My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

Lu Qingshan didn't reply; his gaze was fixed on the dark bear den.

He feigned confusion and asked, "Sir, don't you find it strange?"

"This bear was so badly injured, but instead of finding a place to hide, it stubbornly stayed at this hole and we caught it red-handed."

"This doesn't make sense."

Grandpa Lu paused in his actions, looked up, and followed Lu Qingshan's gaze.

"The animals in the mountains all have their own territory; they're just protecting their homes."

"No," Lu Qingshan shook his head, his tone certain. "Wild animals protect their homes, but they value their lives even more. There must be some treasure in this cave that it wouldn't want to leave behind."

As he spoke, he picked up his gun and walked straight toward the cave entrance, which was covered by dead tree roots and snow.

The old man frowned, muttering to himself, "Nonsense," but still picked up his knife and followed.

In case there are other living creatures in the cave, he needs to keep an eye on his grandson's escape route.

The cave entrance was small, and the surrounding snow was a mess from the fight.

Lu Qingshan crouched down and used the butt of his gun to brush away the snow and fallen leaves covering the roots of the dead tree.

His movements were slow, but his heart was pounding like a drum.

It's right here.

In his previous life, he heard that there was an injured bear in Blind Man's Gully guarding an old ginseng tree. As a result, some hunters from a neighboring village snatched it up and sold it for several thousand yuan, which was an astronomical figure back then.

The price of the ginseng king is unknown.

In this life, he's determined to have both the bear and the ginseng king.

As the snow was gradually cleared away, a vibrant red color unexpectedly entered the field of vision.

It was the only bright spot in a sea of ​​withered yellow and pale white.

Several clusters of bright red berries gathered together, like a string of fine red agate.

Ginseng seeds, in trade terms, are called "red girl".

Old Master Lu's breathing suddenly stopped.

The small peeling knife in his hand clattered to the ground, splashing up a small cloud of snow.

His old, injured leg seemed to have suddenly healed. He rushed over in three steps and knelt down in the snow with a "thump," moving even faster than Lu Qingshan.

The old man stretched out his calloused, slightly trembling hands and carefully brushed away the last layer of snow around the ginseng seeds.

The complete plant was revealed.

A main stem from which six palmate compound leaves emerge.

One, two, three, four, five, six...

The old man's lips trembled as he silently counted one number at a time, his voice hoarse beyond recognition.

"Six...six-grade leaf..."

"Old Mountain God... this is a club with six-grade leaves!"

His voice was choked with sobs, and he lay prostrate in the snow as if he had seen a god.

In the traditions of mountain runners, first-grade and second-grade leaves are common, third-grade leaves depend on luck, fourth-grade leaves are rare, and fifth-grade leaves are a testament to one's ancestors' good fortune.

As for the Six-Petal Leaf, it's something I've only heard of in legends; it's the King of Ginseng, a miraculous medicine that can bring the dead back to life!

Lu Qingshan also squatted down, looking at the ginseng king in front of him, his heart burning with excitement.

With this, you'll have all the capital to get married, build a house, and start a business!

"Sir, shall we dig?"

Just as Lu Qingshan was about to reach out, the old man slapped his hand on the back of his hand.

"You brat, what do you think you're doing!"

The old man stared wide-eyed, as if Lu Qingshan was about to touch not just a blade of grass, but his very heart.

"Dig my ass! We have to ask them!"

After he finished scolding, he quickly turned back and bowed to the ginseng king.

"Mountain God, please forgive me. Children speak without thinking. Children speak without thinking."

The old man scolded, carefully holding the clusters of bright red ginseng seeds in his palm as if they were treasures, and blew on them as if afraid of disturbing something.

His cloudy old eyes were now frighteningly bright.

Lu Qingshan was stunned by the scolding, but then he realized what was happening.

Mountain runners have an almost obsessive set of rules and reverence for the sacred things in these mountains.

He had heard of it in his previous life, but had never experienced it firsthand.

"How do we 'invite' them?"

Lu Qingshan humbly sought advice.

The old man glared at him irritably, then looked him up and down.

Finally, the old man's gaze fell on Lu Qingshan's waistband.

"Take off your underwear."

"What?"

Lu Qingshan doubted that he had heard correctly.

"Take your pants off, hurry up!"

The old man lowered his voice, but his tone left no room for argument.

"The clubs in the mountains are all spiritual. If you don't tie a red rope around their necks, they'll run away on their own when they hear any noise."

"Neither of us brought a red string, but your underwear was red when you took a shower the night before last."

Lu Qingshan's face instantly darkened.

