Chapter 578 441: Taking Mom to Lingnan

This Miao Ginseng had no leaves. Just a lone stalk grew out of the ground, and on top of it, only two ginseng seeds remained.

In the Northeast, there is a legend of the "Ginseng Bird." The legend tells of a pair of lovers who, after some fated romantic tragedy, both died and were reborn as a pair of small birds.

These small birds feed exclusively on ginseng seeds.

Therefore, whenever a Mountain Man hears the call of these birds, they can follow the sound to find Ginseng.

Zhao Jun had even looked it up online in his past life. He saw that someone had posted two pictures of small birds, claiming they were the so-called "Ginseng Birds."

But the information he found from various search engines offered only a few vague introductory sentences and the legendary love story, with no specific data on the bird's physical characteristics or appearance.

So, a legend was just a legend.

But according to the old-timer Mountain Men, there was no "Ginseng Bird," but there was the "Ginseng Child."

The term "Ginseng Child," with its diminutive suffix, may have been misheard by some, who mistook it for "Ginseng Bird."

"Ginseng Child" was a collective term for any bird or small animal that ate ginseng seeds. After they ate the seeds, the seeds weren't digested in their stomachs but were passed out with their droppings, landing on the ground to take root and grow into Ginseng.

And now, the leafless Ginseng before Zhao Jun had only two seeds left. The rest had perhaps been eaten by a "Ginseng Child," or had scattered into the surrounding soil.

Its leaves were likely gone, battered by the wind and rain or trampled by birds and beasts.

For a Ginseng like this, with no leaves, how were they supposed to perform the mountain shout?

Simple. You shout for the best-case scenario.

Hearing Zhao Jun answer "Sixth-grade Leaves," Jie Chen reacted instantly and followed up with, "How many stalks?"

"The whole mountain is covered in them!" After Zhao Jun shouted this, a wind suddenly swept across the hillside. Zhao Jun looked up. Although the leaves blocked his view, he could feel the sky darkening.

It was almost noon; it shouldn't be getting dark.

Zhao Jun figured it was about to rain. He told Jie Chen to take the wrapped Ginseng Buns back to the car first, then had Zhang Yuanmin go strip some moss and cut some bark, while he himself stayed put to personally dig up the Ginseng.

By the time Zhang Yuanmin returned with the moss and a piece of pine bark, Zhao Jun had already broken the soil around the Ginseng, revealing most of its body. He was now clearing the dirt clinging to the ginseng roots.

This was delicate work that required complete concentration. Zhao Jun was fully focused, using both hands in a flurry of motion. With his right hand, he used the Deer Antler Key to brush away the soil, while his left index finger gently lifted the ginseng roots. He worked with incredible speed.

Even so, Zhao Jun was at it for over half an hour. This Miao Ginseng was quite large; it was possible that before it lost its leaves, it really had been a Miao Sixth-grade Leaves.

Just as Zhao Jun was finishing up, raindrops began to fall from the sky, PITTER-PATTER against the leaves and branches above.

The rain wasn't heavy yet, and few drops made it through the dense canopy. But Zhao Jun felt a cool splash on his face that jolted him awake.

RUMBLE...

As the thunder roared, Zhao Jun finally placed the Ginseng on the moss. Zhang Yuanmin rolled the pine bark around the moss, tucked it into his satchel, and the two of them hurried toward the car.

The rain was heavy now, streaming down their foreheads and making it difficult to keep their eyes open. Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin walked onward with their heads slightly bowed.

As they walked, they saw someone approaching. Zhao Jun wiped his eyes with his arm and shouted, "What are you doing here?"

It was Jie Chen. He called back, "You guys weren't coming back, so I got a little worried!"

With that, Jie Chen turned and headed back.

The three of them hurried on, one in front and two behind.

SPLAT! The rain-soaked ground was muddy and slick. Zhang Yuanmin's foot slipped, and he fell hard on his bottom, sliding down the slope and landing flat on his back.

But in the instant he fell, Zhang Yuanmin used both hands to protect the satchel in front of him, which held that large Miao Ginseng.

Zhao Jun hurried forward, put his hands under Zhang Yuanmin's armpits, and pulled him to his feet.

Jie Chen glanced back, saw that Zhang Yuanmin was already up, and continued walking quickly without turning around.

They finally made it down the hillside and saw the car parked by the side of the road. Jie Chen was already in the car. Zhao Jun and Zhang Yuanmin ran to the front and squeezed into the passenger side.

Jie Chen started the car, turned on the headlights, and activated the windshield wipers. Seeing that the rain was letting up, he drove all the way to Yong'an Village.

By the time they returned to Yong'an Village, it was nearly two in the afternoon. Jie Chen dropped Zhang Yuanmin home first. As he was getting out, Zhang Yuanmin handed the Ginseng Buns from his satchel to Zhao Jun, but Zhao Jun reminded him, "Brother, go drink some hot water so you don't catch a cold."

"Yeah, will do," Zhang Yuanmin replied as he pushed the door open and got out. All three of them were soaked, so Zhang Yuanmin didn't ask them to stay.

When Zhao Jun and Jie Chen got home, Zhao Jun first went down to the cellar to put away the five Ginseng Buns. When he came into the house, Wang Meilan handed him a washbasin and a thermos.

Zhao Jun went into the west room, took off his wet clothes, and he and Jie Chen used the hot water to wash up before changing into clean clothes.

Once they were cleaned up, Wang Meilan had already brought a large pot to a boil, stir-frying shredded eggplant to create a fragrant base for a pot of hot noodle soup.

Zhao Jun and Jie Chen sat on the kang, slurping down the hot soup and noodles until they broke out in a sweat, driving the dampness and chill from their bodies.

While the two ate, Wang Meilan sat nearby, chatting with them. When she heard they hadn't caught a Fragrant Musk Deer but had found five stalks of Ginseng instead, she was simply happy and said nothing more.

The Ginseng had to be taken to Lingnan to be sold, so the trip was a sure thing. The only question was when to go.