Chapter 79: A Hard-to-Find Ginseng

Chapter 79: A Hard-to-Find Ginseng

When it came to the development of the military farm, Ye Qing may not have much input in other areas, but she had many ideas about livestock breeding.

Previously, scientific farming was just one aspect, but after spending more time walking around the farm, she identified an issue.

Besides the pigs ready for slaughter, the military farm also raised 70 to 80 sows.

She had heard Zhao Jinliang say that there were a total of 5,400 pigs ready for slaughter on the military farm, of which 400 were unplanned.

These 400 pigs were piglets born from the sows of Qingshan Farm, intended to supplement the meals of the soldiers in the farm's production and construction corps during the Spring Festival.

Even if each of the 400 pigs could reach 200 jin, after slaughtering, it would only amount to 50,000 to 60,000 jin of meat at most. This amount of meat was insufficient for the whole year for the farm’s tens of thousands of people.

So, Ye Qing focused on those sows, and she had been asking about their condition with the person in charge of the pig farm for some time now.

When Zhao Jinliang came to seek Ye Qing’s advice on farm development, she was instantly invigorated and had a lot to say.

"Last time you said that the sows on the farm produce 400 piglets a year, but that doesn’t seem accurate. I’ve counted around 70 to 80 sows here, all healthy and in their prime. Isn’t the number of piglets too low?"

Zhao Jinliang was taken aback and explained, "That’s quite a lot. These sows give birth almost every year. Some can have 8 to 10 piglets per litter, while others might have 3 or 4. They produce 500 to 600 piglets annually, which is considered a high yield, right?"

"However, newborn piglets are difficult to care for, and a portion of them will inevitably die. If we can raise 400, that’s already a significant achievement."

"So, officially speaking, we can’t rely solely on the sows for piglets. First, the number of piglets they produce isn’t enough. Second, the piglets are hard to raise in the first two months, so every year we need the supply station to provide piglets. The piglets from the supply station are about two months old, have a higher survival rate, and are easier to raise."

Ye Qing couldn’t help but twitch her mouth as Zhao Jinliang made it sound so simple.

She had been observing those sows for a long time and had even randomly inspected a few using vines. How could she not know their condition?

"Uncle, do you have a misunderstanding about sows?"

"The gestation period for sows in the northeastern region is about 110 days. They can give birth twice a year, and with proper care, even three times a year isn’t impossible."

"On average, they can have 10 piglets per litter. If we adjust the health of the sows and boars to optimal conditions during the early stages of pregnancy, they can have 17 or 18 piglets at a time."

"Moreover, our piglet mortality rate is too high. Without large-scale epidemics, we should be able to control the mortality rate within 5% or even lower through standardized farming practices."

"So, do you understand what I mean?"

Zhao Jinliang was almost bewildered.

Following the data Ye Qing provided, he silently calculated in his mind.

Even using the lowest estimates, if a sow could give birth twice a year and have 10 piglets each time, their farm could produce 1,600 piglets annually with 80 sows.

If the mortality rate could be reduced to within 5%, the farm could raise an additional 1,500 piglets beyond what was planned.

With Ye Qing's scientific farming methods, if these 1,500 piglets could grow to 200-300 jin each year, the soldiers on the farm could genuinely fulfill their wish to eat meat regularly every month!

The thought made Zhao Jinliang’s heart race. He stared at Ye Qing with excited and fervent eyes.

It was no wonder he was so easily hooked. The grand vision Ye Qing painted was simply too tempting to resist.

In those times, eating meat was an enormous temptation for people across the country, and Zhao Jinliang was no exception. Of course, it wasn’t just about his own craving for meat; he also cared deeply for the soldiers stationed at the farm.

The development of the farm isn’t as simple as outsiders might imagine.

During the land reform, locals like those in Kaoshan Village were allocated large pieces of fertile farmland, ready for planting crops without much effort required to get a harvest.

But the military farm is different. The tens of thousands of acres of farmland here were cleared and cultivated by the construction soldiers, who dug out every shovel and hoe by hand.

