Handkerchief Tree

Fu Mei Li inspected the tree that caught her attention closely. She even went around its trunk a couple of times and gazed at its leaves and flowers with excitement.

The brothers, who were wondering at her actions, followed silently.

"Big brother Wei, what do you all call this tree?" She asked her third husband, Jin Weimin.

"We call this the Handkerchief Tree as its flowers look like ladies' white silk handkerchiefs tied to the branches to dry."

Mei Li celebrated in her heart. She was right; this was indeed the Dove Tree that she knew of in her previous life.

The ancients called it Handkerchief Tree or even Ghost Tree because of how its white flowers look. Later on, a foreign botanist came to the mainland, saw this tree, and named it the Dove Tree. That was because to that botanist, the flowers looked like white doves perched on the branches.

This tree has become an endangered species in the 21st century and was considered a living fossil. But now that she was in ancient times...

"Are there a lot of this kind of tree around here?" She asked for confirmation.

Weimin nodded. "Yes, there are plenty of these around here, particularly in the mountains." He pointed to the peaks surrounding the valley.

Fu Mei Li really wanted to laugh out loud with joy right now.

What's so special about the Handkerchief or Dove Tree?

Well, it was sought after by collectors in her past life. It was valued mainly for its beauty and rarity and was planted for decoration purposes. Now that it was commonplace here, it's really not that commercially valuable anymore.

What made her really excited was that the Dove Tree was classified as a deciduous tree, which sparked a memory in her brain.

As opposed to evergreen trees, deciduous trees shed their leaves and flowers depending on the seasons.

And what do deciduous trees mean for her? Drawing from her knowledge of botany, she knew that Lingzhi mushrooms in the wild grow on old or dying deciduous trees!

Also known as Reishi mushrooms or Ganoderma Lingzhi, this mushroom had become a highly sought after commodity since the Han dynasty, hundreds of years before the Tang dynasty in which she was currently living.

Lingzhi was so popular that it even took on a mythical image in ancient times and was known far and wide as the "mushroom of immortality" or the "king of mushrooms".

In Chinese traditional medicine, Lingzhi is considered a great ingredient for treating blockage in the heart qi, boosting the immune system, improving memory, and protecting the heart. Many people in ancient times even believed that it could help extend one's life or even make one an immortal!

Lingzhi was highly coveted. Whether she approached medical halls, well-known doctors, or rich people in town - she was sure she could sell a Lingzhi mushroom for a high price.

This was exactly what she needed right now. She had been thinking about the debt owed by the Jin family from the Sheng family.

They promised to pay 60 taels by the end of the sixth month. She came to this village during the early spring, which was the middle of February. Now, March is about to start, which means she only has around three months to think of ways to make money.

Waiting for the rice harvest and for the tenant farmers to pay their rent in autumn wasn't an option. The Jin brothers' current savings were barely enough to buy food for the household for the next few months. She didn't want to touch her own savings, either.

What they really needed now was a quick way to make money, which she can use to invest in a business that will make enough profit for them to pay the debt by the end of June.

If she can find a Lingzhi mushroom, that would really be like a heaven-sent reprieve in the middle of a drought!

"Where in the mountains can you find many huge and old Handkerchief trees? I need to go there tomorrow!" Mei Li suddenly exclaimed to the people around her.

She figured that even though Lingzhi was considered rare in the wild in her modern life, she should have better luck here and now. After all, deforestation and over-foraging weren't that big of an issue yet.

The Jin brothers, however, balked at her question.

"Wife, what do you need to go in the mountains for?" There was deep concern on Weimin's face.

The mountain was dangerous for a little woman like her. What was she to do if she encountered ferocious beasts? Or what if she fell and hurt herself? Weimin shuddered at the thought of his wife in danger.

The other men also had a disapproving look.

"Let's go back to the house first. I'll explain when we get there." Mei Li sighed. She had to convince her husbands to let her enter the mountains.

When they arrived at the house, smoke was coming out of the kitchen. Aunt Li was naturally preparing dinner for them.

At the dining table, Fu Mei Li's five husbands stared at her quizzically, waiting for her explanation.

"Do you know about Lingzhi mushroom?" She asked them, and they nodded.

"I want to find Lingzhi mushrooms so we can sell them to a medical hall in town. I'm sure it will fetch a high price. The money can help us pay the debt we owe the Sheng family."

The brothers couldn't help but be moved by her desire to assist them in paying the debt. She already lent them 60 taels at that time, and now she was even thinking of how to pay the rest.

However, it was also because of this that they cannot let her go to the mountains and be in danger. They were the men in the family. They should be the ones working hard to earn money and not let their wife suffer.

Mingyu secretly lamented his uselessness at the moment. "Mei-er, the mountains are a dangerous place. It is not a place where you can go easily."

"Little girl, although Lingzhi is indeed very valuable, it's really not easy to find. If it was, don't you think everyone here in the village will go looking for it from time to time?" Shufen interjected.

"I know how to find it. All we have to do is find old or dying Handkerchief trees. Maple trees as well." She also described what maple leaves looked like, just in case they called it something else here. She remembered that this valuable mushroom tended to grow on deciduous trees, especially maple.

"You see, the Lingzhi mushroom is considered a parasitic plant. It likes to grow on old and dying trees as it finds it easier to absorb the remaining nutrients of those trees for itself."

"So we really don't have to check every nook and cranny of the mountains. We just search for Handkerchief and Maple trees, and we will have a better chance at finding Lingzhi."

Shufen was confused. "Little girl, information about Lingzhi is mostly written in medical books, and they tell about the health benefits of this mushroom and how to concoct medicine with it. Not about where they grow or how to find them. How do you know about these things?"

Mei Li could only prevaricate. "My grandfather from my mother's side once came across an ancient book about different types of mushrooms and where they can be found. I've read about Lingzhi there."

Before they could determine if she was telling the truth or not, she hastily tried to convince them again.

"Big brother Mingyu, I really need to go up the mountains because I can recognize trees and plants. Aside from Handkerchief trees and Maple trees, there are other trees where Lingzhi could grow."

"If I just describe them for you, you may not easily recognize them. However, I don't have to go alone. Don't we still have big brother Haoran here?" She added as she pointed her second husband out.

Haoran often goes up the mountains to hunt. For sure, he was aware of the terrain and, with his guidance, they could avoid the dangerous places as much as possible.

Mei Li looked at the men surrounding her, hoping they would agree to search the mountain for Lingzhi.