Free Web NovelChapter 380: Chapter 149: Ginseng
When the officials come to inspect, they’ll just say the huangqi died, so they had to plant something else.
Although the land on the mountain was barren, if they tended to it well for a few years, they could still get a decent harvest. Plus, the first five years were tax-free, so anything they harvested was pure profit. They wouldn’t turn their noses up at even a single extra grain.
If things continued like this, this stalk of ginseng would be discovered sooner or later.
Chen Wanqing immediately took off her basket and pulled out a shovel.
"Let’s dig. We’ll dig it up right now. Once it’s out, we’ll take it to the clinic in the county town and have someone appraise its age. If it’s worth collecting, we’ll hide it ourselves just in case. If not, we’ll sell it for cash."
"That’s what I was thinking, too."
Since they were on the same page, they didn’t hesitate any longer.
They started digging up the ginseng, chatting occasionally about things related to the plant.
"I’ve looked through some books. A ginseng plant with four-pinnate leaves is about fifty years old."
"That old? So, do you think the old blind man planted this on purpose, or did he just stumble upon it?"
"It’s more likely he stumbled upon it. If he’d planted it intentionally, he wouldn’t have put it here. He would have planted it near the cave where he lived."
"I think so, too. Jing, what do you think? Should I try planting an acre of ginseng to test the waters?"
"You could. But ginseng is only useful after many years. If it only grows for three to five years, its effects aren’t strong, and it won’t sell for a good price."
"You have a point. I didn’t think of that. If I can’t turn it into cash right away, then forget it. I’ll just stick to planting Danshen and Codonopsis for now..."
As they talked, they lost track of time.
In reality, they spent nearly the entire morning carefully digging the ginseng out without damaging it.
Seeing it was getting late, they quickly found some mushrooms to cover it and started heading down the mountain.
As expected, they ran into several of the village aunties on their way down.
The women had baskets strapped to their backs and carried two more large ones as well. Everything was filled to the brim, a clear sign of a bountiful harvest.
When the aunties saw the two of them coming down the mountain looking disheveled, with their basket only half-full of mushrooms, they all laughed.
"You two must have just been chatting the whole time, right? To only have gathered this many mushrooms all morning. My eight-year-old Tang’niu is more capable than the two of you."
"It was Jing slowing you down, wasn’t it? Oh, with such a great opportunity, Jing had to take Wanqing for a nice walk, right? And once you start walking and admiring the view, you forget about everything else."
"Oh my, hearing you say that, I can tell you’re an expert. Is that how you spent your time wandering the mountains when you first married Third Cousin?"
Married women, it seemed, all became more uninhibited in certain respects.
These aunties from the Zhao family were actually being relatively reserved, but that was only because Zhao Jing was there.
When no men were around, like when they gathered at Second Aunt’s house to make incense, they were completely unrestrained.
They would even openly ask about a man’s size and how long he could last in bed.
Chen Wanqing had once stumbled into one of their conversations and was questioned by a few of the sisters-in-law until she was beet red. She had covered her face and fled in embarrassment.
Even after she had run all the way out of the Zhao family compound, she could still hear the boisterous laughter of the aunties and sisters-in-law from inside the house.
That experience had terrified Chen Wanqing, and from then on, she avoided going to Second Aunt’s house unless it was absolutely necessary.
Even when she did go, she made sure never to close the door to the room, hoping it would make the sisters-in-law more discreet and stop them from making inappropriate jokes.
After teasing Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing for a while, the aunties took pity on their meager harvest and started pulling out large handfuls from their own baskets, insisting on stuffing them into the couple’s.
Zhao Jing tried again and again to dodge them, but to no avail. Chen Wanqing was outnumbered and couldn’t fend off the elders’ enthusiasm either.
In the end, their basket was stuffed to the brim, but Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing just looked helpless and dejected.
’The ginseng we put at the bottom of the basket must be damaged!’
Sure enough, when they got home and checked, they found that not only were several of the rootlets broken, but the skin on the spindle-shaped main root was scraped. It was a painful sight to see.
To prevent a serious loss of its medicinal properties, Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing headed straight for the county town right after lunch.
They went directly to the old doctor they knew well to ask about the ginseng’s specific age.
When he heard they had found the ginseng by chance, the old doctor was incredibly envious.
’How is this any different from a heavenly windfall?’
’Why don’t I ever have such good luck!’
"This ginseng is between fifty and sixty years old. The rhizome is plump and the shape is whole—it’s top-grade stuff. It’s just a pity that some rootlets are broken and the skin is scraped, so the appearance is slightly damaged. If it were in perfect condition, I could offer sixty taels. As it is now, it’s a shame, but the most I can give is fifty taels. Are you selling? If you are, seeing as we’re old acquaintances, I’ll add another two taels for you."
Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing exchanged a glance. "We’re not selling. We have a sick person at home, so we’ll keep this ginseng for our own use. The thing is, we’re amateurs. We’re afraid we’ll damage the ginseng while processing it, so we were hoping we could trouble you to help us."
They didn’t mention payment, but it was understood there would be some.
Although the old doctor was disappointed he couldn’t acquire the fine ginseng, they weren’t selling. It’s not like he could just snatch it from them, could he?
It simply wasn’t fated to be his. The old doctor didn’t dwell on it.
Regarding the matter of processing it, he just said, "In that case, come back in a few days..."