In addition to the farmland, there are also forests, pastures, reservoirs, and fish ponds. The expansion of the entire Qingshan Farm has been shaped over time, through the dedication and persistence of the soldiers for a decade or two, to achieve its current scale.

Every single task involved countless efforts from the soldiers, and the hardships they endured are unimaginable.

Because of the harsh conditions, Zhao Jinliang was even more determined to put more effort into the soldiers' meals. However, contrary to his wishes, the policies from the higher-ups were too strict, and after years of trying, he hadn’t found a way to significantly improve the food situation. He hadn’t been able to find a way to ensure the soldiers could eat fish or meat every month.

Unexpectedly, Ye Qing came along and solved a problem that had troubled him for over a decade.

If the farm’s canteen could really add meat to the menu monthly, even if it was just a little bit of meat, it would boost morale and make everyone more enthusiastic and motivated in their work.

Just imagining the soldiers eating ravenously and smiling in the canteen warmed Zhao Jinliang’s heart. He was eager to see this become a reality.

In his eagerness, he immediately asked Ye Qing, “How should we proceed? Ye Qing, just give the orders, and I will fully cooperate without any objections.”

Ye Qing wasn’t in a rush to provide a plan. She just smiled and said, “This isn’t urgent. There’s still some time before the current batch of pigs in the pigpen is ready. Give me a few days to work out a complete plan, and then we can discuss it in detail. How does that sound?”

Zhao Jinliang thought it made sense too. This wasn’t a trivial matter that could be decided in a casual chat.

However, from their interactions over this period, he had come to understand Ye Qing’s temperament a little better. Though young, this educated youth was very steady in her actions. She wouldn’t make wild claims and wouldn’t bring up something she wasn’t confident about.

This meant that there was a lot of room for improvement in the farm's sow breeding program. If handled properly, there was at least a 90% chance of achieving the data Ye Qing mentioned earlier.

The more he thought about it, the more excited Zhao Jinliang became, to the point where he couldn’t sleep at night.

Ye Qing, however, didn’t concern herself with the huge impact her words had on Zhao Jinliang. After helping with the delivery of the cows on the farm, she leisurely returned with Gu Weinan and Meng Jia.

The next day, she happened to have some free time. Since Gu Weidong was worried that he might receive a recall notice from the military at any time, he took advantage of Ye Qing’s availability to bring her to visit his friend in the transportation business in the county.

Ye Qing was very grateful to Gu Weidong’s friend, so she prepared a lot of gifts overnight.

She filled two small jars with monkey wine, each about two jin, sealed with yellow paper and mud, and encased in a straw rope net, giving it a neat appearance.

In addition, she included her own smoked bacon, homemade malt candy, brown sugar blocks, and pine nuts she got from a sociable squirrel in the forest, taking several jin of each.

With these four gifts, the load wasn’t light. Though these items didn’t cost Ye Qing much, they were prized in the countryside and even more so in the city, where supplies were limited.

Despite being in the long-distance transportation business, Gu Weidong’s friend would still find Ye Qing’s gifts impressive.

This trip to the county was personal, so Gu Weidong didn’t ask Li Yong to drive them. Instead, they took a bus from the town to the county and then transferred to another bus, navigating several turns until they reached an old district in the western part of the city.

At that time, the entire urban area of Jiaotan County was relatively small. The old district was even smaller. Many streets had bustling shops at the front, but turning to the back revealed large farmlands. Gu Weidong’s friend’s earthen yard was located behind a bicycle repair shop.

They arrived just as Gu Weidong’s friend was about to leave.

“Hey, Weidong, what brings you to my place today? Is this your girlfriend?” The friend smiled upon seeing Gu Weidong, then sized Ye Qing up.

Gu Weidong immediately punched the guy in front of him. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?” he said.

"Stop talking nonsense. This is Ye Qing, the young woman who recently came to our village. She's the one who asked you for help sending things to Mo River last time."

Then he turned his head to introduce Ye Qing to Nie Wei,

"Nie Wei, you can call him Nie Ge or Da Wei. He's two years older than me and we joined the military together. But this guy did better than me. After three years in the military, he retired and joined the county transportation company. Now he's a group leader."

Nie Wei scratched his head and waved at Ye Qing.

