Chapter 1727
Ginseng Baby
After confirming that it was a genuine seven-leaf seedling, Wang An blurted out in surprise:
"Holy crap!"
Wang An's voice was quite loud, startling Wang Li, who was helping to make ginseng buns, as well as Mu Xueli and Huang Zhong, who were tidying up their ginseng-digging tools. They all instinctively looked in Wang An's direction.
But when they saw that Wang An had stopped moving after exclaiming and had lowered his head and squatted there without getting up, the three of them immediately assumed that something had happened to Wang An.
Actually, the three of them were mainly worried that Wang An had been bitten by a snake.
During the day and a half that Wang An and his companions were searching for ginseng in Pai Gun'er, they had already encountered several snakes, including the Ussuri viper, which the locals called "earth ball," and which is a venomous snake.
Of course, seeing snakes in these mountains is perfectly normal, and no one would be surprised.
Besides, snakes are afraid of people. Whenever the stick is used to stir the grass, it can startle the snake and make it leave in advance.
Furthermore, the shoes worn by Wang An and his three companions were all high-top leather shoes made by Wang An before entering the mountains. They were also coated with shoe polish, which snakes and insects hate, making them very effective in preventing snake bites.
Therefore, although the four people saw quite a few snakes, they were not bitten by any of them.
Noticing Wang An's unusual behavior, the three exchanged glances, each seeing the worry in the other's eyes.
Then Wang Li put down the ginseng bun he was half-wrapped, and Huang Zhong and Mu Xueli, not even bothering to pack up their tools, all ran frantically toward Wang An.
At the same time, the three of them anxiously asked loudly:
"Fourth Brother, what's wrong? Did a snake bite you?"
"What's wrong, brother-in-law? Brother-in-law, where did the snake bite you?"
"Big brother, big brother."
The three men were only a dozen meters apart, but they reached Wang An in just two or three seconds.
However, just as the three of them looked at Wang An with anxious and puzzled expressions, they found that Wang An was looking at a corn plant in front of him with great excitement.
"Oh my god! Fourth Brother, you scared me to death! I was thinking you'd been bitten by a snake!"
Seeing that Wang An was unharmed and only excited because of the discovery of ginseng, Wang Li breathed a sigh of relief and complained.
Mu Xueli also said with a hint of complaint:
"Yeah, brother-in-law, you're always so easily frightened. We were wondering what was wrong with you."
Only Huang Zhong remained silent, looking at Wang An with a helpless expression.
Wang An ignored the two men's complaints, and didn't even look up at the three of them. Instead, he said excitedly:
"Look, look everyone! Hahahaha, a seventh-grade leaf! The legendary seventh-grade leaf giant club! Hahahaha!"
At this moment, Wang An was clearly so excited that he lost his composure.
There was no way around it; this was a seventh-grade ginseng. Wang An had lived two lives, and although he had heard of the existence of seventh-grade ginseng, this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes. It was impossible for him not to lose his composure.
Upon hearing Wang An utter the words "seven-grade leaf big club", Wang Li, Mu Xueli, and Huang Zhong stopped complaining and all turned their gazes back to the ginseng seedling.
The three of them were so worried about Wang An that they didn't really pay attention to what the ginseng seedling looked like.
"Holy crap! This really is a seven-leafed ginseng plant!" Wang Li exclaimed in surprise after examining the seven branches on the ginseng plant.
Immediately afterward, Mu Xueli stared wide-eyed, her face filled with shock, and said:
"Oh my god! There really are seventh-grade leaf clubs in this world? I always thought those people were just making things up!"
Huang Zhong's eyes were fixed on the ginseng seedlings, but he muttered to himself:
"Seven-petaled leaf, seven-petaled leaf, is this the legendary ginseng baby?"
Many myths and legends about ginseng have been passed down among the people, and the most memorable one is probably "Ginseng Baby". This is because a domestic animated film called "Ginseng Baby" was released in 1961.
