Chapter 44: Good Luck
Old Mrs. Bai led Bai Dazhu, Bai Erzhu, and her eldest daughter-in-law, a group of four, storming toward Uncle Hu’s house on the east side of the village. When the other villagers saw the commotion, they knew there was a good show in store. They all stopped what they were doing and followed from a safe distance.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhi and Hu Feng had arrived at Doctor Lu’s home. Doctor Lu was in his courtyard, tidying up some dried medicinal herbs. Most were herbs he had gathered himself, which he planned to sell in town once they were dry. Being a barefoot doctor in this village didn’t earn him much money. In fact, because he was treating his neighbors and fellow villagers, he often ended up taking a loss. If he didn’t gather herbs to supplement his income, his family would likely starve.
"Keeping busy, Doctor Lu?" Bai Zhi called out from outside the wicker fence, beaming at him.
Doctor Lu looked up and saw it was Bai Zhi and Hu Feng. He quickly put down the basket in his hands, stood up, and asked urgently, "Has your mother’s illness gotten worse?"
Bai Zhi shook her head. "No, no. I came to see you about something."
Seeing the smile on Bai Zhi’s face and the basket on her back, Doctor Lu figured it wasn’t an emergency. He smiled and waved her over. "Come in, then. We can talk inside."
He moved the herb basket aside and hurried over to the courtyard gate to let the two of them in.
The moment she stepped into the courtyard, Bai Zhi lowered her voice. "Doctor Lu, let’s go inside to talk."
Doctor Lu paused. ’What could be so important that we can’t say it in the courtyard?’ he thought. But her mysterious expression piqued his curiosity, so he nodded. "Alright. Inside it is."
The house Doctor Lu lived in wasn’t large—in fact, it was smaller than the Bai Family’s home—but it was kept so tidy that it felt exceptionally bright and spacious.
After entering the house, Bai Zhi casually closed the door behind her.
"So, what’s all this mystery about?" Doctor Lu asked with a smile.
Bai Zhi slipped the basket from her back, took out the wild ginseng wrapped in leaves, and handed it straight to Doctor Lu. "Doctor Lu, take a look at this. What do you think?"
The moment Doctor Lu heard the words "wild ginseng," his heart leaped with excitement. He quickly took it and examined it closely. The more he looked, the more thrilled he became. He had been fortunate enough to find ginseng before, but they were always small and of poor quality. Never had he unearthed a wild ginseng so large and of such exceptional quality.
"This... this ginseng must be at least a hundred years old to be of this quality!" Doctor Lu exclaimed, staring at the root in his hand. He wasn’t just talking about hundred-year-old ginseng; he’d even seen a thousand-year-old specimen before. Of course, he’d only *seen* it, displayed in an apothecary as the owner’s most prized treasure. It was said you couldn’t even dream of buying that thousand-year-old ginseng for less than several thousand taels of silver.
"Where did you get this?" Doctor Lu asked urgently.
Bai Zhi said, "Hu Feng and I went to Luoying Mountain today. I was hoping to find some Spikemoss, but instead, I stumbled upon this wild ginseng. I brought it straight to you as soon as we got back to the village."
A bit of fresh soil still clung to the ginseng, and its stalk and leaves remained a vibrant green. It certainly looked as though it had just been unearthed.
Doctor Lu’s face was full of envy. "You have some incredible luck, girl. Your very first trip to Luoying Mountain, and you find a treasure like this. I’ve been there countless times and only ever come back with common herbs. I’ve never once laid eyes on a ginseng like this."
Bai Zhi gave a little laugh and glanced at Hu Feng beside her. "Hu Feng and I found it together," she said with a smile. "He’s the lucky one. If it weren’t for him, I might not have made it out of there alive today."