Returning to the 82 Mountain Village: An Encounter with the Journey to the West Film Crew at the Beg

The younger sister was already in the zone; her eyes scanned the ground, and she could spot any Gastrodia elata at a glance.

"Hey, move aside, don't step on that."

"Girl, you..."

Zhou Fangyuan was at a loss for words. He had really underestimated his little sister.

In less than half an hour, the three large bamboo baskets they had brought were more than half full, and several bags were also full.

There was still some gastrodia elata left, and the little girl straightened her back.

"We'll keep the smaller ones for seed; if we dig any more, we won't be able to carry them all back. If we dig up too much Gastrodia elata, the smaller ones won't fetch a good price."

"You even know the market rate?"

"Of course I know," the younger sister said, counting the gastrodia elata in her basket.

"Last year, when I went to the commune with my mother to sell eggs, I heard someone say that fresh and whole Gastrodia elata is more valuable, costing 30 to 40 yuan per catty, while dried Gastrodia elata is less than half the price."

Zhou Fangyuan smiled with satisfaction: "Okay, then Da Shan and I will go to town tomorrow."

After thinking for a moment, the younger sister said, "Guo, I'll go with you."

"Are you going too?" Zhou Fangyuan asked, worried about his younger sister.

"Um!"

"I often go to the commune to sell eggs and vegetables. I know the people there and where I can get a good price. You've always been in the theater troupe, and you only come back once in a while. If you go to sell your goods, people will definitely try to lower the price because they see you're a new face!"

Zhou Fangyuan thought about it and agreed.

Although my younger sister is only sixteen years old, she is already a "veteran businesswoman".

"Alright, make sure you stay close to us and be careful..."

"I know, I know," the younger sister interrupted with a smile.

"Guo, why are you being so long-winded? I'm not a little kid anymore. Besides, I can ask Chunxiao to go with me. She's going to the commune tomorrow too, so she can help me carry it. You just stay here and rest with Enma."

Zhou Fangyuan remembered Chunxiao, who was his younger sister's best friend. The two often went up the mountain and down to the fields together.

He was a pitiful man, with only his mother at home, while his father, like most of the men in the village, worked in the antimony mine.

Zhou Fangyuan glanced at Chen Dashan.

"Haha, Fang Yuan, don't look at me, I'll listen to Shu Meiji."

"All right……"

Zhou Fangyuan knew he couldn't persuade his younger sister on his own, so he reluctantly agreed.

On the way down the mountain, the younger sister was already making plans.

"Pot, big pot, I've made up my mind. I'll sell the gastrodia elata in two batches. One batch of fresh gastrodia elata will be sold to the herbal medicine station, and the smaller ones will be dried and sold when the price is higher in winter."

"You can also dry medicinal herbs?"

Yes!

"I helped Grandma Liu dry the gastrodia elata before, and she taught me how. The gastrodia elata needs to be cooked, sliced, and then dried. This makes it pale yellow and translucent, with a better appearance and higher value!"

Zhou Fangyuan looked at his younger sister walking ahead. Her thin shoulders carried a heavy bamboo basket, but her steps were steady.

Little sister, perhaps he really doesn't need to worry about you...

As he walked and cut grass, Zhou Fangyuan suddenly noticed a few unusual, intertwined vines that caught his attention.

"Wait a minute, girl, look at these smooth, heart-shaped leaves, aren't they herbs?"

Upon hearing this, the younger sister stepped back and carefully examined the vines.

The main vine is thick, with slender branches that are purplish-red in color, and the leaves are smooth with clear veins.

"Polygonum multiflorum? It might be something good! Shall we open it and take a look?"

They followed the main vine for a long time before finding the main root. The vines here had already climbed all over the surrounding trees, so the three of them knelt down and started digging.

Because they only brought hoes, digging was a bit strenuous, but they didn't stop at all and dug with great enthusiasm.

This he shou wu was bigger than they had imagined, with its roots intertwined like many thick tendons tangled together. It was quite large, and the more they dug, the more excited they became.

But there were many large rocks below, and the three of them were very careful while digging, afraid of breaking a root.

"This he shou wu must be a thousand years old."

"There aren't that many thousands of years old!"

After digging for a long time, the outline of the Polygonum multiflorum finally came into view. It was not the "human-shaped" one from the myth, but a huge tuber with intertwined and twisted roots.

He Shou Wu is known as one of the "Four Immortal Herbs". Its skin is dark purple to black, like an old tree root. Unprocessed He Shou Wu is toxic and cannot be eaten directly.

Zhou Fangyuan spat out the dirt in his mouth, hugged the thickest root nodule, shouted a work chant, and together with Chen Dashan, they lifted it up.

Despite slipping and sliding, they finally managed to lift the enormous he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum) out of the deep pit.

The two of them plopped down on the ground, shaking their sore and numb arms, the younger sister was very excited.

"Wow, this must weigh dozens of kilograms! It must be at least a hundred years old!"

"Haha, yes!"

The three men sat on the ground and laughed. What they had dug up was real money! This one hundred-year-old He Shou Wu was worth a basket of Tianma (Gastrodia elata).

"This wild forest is full of treasures! If I come here often, I might find even more amazing things!"

Upon hearing his younger sister's words, Zhou Fangyuan's expression changed instantly, as it reminded him of various events from his past life.

"You're not allowed to come to these mountains again! Not even to Mother En!"

Zhou Fangyuan rebuked him sternly.

This wild forest is very dangerous; I've seen countless venomous snakes along the way.

In her previous life, her beloved mother was injured in a fall while working on the mountain.

That happened on the outskirts of the mountain, so it was alright. If it had happened in the wild forest, what would have happened?

This is a paradise for venomous snakes. If there's a snake right under your feet that you don't see, you might not survive if you get bitten!

The scariest thing is that not many people dare to come here, and even if an accident happens, no one will encounter it.

Unless someone who cares about you very much might find out that something is wrong, but the chances of that are very small, almost nonexistent.

If in this life, something even more terrifying happens because I took my little sister to dig for medicinal herbs in the wild forest, wouldn't that be like being reborn to do evil?

You never regretted any choices you made in your previous life, so why did you come to this life specifically to regret them?

This sudden change in tone startled the younger sister and the mountain.

Especially my younger sister; her older brother would never have spoken to her in such a tone.

But she also knew what Guoguo was afraid of.

"Don't worry, honey, I was just saying... I won't come to the wilderness with anyone else again. I know it's no joke if something happens..."

Hearing his younger sister's assurance, Zhou Fangyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows remained furrowed.

What he himself didn't know was that from the moment he saw his mother and younger sister again, he had locked himself away from them.

"Let's rest for a bit and then leave."

"Okay!"

Zhou Fangyuan and his younger sister went down the mountain, while Chen Dashan wanted to search again, but Fangyuan stopped him. Having lived a second life, he was very afraid that something might happen to everyone who was good to him.

On their way down the mountain, the three of them discovered other people's footprints, indicating that they had come to the mountain after the rain had stopped.

On the way, the little girl was overjoyed, carrying the medicinal herbs on her back.

Back in Qingshi Village, the village was bustling with activity as Lao Zeng, the stage manager, organized a performance for the villagers.

At this moment, the person standing on the abandoned millstone was Li Lingyu.

Her voice was clear, delicate, and melodious, and she sang with confidence and grace. Zhou Fangyuan stood there, forgetting the noise around him. In his world, there was only that beam of light and the person in the light.

The younger sister nudged him from behind, bringing him back to his senses.

He put the herbs back at home and then rejoined the crowd.

Old Zeng and Uncle Wang, who had just returned, stood together. They noticed them and greeted them with smiles as they came over.