He only had this one good pair of underwear, and thinking that he was going to do something big today, he specially picked out the best one.

Just one.

"Sir, will this... will this work?"

"Enough with the nonsense! Just take it off! Compared to the Mountain God's treasure, your pair of underwear is nothing!"

The old man got impatient, blowing his beard and glaring.

Seeing the old man's devout and anxious look, Lu Qingshan did not hesitate any longer.

He turned around, his back to the old man, and deftly unbuckled his belt, quickly taking off the brand-new red underwear.

A mountain breeze blows, and my buttocks feel chilly.

The old man snatched the underpants and held them in his hands like treasures.

He pulled out the sharp skinning knife, brandished it over the fabric, and then with a "rip," he sliced ​​the underwear into thin strips.

Lu Qingshan's eye twitched.

A spendthrift old man.

The old man completely ignored his expression, picked up the longest strip of red cloth, and carefully knelt in the snow, as if performing some sacred ritual.

He gently and solemnly tied a slipknot on the main stem of the ginseng king.

"Grandpa, please, don't run away, come home with us and enjoy your retirement."

The old man was muttering to himself, talking incoherently.

After doing all this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had accomplished something of paramount importance.

"Watch and learn!"

The old man pulled a smooth deer bone skewer from behind his waist; it was an old item he had used for decades.

He didn't use a knife or his hands, but instead used a deer bone skewer to slowly dig into the frozen soil, starting a foot away from the ginseng king.

The movements were so gentle, like caressing a lover's face.

"Please use the mallet, the worst thing you can do is damage the whiskers. Each whisker represents a portion of the medicinal properties; if one is broken, this treasure is ruined and becomes worthless."

As the old man dug, he shared his experience with Lu Qingshan.

"First, we need to loosen the surrounding soil to make room for it so that it can come out comfortably on its own."

Time passed little by little.

The snow at the entrance of the cave was completely cleared away, forming a large pit with a diameter of more than three feet.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the old man's forehead, and he didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Lu Qingshan squatted to the side, watching quietly, imprinting every movement of the old man into his mind.

As the soil was gradually removed, the shape of the ginseng king became clearer.

The main root is thick and sturdy, shaped like a human leg, and slightly curved, giving it a rustic beauty.

On either side of the main root, two symmetrical "two branches" emerge, resembling human arms.

What's most alarming is the tangled, intertwined root system.

Each hair, as fine as a cow's hair, is densely interwoven to form a complete "whiskers" that envelop the entire ginseng.

On the ginseng rootlets, there are also small, pearl-sized bumps, which are called "pearl spots" in the trade.

"The reed, the veins, the body, the whiskers, the legs, and the seeds—all six are excellent..."

The old man muttered to himself, his voice trembling, "This is...this is a treasure that has come to life!"

He carefully dug away the last handful of soil.

The entire ginseng was finally presented to the two of them.

It lay quietly in the black soil, its body waxy yellow, emitting a strange, refreshing fragrance.

"Qingshan, come here."

The old man waved to him, his voice hoarse.

"You come and 'invite' it."

"You are the host, you found it, so you deserve to claim this prize."

Lu Qingshan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knelt down like the old man.

He stretched out his hands and carefully probed into the soft soil, gently supporting the heavy main root.

It feels warm and smooth to the touch, carrying a strange vitality.

He carefully and steadily "invited" the old ginseng root out of the soil intact.

When this "miracle herb" that could change the fate of his family was held in his hands, Lu Qingshan finally showed the first genuine smile of his trip.

Steady!

Money for getting married, money for building a house, capital for starting a business... all of that is there!

"Okay...okay!"

The old man looked at the perfectly shaped ginseng king, plopped down on the snow, as if all his strength had been drained, his eyes reddened, and he grinned.

He wiped his face with the back of his muddy hands, laughing and crying at the same time.

"The Lu family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

The grandfather and grandson carefully wrapped the ginseng king in the cleanest cloth, layer upon layer, and then wrapped it with some damp moss to keep it moist before solemnly placing it on Lu Qingshan's chest.

After dealing with all of this, the two began to pay homage to the mountain.

Lu Qingshan carried a basket on his back and felt an inexhaustible amount of energy.

"Let's go home!"

The old man also carried another one on his back, patted the snow off his hands, and looked full of energy.

The grandfather and grandson packed up and set off on their journey home.

The wind and snow intensified.

The vast, silent mountains and forests seemed to swallow everything up.

Lu Qingshan couldn't help but think to himself.

I wonder how the person who dug the trap down the mountain is doing now.