The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground

The Lingnan Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

Inside the simple manager’s office.

Zhao Jun and Sun Desheng sat on opposite sides, while Sun Haizhu perched on the edge of the desk.

Just like the old man at the pharmacy, Sun Desheng held the Ginseng by its Rush Head with one hand and supported its body with the other, examining it meticulously.

After a long moment, he carefully placed the Ginseng back on the moss. Then, Sun Desheng looked toward Sun Haizhu.

Sun Haizhu understood immediately. He smiled and said, "Brother Zhao Jun is right here, he’s one of us. Go ahead and speak freely, Second Brother."

Hearing "one of us" put Sun Desheng at ease. He said to Sun Haizhu, "I can offer thirty-two hundred. If you want to go any higher, it’ll have to be your call."

"Alright, I get it." Sun Haizhu hopped off the desk and said to Zhao Jun, "Brother, you sit tight. Second Brother and I are going to make a phone call."

"Brother-in-law!" Seeing he was about to leave, Zhao Jun knew he was going to call for approval. He quickly stopped him. "I’ve still got a few more Ginseng roots in my bag. Why don’t you and Second Brother take a look at them first?"

Sun Haizhu understood what Zhao Jun meant. ’He’s right,’ he thought. ’It’s better to see everything first. What if there’s something else that needs approval?’

After Zhao Jun had unwrapped the other Ginseng roots, Sun Haizhu looked to Sun Desheng. Sun Desheng inspected each one, then smiled. "Haizhu, let’s go. We can make the call on these ourselves."

"Alright, brother. You just wait here." Sun Haizhu said to Zhao Jun before turning and leading Sun Desheng out of the room.

For the Sixth-grade Leaf Ginseng, Sun Haizhu needed to call his superior for approval. But he didn’t know anything about Ginseng, so he needed Sun Desheng to describe its quality over the phone.

About seven or eight minutes later, Sun Haizhu and Sun Desheng returned. As soon as he entered the room, Sun Haizhu said to Zhao Jun, "Brother, thirty-seven hundred yuan. If you say it’s a deal, I’ll get you the money."

"Deal!" Zhao Jun agreed instantly without a second thought. The price was already much higher than what he had expected. ’Sun Haizhu must have really put his heart into this.’

A delighted expression appeared on Sun Haizhu’s face when Zhao Jun agreed. He then said to Sun Desheng, "Second Brother, take a look at those other Ginseng roots."

Sun Desheng heard him and pointed to the one with Fourth-grade leaves. "One hundred fifty for this one."

"Max it out," Sun Haizhu said. "I’ll talk to the boss tonight about the difference."

Sun Desheng did a quick calculation. "One eighty, then. That’s the absolute highest."

"Alright. What about those?" The ones Sun Haizhu was referring to were the Lantern Platform and two Second-class roots from Zhao Jun’s first ginseng hunt.

Sun Desheng glanced at the three Ginseng roots, then opened the small box he was holding. He took out a set of balance scales and began weighing them, Ginseng on the left, weights on the right.

The Lantern Platform Ginseng weighed about 8.2g. He then weighed the other two Second-class roots; one was 6.3g, and the other was 5.8g.

After weighing the three Miao Ginseng, Sun Desheng looked back at Sun Haizhu. Although these were far less valuable than the Sixth-grade Leaves, they still weren’t cheap, and he couldn’t make the final decision.

Sun Haizhu jutted out his chin. "Second Brother, give our brother here the best price the pharmacy would offer."

"Alright!" Sun Desheng picked up the Lantern Platform root, closely examining its lines and whiskers. He had just been on the call with Sun Haizhu to the leadership, so he knew the price Sun Haizhu quoted Zhao Jun was the absolute maximum. He also knew that the Sixth-grade Leaf Ginseng would be sent up as a tribute, to be used to nourish the elders.

Thinking of this, Sun Desheng couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy toward Zhao Jun. He had been dealing with Ginseng for many years and had met many Leaders of ginseng hunting parties. He often heard those Leaders say that Mountain Ginseng wasn’t something just anyone could find. You needed to have the fortune for it; you needed the Mountain God and the Elder Leaders to grant you wealth.

