Hearing her son's plan, Mother Zhang reminded him, "Be careful and come back early."
Zhang Ermu nodded and replied, "I will, Mother."
Zhang Ermu grabbed a bamboo basket, a sickle, a bundle of rope, and several sacks. He packed the tools into the basket and carried it on his back.
Because of his house's location, he used a hidden path behind the house—a shortcut to the mountains—instead of the villagers' road. It took him less than thirty minutes to reach the foothills.
The foothills were usually covered in grass and wild vegetables, but mushrooms were found deeper in the forest. He told his family he was going to the foothills to avoid worrying them, even though he ventured farther into the mountains.