"Hey, don't listen to him, miss. He's just being modest. Everyone knows he's a promising officer valued by the military leaders. At the age of twenty-something, he became a battalion commander. It's only a matter of time before he becomes a Colonel or Division Commander. Compared to him, my position as a group leader in the transportation company is not much to brag about!"

The two men chuckled and exchanged pleasantries for a while before leading Ye Qing into the house.

Hearing the commotion, someone inside the house hurriedly lifted the curtain and came out to greet them.

It was a woman in her early twenties, likely Nie Wei's wife. She warmly greeted Gu Weidong and Ye Qing.

"This is Nie Wei's wife, Hu Tao. You can call her Sis Taozi," Gu Weidong introduced.

Ye Qing followed suit and quickly called out "Sis Taozi."

Like her husband, Hu Tao also assumed Ye Qing was Gu Weidong's wife. Her eyes moved between the two, and just by looking at their height and build difference, she found it amusing.

"Come on in. My older sister is here with her child today. I was just about to send Da Wei to buy groceries. Please, come in and sit. Nie Wei, go buy the groceries before the meat at the butcher's is all gone!"

Nie Wei responded and dashed out.

Only then did Gu Weidong and Ye Qing enter the house with their gifts.

"I said, you two, visiting is enough, why bring so many gifts? It's too extravagant. We have everything we need here. You should keep these for yourselves..." Hu Tao continued to fuss as they entered.

But once inside, Ye Qing was surprised when she saw the woman sitting by the kang bed and the two-year-old child in her arms.

The woman holding the child was also surprised.

"It's you!" she greeted Ye Qing with a smile.

Ye Qing nodded, not expecting such a coincidence.

Hu Tao was also surprised and looked at her older sister. "Sister, do you know each other?"

Hu Lan explained, "A while back, when your brother-in-law went to the county health bureau for the Barefoot Doctor assessment, I took the child with me. We met this young lady."

She then recounted how her child had accidentally gotten a chestnut stuck in his throat, and Ye Qing had saved the child.

Hu Tao's jaw dropped in surprise upon hearing this.

Gu Weidong also raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He had been worried that Ye Qing and the Nie Wei couple weren't familiar, and that she might feel awkward visiting them once he returned to the military.

But now, his worries were unfounded. Given the connection between Ye Qing and Hu Tao's sister, the two sides quickly became close.

As Gu Weidong had anticipated, with Ye Qing's previous act of saving the child, Hu Tao and Hu Lan easily opened up to her. By the time Nie Wei came back with the groceries, the three women were chatting like old acquaintances, gossiping about neighborhood news.

When Nie Wei learned of Ye Qing's lifesaving act, his attitude toward her immediately changed. He now saw her as part of the family, rather than someone who had come to ask for a favor.

Without Gu Weidong needing to say anything, Nie Wei took the initiative to promise Ye Qing, slapping his chest.

"Sis, you can leave the things at Mo River to me. I go there every month, mid-month, so if you have anything you need me to bring, just bring it over ahead of time."

"If I’m not around, just give it to my wife. She’ll handle it for you!"

Ye Qing quickly stood up to thank Nie Wei.

Hu Lan was very curious about Ye Qing’s recent exam and couldn’t resist asking if she had passed.

After all, her husband had mentioned that Ye Qing sat behind him during the exam, and several older proctors kept circling around her. And she even turned in her paper early. It was unclear what was going on.

Ye Qing smiled and said,

"I passed. I had a medical background before I went to the countryside, so my exam results were pretty good. The proctors probably noticed how young I was and wanted to assess my foundational knowledge. After I handed in my paper, they even specifically came to talk to me."

This made Hu Lan quite envious:

"It’s good that you passed. With the license, you can become a Barefoot Doctor in the commune right away. Unfortunately, my husband is not very competent. He’s taken the exam three times and failed each time. This year, we even had Dawei help us find out who the examiners were and focused his revision on the TCM section. We put in so much effort, but he still didn’t pass."

