039 The Pheasant Woods

Yeya finally saw the eggs he had been dreaming of and shouted, "So many! This is great; we can eat to our hearts' content."

Mushi’s hands trembled as he picked up the eggs one by one and placed them into the basket. Standing nearby, Yeya counted them one after another, growing more excited with each number. Lin Yan had known exactly how many were in the nest long before; her spiritual perception had swept over the area, leaving nothing hidden.

"Twenty-six! There are really twenty-six!" Yeya was so thrilled that his voice rose into a shrill, piercing pitch, causing Lin Yan to step a few paces away from him. Mushi stroked the eggs in the basket as if they were priceless treasures, his cautious movements betraying his irrepressible excitement.

Lin Yan smiled and reminded them, "There are more over there. Let’s go collect them."

Mushi carried the basket and carefully cleared a path. A few steps away, they found another nest and excitedly began gathering the eggs. Yeya walked along, his eyes fixed greedily on the basket as he diligently counted the second nest: eighteen eggs.

"That was twenty-six, plus these eighteen—that’s forty-four in total! We’re so lucky today to find so many eggs. Lin Yan, are there any more?" His young face was full of anticipation; of course, the more eggs, the better, and it would be even better if they had more than they could ever eat.

Lin Yan pointed in another direction. "There are still quite a few over there. Go on, pick them up."

The three of them wove through the thicket, their hemp clothes becoming tattered and torn. Lin Yan thought to herself that her outfit would be ruined by the time they returned. She hoped their planted jute would yield a bumper harvest so she could make herself a few new sets of clothes.

Mushi and Yeya kept letting out bursts of surprise, though as the large basket filled up, their initial frantic excitement began to settle. Lin Yan had regained her composure long ago. They had truly hit the jackpot today, stumbling upon a "pheasant forest" where nests were hidden one after another, offering as many eggs as one could wish for.

She looked up at the sun and traced the direction they had traveled. This forest was southwest of where they had discovered the first nest, right next to the pika plains. Perhaps it could be called the Pheasant Forest. By the time the large basket was full, they had only traveled about thirty meters into the woods. With their harvest complete, the three of them returned in triumph.

When they emerged from the forest, Grandma Bai was stunned to see Mushi carrying a basket full of pheasant eggs. "Where did you find these? They really are eggs!"

Grandma Bai touched the eggs in the basket with trembling fingers. They were the size of a small child's fist, round and smooth, and she found herself instantly enamored. Lin Yan thoughtfully pointed out the direction for her. "They’re in that forest over there. There are many more, but don't go in alone; take some people with you."

Grandma Bai was part of the first group and lived on Third Street. Being elderly and frail, she had only ventured out to try her luck after hearing others say how delicious the pheasant eggs were. She never expected to run into Lin Yan and her companions, who kindly pointed her in the right direction. Grandma Bai immediately went to find others to join her in gathering eggs in the forest.

Yeya was unhappy and pouted, saying, "Why did you tell them? Once they all know, we won't be able to find any more." Mushi also looked at Lin Yan, wondering what she was thinking.

"The eggs were just a rumor; they hadn't actually tasted them, and in the last few days, people were already starting to give up the search. We’ve collected enough to eat. The forest is huge; if we let everyone go, and more people get a taste, they'll have more motivation to search further afield."

"Our diet is too limited right now. When there’s something delicious, we should let more people know so everyone can live a better life. Look, more people have been coming out lately; a large part of the pika plains has been trampled flat, and where there were no paths before, small trails are gradually appearing. Human potential is limitless; one day, we will walk beyond this world."

Mushi and Yeya didn't fully grasp Lin Yan's reasoning, but they agreed that allowing more people to taste such delicacies and diversifying their food sources was indeed a good thing. Lin Yan didn't push them to understand. Her goal was to enrich the people's diet, make them realize the abundance of resources in this land, and encourage them to begin exploring outward. The tribe’s mindset was conservative; they would stay rooted in one place as long as they had a little food, but how could they develop that way? Only by stimulating people's appetites could she spark a change in their thinking and slowly overturn their ingrained habits.

On the way back, they met three more people. The basket of eggs was so conspicuous that it caused a stir. Within half a day, the news had spread throughout the city: the forest to the southwest was full of pheasant eggs. Those who weren't busy digging the irrigation canals flocked to the area. Without needing any prompting from Lin Yan, people spontaneously began calling it the Pheasant Forest.

Back at home, Lin Yan had Mushi keep the majority of the haul, while she set aside a small portion for her family and neighbors. Old Hei, Old Lin, Lin Yun, and Maomu were all busy with the irrigation canals and had no time to hunt for eggs, so she decided twenty per family would be plenty. The large basket held two hundred and twenty eggs in total, and Lin Yan set aside one hundred for others.

By evening, when Huahong returned from digging, she was shocked to see the pile of white eggs in the basket. "Where did these come from?"

Lin Yan recounted the day's events. Huahong’s mouth fell open in disbelief. "They’re really everywhere, just waiting to be picked up?" She still found it hard to believe; it was as if the heavens had sent them a gift—such good fortune was unheard of.

Lin Yan gave Huahong a boiled pheasant egg and urged her to eat. "Mother, it’s true, or else where would these eggs have come from? Everyone knows by now and has gone to pick them; every family should be able to have some."

As she ate, Huahong still couldn't fathom such a wonderful thing. "I’ll go take a look tomorrow morning."

"Mother, the irrigation canal is a major task. Wait until that's finished before you go."

"No, I’ll wake up early tomorrow and go to the Pheasant Forest first. It won't delay the canal work." Huahong insisted on seeing it for herself; she couldn't shake the feeling that it was all a dream.

Before Lin Yan could say anything else, Yezi arrived, and after that, Lin Yan decided to say nothing more. Yezi shared the same thoughts as Huahong—they both wanted to head to the Pheasant Forest early the next morning to pick eggs themselves. They truly couldn't imagine a scene where the ground was covered in eggs.

Before long, Old Hei, Old Lin, Lin Yun, and Maomu arrived as well, all with the same intention. Lin Yan told them to take the eggs home to eat, as she still had plenty left. Yezi also brought some from her own home to share with Old Hei and the others, and they all left happily with their eggs.

That night, no household was at peace. Once you had tasted a pheasant egg, how could you ever turn it down? Compared to the effort of hunting pikas, gathering eggs was something anyone could do. Everyone was secretly waiting for dawn to go to the Pheasant Forest, hoping that if they could eat such delicious eggs every day, life would be even better.

The pheasant eggs swept through Sun City like a hurricane, and the simple act of boiling them conquered everyone's heart. Pheasant eggs could be stored and boiled whenever one felt hungry; such perfect food was an essential household staple. It was already late July, and the cold season was approaching; if they could store a supply of eggs, it would be perfect.

With such thoughts in mind, many people couldn't sleep that night. Their hearts were racing with excitement, and they kept dreaming of returning the next day with baskets full of eggs. Lin Yan realized she had underestimated people's obsession with food—it was a deep-seated instinct, a drive to pull everything into their own bowls to feel secure.