## Chapter 22: Picking Wild Fruit
1068 Words
In the evening, while the restaurant hadn’t yet gotten busy and all the disciples had run off somewhere, Jiang Tingyun snuck into the kitchen and took out the small stash of *ganba* mushrooms she’d secretly saved from lunch.
*Heh heh.* Even if there wasn’t enough to stir-fry a full plate, they’d still make a delicious *ganba* fried rice. Too bad the amount was so small—only enough for one portion. She’d have to forgive herself for eating it all alone.
Compared to other mushrooms, *ganba* didn’t need much oil. She stir-fried them with green peppers, then added leftover rice and tossed everything together. In no time, the rice grains were distinct and the aroma filled the air.
Finally, she sprinkled in some salt. Before even scooping it into a bowl, she grabbed a big spoonful and stuffed it into her mouth, letting out a satisfied sigh. “So good…”
“What are you eating?”
“Mmph!” Jiang Tingyun was so startled she bit down hard on the stainless steel spoon.
She turned around and saw her senior disciple, Pei Jingmo, staring straight at her—no, at her rice.
“………”
It wasn’t even mealtime yet. Why was her senior disciple already back?
She hesitated, then said, “I just made some *ganba* fried rice…”
Pei Jingmo kept staring straight at her—no, at her rice.
Jiang Tingyun felt a pang of reluctance, but then she remembered how he’d saved her life. Forcing herself to let go of her greed, she said, “Do you want some? I’ll give you a bit.”
“Here. Eat this.” Pei Jingmo handed her a leaf-wrapped bundle.
Then he unceremoniously grabbed a big bowl and scooped out two large spoonfuls from the wok. Since she’d only made a small amount, that left hardly anything at the bottom.
Before Jiang Tingyun could mourn her loss, she was drawn to the leaf bundle in her hand. She opened it and found several fig-like fruits inside, only slightly larger.
**【Cluster Fig Fruit (*Ficus auriculata*): Female fruit edible. Sweet and refreshing.]**
Jiang Tingyun gently picked one up. The fruit was purplish-red, fully ripe, with soft skin. She could smell its sweet fragrance.
She casually wiped it on her clothes, then broke the fruit in half. Inside, it looked very similar to a fig—packed with tiny red seeds and filled with a thick, jelly-like honey that was almost dripping out.
She quickly took a bite. The seeds were edible too. The overall flavor was very sweet, with a soft, sticky texture—even sweeter than regular figs, with a special fruity aroma.
“These are so sweet! Where did you get them?” Jiang Tingyun asked.
Pei Jingmo was busy eating and didn’t look up. “In the valley forest. There are a lot of them.”
Jiang Tingyun was overjoyed. She went up the mountain all the time and had never discovered such a delicious treat.
She squinted her eyes. *Such good fruit—I need to get more.*
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Early the next morning, Jiang Tingyun waited at the door.
When Pei Jingmo walked out with his sword on his back, she followed behind with her backpack basket.
“Little Pei, take me to pick the fruit,” she said directly.
If you wanted Pei Jingmo to do anything, you had to catch him on the spot. Otherwise, he’d disappear in a blink, and you’d never find him.
She’d long since learned how to handle him.
Pei Jingmo nodded helplessly.
After following him for a while, Jiang Tingyun realized why she’d never found these fruits on her previous trips up the mountain. They weren’t even on the same path.
She took the dirt trail up the mountain. Pei Jingmo forged his own path through the bushes. The terrain was very difficult. Without him leading, she would never have made it up.
After about half an hour of walking, they arrived at a low valley halfway up the mountain. The forest here was thick, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, making it look like a fairyland.
They walked a bit further, and Pei Jingmo stopped.
“Up ahead is all fruit. Go pick.”
With that, he gracefully leaped onto the branch of a broadleaf tree, pulled out his copy of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, laid it over his face, and started dozing off.
“………”
Jiang Tingyun ignored him and looked ahead. In front of her were the branches of cluster fig trees. The trunks were thick and sturdy—they must have been quite old.
To her amazement, the fruits she’d been craving grew right at the base of the trees, in dense clusters of red and green. There were astonishingly many of them.
*This is like a mouse falling into a rice jar!* Jiang Tingyun was overjoyed.
She set down her basket and picked only the purple-red, fully ripe female fruits—the ones with a syrupy core. Male fruits were dry and inedible.
Before long, she had filled her basket to the brim. Grinning, she pulled out several plastic sacks like a magician producing props.
By the time Pei Jingmo woke up and took the book off his face, he looked down and was speechless.
His sect master was still picking fruit.
Not only was her basket overflowing, but two plastic sacks on the ground were also stuffed full.
“Let’s leave the rest for the little animals,” Jiang Tingyun said, straightening her back with satisfaction. She pulled two cloth strips from her pocket and tied the sacks shut.
She looked up and saw that Pei Jingmo was awake. Cheerfully, she said, “Little Pei, you like sweet things, don’t you? When I get back, I’ll figure out how to make something delicious with these for you.”
Pei Jingmo leaped down, silently shouldered the basket, and picked up the two sacks. But he was incredibly strong—carrying them didn’t seem to tire him at all.
Jiang Tingyun’s eyes sparkled. She’d long noticed that her senior disciple was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He seemed aloof and unfriendly, but he was actually very reliable.
Seeing that Pei Jingmo could easily carry so much, Jiang Tingyun happily became a hands-off boss and cheerfully followed him back down the mountain.
- Writer
