Back when he lived on the mountain, Chen Shi'an had never really had any concept of holidays.
Only after coming down the mountain to attend school had he truly welcomed the first "holiday" of his life.
On a morning when he had no classes, Chen Shi'an still woke at five.
But besides continuing to map the area that morning, he also made a point of looking for a back basket, intending to buy one for his mountain-foraging trips.
Back baskets were easy to buy at township markets, but finding one in a well-stocked big city was actually no simple matter.
Fortunately, his mapping over the past few days had made him familiar enough with the surrounding neighborhoods. After winding his way to the vegetable market, he finally bought an old vegetable seller's own back basket from him by the roadside.
For mountain foraging, no container was more convenient than a back basket: light bamboo construction, plenty of storage space,
and sturdy enough to take a beating.
The basket cost sixty-five yuan, a little more than at a township market, but since the old man had let him have his own, a higher price was only fair.
Seeing that the old man was selling vegetables he had grown himself, and that they looked quite good, Chen Shi'an bought a few as well. The old man even threw in a cucumber and a handful of scallions.
Chen Shi'an then went into the market and bought ten yuan's worth of meat, which he could use to make breakfast once he got home.
After buying the basket and vegetables, he went to a hardware store and bought a small hoe for twelve yuan, a little shovel for nine, and a sickle for seven.
With that, he had most of the tools he needed for