Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

After walking for more than an hour, the view suddenly opened up before us.

The bottom of the gully becomes a gentle slope, covered with low shrubs and wild grass.

Zhao Lei stopped and looked around. His gaze fell on a collapsed pit at the foot of the slope, and his heart skipped a beat.

I quickly stepped forward, squatted down, parted the weeds, revealing withered vines, and found a pile of fresh footprints.

The footprints were left only two or three days ago, and someone had been here.

Qin Bowen leaned closer: "Brother-in-law, is it Ma Laosan's gang again?"

Zhao Lei followed the footprints up the slope a few steps and found the dismantled rope snare under an old pine tree.

The noose was still hanging from the tree roots, the knot had been untied, and the stake had been pulled out and thrown aside.

Zhao Lei put the rope around his waist and looked towards the top of the slope.

The footprints led to the mountain ridge, matching the direction from which they had met Ma Laosan last time.

"They've been to this ravine before."

Zhao Lei's tone turned serious. "We haven't even set up a trap here yet, and they've already come to scout the location."

Qin Bowen cursed, "These people are so persistent, they really need to be taught a lesson!"

Zhao Lei planned to cross the ridge to see what was happening on the other side. He had only taken about ten steps when his foot slipped on a patch of loose soil, causing his left foot to slip and his body to stagger forward.

Qin Bowen shouted from behind, "Brother-in-law, watch out!"

Zhao Lei steadied himself and looked down at his feet.

The soil layer was trampled down, revealing several thick, yellowish-brown roots. Zhao Lei squatted down and brushed away the loose soil, and when he saw the thick rhizomes buried in the soil, his heart skipped a beat.

The roots are about the thickness of a finger, yellowish-brown, and covered with fine horizontal lines.

Following the roots downwards, a thick rhizome is buried in the soil, its outline resembling ginseng.

Zhao Lei beckoned to Qin Bowen: "Bowen, hand me the hunting knife."

Qin Bowen quickly handed over the knife and squatted down to look around, asking, "Brother-in-law, what's this?"

"It looks like wild ginseng."

Zhao Lei carefully used the tip of his knife to pry away the surrounding soil, peeling the entire ginseng plant away from the ground bit by bit.

They moved very carefully, not daring to break a single whisker.

After digging for a while, the entire ginseng plant was unearthed intact.

Zhao Lei took it in his hand and examined it closely. The root was as thick as an adult's thumb, the main body was about two inches long, the rootlets were complete, the skin was tightly wrinkled, and the top of the root head was dry and black, indicating that it was an old ginseng that had been stored for many years.

Qin Bowen leaned closer and swallowed hard. "Brother-in-law, is this thing valuable?"

Zhao Lei wrapped the ginseng in a cloth and put it in his pocket. He stood up and wiped the dirt off his hands. "The value depends on someone who knows about these things. Judging from its appearance, it shouldn't be an ordinary product. I can ask my uncle to take a look later."

Zhao Lei looked around, filled the excavated pit back in, tamped down the marks on the ground, and turned to go down the mountain.

"We won't go towards Shanliang today; we'll go back to the village first."

Qin Bowen followed behind, constantly looking back, afraid of being seen by others.

When we returned to the village, the sun had just risen high in the sky.

Zhao Lei went straight into the main room, closed the door, placed the ginseng on the table, and wiped the soil off the roots with a dry cloth.

Jiang Xinyue heard the noise and came out of the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks when she saw what was on the table: "What is this?"

Zhao Lei looked up: "I dug it up in the mountains, can you take a look at it for me?"

Jiang Xinyue approached and examined it closely for a long time, her eyes revealing surprise: "Judging from its appearance, it's a wild ginseng, and it's very old. Where did you find it?"

"On that slope in Donggou, I slipped and that's how we found it."

Zhao Lei turned the ginseng over so the rhizome was facing up. "Approximately how much can I sell it for?"

Jiang Xinyue didn't answer immediately, but repeatedly examined the root veins: "I'm not an expert. Two years ago, when I went to the county supply and marketing cooperative, there was a ginseng of similar quality on the counter, priced at one hundred and twenty."

