Chapter 91: Ginseng Meeting
"Brother San? You think this will work? I’ve never heard of dogs or foxes being able to find ginseng."
"It’s fine, let’s just give it a try. Who knows, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while!"
Zhao Wendong actually had some confidence in them. He remembered that more than one stalk of wild ginseng had been dug up around here. Plus, it was winter now, so the air wasn’t thick with the mixed scents of other plants, which meant less interference for the dogs.
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
Before long, General was the first to start barking. The three men rushed over and saw a small, yellow nub peeking out from the decaying soil in front of the dog. It was, unbelievably, another stalk of wild ginseng.
"Oh my god, it actually works!"
"General, you’re amazing!"
Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou excitedly started digging. Zhao Wendong, meanwhile, dotingly petted General’s head. The little yellow dog squinted its eyes in comfort, enjoying its master’s praise.
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
"YIP YIP YIP!"
After that, the dogs made one discovery after another. Even the little fox, not to be outdone, found some ginseng. They were busy for a good while. Zhao Wendong was nearly dead from exhaustion, his hands caked with dirt. Looking at the five stalks of old mountain ginseng they’d acquired, everyone was grinning from ear to ear, unable to wipe the smiles off their faces.
"Doesn’t this stuff usually grow far apart?"
"How can there be so many around here?!"
Zhao Wenjun recalled what he’d heard about ginseng and stared at the stalks before them in disbelief.
"Maybe it’s because of the unique environment. Who knows!"
Zhao Wendong said with a smile, brushing off the question. ’In my past life, I remember there were only three or four stalks here. But this time, we actually found five, and every single one is over a hundred years old.’ He was incredibly excited.
"Huh? Where’s Second Brother?"
Zhao Ergou wanted to call Zhao Wenwu over to see, but when he turned around, he realized Zhao Wenwu, who had been sitting at the mouth of the gorge, was gone. They had been so focused on digging for ginseng that they hadn’t noticed when he disappeared. Just as they were discussing whether to go back and check, Zhao Wenwu walked out, looking completely out of it.
"Second Brother, what’s with your weird walk?"
Zhao Ergou shouted in surprise. Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenjun looked over and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Zhao Wenwu was walking with a strange gait, his arm and leg on the same side swinging forward together. He was completely out of sync.
"Oh, oh, it’s nothing. Uh, Brother San, didn’t you guys want to bathe? Your sister-in... no, I mean, Comrade Jin Xiuying is done. You can go wash up!"
"You go first, Second Brother! Just be careful not to get your wound wet."
"I... I’m done too!"
Zhao Wenwu’s face turned even redder, as if he’d remembered something. Zhao Wendong and the others exchanged a look of surprise. ’Zhao Wenwu is done bathing already?’
’When did he bathe? We didn’t even see Jin Xiuying come out!’
Seeing Zhao Wenwu’s face, as red as an eggplant, the three of them tacitly agreed not to press the issue. Instead, they began to carefully pack the ginseng. Preserving wild ginseng had its own set of rules: don’t let it touch iron, don’t expose it to the sun, keep it moist, and don’t let it freeze. They hadn’t expected to find any, so they hadn’t brought any special equipment for storing it.
"Brother San, what do we do? If this stuff stays frozen outside, all its medicinal properties will be lost!"
Zhao Wenjun looked at Zhao Wendong anxiously, but Zhao Wendong just smiled confidently.
"Don’t worry, watch me! We’ll use what we can find here." He had already thought about what to do if they actually found some. The rock crevices by the hot spring were full of thick moss, which was a treasure for preserving fresh ginseng. Moss is highly absorbent, retains heat and moisture, and can protect the fragile rootlets better than any cloth.
"I have a plan. Just wait!"
With that, Zhao Wendong ran back into the gorge. He saw Jin Xiuying, who had finished bathing and was now dressed, her face flushed as she tidied her hair. She glanced at him once before lowering her head, seemingly afraid to meet his eyes. Zhao Wendong didn’t pay it much mind. ’Who has time to worry about her and Second Brother right now? Preserving the ginseng is more important.’
Zhao Wendong scraped up a large pile of moss, picking out the dead twigs and small stones. Cupping it in his hands, he quickly ran back out of the gorge.
Zhao Wenwu watched them bustle about. He wanted to go have a look, but he was also a little worried about leaving Jin Xiuying alone in the gorge. He could only stand at the entrance, looking out at them one moment and then glancing back into the gorge the next. He seemed even busier than they were.
They didn’t shake off the original soil clinging to the ginseng roots, afraid of losing any of the plant’s vital energy. Zhao Wendong placed a stalk in the middle of the moss and started wrapping it, beginning with the rootlets. He buried all the fine tendrils in the moss, then wrapped the main body and the rhizome head, squeezing it all into a tight moss ball and making sure no part of the plant was exposed.
Then he found a piece of birch bark and wrapped the bundle in it to effectively prevent moisture loss. Once it was all wrapped up, he tucked it inside his coat. One stalk, done. This way, his body heat would keep the ginseng from freezing solid, while the moss would keep it moist. Even after a few days, the ginseng body would remain plump and the rootlets wouldn’t dry out.
