Chapter 39: The Giant Mushroom Escapes

Bai Xi's round eyes spun mischievously; she said nothing, only smiled slyly. For a long moment, she simply watched as Little Black finished eating without any sign of discomfort. Only then, satisfied, did Bai Xi happily pick up her chopsticks and begin her meal. Though it was unlikely that Chen Weiguo would dare tamper with the food, one could never be too cautious.

As Bai Xi ate, taking a bite and glancing at Little Black each time, her companion found her behavior odd, but could not fathom the reason behind it.

That night, Bai Xi was awakened by the sound of rain. Drowsily sitting up, she could still faintly smell the beef from dinner—she’d had corn porridge with canned beef. The porridge was made from coarsely ground corn, and despite a long simmer, it still scratched her throat. Thankfully, the canned beef made the meal more bearable.

“Wasn’t there talk of a drought before? Why does it feel like it’s been raining a lot lately?” Bai Xi muttered to herself, paying no mind to Little Black, who roused at the foot of her bed upon hearing her stir. She rolled over, pulled the blanket up again, and drifted back to sleep.

The rain drizzled on until noon. After lunch, Bai Xi absentmindedly stroked the fur atop Little Black’s head, her face clouded with displeasure as she stared at the relentless rain outside. Sensing her unhappiness, Little Black thought for a moment, then trotted over to the door and brought back an umbrella in its mouth.

Bai Xi’s eyes lit up instantly as she saw it, and she gave Little Black an approving ruffle: “Not bad. You’re learning.”

And so, while the people of Niuluo Village all stayed home from work on this rainy day, none were aware that their young aunt was venturing out with an oil-paper umbrella, Little Black following close behind, both making their way step by step through the puddles toward the creek.

The large oil-paper umbrella was heavy for Bai Xi, so she could only rest it on her shoulder, grumbling again about being only five years old and finding everything so difficult. The umbrella was decorated with a plump, life-like mushroom. From afar in the rain, it looked as though a giant mushroom was gliding slowly along.

Chen Yi and his family were staying at his great-uncle’s house. On his way to the outhouse, Chen Yi happened to glance outside and saw what looked like a massive mushroom passing by in the distance. He was stunned.

How could there be such a huge mushroom? And it moved! Was it a ghost?

The giant mushroom quickly disappeared from view. Snapping out of his daze, Chen Yi rushed into the main room. Inside, Chen Weiguo and his wife were chatting with their cousin about matters outside, but looked up when their son burst in, drenched from the rain.

Fang Ya frowned at once: “Xiao Yi, didn’t I just give you an umbrella? Where did you lose it?”

After all, though they were relatives, they hadn’t been living together long. Life in the countryside was tight, and most families still used straw rain capes. There was only one umbrella in the house, and if her son lost it, that would be quite embarrassing.

“Umbrella? Oh, it’s outside the outhouse,” Chen Yi replied, then hurried on, “Never mind the umbrella, Mom, I just saw a giant mushroom—really huge—and it moved!”

As he spoke, he gestured wildly with his hands.

The man who had been talking with Chen Weiguo perked up at once, eyes shining. “You saw a mushroom? Where?”

Rainy days were best for mushrooms; pick a few, cook them up with wild greens, and even without a drop of oil, the dish would be delicious. Their young aunt particularly loved mushrooms.

“It’s gone now. The big mushroom left,” Chen Yi said, still stunned. It was his first time in the countryside, first time seeing such a massive, moving mushroom—he was brave not to have fainted.

“What?” Not only Old Chen, but even Chen Weiguo thought their son was spouting nonsense.

Fang Ya, seeing her husband’s face darken, quickly pulled Chen Yi aside and scolded, “What nonsense is this? Since when do mushrooms walk around?”

“It’s true!” Chen Yi shouted stubbornly. “I saw it with my own eyes!”

“How dare you lie!” Chen Weiguo’s face flushed with anger—he’d just been praising his son’s courage and wit, and now the boy was making a fool of him. Furious, he strode over, grabbed Chen Yi, and smacked him on the bottom.

“I’ll teach you to lie! Making up stories at your age…”

“Dad, why are you hitting me? I’m not lying, there really was a big mushroom walking, a really big one!” Chen Yi’s eyes filled with tears from the sting, but he refused to back down.

“You’re still at it!” Chen Weiguo’s anger only grew, and his smacks grew heavier.

Soon, the Chen household was filled with the sounds of scolding, pleading, and mediation—a cacophony of voices. Though Old Chen tried to intervene, he was secretly thinking that while his cousin’s son was clever, his cleverness wasn’t put to good use. Mushrooms that walk? Why not say they fly? A good spanking would set him straight.

Chen Yi, smarting and aggrieved, cried so loudly that even the rain couldn’t drown out his wails.

Meanwhile, Bai Xi stood atop a large rock by the creek, while Little Black had already leapt into the water. Hearing a child’s distant cries, Bai Xi couldn’t help twitching her lips. Was someone so bored on a rainy day that they’d resort to beating their kids for fun?

Tigers are born swimmers, and Little Black, being a spirit beast, was even more adept. Even as a cub, it had no trouble fishing in the creek. Determined to prove itself useful, not just a glutton, Little Black put its full strength into the task. The fish in the creek were agile, but Little Black’s paws were quicker. At first it took a few tries to catch one, but soon it was snatching them up with a swipe or two, flipping them belly-up to the surface.

Each time it caught a fish, Little Black tossed it onto the bank before diving back for more. One, two, three…

There were more fish in the village pond, but those were reserved for the year-end feast, and even though Bai Xi was the family’s young aunt, she couldn’t bring herself to let Little Black raid the pond. Even if she did, no one would complain, but still.

Fortunately, the creek, though not abundant, had enough fish, and Little Black was diligent. In just over half an hour, it had caught more than twenty, and that was with Bai Xi telling it to let the smaller ones go.

“Not bad,” Bai Xi praised, and Little Black instantly forgot the effort it had just put in.

Disliking the fishy smell, Bai Xi used a stick to pick up the fish and drop them into a net bag, then let Little Black carry it.

When they headed home, Little Black carried the net in its mouth, proud of its hard-won prize. Though it was drenched, it held its head high, swaggering back in triumph, only lacking a wagging tail to complete the display.

The rain had grown heavier, and Bai Xi, annoyed, trudged through the water, her pale feet sinking and rising unevenly. She grumbled, “When will you be big enough to carry me?”

Good thing she’d left her shoes at home before going out—if she’d worn them, the cotton would be ruined in this downpour.