Thus, Wang Shuai also pulled out his military knife and crouched down.
However, the first thing Wang Shuai did after crouching was actually pluck a mushroom cap and pop it directly into his mouth.
Mu Xueli, who was in the middle of cutting mushrooms, looked up and saw this. Her eyes widened instantly as she exclaimed
"Wait, Brother Wang, are you... eating it raw?"
Hearing Mu Xueli's words, Wang An and Wang Li also turned their gaze toward Wang Shuai, both stunned by his actions at almost the same time.
Then, the three of them burst into laughter simultaneously.
Because Wang Shuai had just spat the mushroom back out.
As for winter mushrooms, eating them raw wasn't actually a problem, and the taste was quite fresh.
However, all mushrooms in the mountains shared one common trait: they were "gritty," meaning they had soil on them.
If you didn't wash them clean, you wouldn't dare let your teeth meet while eating; that feeling was truly unpleasant.
In fact, no matter how delicious something was, if it was gritty, no one could taste the goodness.
Although Wang Shuai spat out the winter mushroom, he said with great approval
"Mm, these mushrooms are good. The taste is really nice."
Seeing this, Wang An and the others laughed even louder.
Wang Li said with a laugh
"Brother Wang, what's the rush? It'll still be time to eat them after we go back and wash them clean."
Hearing this, Wang Shuai bragged with a very serious expression
"That's where you're wrong. For many things, only this most primitive way of eating allows you to taste their truest flavor."
Unfortunately, just as Wang Shuai finished speaking, his stomach cooperated perfectly by letting out a "gurgle gurgle" sound.
It was a series of several continuous sounds.
In the quiet forest, this long "gurgle gurgle" sounded incredibly clear.
The four of them fell into a collective silence first, looking at each other, and then Wang An and the others burst into laughter once again.
Wang Shuai rubbed his stomach and laughed, somewhat awkwardly
"My stomach seems to be hungry."
By the time the four of them finished chatting and bragging while harvesting the entire patch of winter mushrooms, the sky had completely darkened.
Wang An looked around and said
"Alright, it's almost dark. Let's head back. Stewing some 'Silly Half-Jin' with winter mushrooms and having a bit of liquor would be quite satisfying."
As soon as Wang An finished, Mu Xueli immediately chimed in
"Just hearing you say that makes me drool."
Wang An glanced sideways at Mu Xueli and teased
"What? This 'Silly Half-Jin' is finally to your taste? You're not thinking about that Flying Dragon Soup anymore?"
Mu Xueli gave a few "hehehe" dry laughs before saying bashfully
"Why think about Flying Dragon Soup when there's something to eat? By the way, Brother-in-law, let's go back via the front way. I feel like we might run into something there."
Actually, Wang An thought the same. They'd take whatever they encountered; if they took the path they came from, there would definitely be nothing left.
So Wang An gave Mu Xueli a pat and laughed
"Fine, you're the leader this time. We'll all follow your lead."
Mu Xueli smiled upon hearing this but didn't say anything.
Then, the four people and three dogs continued strolling forward.
Just as they reached the end of the mountain hollow and had to climb a ridge, Da Hei let out a few grunts and bolted forward again.
Er Hei and San Hei were like Da Hei's shadows, essentially achieving a state of being inseparable.
Whenever Da Hei ran, Er Hei and San Hei would immediately chase after him.
This time, Wang An still didn't chase after the dogs.
However, he did quicken his pace; after all, the sky was about to go completely dark, and it would be troublesome if they couldn't see anything in a moment.
A few minutes later, before the four of them could catch up to the dogs, the three dogs returned on their own.
Moreover, as they returned, each dog was carrying two 'Silly Half-Jin' in its mouth.
Wang An was genuinely happy to see this. This wasn't the first time these three dogs had hunted on their own.
Back when Wang An and Mu Xueli took them into the mountains to hunt a big bear, each of them had returned carrying a wild pheasant; it was the same this time.
Wang An stepped forward a couple of paces, intending to take the 'Silly Half-Jin' from the dogs' mouths.
But Da Hei actually dodged him, letting out a few grunts from his mouth.
This left Wang An bewildered. He blinked and asked Da Hei with a smile
"What? You want to eat it?"
Upon hearing Wang An's words, Da Hei actually nodded like a human, while simultaneously making a sound similar to a human saying "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm."
Wang An was instantly amused and couldn't help but laugh and scold
"Look at you, so spineless. Which meal have you ever missed out on meat canned food?"
It was fine not to mention "meat canned food," but once those words were spoken, the three dogs stopped holding the 'Silly Half-Jin.'
They dropped the 'Silly Half-Jin' directly onto the ground and almost simultaneously began barking at Wang An, shaking their heads and wagging their tails as they barked.
Wang An looked at the three dogs blankly and guessed
"What? That canned meat doesn't taste good?"
Da Hei stopped barking and nodded again like a human.
Immediately after, Da Hei picked up the two 'Silly Half-Jin' again. Seeing Da Hei's action, Er Hei and San Hei also picked up their 'Silly Half-Jin.'
Wang An looked at the three dogs, his mind falling into deep thought.
Could that canned meat really be that bad? So bad that even dogs didn't want to eat it?
This was truly freaking bizarre!
Regardless, Wang An said
"Alright, I get what you mean. Hurry up and bring them over. I'll give them to you after we pluck the feathers back home."
Hearing this, Da Hei trotted over happily and placed the two 'Silly Half-Jin' in front of Wang An.
Er Hei and San Hei followed Da Hei's example, similarly delivering the 'Silly Half-Jin' in their mouths to Wang An.
After putting the six 'Silly Half-Jin' into the sack, Wang An asked Da Hei
"Why are there only six of these? Are there any more?"
Da Hei looked at Wang An, turned around, and ran. After a few steps, he looked back and barked a few times at Wang An.
Seeing Da Hei's action, Wang An called out to the other three
"Guys, let's go. There's more work ahead."
After speaking, Wang An shouldered the sack and followed Da Hei forward.
This scene completely shocked Wang Shuai, who was beside them.
After the three of them quickened their pace to catch up with Wang An, Wang Shuai said in great surprise
"Holy crap, this is seriously impressive. Your dogs can actually understand human speech?"
Mu Xueli, standing to the side, agreed
"Of course. But among these ten dogs, only Da Hei can understand human speech."
Hearing this, Wang Shuai murmured
"I thought military dogs and police dogs were smart enough, but I didn't expect that once mountain dogs are trained, they're even more outstanding."
Wang An said with a smile
"You've got that wrong. I bought Da Hei; I don't know how to train dogs."
Wang Shuai was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but immediately asked with great interest
"Quick, tell me, what's Da Hei's origin story?"
When it came to storytelling, Mu Xueli was the most skilled, so Wang An gave her a smiling signal.
It meant: *It's your turn to perform.*
It was clear that compared to hunting, skinning, and butchering, Mu Xueli preferred storytelling.
(End of Chapter)