Chapter 1733
One must hit a brick wall to avoid defeat.
After Wang An finished speaking, Wang Li looked at the two dilapidated shacks and said with a face full of resentment:
"Fourth Brother, why don't we go take a look around? What if we find something we can't? Or maybe there's some cheap stuff waiting for us to grab? What do you say?"
After Wang Li finished speaking, Mu Xueli echoed him, saying:
"Yeah, brother-in-law, if there's a baby that only comes out in the last two years, wouldn't we be lucky to get one?"
Wang An pondered for a while, then turned to Huang Zhong and asked:
"Xiao Zhong, what do you mean? Are you thinking we might get a bargain?"
The reason Wang An asked Huang Zhong was because on the way there, Huang Zhong said he had a dream last night in which he found a piece of gold among a pile of stones.
Although Wang An couldn't interpret dreams, he did know that in normal divination circles, there was a saying about dreaming of seeing scenery.
The idea of seeing scenery in a dream is actually a rather superstitious belief.
Normally, after entering the mountains, the leader of a ginseng guild would ask the members who had a dream every morning.
If someone has a dream, then the dream will be used to determine whether it is suitable to set off on a mountain raft.
If you were to use a mountain-mounted stick, the direction it would take would be directed by the person having the dream.
To be honest, in Wang An's opinion, this is pure bullshit.
While many dreams are indeed mysterious and difficult to explain, if ginseng could be found in dreams, then all the ginseng in these mountains would have been dug up long ago.
Of course, Wang An didn't believe that Huang Zhong's dream of picking up gold would lead everyone to find ginseng. Wang An just wanted to hear his opinion and let Huang Zhong know that he wasn't a transparent person and should have his own opinions.
After Wang An finished asking the question, Huang Zhong thought for a moment and said:
"How about we just take a walk around? We don't need to set up a tent. If we find a stick, we can carry it. If we don't, we can just leave. It won't take much time."
Wang An nodded and said:
"Alright, since the three of you all feel the same way, let's take a walk around this old town and let you all know what it means to give up."
To be honest, Wang An didn't want to waste time in this old, overgrown gully, because once a ginseng gang found ginseng, they would stay there permanently.
They wouldn't go down the mountain and go home until they had explored the entire area around the place several times.
Therefore, finding a bargain in an old ravine that others have already waded through is undoubtedly an extremely difficult task.
However, there's a saying that goes, "They won't turn back until they hit a brick wall," or "They won't give up until they reach the Yellow River." Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Huang Zhong will definitely not give up unless they go and take a detour.
Wang An decided to let them give up completely.
Of course, while this is the truth, nothing is absolute in this world, so Wang An still held a tiny bit of hope in his heart, in case he really did come across a ginseng that could be reborn?
As they spoke, the four men, twelve horses, and two dogs turned and headed toward the two shacks.
Normally, the places where ginseng growers set up their huts in the mountains are not far from where the ginseng is grown.
The main reason is that the ginseng digging gangs always walk into the mountains to dig for ginseng, unlike Wang An and his group of four who ride horses. If the distance is too far, it will delay the ginseng digging gang members from searching for ginseng. The reason why the ginseng digging gang members do not ride horses but choose to walk is because, in the eyes of the ginseng digging gang members, finding and digging for ginseng is a very sacred thing, and also a thing that depends a lot on luck.
Riding horses would not only delay their search for ginseng while traveling, but would also unknowingly deplete their luck.
Aside from not knowing how to ride horses into the mountains, their food is also very simple, usually consisting of vegetarian dishes such as millet rice and pickled vegetables, or cornbread and corn porridge.
Furthermore, during their ginseng-hunting journey, they would not touch any meat, saying that eating meat would offend the mountain god, the old leader, and cause the mountain god to prevent them from finding ginseng.
As for why they have such a bizarre and strange perception, that remains unknown.
When Wang An and his three companions arrived at the two huts, they did not set up tents, but they did unload the baggage from the horses.
The horses were quite tired after traveling such a long distance. Only after seeing that the horses had all started grazing freely did the groom take his leash and wander around the area.
After wandering around for only a short while, Wang Li discovered a sign that looked very old.
Judging from this sign, and the fact that half of the bark has already been covered by newly grown bark, this old burial mound, like the previous one, must also have a lot of big goods.
However, this old embankment has already been waded through, and any large cargo there has definitely been dug up.
Looking at the old man in the tree, Wang An and the other three sighed and then automatically separated to start arranging sticks.
Soon, more than an hour had passed, but the four of them had not found even one or two Jiazi plants. They only found a few horsehair plants and some newly unearthed Sanhuazi.
It's obvious that this old village has been thoroughly waded through, so finding any hidden gems will be extremely difficult.
Wang An stopped walking with his baton and called to the other three:
"Alright, let's not waste any more time here. Pack your things and let's go. Finding a bargain isn't so easy."
Wang Li pursed his lips, finally accepting reality, and nodded, saying:
"Yeah, when I looked at it, there was nothing left in this old village. These people waded through it and cleaned it more thoroughly than dogs lick food clean. If I ever come across an old village like this that has been waded through, I'm not going to try to pick up any leftovers."
Mu Xueli echoed this sentiment with considerable frustration:
"That's true. I think the last group of people must have wandered around here more than eight hundred times, and they didn't even leave us a feather."
After Wang An took out a cigarette and offered one to each of the three men, he said:
“We’re looking for Lao’anzi by following the map, while others are wandering aimlessly in these mountains looking for ginseng. Even if they finally find ginseng here, they still have to wander around for ten days or half a month. Do you really think other ginseng groups are as easy as us? Damn, you’re always thinking of the best things.”
After saying that, Wang An picked up his rope stick and turned to walk towards the shack.
Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Huang Zhong exchanged glances, then each picked up their rope sticks and followed Wang An.
Back at the hut, the four men reloaded their supplies onto their horses. Just as they were about to leave, Huang Zhong, who was urinating beside the hut, suddenly pointed into the dilapidated hut and shouted:
"Brother, there are human bones in here, several human skulls."
Upon hearing this, Wang An and the other two immediately withdrew the foot that had been on the stirrup. (End of Chapter)