Its cap felt sticky and slippery to the touch, with bits of fallen grass stuck to it.
She could not tell whether it was poisonous, but it looked plump and cute, and the mushroom scent was strong.
Maybe it could be eaten.
She would gather it all and sort it out later.
Hayoon squatted down and worked diligently. Before long, she began to enjoy the process of mushroom picking.
After the rain, mushrooms grew especially well. They clustered together in thick, plump bunches, and each pick gave her a full handful.
Hayoon moved through the grass and leaves, finding more and more mushrooms, carefully selecting them as she went. Half a basket was soon filled, heavy on her back.
From the side ahead, she heard the rustling of leaves.
When she looked over, she saw Immo carrying a basket and pushing aside dense foliage.
Noticing her gaze, she smiled. "Hayoon."
"How are you feeling? Any relapse of your injury?"
"No," Hayoon shook her head and tilted her body slightly to show her basket. "I've already picked this much."
Not far away, Sulyeon's voice called out, "Mom, there are so many nut mushrooms here! Come quickly!"
Immo turned her head. "I heard you!"
Then she waved to Hayoon. "You come too."
Hayoon did not fully understand, but followed obediently.
The two of them quickly reached Sulyeon's side.
Sulyeon had picked a little over half a basket.
The soil and bits of grass on the mushrooms had already been roughly cleaned off, making them much neater.
She carefully dug up a clump of nut mushrooms from the ground, stood up, and peeked into Hayoon's basket. Then she burst out laughing.
"Why did you pick all poisonous mushrooms? These cannot be eaten." Her beautiful eyes curved with amusement, but she was not mocking her.
Hayoon felt her face heat up. She was glad her skin was not very pale, so it would not show too clearly.
"There are a few types that look similar. I can't really tell them apart."
Immo gently helped her out. "Sulyeon couldn't tell them apart either when she first came into the mountains with us. You will learn slowly."
Sulyeon reached out enthusiastically. "Here, dump your basket out. My mother and I will help you sort them first. It will be too heavy for you to carry otherwise."
Hayoon immediately put her basket down. "Thank you so much."
Sulyeon waved it off. "No need to be polite."
With the two of them helping, the mushrooms were quickly sorted.
A full half basket turned into only a thin layer at the bottom.
Hayoon could not help laughing awkwardly. "Haha, at least they are not all inedible."
Sulyeon laughed even louder, holding his stomach.
Immo also smiled and said to her child, "Alright, stop. You will attract wild beasts."
Then she turned to Hayoon. "Walk with us. I will explain the mushrooms we see along the way."
Hayoon naturally wanted that, but she still hesitated and asked, "Can I just listen and not pick anything? I will not take part in the distribution when we go back."
Immo understood she was worried about taking their share and shook his head. "It is fine. Pick as much as you want. The mountains are full of mushrooms after the rain."
Hayoon immediately brightened. "Then thank you very much!"
After that, she followed behind Immo and Sulyeon, learning while continuing to pick mushrooms.
There was indeed a lot to learn.
Some mushrooms growing on the sunny side were poisonous, while those on the shaded side were not.
Others looked very similar, with only slight differences in spots on the caps.
Immo could clearly distinguish which could be picked and which could not.
After midday, the three of them finally reached the summit.
Each of them had gathered a full basket of mushrooms of all sizes.
Besides mushrooms, they also collected some wild vegetables and wild fruits, stored in another basket.
They did come across nuts, but this season they were not ripe yet and would need more time.
Because the three of them covered the same area, their pace was faster.
When they looked around, no one else had arrived yet.
Sulyeon sat down on the ground with a thump, fanning her slightly flushed face with her hand.
"It's so hot. I need a rest."
After saying that, she pulled water out of her personal storage space and gulped it down loudly.
Immo stood in the shade of a tree, also wiping her sweat and drinking water.
Hayoon had been trekking all day as well and was quite tired. She leaned against a tree to rest.
A cool breeze swept across the mountaintop, and her nose suddenly caught a sharp, pungent smell.
The scent felt familiar, but she could not recall it for a moment.
Since she had almost finished resting, she stood up to take a look around.
The vegetation on the mountaintop was not dense.
The grass only reached up to her calves.
Hayoon walked slowly with her hands behind her back, her eyes scanning beneath the trees.
Immo noticed her movements and said gently, "There are no mushrooms on the mountaintop."
Hayoon replied, "Alright then. What about wild vegetables or wild fruits?"
Immo answered, "There are very few wild vegetables and fruits on this mountain."
Sulyeon wiped her mouth and lazily bent one long leg, looking up at Hayoon to correct her.
"It is not that there are few. It is that there are very few edible wild vegetables and fruits."
Immo nodded. "Right. Like that Spelon Berry above your head. It is bitter and numbing. Even birds do not eat it."
Hayoon let out a soft "Huh?" and slowly looked up.
It was a tree about seven or eight meters tall. Thin, thorny branches grew wildly, and the green leaves were about the size of half a palm, arranged opposite each other.
The more she looked at it, the more familiar it felt.
She grabbed the trunk and climbed up a bit, pushing aside the leaves.