Hu Tao was also frustrated about it:

"I told you, just let your husband follow Dawei and join the transportation company. Even if he started as a temp, as long as he learned how to drive a truck, he could slowly become a full-time employee. But neither of you would listen to me. Now, after three years of struggling, you haven’t accomplished anything and are still doing odd jobs at the commune. I really don’t know what you two are thinking!"

With outsiders present, Hu Lan felt a bit embarrassed, but she still explained:

"My husband isn’t cut out for driving. Just let him touch the steering wheel, and he’ll break out in cold sweat. Not to mention driving long distances; he’s just not cut out for it. You can’t force a cow to drink water."

Hu Tao didn’t buy this: "Who wasn’t afraid when they first started driving? Ask Dawei, wasn’t he scared the first time he touched the steering wheel, the first time he went on a long trip? But you just have to grit your teeth and get through it. Once you overcome that hurdle, it’s fine. A big man, afraid of this and that—how can he accomplish anything?"

Seeing that the two sisters were about to start arguing again over this, Nie Wei quickly stepped in to smooth things over. He sniffed and asked Gu Weidong and Ye Qing what good things they had brought over.

"Why do I smell such a fragrant wine?"

Gu Weidong found it both amusing and exasperating: "Are you a dog's nose? The wine jar is sealed so tightly, and yet you can still smell it!"

As soon as Nie Wei heard that they had indeed brought good wine, his eyes brightened. He immediately signaled his wife to fry another plate of peanuts, and without a word, he went to get the wine cups, ready to open the jar and check the wine on the spot.

"We have guests, and you’re already unpacking their gifts?"

Hu Tao scolded sternly, but reluctantly, she went to the kitchen to fry a large plate of peanuts.

However, soon she was too entranced by the wine to keep scolding. The monkey wine Ye Qing brought was incredibly fragrant and tempting. Even Hu Lan’s two-year-old son couldn’t resist drooling upon smelling the wine.

"What kind of wine is this? It’s so fragrant!"

After taking a sip from Nie Wei’s wine cup, Hu Tao’s eyes immediately brightened. Ignoring manners, she went to the cabinet, took out several bowls, poured one for her elder sister, and then filled bowls for Ye Qing and Gu Weidong.

This wasn’t a secret that needed to be kept. Gu Weidong recounted how Ye Qing encountered the mountain goblin in the mountains after being sent down to the countryside, and received this gift of gratitude from the mother mountain goblin after saving her child.

As they munched on peanuts and sipped wine, the group listened with great interest to Gu Weidong’s story. When they learned that the wine came from the mountains, everyone was astonished and incredulous.

"You mean this wine was made by mountain ghost monkeys? Goodness, is there really such a magical wine? This is unbelievable!"

The Hu sisters, who loved gossip, felt like they were listening to an Arabian Nights tale. They were eager to ask Ye Qing more about the mountain goblins.

But before they could ask, Nie Wei suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! I remember now! Weren’t you the one in the newspaper recently? In the Jicheng Daily, about the heroic woman who caught thieves and criminals on a train while heading to the Northern Wilderness for rural work? That’s why the name Ye Qing sounded so familiar!"

Ye Qing was taken aback, and Nie Wei excitedly explained:

"A while back, the union at our factory specially read your heroic deeds at a big meeting, calling on everyone to learn from you. I heard that the female hero who went to the countryside was from Kaoshan Village in our Qingshan Town. I was thinking that this place was Dongzi's hometown, but I didn’t think much of it. I never imagined this female hero would be standing right here today!"

Said Nie Wei with great curiosity as he looked at Ye Qing,

"The news said your flying needles are amazing—capable of both treating illnesses and subduing criminals with ease. What kind of needle technique is it? Could you show us?"

Nie Wei couldn’t imagine how a woman under 1.6 meters tall and slim could take down a burly criminal.

It wasn’t just him; many in the transport company felt the same. Privately, they murmured, suspecting the news was exaggerated. How could a few sewing needles catch thieves and criminals? Even the highly accomplished monks from Shaolin Temple weren’t that skilled!

Nie Wei had been skeptical, but now, seeing Ye Qing in person and knowing she was Gu Weidong’s friend, he believed it was mostly true.

He trusted Gu Weidong’s character. If this girl were after fame, Gu Weidong wouldn’t have helped her so much or gone out of his way to ask for favors.