Just then, Sun Desheng put down the Lantern Platform root and said to Sun Haizhu, "This one... the pharmacy would give seventy-five at most."

"Good!"

Sun Desheng then picked up the 6.3g Second-class Ginseng, examined it carefully, and said, "This root... the pharmacy would give forty-five for it."

"Deal!" Sun Haizhu nodded again.

At this point, Zhao Jun had a clear picture. ’For this 6.3g Ginseng, the old man at the pharmacy offered forty, and maybe I could have pushed it up by another two or three yuan. But Sun Desheng offered forty-five straight up. That proves these two aren’t trying to rip me off just because I’m young.’

Then, Sun Desheng picked up the last Second-class Ginseng, looked at it, and smiled. "This one isn’t as heavy as the last, but its quality is better. We’ll give your brother forty-five for it too."

"Deal!" Sun Haizhu replied, then mumbled to himself, "Forty-five, forty-five, seventy-five, one-eighty... that’s... three hundred and forty-five. Plus the thirty-seven hundred... that’s four thousand and forty-five."

He looked at Zhao Jun and asked, "That’s right, isn’t it, brother?"

"Yes!" Sun Desheng didn’t ask Zhao Jun if the prices for the remaining Ginseng were acceptable, and Zhao Jun didn’t say a word in protest. They all knew it was the highest possible price.

"Come on! Let’s go get your money." Sun Haizhu waved Zhao Jun over. The two of them left the office to go to the finance department, leaving only Sun Desheng behind to wrap the Ginseng Bun.

With Sun Haizhu handling things, Zhao Jun got his money quickly. He stuffed four thick stacks of banknotes into his satchel, keeping only the loose forty-five yuan in his pocket.

Then, Sun Haizhu said to Zhao Jun, "Brother, it’s not that I’m trying to rush you out. I was planning to have you stay the night and treat you to a good meal, but that Sixth-grade Leaf of yours is a special case. After work, I have to deliver it to the main warehouse."

"Ah!" Zhao Jun understood immediately and smiled. "Brother-in-law, you go ahead and do what you need to do. I’ll come see you next time I’m here."

To be honest, Zhao Jun really admired people like Sun Haizhu. He was straightforward and unpretentious, just like Jie Zhong and Jie Chen.

Hearing this, Sun Haizhu smiled and clapped Zhao Jun on the shoulder. "You’re a good brother. Come on, I’ll walk you out."

"Brother-in-law," Zhao Jun quickly stopped him. "I want to say goodbye to your Second Brother before I leave. I troubled him a lot today." As he spoke, Zhao Jun reached into his pocket. "I’ll go downstairs and buy you both a couple cartons of cigarettes."

"Hey, hey!" Sun Haizhu quickly grabbed Zhao Jun’s arm. "My dear brother, you think we’re short on cigarettes? Come on, let’s go see Second Brother."

Sun Haizhu’s impression of Zhao Jun improved even more. ’This young man is polite, grateful, and knows how to handle himself.’

After saying goodbye to Sun Desheng, Zhao Jun, accompanied by Sun Haizhu, came out to the front. Seeing the bustling scene in the main hall, Zhao Jun said to Sun Haizhu, "Brother-in-law, I’d like to buy a few things before I go."

"Buy away!" Sun Haizhu waved his hand grandly. "And I’m not just bragging, but whatever you have back home, we have it here. And whatever you don’t have, we’ve got that too."

"Yes, yes." Zhao Jun knew he wasn’t bragging. Just take the Cans for example—the shops In the Town at the foot of the mountain didn’t have them.

"Are you married yet?" Sun Haizhu asked with a smile.

"Not yet."

"You should get married," Sun Haizhu laughed. "The sooner you have a son, the sooner you’ll have help, right? Anyway, you have younger siblings at home, don’t you?"

"I do," Zhao Jun nodded. He was thinking of buying some snacks for his two younger sisters to take back.

Hearing that, Sun Haizhu asked, "How about some ’Little Rascals’ then?"

"You have those here?" Zhao Jun was surprised.

"Of couuurse..." Sun Haizhu drew out the word, his voice full of pride. He led Zhao Jun to the candy counter, pushed through the crowd without a second thought, and said to the clerk behind it, "Weigh out some ’Little Rascals’ for my brother."