept them.