Because of this, Nie Wei’s curiosity grew even more. He wanted to see for himself what Ye Qing’s needle technique was like.

This time, Ye Qing didn’t act as rashly as she had at the Qingshan Town police station. Last time, she had used half a carrot as a target in front of the county public security bureau chief. Later, Zhao Jinliang joked with her, saying that this incident had spread widely in their circle. Many people had asked He Lianshan what it felt like to have a silver needle stuck in his head.

Though it was all in good fun, Ye Qing had learned her lesson. She avoided using her flying needles unless necessary, only using them to treat patients.

Seeing Nie Wei’s eager anticipation, Ye Qing couldn’t refuse outright. She looked at the chopsticks, thought for a moment, took out a small knife from her bag, and slightly sharpened one end of a chopstick. Then, in front of everyone, she gently threw the chopstick.

In an instant, the chopstick embedded itself into the top of the doorframe, about an inch deep, firmly holding the frame with no sign of falling.

Unconvinced, Nie Wei quickly went up to pull it out. After exerting considerable effort, the chopstick broke, leaving the sharpened end stuck firmly in the doorframe, impossible to remove.

Nie Wei tried it himself, sharpening a chopstick and throwing it. Having come from the military and now driving large trucks in the transport team, his arm strength was greater than most people’s, but when he threw the chopstick, it only poked a hole in the doorframe before falling down.

After several failed attempts, Nie Wei was thoroughly convinced. Although Ye Qing hadn’t demonstrated her flying needle technique directly, the chopstick she threw gave a glimpse of her skill.

"You're amazing! Sister, the thing I, Nie Wei, admire most is capable people. Whether male or female, if you can earn a living with your skills, you deserve respect. Come, let me offer you a toast. Since you’re Gu Weidong’s friend, you’re also mine. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask. No need to be formal with us!"

Ye Qing had already seen that both Nie Wei and Hu Tao were straightforward and honest people. They weren’t the type to play mind games, and friends like them were reliable. No wonder Gu Weidong had confidently assured her that the person he found for her was trustworthy.

Having seen enough deceit and trickery, friends as simple and genuine as them were rare. Ye Qing had adapted well to this era and was very willing to make friends with people like Nie Wei and Hu Tao.

So, Ye Qing was quite pleased with this visit to the Nie family’s home. After the meal, she didn’t rush to leave. She chatted with the sisters Hu Tao and Hu Lan for a while longer, checking their pulses and prescribing some medicinal remedies for them. In return, she received a lovely floral dress from Hu Tao’s collection.

The dress had been brought back by Nie Wei from the border town when he was running errands by the Mo River. It was an imported item from the Soviet Union and quite popular in the Northern Wilderness. However, the dress was too small for Hu Tao, and she couldn’t bear to cut it up and remake it, so it had been sitting in her chest of drawers.

Seeing Ye Qing, Hu Tao thought that Ye Qing’s height and figure would suit the dress perfectly, so without hesitation, she retrieved it and stuffed it into Ye Qing’s arms.

"This dress will look great on you. If you like it, when Dawei goes to the Mo River next year, he can bring back other colors and styles for you!"

Hu Tao didn’t show any reluctance when giving the dress to Ye Qing, which made Ye Qing feel a little embarrassed. The gifts she brought were just things picked from her home and didn’t cost her anything, yet she had eaten and drunk at the Nie family’s home and was even given such a nice dress.

Seeing how well Ye Qing got along with his wife, Nie Wei couldn’t help but nudge Gu Weidong secretly:

"Hey, this Ye Qing is quite something! Generous and down-to-earth. Such a great girl, if you don’t make a move, someone else might snatch her away!"

Gu Weidong was drinking water and almost choked on Nie Wei’s words.

"What nonsense are you talking? She’s still young. Besides, she’s a city girl. How could a country bumpkin like me be a match for her? Don’t talk nonsense like this in the future."

Gu Weidong really didn’t dare to entertain such thoughts."

He admitted that Ye Qing was indeed someone who met his criteria in every way—her thoughts, temperament, and way of handling things were all impeccable. But how could a girl this outstanding pick him over the many other men competing for her affection?