The supply and marketing cooperatives are state-run and have unified pricing. Truly top-quality old ginseng often fetches several times the price on the black market. Your ginseng rootlets are well-preserved, and the rhizome is old; if you find a knowledgeable buyer, the price can be raised even further.

Zhao Lei carefully weighed the pros and cons.

He rewrapped the ginseng and locked it in the cabinet drawer: "Keep it safe for now, and ask my fourth uncle, Su Minggui. He knows about the market for medicinal herbs."

Jiang Xinyue replied, "I'll write a letter and ask Fourth Uncle to come and take a look when he has some free time."

Qin Bowen squatted at the door, rubbing his hands together: "Brother-in-law, this is like a pie falling from the sky. We stumbled upon a treasure while trying to step on it."

Zhao Lei laughed out loud: "It's just luck. Next time, try stepping on the ground more often, and you might bump into it too."

Qin Bowen chuckled, then remembered something else: "Brother-in-law, what should we do about Ma Laosan's matter? They've already reached Donggou, and if they go any further, they'll be in our Butao area."

Zhao Lei locked the drawer and put the key in his pocket: "If they dare to come, I'll give Ma Laosan a piece of my mind."

Zhao Lei took a hunting knife from the wall and hung it on his waist: "Let's go, let's go to Donggou again. We won't go from the top of the slope, we'll go along the bottom of the gully and find out their activity range."

Qin Bowen immediately got up and followed.

Jiang Xinyue saw him to the front door and whispered a word of advice: "Be careful."

Zhao Lei waved to Jiangxin Yue and led Qin Bowen out of the courtyard, heading east along the village road.

Meanwhile, Su Minggui arrived on the afternoon of the third day.

He rode a 28-inch bicycle with a canvas bag strapped to the back seat.

He parked the car under the jujube tree in the yard, wiped his sweat, and called out towards the main room, "Lei Zi, are you home?"

Zhao Lei came out of the kitchen, carrying a half-bowl of cold water: "Fourth Uncle, you're here so quickly."

Su Minggui slammed a stack of manila envelopes on the table: "I received a letter from your wife saying she dug up some medicinal herbs, how could I delay?"

"Take the item out and let me see it."

Zhao Lei led Su Minggui into the main room, closed the door, and took out ginseng from the cabinet and placed it on the table.

Su Minggui stepped forward, his eyes immediately lighting up.

He didn't touch the ginseng, but bent down and examined it closely against the table. He raised his hand to roughly compare the length of the ginseng, and then his expression turned serious after he straightened up.

"Lei Zi, you've stepped on a gold nugget!"

Zhao Lei poured a bowl of tea: "Fourth Uncle, tell me the real price."

Su Minggui carefully picked up the ginseng and examined its root head: "This ginseng is at least thirty years old, with intact rootlets, an old root head, and is of superior quality. It could sell for over a thousand on the black market, and the price could go up even more if a buyer urgently needs medicinal herbs."

Zhao Lei was startled: "One thousand?"

"I know a regular customer who specializes in this kind of high-quality ginseng and pays promptly. If you're interested, I'll bring the ginseng over tonight and give you a definite answer tomorrow."

Zhao Lei didn't hesitate: "Okay."

Su Minggui wrapped the ginseng in cloth, put it in a canvas bag, sat down to drink tea, and listened to Zhao Lei talk about Ma Laosan and his gang.

After listening, Su Minggui frowned: "I've heard of Ma Laosan from Liushugou. He's not someone to mess with. Don't fight him head-on. Let's talk about it when I get back from the county town."

As darkness fell, Su Minggui rode away on his bicycle, the canvas bag on the back seat securely fastened.

Su Minggui returned the following afternoon.

With a smile on his face, he pulled Zhao Lei over, took out a wad of cash from his pocket, and stuffed it into Zhao Lei's hand: "Twelve thousand, full payment received."

Zhao Lei held up a thick stack of ten-yuan bills, counted them, and found the amount to be exactly as advertised.

Su Minggui lit a cigarette: "The buyer made an offer as soon as he saw the ginseng, without haggling over a single penny. If you have any other medicinal herbs of similar quality in the future, just contact him directly."

Zhao Lei put the money away and said, "Fourth Uncle, thank you for making this trip."