Free Web NovelChapter 51: Chapter 51: Ginseng Treasure
Once the red cloth was torn into strips, Sun Jiaming carefully tied one in place.
"How do we dig it?"
Liu Yuan asked Sun Jiaming.
"We can’t break the ginseng’s rootlets. We’ll start digging from the sides and then work our way toward the center."
Sun Jiaming had more experience than Gu’er and Liu Yuan. He drew a circle on the ground and then began to dig with his shovel.
Gu’er and Liu Yuan didn’t have any tools, so they found sturdy branches to help clear away the debris on the ground.
After a while of digging, Liu Yuan took over for Sun Jiaming.
A little later, Gu’er went to take her turn.
When it was Sun Jiaming’s turn to dig with the shovel again, Gu’er and Liu Yuan started working through the excavated soil. They used their hands to slowly break apart the clumps of dirt, carefully freeing the ginseng rootlets.
The three of them worked for over two full hours before they finally managed to extract the entire ginseng root intact.
Thanks to their care, none of the rootlets were damaged.
"If you look closely, it really looks like a little person. Look at these rootlets and this tail end."
Liu Yuan observed it intently.
Gu’er looked on as well.
Wild ginseng wasn’t plump and large like the cultivated varieties she knew from the future. It was relatively slender and long, especially its "neck," which was quite extended. The rootlets were also exceptionally long, making it very different from the ginseng she was used to seeing.
"How old is this ginseng?"
Liu Yuan asked. Although he didn’t know much, he did know that the older a ginseng root was, the more valuable it was. freёwebnoѵel.com
"They say a ginseng root splits its head after a hundred years. This one hasn’t split yet, so it’s definitely less than a hundred years old."
Sun Jiaming knew a bit of the old lore.
Gu’er began to inspect the head of the ginseng. She had heard that the head grows a small node each year. With a neck this long, there was no way it was only a few years old.
"There are more than fifty... This ginseng is over fifty years old."
Gu’er was a bit surprised. The ginseng sold in the future was all cultivated and harvested within a few years. This wild root didn’t look particularly thick, so she was shocked to learn it was over fifty years old.
Before, she had only read about decades-old wild ginseng in books. She never imagined she would one day dig one up with her own hands.
Sun Jiaming hadn’t expected Gu’er to know how to determine the ginseng’s age. He gave her a look, then stood up and started searching again.
"Brother Jia Ming, what are you looking for?"
Liu Yuan was puzzled. They were all exhausted from digging up the ginseng, so why wasn’t Sun Jiaming taking a break?
"The old-timers say that ginseng doesn’t grow alone. Usually, if you find one, there’s bound to be another one nearby—a pair, male and female. I’m going to see if I can find it."
Sun Jiaming was recalling the words of the elders. freёwebnoѵel.com
"I’ll help look."
Liu Yuan’s interest was piqued, and he started helping with the search.
Gu’er didn’t move. ’Finding this one is already an incredible blessing,’ she thought. ’I just need to make sure this one is safe.’
Sun Jiaming and Liu Yuan searched a radius of several meters but couldn’t find a second root. It was possible someone had already dug it up long ago.
Sun Jiaming found a birch tree and used his shovel to peel off a piece of its bark. He then gathered some moss and added a bit of the original soil from where the ginseng had been.
"Gu’er, put the ginseng here."
Sun Jiaming pointed to the spot he had prepared, instructing Gu’er to place the ginseng there, as there was a proper way to store it.
Gu’er did as Sun Jiaming instructed and placed the ginseng down. Sun Jiaming then used the red cloth to wrap the ginseng within the birch bark.
"Gu’er, what are your plans for this ginseng?"
Sun Jiaming asked Gu’er as he led the two of them along, searching for the path back.
"The three of us found this ginseng, and the three of us dug it up, so it belongs to all of us. Brother Jia Ming, Brother Liu Yuan, what do you think we should do with it?"
Gu’er wasn’t greedy. It was true that she had been the one to find the ginseng, but if Sun Jiaming hadn’t come up the mountain with them today, they never would have made it this far into the woods. Without Sun Jiaming and Liu Yuan, she could have still dug it up herself, but it wouldn’t have been so easy. By the time she finished, it would have been dark, and she might not have even found her way out. Therefore, she felt all three of them should have a share.
"No, no, I don’t want a share. I just came up the mountain with you guys for fun. You don’t need to include me."
Liu Yuan waved his hands dismissively. The ginseng was a treasure, but he felt he hadn’t earned it and wouldn’t accept a share.
"I don’t want a share either. Gu’er found it, so it belongs to Sister Gu’er. However, if you want to sell it, Sister Gu’er, I can help you find a buyer. I happen to know a couple of people in the city who trade in mountain goods."
The reason Sun Jiaming had asked was to settle the matter of ownership. He wasn’t greedy and had no intention of taking advantage of Gu’er. He knew her life was difficult. They hadn’t planned on finding ginseng when they came up the mountain. If they had agreed from the start to split everything equally, he wouldn’t have refused. But since Gu’er had discovered this herself, he felt he couldn’t accept a share just for helping to dig it up.
"That’s not happening. All three of us saw it, so it’s a share for each of us. If you two refuse to take yours, then I won’t take mine either."
Although Gu’er was a woman, and though she had been weak in her past life, she never took advantage of people. She had never known wealth, but she had never been greedy. If she were to keep this wild ginseng for herself, Sun Jiaming and Liu Yuan wouldn’t say a word, but she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. ’What kind of person would that make me!’
After Gu’er said this, Sun Jiaming and Liu Yuan found it hard to argue. Their impression of her improved even more.
Gu’er was a woman, and in their experience, women were often petty and prone to haggling over small things. But Gu’er was willing to share even a treasure like the ginseng. A woman like that was truly a rare, principled person.
"Well, I’m really getting the better end of this deal today. If Gu’er insists on me having a share, then I’ll accept. But I don’t know the first thing about this stuff, so you two can decide how to handle the ginseng."
Liu Yuan agreed. He saw it as a gesture of goodwill from Gu’er and decided to accept it—not for the money the ginseng might sell for, but for the sentiment behind it. He resolved to be even kinder to her in the future.
"What do you think, Sister Gu’er?"
Sun Jiaming also accepted her kindness. ’If this were mine,’ he thought, ’I’d definitely keep it. It’s a real treasure. Once you sell something like this, you might never find another. It would be worth much more in the future, and it could even be used to save a life one day.’ But he couldn’t say any of this out loud. He knew Gu’er was short on money, and she probably wasn’t thinking that far ahead.
"Brother Jia Ming, Brother Liu Yuan, I feel like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find. We were incredibly lucky to dig this up today. It would be a real pity to sell it now. It might be worth even more in the future. Why don’t we hold onto it? We can sell it down the line if we ever desperately need the money. What do you think?"
Sun Jiaming shot Gu’er a surprised glance. He knew she needed money, yet he hadn’t expected her to suggest holding onto the ginseng. It showed she was a person of great foresight.
"Then let’s do as Sister Gu’er says," Liu Yuan said. "I don’t need the money anyway, so I’m fine with whatever."
Liu Yuan nodded. Receiving a share of this was an unexpected windfall for him; his life wouldn’t be any different without it. So he thought keeping it was a good idea.
"Alright, we’ll keep it then," Sun Jiaming said. "I’ll find someone to process it properly when we get back."
Sun Jiaming nodded. And so, the three of them agreed on what to do with the ginseng.