Moreover, he had noticed that the girl had a clear goal the moment she arrived at Kaoshan Village. She was flourishing in both human and animal medicine, with an obvious ambition to build her career. To top it off, she had even adopted a baby girl to ward off unwanted suitors, making her intentions abundantly clear: she wasn’t planning to date or marry anyone. It was as though she had "Men, stay away from me" written on her forehead.

In this situation, if he still pursued her aggressively, it would really be quite inappropriate.

Gu Weidong wasn’t someone who lacked self-awareness, so he felt it was best to maintain the current relationship with Ye Qing—one built on mutual trust and reliance, where they could count on each other for advice and support, and push each other to improve.

Seeing Gu Weidong’s upright and principled manner, Nie Wei was frustrated with him.

"Why do you think you’re not a match? I don’t believe that! With your looks and position, how could you not win over a young and talented girl like her?"

"Are you being timid? The other day, I ran into Li Yong and found out that the girl your family had arranged for you ended the engagement. What, are you planning to remain faithful to your previous fiancée? A man should have some backbone. If the marriage fell through, it fell through. Just find someone better!"

On this matter, Gu Weidong felt a generational gap with his brothers, so he didn’t want to argue anymore and quickly changed the subject:

"Last time you mentioned visiting the elderly leader to check on his illness, how’s the situation?"

As soon as this was brought up, Nie Wei became serious, his expression turning grave.

"For now, the condition has stabilized, but it’s a chronic issue. With old age, his body is prone to problems, not to mention his old injuries. Right now, he’s relying on old mountain ginseng to sustain him, but that’s not easy to find. We’re almost out of the ginseng at home, and we’re currently asking around."

"Help me look around too, see if you can find some old mountain ginseng with significant age. The villages near your area are close to Changbai Mountain. Maybe someone there has what we need. As long as it’s genuine, no matter how outrageous the price, secure it first."

"If it weren’t for the elderly leader getting me into the transportation team, I’d probably still be working hard in the countryside. I can’t not repay the gratitude he has shown me. I don’t want to wait until he’s gone and then regret not being able to repay him."

Gu Weidong nodded. "Alright, I’ll ask my parents to help inquire when I go back and see if they can find any leads."

As they were talking, Ye Qing approached with the sundress in her arms. Seeing this, Gu Weidong, recalling the ginseng seedlings Ye Qing had planted in the backyard and her wood-element abilities, felt a thought cross his mind and couldn’t help but ask:

"Ye Qing, can you get some ginseng?"

Ye Qing was taken aback, finding Gu Weidong’s question strange.

Her wood-element abilities were no secret to Gu Weidong, and he was fully aware of what medicinal herbs were planted in her backyard garden. Asking her if she could obtain ginseng now felt like an unnecessary question.

"Here’s the thing, a senior leader from Nie Wei’s transportation company, who has helped him a lot in the past, is now seriously ill and relying on old mountain ginseng to sustain his life."

"So Nie Wei is trying to locate some century-old mountain ginseng. Since you often go into the mountains to collect herbs, you probably know more about the medicinal plants there than anyone else."

Gu Weidong was hoping that Ye Qing’s abilities might help obtain a century-old mountain ginseng, so he wouldn’t have to bother looking elsewhere. He could just have Nie Wei buy one directly from Ye Qing.

Ye Qing felt frustrated; Gu Weidong seemed to be overestimating her abilities.

While she could indeed accelerate plant growth, her abilities were not without limitations.

Annual or biennial fruit trees, vegetables, and crops could flower and bear fruit within minutes under her abilities.

However, for older medicinal herbs that required time to mature, her abilities were insufficient. With her current level-three abilities, accelerating the growth of old herbal plants to reach twenty or thirty years of age was already her limit.

Clearly, the old mountain ginseng Nie Wei needed couldn’t be satisfied with just twenty or thirty years of growth. Therefore, Gu Weidong’s idea of having her produce a century-old mountain ginseng was impractical.

However, reminded by Gu Weidong, Ye Qing remembered something.

