northernbook Chapter 489 Ginseng Digging
Chapter 489 Ginseng Digging
As night fell, the villagers gradually dispersed, but the news about Li Xiangyang buying a car had already spread throughout Xiaoliang Village and even began to spread to the surrounding villages.
At the dinner table, the family sat together, creating a particularly warm atmosphere.
"Dad," Xiao Wangchen asked Li Xiangyang with hopeful eyes, "Will I be able to drive a car someday?"
Li Xiangyang patted his son's head: "Of course you can, but you have to study hard first, and you can only drive when you're older."
"Then I must study hard!" Xiao Wangchen nodded earnestly.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou drove their newly bought truck, along with several helpers, to the nearby mountains to buy mountain products.
The arrival of the truck greatly improved efficiency; in one day, they purchased more mountain produce than they used to in a week.
On the way back to the village, Wang Ergou said excitedly, "Brother Xiangyang, this car is such a great deal! Before, we could only visit two villages a day at most, but now we can visit five or six!"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, but we're just starting out, so we have to take it slow. First, we need to stabilize the supply of goods to the nearby villages before considering expanding."
“Oh, right,” Wang Ergou suddenly remembered something, “I went to see Grandpa Zheng yesterday, and he said he’d take us to Daqinggou sometime and teach us some manners.”
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "That's great! Let's go see Grandpa Zheng tomorrow and learn from his experience."
The truck, loaded with mountain produce, drove towards Xiaoliang Village in the afterglow of the setting sun.
……
The next morning, Li Xiangyang got up early, prepared a pot of fine sorghum wine and some mountain produce, and planned to visit Grandpa Zheng Defa.
As soon as I stepped outside, I ran into Wang Ergou, who seemed to have been prepared all along.
The two walked through the village and arrived at Zheng Defa's courtyard.
Under an old locust tree in front of the house, Grandpa Zheng was sitting on a small stool, leisurely smoking his pipe.
"Grandpa Zheng, sorry to bother you!" Li Xiangyang greeted from afar.
The old man looked up, squinted, and then smiled. "Oh, it's Xiangyang and Ergou! Come and sit down."
Li Xiangyang placed the wine and gifts he had brought on the table and said respectfully, "I brought you a small token of my appreciation; please have some."
"What are you doing here?" Old Master Zheng said with a laugh and a scolding tone, "Bringing things here to visit me, aren't you being too polite?"
Although he said that, the old man's eyes lit up, especially when he saw the pot of wine, he couldn't help but stroke his beard.
"Old woman, come out quickly, Xiangyang and Ergou are here!" Old Master Zheng called into the house.
A moment later, Grandma Zheng came out of the house. Seeing the two young people, a smile immediately spread across her face: "Oh dear, please sit here a while. I'll make lunch."
After the old lady went into the kitchen, Grandpa Zheng lowered his voice and asked, "I heard you bought a car? And now you're doing business selling mountain products?"
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang nodded, “I want to take advantage of the favorable policies to expand my business.”
“Good, good,” the old man nodded approvingly. “Young people should have the drive to take risks.”
Li Xiangyang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Grandpa Zheng, we've heard there's ginseng in Daqinggou. We'd like to ask you for some guidance."
Old Master Zheng narrowed his eyes into slits, smiled, and shook his head: "I knew you weren't here today just to see this old man."
Wang Ergou scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "Grandpa Zheng, you are very experienced, and we want to learn from you."
"Alright, stop flattering me," the old man waved his hand. "Ginseng isn't something that's easy to find; there are many rules to digging it up."
Li Xiangyang said earnestly, "It's precisely because I don't know the rules that I'd like to ask you for guidance."
Grandpa Zheng gave Li Xiangyang a deep look, as if he was considering something.
Just then, Grandma Zheng brought out a large table of dishes: "Come on, let's eat."
"Thank you, Grandma Zheng," Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou said in unison.
After a hearty lunch, the three men sat under the locust tree in the courtyard, drinking and chatting.
"The younger generation has arrived, and it's a rare opportunity to have a few more drinks," Old Master Zheng nodded in satisfaction, then asked seriously, "You really want to go dig for ginseng?"
The two immediately straightened up and nodded vigorously.
"I'm not trying to be mean," Old Master Zheng shook his head, "but digging for ginseng is no joke. If you don't know the rules, you might not only fail to find any, but you could also get yourself into trouble."
“We will certainly follow your teachings,” Li Xiangyang said respectfully.
Old Master Zheng took another sip of wine, seemingly pleased by its aroma, his expression softening considerably: "How about this, tomorrow I'll take you to Daqinggou and give you some pointers."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with undisguised joy.
"Oh, and bring several bags, specifically for filling with soil," Grandpa Zheng instructed. "The soil where ginseng is dug is also precious; it can be used for replanting."
The two nodded earnestly, taking the old man's words to heart.
After a few rounds of drinks, Old Master Zheng's face flushed, and he became more talkative.
"I've spent over sixty years wandering in these mountains, hunting, gathering herbs, digging ginseng—I've seen it all," the old man said, squinting as if lost in memories. "Don't think I'm being a nag; there are countless strange and wonderful things happening in these mountains, enough to fill a day, but those who get into trouble are mostly clueless and reckless youngsters..."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou listened intently, nodding in agreement from time to time.
Before they knew it, it was getting late. Old Mrs. Zheng came out of the house and saw the three of them drinking happily. She shook her head helplessly, "You're having so much fun, but you should be mindful of the time. It's time for dinner."
Grandpa Zheng waved his hand with a smile: "Oh, it's alright. I'm just happy today. Xiangyang and Ergou, you can stay here. We'll go up the mountain together first thing tomorrow morning."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance and quickly nodded in agreement.
The next morning, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou got up early to help Grandma Zheng fetch water and chop firewood. They only sat down to eat breakfast after finishing the housework.
“Old man,” Mrs. Zheng looked at her husband with worry in her eyes, “at your age, why are you still going into the mountains? The mountain paths are difficult to walk on, be careful not to hurt your back.”
Grandpa Zheng waved his hand with a smile: "Don't worry, my dear wife, we're just taking these two kids up the mountain to look around and dig some ginseng. There won't be any danger."
Although Grandma Zheng didn't say it aloud, the worry in her eyes didn't lessen: "Then you must be careful, don't go too far."
"I know, I know," Old Master Zheng waved his hand impatiently, but his eyes held a warmth. "Don't you trust my health?"
After breakfast, the three of them packed simple bags, took shovels, cloth bags and water bottles, and set off towards Daqinggou.
Not long after leaving the village, Grandpa Zheng's steps became noticeably lighter, and his back view looked even more energetic than Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou.
"The old man is amazing. At his age, he walks on mountain paths just like a young man," Wang Ergou whispered to Li Xiangyang.
Li Xiangyang nodded, his eyes full of admiration: "That's what people who live in the mountains year-round have—their bodies are different from ordinary people."
After walking for about two hours, the three arrived at the foot of Daqinggou Mountain.
Grandpa Zheng took a deep breath, a look of bliss on his face: "Ah, the air in the mountains is so much better! Ever since I promised my wife I wouldn't hunt anymore, this old body of mine has been restless at home."