I Awakened to a Farming TALENT

## Chapter 7: Time to Go Foraging for Wild Greens

## Chapter 7: Time to Go Foraging for Wild Greens

The farmhouse restaurant was just about ready. Figuring there would be plenty of tourists during the May Day holiday (Labor Day weekend), Jiang Tingyun decided to start a soft opening on May 1st.

The vegetables in the yard hadn’t been growing for long. Right now, only the *qingcai* were ready. That definitely wouldn’t be enough, so she planned to check the mountain behind for wild edibles. Spring was the best season for wild vegetables—they’d make a rare treat on the menu.

She figured she hadn’t done any advertising or promotions, so there probably wouldn’t be many customers. Buying some meat and produce from the market that morning would probably be enough.

Uncle Liu saw her getting ready to head up the hill and reminded her, “Be careful up there. That kid Pei is always holed up on the back hill. His hearing’s really sharp. If anything happens, just yell for him.”

Jiang Tingyun nodded, grabbed a backpack basket and a sickle, and headed up.

There wasn’t really a proper path. But after enough people walked it, the plants on both sides had been pushed aside, forming a dirt trail.

The local hills weren’t tall, but climbing was still tiring. However, after awakening her talent, Jiang Tingyun’s fitness had improved a lot. She walked with a light, springy step. The air was fresh, and all kinds of plants surrounded her. With just a glance at any plant, information would pop into her mind.

*[Bracken: young shoots edible, delicious flavor]*

*Amazing! This is like an appraisal skill!*

Without hesitation, she bent down and snapped off about a dozen tender bracken shoots, then moved on, satisfied.

Not far ahead, she spotted a few strange little trees covered in thorns, with buds and leaves only at the very top.

*[Chinese toon buds: top buds edible, unique flavor, nourishes kidneys and strengthens essence. Too old! Not recommended for picking.]*

“Oh! Too late.” Jiang Tingyun sighed with regret. She circled around but saw that the top buds were indeed all thick and tough, no longer tender.

She kept going and soon found a large patch of shepherd’s purse.

She recognized shepherd’s purse from before. She remembered when her mother was still alive, she used to make shepherd’s purse and pork wontons for her. The aroma was unlike anything else.

In no time, she’d picked half a basket. *Can’t pick any more—won’t have room for other things.* She felt both frustrated and satisfied, wishing she could magically grow a few more plastic bags.

Along the way, she also encountered locust flowers, wild celery, wild garlic, wild scallions, and Indian aster. By the time she reached the top of the hill, her basket was packed so full she’d had to press it down multiple times. She rested a bit, didn’t linger, and headed back down quickly.

*[Chinese toon buds: top buds edible, unique flavor, whets the appetite.]*

Jiang Tingyun froze. She hadn’t expected to run into Chinese toon buds on the way down. It was her favorite wild vegetable in spring. At the supermarket, it could cost dozens of yuan per half-kilogram.

“Jackpot! This is so much!” She rushed over excitedly. The top buds were plump and tender. When she pinched them off, that unique, fresh fragrance hit her nose.

She didn’t care whether the basket could hold any more. She simply took off her jacket and used it to carry a large bundle.

By the time she got back to the small building, she had the basket on her back, her jacket bundled in her arms, and her hands full. Uncle Liu teased her, saying she looked like she’d been stocking up supplies.

---

Soon, May 1st arrived.

Because the Fenghuang Mountain Scenic Area offered free admission, it was packed with holiday crowds looking to get some fresh air.

Yu Yue was an art student. Even on break, she didn’t dare slack off too much. She and her studio classmates had come to Fenghuang Mountain to paint on location.

Early that morning, the group of eight set up their easels by the lake. Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was past 10 a.m.

Yu Yue suggested, “Why don’t we take a break and go to a farmhouse restaurant outside the scenic area for lunch? It’s rare we get to travel.”

One of the guys, Qi Cong, immediately frowned and refused. “What’s so good about farmhouse food? Sounds rustic and unappetizing. There’s a hotel in the scenic area. Why not go there?”

Qi Cong had poor social skills and no tact. His family was wealthy, so he always acted superior, complaining about everything. Yu Yue couldn’t stand him.

“You go to the hotel by yourself, Mr. Qi. The rest of us want farmhouse food.”

The others ignored him, packed up their things, and headed out of the scenic area. Qi Cong sulked for a while but eventually followed.

By then, it was peak lunchtime. Everywhere was packed with people. The usual farmhouse restaurants all had waiting lists.

Yu Yue was getting anxious. “Wait here. I’ll run a bit farther to look. There are too many people around here. Maybe farther out will be emptier.”

She picked a direction at random and ran a hundred meters or so. Sure enough, she spotted a sign in the distance—some restaurant, it looked like. She hadn’t seen it before. It was probably new, so maybe it had room.

Yu Yue’s heart leaped with joy. She quickly led the studio group toward Qionghua Restaurant.

---

Meanwhile, Jiang Tingyun was sitting at the front desk, worrying. *Why hasn’t anyone come yet?*

It was opening day. She’d specially assigned tasks to the disciples that morning. Zhu Lili was in charge of taking orders, Jin Feifan was running food. She didn’t dare order Pei Jingmo around—she just told him to sit at the register and collect money.

(She’d asked him if he could do basic arithmetic and got a fierce glare in return.)

Now it was almost lunchtime, and not a single customer had shown up.

Zhu Lili sighed. “Sect Master, I told you—you need to advertise. At least set off some firecrackers or put up grand opening flower baskets by the door. Otherwise, how would anyone know you’re open?”

Jiang Tingyun turned to her. “I thought quality would speak for itself.”

“Sect Master, I support you no matter what. By the way, I’ve been working on a food-running robot. The prototype should be ready soon.” Jin Feifan gave her a fawning, sycophantic grin.

Jiang Tingyun was horrified. “Thanks, but stop your research.” She didn’t want to pay medical bills for customers before she’d even made any money.

Pei Jingmo sat quietly at the register, reading a book.

Jiang Tingyun’s eyesight was excellent now. She immediately saw the title on the cover: *The Return of the Condor Heroes*. She was surprised.

“Pei, I thought you only cared about sword practice. I didn’t know you read novels.”

Without even lifting his gaze, Pei Jingmo replied, “Yang Guo also uses a heavy sword. I’m looking for inspiration.”

“………”

*Terrifying. This sorry state of cultivation… no techniques, no sword manuals. Look what it’s driven the kid to.*

They were just killing time with idle chatter when suddenly footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate. Jiang Tingyun jumped up excitedly. *Guys, we’ve got customers!*