Although this is an animated film that depicts the realities of ancient northern feudal society in the form of a traditional story, the lively and adorable image of the ginseng baby wearing a little red bib has long been deeply ingrained in people's hearts.
Those who have seen the animated film on television or heard it on the radio can recount the story in great detail.
In particular, the nursery rhyme that the ginseng doll sings while taking a shiny seed from its head and throwing it into the soil is very familiar to everyone.
"Little seed, sprout quickly, grow green leaves and bloom red flowers, grow into a fat and long ginseng, with white tendrils, the mountain is full of flowers, hey hey yo!"
However, this is, after all, a story told in an animated film, with beautiful artistic embellishments. In the local area, there is a similar story to "Ginseng Baby," but in the end, the ginseng baby is captured by bad guys through scheming and trickery.
After being injured and revealing its true form, the ginseng child is a ginseng spirit with seven branches, a single red flower, and a body as thick as an adult's arm.
Furthermore, the ginseng doll also has a grandfather. In order to save the ginseng doll, the ginseng grandfather was later forced to reveal his true form.
The Ginseng Grandpa was a nine-leaf ginseng spirit with nine branches, a huge red flower, and a body as thick as an adult's thigh.
After Huang Zhong finished speaking, Wang Li chimed in:
"Hey, you know what, isn't this the legendary ginseng baby? Hahahaha!"
After Wang Li finished speaking, Mu Xueli also said in an unusual tone:
"Yes! Seven branches, a red flower on top—isn't that what the legendary ginseng baby looks like? Hahahaha!"
Wang An said with a beaming smile:
"Yes, that's right. Once a club reaches the seventh grade of leaves, it's a ginseng baby, hahaha."
As he spoke, Wang An pulled out a red string and tied it to the ginseng vine before standing up and saying:
"Okay, you guys hurry back to cook and eat, and bring me some over afterwards. I won't go back; I'll just leave this ginseng baby here."
After a pause, Wang An smiled and said:
"Let me tell you, I'm really afraid that if we're not careful, this ginseng baby will just grow legs and run away, hehehe."
This is not a lie; it truly reflects Wang An's true feelings.
Although Wang An was certain that a normal ginseng, even one with a sixth-grade leaf, could not possibly run away on its own, he was genuinely starting to feel uncertain about this seventh-grade leaf.
Wang An was genuinely worried that the ginseng seedling would mysteriously disappear by the time he returned after his meal.
Upon hearing Wang An's words, Mu Xueli immediately said with great interest:
"Let's go back with Lao Wu and Xiao Zhong. After that, I'll help you carry this ginseng seedling. I'm not that hungry right now, so I can just have a bite later."
Wang Li immediately retorted:
"Why didn't you say you went back with Xiao Zhong, and then my fourth brother and I were left here carrying this ginseng baby?"
After Wang Li finished speaking, Huang Zhong, quite unusually, also spoke up for himself, saying:
"Brother, I've made great progress in lifting the club these past two days. I've already lifted four whole clubs. I think I can be of some help."
After Huang Zhong finished speaking, Wang An, Mu Xueli, and Wang Li all looked at Huang Zhong with surprised expressions.
Huang Zhong has always been a man who doesn't compete or fight for anything, so his sudden utterance of this statement shows that his desire to dig up this ginseng seedling has reached its peak.
The gazes of Wang An and the other two made Huang Zhong's face flush red, but he still forced himself to speak:
"I...I think I can really help."
As he finished speaking, Huang Zhong's tone lowered again, clearly unable to withstand the combined gaze of the three men.
Wang An thought for a moment, then said with a smile:
"Alright, Xue Li and Xiao Zhong, you two carry it together. After that, Lao Wu and I will go back and cook. But let me tell you two, you have to be extra careful when carrying this ginseng seedling. This is no joke. I'm even thinking of selling it for a sky-high price, hehehehehe." (End of this chapter)