However, when they reached the area where Tianlvxiang grew, they were shocked to find that the entire patch had been ravaged beyond recognition!
A small section had been chopped off, and not a single tender shoot remained on the rest.
Many branches had been trampled and snapped, as if the area had been pillaged.
"Who did this!" Chiang Songhai was utterly heartbroken. Though the patch of Tianlvxiang was wild and anyone could pick it, they hadn’t thought to monopolize it; as long as the villagers were brave enough to climb the mountain, it was to each according to their ability, whatever they found was theirs.
But that was no reason to waste things !
"It seems someone has been to Bai Gu Mountain," said Xu Linjiang, frowning.
Chiang Xiao said in a cold voice, "Ever since they saw us catch a wild boar last time, there must have been people who envied us. They definitely watched the changes in our family with interest. At first, they didn’t dare to go up the mountain and were just observing. But after more than a month had passed and nothing happened to us, they felt reassured."
In fact, she already had suspicions about who it may be.
It definitely had something to do with Wan Niu and his people.
Because they had regularly been up the mountain, a more well-trodden path had been formed. Once those people went up, they could easily follow their footsteps. Since the Tianlvxiang had evidence of its shoots being picked, those people probably guessed they had picked and sold them, harboring resentment in their hearts and so decided to destroy them completely.
Previously, Wan Niu and his group had been detained in the militia for several days, and it was said they had been injured. They needed to recover for a few days, and then observe for a little longer. Considering the time, it was right about when they would start making moves again.
"Although it’s a pity, the weather is getting hotter and the tender shoots of Tianlvxiang are becoming rarer; they are growing older, and we probably won’t be able to sell them for much longer," he said.
This wasn’t something that could be harvested all year round, and besides, Tianlvxiang was not a main feature at Peace Restaurant now. As the menu became more diverse, fewer guests ordered Tianlvxiang, and the restaurant’s demand decreased.
"That’s it then, they might have also discovered the wood ear mushroom forest and the bracken," Ge Dejun said worriedly, slapping his thigh, "Let’s hurry up and check it out!"
If the wood ear mushrooms and bracken had also been discovered and ruined by others, it would indeed break their hearts.
Chiang Xiao was a bit worried, but seeing her granduncle and grandfather looking like the sky was falling, she quickly reassured them, "It doesn’t really matter, actually. This gives us a good opportunity to explore deeper into the mountains."
It was like looking for treasure. They couldn’t always rely on these two items to make money for a lifetime. Eventually, wood ear mushrooms and bracken would be cultivated on a large scale by others, and relying on this for a lifetime would only amount to small money.
"Little is right, Heaven doesn’t close all paths to man. Let’s look deeper into the mountains, who knows, we might find something else. Bai Gu Mountain is huge after all," Xu Linjiang also said.
Ge Dejun felt somewhat better hearing this, but the idea of venturing deeper into the mountain made Chiang Songhai unavoidably anxious.
At this moment, Wan Niu, Old Li, and Sun Laoliu were looking greedily at the forest in front of them.
On the tree at their feet, wood ear mushrooms were growing abundantly.
It had rained for a couple of days, and since Ge Dejun and his people had taken a few days off from gathering, the wood ear mushrooms in the forest had grown back quite delightfully.
"I told you Chiang Laoer and his bunch must have found a way to make money! Look, there you go! So many wood ear mushrooms, they could fetch a good sum of money!"