Picking up Mushrooms

One of the most interesting activities in my childhood was picking up mushrooms, which belonged to every kid's significant memory living in the countryside.

It was in the end of August or September near the end of summer when mushrooms got the prime time to grow up and mature. As usual, they would come out of the soil after a shower or a night, fresh and attractive. 

We children were always excited about picking up mushrooms in the filed because of a lot of fun and joy during it. At that time, we might do some preparation with parents' help before departure. For instance, we might make a naming list of people who were good at picking up mushroon, not only the number of people, to make sure both the productivity and output. And the proper date, which would be great on a sunny day, was needed to determine for a pleasant picnic by the way. Finally, we would choose a place where mushrooms grew thicky and well according to the past experience, which weighed the most in importance.

When all these had been done, it was time to start the plan. We would set out for the destination in the morning on that day with empty bags for mushrooms. Meanwhile, we would carry some water and food with us to drink and eat for a long hiking. In the course of walking, we still never forget our mission and kept searching in the filed for mushrooms. Sometimes, we would find many good mushrooms fortunetaly; sometimes, we would get nothing, but all felt excited about this trip.

Upon reaching the destination, we cheered as if we had won a battle, but in acctual, we knew we still had a long way to go. Resting for a while, we started to search for mushrooms, especially focusing on where they had ever grown thickly before. Then, we found its not disappointing us as it did before, for mushrooms' growing mostly where they ever were in the past few years, fruitful and fresh.

Once each of us found a mushroom or more at one time, he or she would raise up his or her voice to attract others attention, for declaring  achievement and capturing others' admiration. Therefore, over the picking up, the more times whoever raised up voice, the more admiration he or she would get.

During picking up, the one whose voice was raised up the most times would be regarded as champion; however, after it, the one who collected the most in quantity would be seen as champion, recieving the most and warmest congratulations and praises as well.

It was usually the most exciting time that all of us gathered together to count the number of every one's output, cheering for the one who collected the most but laughing at the one who did the least, a scene of which can now still be a exciting moment to me.

Picking up mushrooms, we children's best love, had ever been a regular and annual activiry that we would go out for it a few times each year in my childhood. In the bottome of my heart, it weighs as much as the sheperd I played as, both of which left me a significant memory to taste alone.