Cui Hongyu's excited expression left Chen Xiaobei bewildered.
"There are many of them at the mountain god's temple."
Cui Hongyu grabbed Chen Xiaobei's arm. Perhaps due to her excitement, she squeezed a bit too hard. Chen Xiaobei felt a sting and quickly broke free. "Let's talk properly, okay?"
"Husband, this is ginseng, ginseng!" Cui Hongyu's voice changed with excitement.
Upon hearing "ginseng," Chen Xiaobei's mind raced.
"This is very valuable, right?"
Cui Hongyu nodded. "Yes, yes. We can take it to the pharmacy in the county town."
Chen Xiaobei smacked his head. "Ah, I knew it looked familiar."
In his past life, a girl he had pursued came from a family that farmed this. Yes, when they were busy in the fields, she had called him over to help.
"That's great! Tomorrow, tomorrow morning, I'll go into the mountains and collect all that ginseng." Chen Xiaobei nodded emphatically.
The atmosphere at home became much more cheerful that evening.
Cui Hongyu clearly understood the value of this ginseng, and her expectations for their future life increased.
Meanwhile, the village head, Chen Anbang, took advantage of the fading light and hurried out of his home, heading for the neighboring village.
Cui Jiazhuang wasn't far, only about four or five li. He arrived in no time.
Not far into the village, on the right-hand side, there was a house.
Compared to other courtyards, this house was even more dilapidated. Some courtyards had guard dogs, which immediately started barking upon seeing Chen Anbang.
Following the barks, the dim light inside the main room flickered again. Then, the door creaked open, and an old man with a hunched back slowly opened it, peering out. "Lao Hei, stop barking."
With his command, the guard dog ceased its barking.
The old man squinted for a long moment before breaking into a smile. "So it's the village head Chen. Come in, come in."
Chen Anbang couldn't wait to speak before entering. "I say, Cui Banxian, are you trying to trick me?"
Cui Banxian didn't rush to reply.
Instead, he first invited Chen Anbang to sit and then poured a bowl of water, placing it before him.
"Why am I a trickster again? Village head Chen, you can't accuse an innocent person!"
Chen Anbang's emotions became agitated. "What did you say before? You said Cui Hongyu would face a bloody disaster within three days of marrying."
"You also said that after this tribulation, all her misfortunes would be gone."
"Heh heh heh," Cui Banxian squinted at Chen Anbang and let out two dry chuckles, baring his teeth.
"Oh my, why are you so impatient? I made it clear to you before. As long as Cui Hongyu's husband dies, I can persuade Old Cui to give you all his property as dowry."
Chen Anbang's emotions flared. "Yes! We were clear about that. I'll give you thirty percent then."
Cui Banxian leisurely sat down on his chair.
"Isn't that settled? What are you rushing for? I've already calculated that Chen Xiaobei is a man destined for a short life."
"But..." Chen Anbang hesitated, wanting to say more.
"Go back and wait patiently for a few more days. This kid won't live much longer."
"Cui Banxian, I'm trusting you this one last time. If he still doesn't die, then you..."
Cui Banxian chuckled. "I say, Village Head Chen, in a village as large as Hetou, what's the big deal if one or two people die? Especially an orphan with no parents."
Chen Anbang's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
Cui Banxian leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Cui Fugui practiced medicine for many years. His accumulated fortune is worth at least a hundred taels of silver."
Chen Anbang remained silent and stood up to leave.
Watching him depart, a sinister smile spread across Cui Banxian's lips. He called out loudly, "Village Head Chen, I'll give you one piece of advice: fortune favors the bold!"
Chen Xiaobei did not sleep soundly that night.
He knew from Cui Hongyu telling him about the boys after the thirtieth day that life was precious, but such opportunities were rare.
His mind was occupied with two things: first, to quickly get to the mountain god's temple and collect the ginseng; second, to observe the pheasant habitats at the mountain god's temple.
After all, a pheasant delivered to the county town and to Steward Cao would fetch three hundred and fifty copper coins.
What bothered him most now was not knowing the time, only being able to guess based on the changes in the outside light.
As it began to faintly lighten outside, he quietly got up.
The moment he moved, Cui Hongyu woke up.
She turned and said to Chen Xiaobei, "Husband, let me go with you. I recognize ginseng."
Chen Xiaobei stood up, walked to the bedside, and bent down, gently patting Cui Hongyu's shoulder.
"I'll go by myself. If Qiao'er wakes up and no one is around, she'll cry."
This reason softened Cui Hongyu. She hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded slightly.
Watching Chen Xiaobei leave the house, Cui Hongyu felt a complex mix of emotions. Perhaps "a thousand emotions intertwined" was the most fitting description. Chen Xiaobei seemed very caring towards his sister, so why were there rumors in the market that he intended to sell her?
After leaving Hetou Village, Chen Xiaobei felt his calves grow heavy.
Indeed, heading to Qingniu Mountain alone so early made him a little nervous. After all, in his memories of this life, he had heard stories from elders since childhood about fierce beasts in the mountains.
But he couldn't afford to think about it now. He could only steel himself and walk forward. Even his only weapon for self-defense was a tree branch he had picked up by the roadside.
He kept his head down and walked at a brisk pace, rushing all the way to the mountain god's temple.
Before reaching the mountain god's temple, he saw a faint red glow appearing on the horizon.
Yes, watching the sunrise from halfway up the mountain would indeed be a scenic view.
As a red sun emerged from the horizon,
Thousands of rays of light instantly bloomed, illuminating the entire valley.
Chen Xiaobei immediately took action. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly towards the valley.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Chen Xiaobei let out four or five consecutive shouts, his voice high and sustained, echoing through the valley.
In response to his cries, activity stirred in the valley below. Flocks of mountain birds were startled.
Of course, these mountain birds were not Chen Xiaobei's main targets.
His gaze was nervously scanning. His objective was naturally the pheasants.
Good effort brings reward. He did have some success.
A few pheasants were seen hopping around on treetops at the foot of the distant mountain before disappearing.
He was sure they were pheasants because of their colorful plumage, which ordinary birds didn't possess.
After noting their approximate location, Chen Xiaobei turned and headed for the back of the mountain god's temple.
Where he had collected the red seeds yesterday, several ginseng plants were still waiting for him.
Following Cui Hongyu's instructions, Chen Xiaobei tried to widen his digging area, excavating around them.
He was afraid of accidentally cutting through the root of this god of wealth.