Not long ago, when she led Hao Shaofeng and the others into the mountains to find Gu Weidong, they encountered a fox poisoned by a ginseng-protecting snake. The fox led them to a cave where they discovered an old mountain ginseng embedded in a rock crevice.

The old mountain ginseng was well-hidden and positioned so high up that it was unlikely anyone else had found it. If Nie Wei was really desperate for it, Ye Qing didn’t mind making a trip into the mountains to dig out that old mountain ginseng, despite the trouble.

Given that Hu Tao had given her such a beautiful sundress, Ye Qing decided not to play any games with Nie Wei. She straightforwardly told him that she had indeed discovered a three-hundred-year-old mountain ginseng in the mountains, but it was nestled in a rock crevice and would be troublesome to dig out.

Upon hearing Ye Qing's words, Nie Wei was instantly excited, and even Gu Weidong was quite surprised.

"Ye Zhiqing, are you kidding? It's really a 300-year-old ginseng?" Nie Wei couldn't quite believe his ears and anxiously pulled Ye Qing aside to confirm.

Ye Qing nodded:

"If you don't believe me, check when you're free, and we can go to Kaoshan Village. Follow me into the mountains, and you'll see for yourself if what I said is true."

"But ginseng has an extensive root system. Don't be misled by the small size of the plant above ground. The root underneath can go several times deeper. To preserve its value, the ginseng must remain intact. It grows in rock crevices, making it difficult to extract the entire ginseng without damage.

"Otherwise, why would I leave it there after seeing it? I could have dug it up myself instead of letting someone else take it."

Hearing that someone else might snatch it, Nie Wei's expression tensed up, and he hurriedly said:

"I'm free, I'm free right now. Just have Hu Tao request leave on my behalf for two days. I don't need to run long-distance trips these days. Just get someone to cover my shifts for two days. Let's go, let's go now, to Kaoshan Village!"

Nie Wei's eagerness was understandable. After all, old mountain ginseng was hard to come by, even in the Changbai Mountain area. It was unavailable in the county, and even provincial hospitals and pharmacies had no stock. Ginseng over a century old could command prices of several hundred to thousands, yet it remained incredibly rare.

If they could really dig up a 300-year-old ginseng, it would solve a major problem for Nie Wei.

Fearing that Ye Qing might worry about the price, Nie Wei immediately patted his chest and assured her:

"For a 300-year-old ginseng, we'll match the price set by official hospitals or pharmacies! I won't offer you less!"

Gu Weidong glanced at Nie Wei: "Do you even have the money? Haven't you poured all your wages these past few years into the courtyard house you're living in?"

Nie Wei chuckled, not elaborating further, but assured Ye Qing he wouldn't let her down.

Gu Weidong had only teased him with that question. After knowing Nie Wei for so many years, how could he not know why Nie Wei had been running long-distance trips to the Soviet Union border near the Mo River? It was all for the lucrative opportunities, but there were risks involved too. Gu Weidong felt he still needed to find time to properly advise Nie Wei and get him to be more cautious in the coming period, so he wouldn't mess up again.

With the current situation becoming increasingly tense, the dark before dawn would only get harder to endure. He couldn't let Nie Wei ruin things again before the policies changed.

After all, in his previous life, Nie Wei had fallen into a trap while running long-distance trips to the Mo River. He had gone missing for half a year, and when he finally escaped from somewhere, he not only lost his truck but also a large batch of goods. Although he managed to save his life, he ended up in prison for seven or eight years. By the time he got out, the world had completely changed.

This time around, with a second chance, he couldn't let his brothers and friends repeat the same mistakes. Even if they wanted to be traders, they had to stay calm and endure these few years of hardship. Once the Soviet Union collapsed in a few years, there would be ample opportunities to make money!

Given Nie Wei's eagerness to dig for the ginseng, Ye Qing and Gu Weidong didn't linger in the county. They got into a car and returned to Qingshan Town.

Since Ye Qing had met Xu Xianzhen, she and Gu Weidong had left their bicycles at the post office while handling county business.

However, as Ye Qing headed to the post office to retrieve her bike and return to Kaoshan Village, Sister Xu, seated inside, suddenly called out to her:

"Hold on, there's a telegram for you!"