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“Brother, put me down quickly. We need to dig it out and see if it’s the ginseng I mentioned,” Wang Qian urged.
Mingcheng quickly set his sister down and, holding the shovel, followed her instructions. He carefully dug from the outer circle, afraid of damaging the roots. According to her, even if one root was missing, it would greatly reduce the value.
Wang Xuan and the younger siblings carefully loosened the soil with their small hands, being extremely cautious, fearing that they might ruin the money for building a house.
The four siblings worked together and finally dug out the ginseng intact. The large ginseng root was almost as big as the carrots they grew at home, with all the roots intact, resembling a human figure. Wang Qian estimated that the stem had about five or six leaves, but they had all fallen off, so it was just a rough estimate.
Wang Qian asked everyone to look for tree bark, which could be used to wrap the ginseng to protect the roots and keep it moist.
Mingyuan and Mingcheng couldn’t find any, so they decided to cut a piece of bark from a tree. It felt slightly damp, which was perfect for preserving the ginseng. Wang Qian skillfully wrapped the ginseng in the bark, and to ensure its safety, she even took off her scarf and tightly wrapped the bark around the ginseng.
After tying it up, she let out a long sigh of relief. “Brother, I’m entrusting this to you. Don’t tell anyone, especially Dad. We’ll give the money to Mom when we sell it.”
Mingyuan held the package, his face filled with excitement. “Yes, we won’t tell anyone. If Grandma and Auntie find out, they’ll come and take it from our house.”
The two older siblings nodded heavily. “Yes, we won’t tell anyone. This is our secret. Everyone, remember that, okay?”
The three children nodded vigorously.
Mingyuan stayed with the ginseng, while the older siblings continued to dig for wild yams. Wang Qian didn’t have much to do, so she wandered around with her short legs. However, Mingcheng didn’t let her go far. He was worried about the little girl.
Wang Qian obediently stayed nearby, observing her surroundings. There was a nearby mound, and she curiously went to take a look. It seemed to be a grave, but it had already been dug up. She didn’t know if it had been relocated or dug up by wild dogs, but there were no remains inside, just a decayed coffin still in the pit.
Wang Qian glanced at the coffin, finding nothing inside. However, there was a small black dot in the coffin’s debris, probably exposed due to the mountain wind blowing away the loose soil.
In the local area, people were particular about the coffins of the deceased, and such places were rarely visited. However, Wang Qian wasn’t afraid. She had already experienced death once and didn’t mind experiencing it again.
Driven by curiosity, she slowly climbed into the coffin and retrieved the small black dot, which turned out to be a ring. However, due to the long passage of time, it was impossible to discern its material.
Carefully wiping it with nearby tree leaves, she discovered that it was a ring with an engraved pattern.
Since she couldn’t determine its material, she decided to take it back for further examination. It might turn out to be an antique, which could be very valuable in the future.
She carefully placed the ring in her pocket and examined it thoroughly, even using a small stick to poke around, but she didn’t find anything else valuable, just wood debris and dry leaves.
Climbing out, she glanced at the coffin board. It was a pity. If it were closer to home, it could have been split for firewood.
However, Wang Qian didn’t dwell on it. If she really brought the coffin back home for firewood, she didn’t know if Zhang Lan and the others would dare to burn it.
But ignorance is bliss, and Wang Qian was unaware of these customs. All she knew was that without firewood, they couldn’t cook, and without cooking, they would go hungry. She didn’t have so many taboos about death.
When she returned from her stroll, Mingyuan was still tightly holding the package, not letting go for a moment.
“Brother, don’t be so nervous. Otherwise, people will notice. Just think of it as bringing me an extra piece of clothing. If someone asks, you can say that,” Wang Qian teased, trying to ease his tension.
Mingyuan’s nervousness was immediately relieved by his sister’s teasing. “I also want to relax, but I’m carrying our house. Can I really relax? You take it for a while, I need a break. It’s exhausting, even more than working.”
After handing the package to his sister, Mingyuan finally felt relieved and ran over to help his older sister dig for wild yams. Mingcheng and his sister had already dug up quite a few, and there were only a few left. With Mingyuan’s help, they quickly finished the task. When they had finished digging everything up and checked the time, Wang Xuan realized that they had missed lunchtime.
“Brother, let’s tidy up quickly, or Mom and Dad will be worried. I think they’ll definitely come looking for us this time.”
As the children expected, Wang Zhenhe and his wife returned home to find the children missing, and even the handcart was gone. They guessed the children had gone up the mountain. When lunch was ready and the children still hadn’t returned, the couple became anxious. It was already noon, and the children hadn’t come back. They began to worry that something might have happened to the children.
When the couple hurried over, the children were preparing to carry their belongings down the mountain. The couple had already climbed up the mountain, calling the children’s names as they walked.
“Oh no, Dad and Mom are coming this way.”
“Mom, we’re here.” Mingcheng shouted down the mountain, and they started walking down with their belongings. The package was back in Mingyuan’s hands, and Wang Qian was dragging the shovel. It was too heavy for her to carry. The older siblings were carrying their belongings, and the two shovels were carried by one person each. Mingyuan also had to carry the basket, so relatively speaking, Wang Qian had the easiest task.
When the couple heard the children’s voices, they quickened their pace. When they saw the children carrying their belongings, their hearts ached, and they didn’t know what to say.
Wang Zhenhe quickly ran up and took the heavy loads off the children. He looked at them with concern. “Silly kids, these are so heavy. Wait for Dad to carry them. You should take a break. Mom will carry the shovels.”
The couple took the items from the children. “Mom, look at what my sister and I found,” Mingyuan said proudly as he showed off the eggs.
However, the basket ended up being carried by Mingcheng. Mingyuan continued to hold his sister’s package.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they coincidentally met He Zhengkui coming out to dump the trash. “Zhenhe, you’re being too polite. We’re brothers. Why did you give us chestnuts? You should keep them for the children to eat,” He Zhengkui said.
Wang Zhenhe was puzzled by He’s words, but Zhang Lan interjected, “Brother He, there’s nothing else fresh at home. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please don’t refuse it.”