Episode 7 recap: Zhang Feng Xia was deceived emotionally by Gao Xiao Liang.
On the north side of the riverbank, the slope of the mountain is covered with lush green grass. Li Wen Xiu often comes here for a nap, basking in the warm sunlight. She would wake up to find the setting sun. The terrain near the slope is gentle, and sometimes there are herds of sheep passing by, raising dust and filling the air with their bleating. Ba Tai, who herds the sheep, leisurely plays with his whip, guiding the horse to move back and forth behind the flock at a steady pace.
One day, Ba Tai noticed Li Wen Xiu and deliberately tied her shoelaces in a shepherd's knot while she was sound asleep. Li Wen Xiu immediately guessed it was Ba Tai's prank, but quickly forgave him. Ba Tai carried her on his horse to the birch forest and cut birch bark for her to use as writing paper.
Because of her father's interference, Ba Tai expressed his distress to Li Wen Xiu in a subtle way. He couldn't follow in Li Wen Xiu's footsteps to Beijing, nor could he guarantee that Li Wen Xiu would be willing to stay in the grassland. In Ba Tai's future plans, he would eventually return to the horse stable. However, his family situation made him conflicted. Li Wen Xiu couldn't bear to see Ba Tai sad and in tears, so she expressed her willingness to stay on the pasture and assured him that she could still create excellent works.
The young couple openly expressed their feelings in the birch forest, and their sweetness and promises turned into actions, envisioning a better future. Gao Xiao Liang picked mushrooms and waited in the forest for Li Wen Xiu to return. At a glance, he could tell that she had fallen in love. He discussed with her not to interfere with his own feelings for Zhang Feng Xia, as they also wanted to build a family.
That evening, Gao Xiao Liang asked Zhang Feng Xia if she was willing to leave this place with him. Both of them were outsiders to this land, and they believed that going out to seek a living and earn money would provide better opportunities. However, Zhang Feng Xia did not give Gao Xiao Liang a clear answer. She still had some concerns in her heart. Gao Xiao Liang did not continue to inquire but was willing to give her some time to think.
In the following days, Zhang Feng Xia took care of drying the mushrooms and also bought these local products from her nomadic friends. Meanwhile, Gao Xiao Liang ventured into the pine forest alone to pick mushrooms. In this deep, dark, damp, and sticky forest, everything that has life willingly hides in the shadows, making it extremely difficult to find.
When Li Xiuwen learned that Zhang Feng Xia wanted Gao Xiao Liang to deliver the goods, she became somewhat worried and revealed to her that when she was working in Urumqi, Gao Xiao Liang had cheated her out of 200 yuan. Perhaps Gao Xiao Liang was not necessarily an extremely wicked person, but Li Wen Xiu believed that he was not a good person. Unfortunately, Zhang Feng Xia spoke in favor of Gao Xiao Liang at every turn, which made her very angry.
At this moment, Chao Ge suddenly came to find Zhang Feng Xia and took her to see the nearby grassland that had been extensively damaged. At a glance, there were large and small pits dug by people, with remnants of cordyceps inside. Because Xinjiang cordyceps is different from Tibetan cordyceps, there is a huge difference in their medicinal value. Consequently, there are often traders in the market who deceive people by selling Xinjiang cordyceps as Tibetan cordyceps, disregarding any moral principles just to make money.
Since the local water grass is a natural feed for cattle and sheep, it is highly unlikely that the herdsmen would cause such destruction. Chao Ge suspected that Gao Xiao Liang was the most likely person to have done this. However, Zhang Feng Xia firmly believed in Gao Xiao Liang's character and defended him against Chao Ge's suspicions. Unfortunately, Chao Ge had no concrete evidence and could only feel frustrated.
Soon, Gao Xiao Liang returned with some mushrooms. While they were sorting and drying the mushrooms, Zhang Feng Xia noticed a rainbow by the river and immediately pulled him to go and enjoy the beautiful scenery while drinking. They continued until evening, getting drunk, and Gao Xiao Liang carried her back home.
Li Wen Xiu still had some lingering doubts and felt that Gao Xiao Liang had ulterior motives for getting close to her mother. The next morning, Gao Xiao Liang packed the mushrooms on his motorcycle and before leaving, he mentioned that he would be staying in the city for a couple of days, hoping that Zhang Feng Xia would give him an answer as soon as possible.
Zhang Feng Xia hesitated for a moment and suddenly grabbed Gao Xiao Liang's sleeve, reminding him not to associate with the people selling fake cordyceps, regardless of whether he returned or not. Gao Xiao Liang responded, telling Zhang Feng Xia not to worry too much.
However, since the locals rarely consumed mushrooms, Gao Xiao Liang faced difficulties in selling them. Eventually, using Zhang Feng Xia's name, he managed to sell the mushrooms at a price of 100 yuan per kilogram. During their meal, Gao Xiao Liang met an acquaintance from the county town who revealed that he had been collecting cordyceps recently, with prices reaching up to 10,000 yuan per kilogram. This instantly sparked Gao Xiao Liang's interest.
Since Gao Xiao Liang went to the county town to sell mushrooms, Zhang Feng Xia often stood near the trees at the intersection, gazing into the distance. Days turned into weeks, but she never caught sight of that familiar figure, and her heart gradually grew cold. A month passed in the blink of an eye, and everyone knew that Zhang Feng Xia's man had run away with the goods. However, Zhang Feng Xia still made sure to settle the payment for the goods and expressed that she could still live well even without a man by her side.
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