Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 155: Three Reed-Headed Ginseng
Qu Shaoyang and Liu Dongshan prepared everything very well before entering the mountains this time.

Lin Ruolan not only brought them big pancakes, but also made a lot of scallion pancakes with bear oil.

In addition, he also brought a lot of millet seeds, salt, dried meat and other things, just in case they stayed in the mountains for a long time without food.

Add to that the offerings for worship, and you won’t be afraid even if you live in the mountains for a while.

There was enough food, so Qu Shaoyang and Liu Dongshan were not in a hurry. They just stayed here and carried ginseng slowly.

Last year, Qu Shaoyang followed Liu Dongshan and learned how to carry ginseng out. He didn't dare to practice with large pieces, so he started carrying fifth-grade leaves.

The master and disciple worked together and it took them seven or eight days to finally carry out all the sixth-grade leaves in the surrounding area, and they also carried out a few fifth-grade leaves that looked good.

"Master, this Erjiazi looks strange to me, how about we take it out and have a look?
If they are too small, I will find a place to plant them more densely, and they will grow quite big in a few years."

After taking all the big stuff around, Qu Shaoyang just wandered around the three Erjiazi trees.

He had never heard of ginseng growing together, and he wanted to see what was going on underneath.

"Okay, if you want to lift the ginseng, then give it a try. It won't take much effort to do it."

This trip into the mountains was quite rewarding.

Liu Dongshan was very happy and didn't care about the day or so. He just let his apprentice do whatever he wanted.

With the permission of his master, Qu Shaoyang laid out all the tools for clearing the mountains, picked up a deer bone skewer, and began to push aside the leaves, weeds and the soil underneath bit by bit.

Originally, Qu Shaoyang thought that the area under the second Jiazi would not be particularly large, and it would surely be lifted out in no time.

However, as the stick continued to dig up the soil, Qu Shaoyang discovered a problem. It turned out that there were not three ginseng plants under the three stalks above, but just one.

"Master, Master, come and see, come and see." Qu Shaoyang hurriedly called Liu Dongshan.

Liu Dongshan came over to take a look and was also dumbfounded, "Oh my, this is a reincarnation ginseng.

Three reed heads, my god, this thing is rare, it’s a treasure.”

The "transformed ginseng" refers to the ginseng that has been bitten by insects, frozen, etc. during its growth process, causing the top of the ginseng to be destroyed.

In this case, ginseng will hibernate for a long time underground and then grow remnants.

Generally speaking, a sixth-grade leaf will be transformed into a fifth-grade leaf or a second-grade leaf.

However, it is extremely rare for a tree like this one to directly produce three reed heads.

"That night I had a dream. I dreamed of an old lady wearing three flowers on her head. Master, could it be this ginseng?"

Qu Shaoyang suddenly remembered this and asked.

In the dream, Qu Shaoyang clearly saw that the old lady was wearing three flowers on her head, and she told him that it was their turn to go out of the mountains this year.

"Well, that's possible. This mountain ginseng has a certain number of times it comes out of the mountains. If you're not destined to meet it, you won't meet it.

I've said it before, you're born with luck, and all good things happen to you."

Liu Dongshan smiled, took the deer bone skewer from Qu Shaoyang's hand, and began to move the soil bit by bit.

As more soil was removed, the condition of the ginseng underneath became apparent to the master and disciple.

The shoulders of this ginseng are as thick as a baby's arm, its body is covered with fine lines, its shape is graceful and agile, and it is covered with pearly bumps. It is quite beautiful.

Liu Dongshan did not dare to be careless. He moved the soil carefully bit by bit. When he encountered tree roots, he asked Qu Shaoyang to cut them off with a saw.

You can't use an axe because the tree roots are elastic and can't be chopped off with one blow, and it would easily damage the ginseng.

Some grass roots are cut with sharp scissors.

Every time you clean out a ginseng beard, cover it with loose soil immediately to prevent the ginseng smell from escaping.

It took more than two days to completely lift out this one ginseng.

"Wow, I've never seen such a beautiful ginseng, Shaoyang, you got it.

This seedling ginseng, at least 8 liang or more, the best is more than 9 liang close to 10 liang. Do you know what this means? This is the treasure, the thousand-year-old ginseng that people say can become a spirit, you know?"

Liu Dongshan was so excited when he saw the young ginseng.

In the terminology of the ginseng industry, ginseng growing in the ground is called a plant, and once it is lifted out, it is called a seedling.

The ginseng seedling in front of me has three reeds on its head and its body is graceful and agile, looking a bit like a flying phoenix.

“I once heard from an old mountain dog that the best ginseng from Changbai Mountain looks like a human.

But there is an even rarer dragon ginseng that looks like a dragon or snake.

It is said that the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, King Laohan, personally dug out a dragon-shaped ginseng in the Zhuque Mountain of the Changbai Mountains.

“I thought, since there is dragon ginseng, there must be phoenix ginseng as well.

Shaoyang, why not call this Miao ginseng Fengxiang? "

Qu Shaoyang had never seen Liu Dongshan so serious, so he smiled.

"Okay, call it whatever the master says. Master, do you want to sell this ginseng?"

"Why sell it? This is a treasure. It's almost priceless, if not inestimable. I can't sell it. I have to keep it as a family heirloom."

Liu Dongshan glared at his apprentice, disliking him for saying he wanted to sell ginseng.

"Hehe, I'm just asking." After being scolded by his master, Qu Shaoyang just scratched his head and laughed.

"Hurry up, go pick the moss and birch bark, and make the ginseng buns. Don't waste too much time, or you'll run out of gas."

Liu Dongshan held the ginseng seedling carefully and sent Qu Shaoyang to work.

Qu Shaoyang went to the shady slope, dug out a large piece of moss with a knife, and then peeled off large pieces of birch bark from the birch tree.

Liu Dongshan placed the Fengxiang ginseng on the moss, then scooped up some soil from the original spot to cover the ginseng roots.

Then wrap the ginseng with moss, wrap it tightly with birch bark, and tie it up with the soft and flexible part of elm bark.

If you wrap the wild ginseng like this, it can be kept fresh for a long time and will not dry out or rot.

After finishing all these, Liu Dongshan instructed Qu Shaoyang to find a red pine tree nearby.

Then peel off a piece of bark at a height of about one person above the ground.

Using an axe, they carved two lines on the left side of the exposed tree trunk, indicating that there were two people coming to clear the mountain.

The six paths carved on the right indicate that they have obtained the sixth-grade leaf. This is called a cutting omen.

Some people will carve the year and month on the omen they cut.

There are also some people who do not carve a horizontal line on the omen, but instead carve a special symbol called a flower code, mainly because they do not want others to know the specific information of the release of the mountain.

After cutting down the omen, you have to wash it, which means using fire to burn off the pine oil around it to prevent the omen from becoming unclear over the years.

After finishing all these, the master and disciple packed their bags and prepared to leave.

This time they have been away for nearly half a month, and their family must be getting anxious waiting.

The master and the disciple walked back along the way they came. Before they reached the valley, they suddenly heard an "oh, oh" sound.

The two of them were stunned. Is the wolf coming again?

It has been very quiet these past few days, and the father and son thought the wolves dared not come again. Why did they come again?
Just as the two were puzzled, they suddenly heard a "wow".

The two of them suddenly felt their scalps tingling and a numbness in their bodies extending from their heads to their backs.

"Fuck, are these wolves competing with the tigers again?"

(End of this chapter)