Ginseng was incredibly delicate. Normally, it was best not to handle it with bare hands, expose it to the sun, or warm it by a fire. It absolutely couldn’t be stored with other things and had to be kept separate. Following the same procedure, Zhao Wendong and the others soon had all five ginseng stalks tucked safely inside their coats.
Jin Xiuying and Zhao Wenwu were drawn by their activity and came over from the gorge to see.
"Hey, Brother San, is that ginseng? Why didn’t you call me when you found it?"
Zhao Wenwu stomped his foot in regret, which tugged at his shoulder wound, making him grimace in pain.
Zhao Wendong shot him an annoyed look, then let his gaze drift meaningfully between the two of them before saying with a grin,
"We did call you. You were just too busy to hear it!"
It was a simple, ordinary sentence, but it instantly made Zhao Wenwu’s face flush. Jin Xiuying grew uncomfortable as well. Zhao Wendong took it all in. ’Looks like I really am getting a second sister-in-law. My second brother really is a classic case of fortune favoring fools.’
Zhao Wenjun also saw what was going on. The thought that his second younger brother might be getting a wife almost made him laugh out loud. His gaze toward Jin Xiuying became warmer; in his heart, he already considered her part of the family. As long as his second brother could get married and start a family, it didn’t matter who his wife was or where she came from!
"I heard that a lot of girls from the Central Plains and the Sichuan and Guizhou regions have been hopping trains to get over here, just to find a family that can feed them so they can survive. Comrade Jin Xiuying, are you from there too?"
Jin Xiuying was startled for a moment, then quickly nodded.
"Yes, yes, that’s right! I’m from the Central Plains. Can ya’ll please help me out? Please, be kind, won’t ya?"
Zhao Wendong laughed and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Deal!"
Zhao Wenwu pouted and grumbled, displeased.
"What’s with that accent? It doesn’t sound good at all!"
"Get outta here! You don’t know anything!"
Zhao Wendong kicked Zhao Wenwu in the butt. Jin Xiuying immediately rushed forward with a pained expression, pulling Zhao Wenwu behind her. She looked at Zhao Wendong and complained,
"Why’d ya kick him for? He’s still injured!"
Zhao Wendong froze. ’Holy crap, I didn’t even kick him that hard! Besides, Second Brother and I have always messed around like this.’ He turned to Zhao Wenjun, looking for backup, but Zhao Wenjun was holding back a laugh and turned his face away. ’This brother has no loyalty.’ Zhao Wendong sighed and admitted defeat. ’Today’s Second Brother isn’t the same as the old Second Brother. He’s got someone to protect him and dote on him now!’
"Alright, Second Sister-in-law, I get it. I’ll be more careful next time!"
Zhao Wendong admitted his mistake, his head hanging dejectedly. Inwardly, though, he wanted to give Zhao Wenwu a huge thumbs-up. ’My second brother is the real hunter here. He came out and bagged the biggest prize of his life right off the bat!’
The group prepared to go into the gorge to bathe. Zhao Wendong glanced at the sky.
"Let’s not take turns. The three of us brothers will wash up together, and then we’ll head back quickly! There are quilts at the stronghold. We can wrap the old mountain ginseng in them, then we won’t have to worry about damaging the rootlets!"
"Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, come on, you two hold on to this ginseng for now. Just don’t drop it or bump it."
Only after Zhao Wendong and the others had gone into the gorge, stripped down, and started bathing did it finally click for Zhao Wenwu. He looked at the alluring Jin Xiuying and asked for confirmation.
"What did Brother San just call you?"
"None of your damn business!"
The natural result was a light punch from Jin Xiuying’s delicate fist.
Soaking in a hot spring on a cold winter day was an indescribable feeling. After they finished, even Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou looked like they wanted more. All their fatigue seemed to have vanished. After wiping themselves down with the handkerchiefs they carried, the three of them sat stark naked in a row, waiting to air dry. Zhao Wendong said with a smile,
"This place is great. If we get the chance, we should bring the whole family here for a dip!"
"Brother San, we could build a shed here and use it as a base. We could also keep an eye on..."
Zhao Ergou trailed off, but his gaze shifted to the area where the two men from the neighboring country were buried. Zhao Wendong and Zhao Wenjun understood his meaning in an instant.
"Yeah, he’s right! I’ll get it done when I have time after I get back from the farm!"
Zhao Wenjun wanted to say he’d do it, but he opened his mouth and then swallowed his words. ’I’ll discuss it properly with Brother San when we get back. I don’t feel confident without him around. There are too many unknown dangers deep in these old mountains.’
On the way back, Zhao Wendong found a chance to sidle up to Zhao Wenwu and ask in a low voice,
"Second Brother, did you two... you know... do it earlier?"
"Huh?"
Zhao Wenwu looked at Zhao Wendong with a bewildered expression, not understanding what he was talking about.