Chapter 100

Ethan's eyes lit up when he saw them carrying bamboo baskets. "Are you gathering firewood?"

David nodded. "Yes, Mom's taking us to collect firewood and bamboo husks."

"Let me help!" Ethan offered eagerly.

Emily Johnson thought for a moment before agreeing. "Alright, David and Tommy, stay here with Ethan and gather firewood. I'll take a look around nearby."

"Come back soon, Mom," little Tommy said, looking up at her.

Ethan watched curiously as Emily walked away before turning to help the boys gather bamboo husks—perfect for starting fires.

Meanwhile, Emily hid nearby, quietly retrieving items from her hidden inventory.

She took out two pounds each of ground cherries, blueberries, sapodillas, wampees, and honeyed apples—choosing varieties that looked like wild fruits.

"Mom's back!" The boys cheered when they spotted her in the distance.

Ethan looked up to see Emily returning with a bamboo basket filled to the brim.

"Guess what I found?" she said with a mysterious smile.

"Wow, so many wild berries!" Tommy stood on tiptoe to peek into the basket.

Ethan scratched his head, puzzled. "There are this many wild fruits in the mountains? I've never seen them before."

"Here, try this." Emily handed him a honeyed apple.

Ethan took a big bite, and his eyes widened. "So sweet!"

"Let me pack some for you to take home," Emily said, stuffing his pockets. "Maybe they were just hidden in the grass before."

The golden ground cherries, wrapped in delicate husks, looked familiar, but Ethan had never known they were edible.

After sharing the fruits, Emily headed home with the boys while Ethan dashed excitedly into the mountains—determined to gather more food before winter.

On the way, David looked up and asked, "Mom, Ethan said he's looking for food, but there's nothing left to eat in the mountains now."

"Who says there isn't?" Emily smiled and ruffled his hair. "Kudzu root, Chinese yam, cassava—aren't those edible?"

"Tree roots aren't food!" Tommy protested immediately.

Emily crouched down and explained patiently, "Some roots are edible. Like kudzu—you dig it up, mash it, and filter it to make kudzu starch. It’s even better than flour!"

She remembered the translucent kudzu starch dumplings from her past life.

"I'll draw Ethan a map. You can give it to him tomorrow so he knows what to look for." Emily picked up a stick and sketched in the dirt.

David stared at the strange root patterns, half-doubting. "Mom… can you really eat tree roots?"

All his life, he'd only known roots as things buried underground—never as food.