Chapter 37: Family Background
Bai Zhi gazed at the wild ginseng in her hand. ’A century-old wild ginseng like this,’ she thought, ’could sell for at least 200,000 in the modern era.’
’In the 23rd century, there are specialized ginseng farmers. The ginseng they cultivate, even the high-quality stalks, sells for a few hundred to a thousand at most. True century-old wild ginseng has been dug up to the point of near extinction. Most of the wild ginseng sold on the market is fake, and the average person can hardly tell the difference.’
"Hu Feng, how much do you think this ginseng will sell for?" she asked with a smile.
Hu Feng shook his head. "I don’t know."
"Whatever it sells for, I’ll give you half."
Hu Feng raised an eyebrow. ’This girl is surprisingly generous.’ He thought about how he had been protecting her on this trip; getting half seemed fair. He didn’t refuse. After all, his family was truly poor and needed the money.
She wrapped the ginseng carefully in leaves, placed it in her basket, and then covered it with some common herbs to prevent anyone from seeing it on the way back.
She still hadn’t formally separated from that wretched bunch, the Bai Family. If they found out about this, would she see a single coin from it? ’Definitely not.’
The two of them headed back the way they came. Perhaps their luck had returned, as Hu Feng managed to hunt two wild pheasants on the way. While not particularly valuable, they could still be sold to help with household expenses.
After descending the mountain, they stopped to rest and drink by a stream. While there, they also dug up some Snow Lotus Fruit, washing them all clean before packing them into the basket.
Bai Zhi spotted a bamboo grove nearby and asked Hu Feng to cut down a stalk as thick as a man’s arm.
Hu Feng chopped down the bamboo stalk, tossed it in front of her, and asked, "What do you need this for?"
She pointed to the stream beside them and smiled. "Uncle Hu and my mother are working in the fields. They must be tired and hungry, and it’s so hot today. I’m sure they’ve nearly finished the water they brought. This water is so cool; let’s bring some to them to help them cool off."
Hu Feng understood. "You’re very thoughtful." He cut a few sections from the bamboo stalk, cleaned them out, and filled them all with water. After placing them in the basket, he covered them with leaves and fresh grass.
The basket was much heavier now. Bai Zhi’s shoulder was still injured, and carrying the basket made every step an ordeal.
She gritted her teeth and endured it, never once complaining of the pain or fatigue.
Hu Feng, who was walking ahead, had already slowed his pace intentionally, but Zhi, trailing behind him, still couldn’t keep up.
He stopped and turned, watching her slender figure approach him one step at a time. In the sunlight, her face, covered in black and blue bruises, radiated a tenacity and fortitude uncommon in most girls.
Her brow was furrowed and her lips were pressed tight. She held the bottom of the basket with both hands, trying to take some of the weight off her back and shoulders.
Even so, a fresh red bloodstain was still seeping through the blue fabric of her shirt at the shoulder.
His brow furrowed. He strode over to her, grabbed the basket, and lifted it from her back.
As the weight lifted from her back, she looked up at him. Sweat nearly blinded her, but his tall, blurry figure still gave her a sense of reassurance.
"What are you doing?" she asked, rubbing her aching shoulder as she looked at Hu Feng in confusion.
Hu Feng pulled a wild pheasant from the cloth sack slung over his back. "You take this. I’ll carry the basket."
He was already carrying two large gray rabbits, two wild pheasants, and a thick, patterned viper in a sack that was filled to the brim. His load was already much heavier than her basket, yet now he had slung her basket onto his back as well.
Hu Feng said nothing more, simply turned, and started walking with the basket on his back.