Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

In fact, Wang An had wanted to go down the mountain and go home for a long time, but because he hadn't finished wading through these old ravines, he was afraid that he would still think about and miss the ginseng in these old ravines when he had nothing to do in the future, so he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Now that he saw that the last old embankment had been waded through, Wang An completely gave up any thoughts of the ginseng in those old embankments, and was genuinely very happy.

Because in Wang An's eyes, he could finally go home!
What could be more joyful than going home?
However, seeing everyone's regretful and sorrowful faces, Wang An did not show his inner joy.

The main issue is that everyone is sad. If only Wang An appears to be happy, it would be too unusual and would likely attract resentment.

Wang An dismounted and paced back and forth several times in the area where people had been, pretending to look at the shack and ash heap, then, suppressing a laugh, said to the crowd:

“I’ve explored all the old hamlets I know of this time. I don’t know where else in these mountains there are any other old hamlets. I’m completely out of options. My suggestion is to go home now. What do you all think?”

When he said the word "go home," Wang An could hardly hide his excitement, and his tone of voice changed noticeably.

There's no way around it; no matter when, the thing that travelers want to do most when they're away from home is always the same: go home.

After Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueli continued:

"I have no objection, then let's go home."

Wang Li said, with an air of complete entitlement:
"Yeah, let's go home. We have nowhere else to go."

Huang Zhong concluded by saying, "Let's go home. I want to go home too."

For some reason, Wang An could sense joy and excitement in the tone of their voices, and there was even a hint of relief in them, as if they were finally free.

Wang An nodded, finally no longer hiding his joy, and said with a broad smile:
"Then let's go home, hahaha!"

Just as Wang An put his left foot in the stirrup and was about to climb back onto the horse, Yang Shuwen suggested:

"Brother, how about we go around the old embankment we waded through before a few more times? I bet we've missed some of the sticks."

Wang An took his foot off the stirrup and said without hesitation:
"No, we're not going. If you want to wander around a few more times, go ahead. We're going home now; we've been away for a month."

After Wang An finished speaking, Yang Shuwen said somewhat embarrassedly:

"If they bring out the clubs then, we'll send your share over before we come down the mountain."

It must be said that most of the older generation of mountain hunters were very principled and cared a lot about their reputation. Once they entered the mountains, they would prioritize rules and ethics, preferring to suffer losses themselves rather than allow their partners to find fault with them.

Wang An waved his hand, refusing, and said:

"No way, even if you bring out a seventh-grade leaf, we won't take it. What you've worked so hard to bring out is yours, it has nothing to do with us."

Yang Shuwen said with a conflicted expression:

"That's not appropriate. You were the ones who led us there, that's how we found the place. You should get a share of the knowledge."

Wang An refused with a smile:

"Whoever gets what's in these mountains first owns it. Once we leave that old village, it has nothing to do with us anymore. How could we possibly have the face to claim any more benefits?" Yang Shuwen wanted to say something more, but Wang An simply smiled and said:

"Alright, Brother Yang, that's enough about it. We definitely can't take it. That's the end of our partnership. We're out of here. After we leave, I wish you all the best in carrying that big stick, hahaha!"

After saying that, Wang An suddenly remembered something, turned around, and took out two packs of cigarettes that he hadn't finished smoking from the bag on his horse. He opened one pack, took a pack for himself and put it in his loin pocket, then tossed a pack to each of Wang Li, Mu Xueli, and Huang Zhong. Then he walked up to Yang Shuwen, stuffed the remaining one and a half packs of cigarettes into Yang Shuwen's arms, and said:

"Brother Yang, keep these cigarettes for you guys. I see you're almost out of cigarettes, so why are you smoking grass cigarettes? Hehehehe."

I don't know what Yang Shuwen and his group planned before going into the mountains. They were all heavy smokers, but they didn't bring enough tobacco for all of them.

Wang An and others had seen it more than once: Yang Shuwen and his group stuffing dried leaves or grass into their tobacco pipes.

Although Wang An and his three companions each had extra cigarettes, it was definitely not enough to supply all seven of them. So when they dug for ginseng together, they would only occasionally offer them a few cigarettes, and it was absolutely impossible for them to give them more.

There was no other way. In these remote mountains, everything outside was extremely precious. Every bit used was a bit less, and there was no way to replenish it.

So no matter what the item is, we have to give it to our own people first; no one can be that generous.

Upon seeing the cigarettes offered by Wang An, Yang Shuwen and the other heavy smokers visibly swallowed several times, their expressions resembling those of people who hadn't eaten for days suddenly seeing a bowl of fragrant rice.

For a long-time smoker, the feeling of not having a cigarette is just incredibly unpleasant!

However, Yang Shuwen still pushed the carton and a half of cigarettes away, saying with great difficulty:

"Brother, brother, this won't do, this won't do! These cigarettes are so precious, we..."

Before Yang Shuwen could finish speaking, Wang An chuckled and shoved the cigarette back into Yang Shuwen's arms, saying:

"Alright, Brother Yang, don't be so polite. Cigarettes are only precious in these mountains. Once we get home, there's plenty of cigarettes, so you can smoke as many as you want."

Although Wang An and his three companions all smoked, they didn't smoke very often; a pack of cigarettes was enough for one person to smoke for several days.

Yang Shuwen nodded and said in agreement:
"That's true, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Wang An solemnly bid farewell:

"Okay, we're off then. Be careful, and carry lots of heavy loads, hahaha."

Yang Shuwen smiled and nodded, saying:

"Then I'll take your good wishes, brother, and carry out big shipments, hehehe."

After Yang Shuwen finished speaking, Yang Shuhui and the others also exchanged some polite words or blessings, and then Wang An and the other three rode away on their horses.

Upon returning to their lodgings, Wang An and his companions quickly packed up their luggage, daily necessities, and food, put away their tents, and carefully packed the hidden ginseng buns into burlap sacks.

Finally, after tying everything to the horses, Wang An and his three companions eagerly mounted their horses, leading the dogs, and headed home. (End of Chapter)