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They searched for quite a while.
As the sun rose high, the two of them stopped to take a break.
Song Jingyun didn’t find any more attractive grass, but he successfully discovered two rabbits and managed to catch them easily.
One wild chicken, two plump rabbits, and a fairly large ginseng plant—today’s harvest was quite fruitful.
Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Mixia led Song Jingyun back to cut a few bamboo shoots at the foot of the mountain.
It was almost noon, and they feared they might not gather enough bamboo as planned, but they still aimed to cut a few, enough for making bamboo strips in the afternoon.
If it wasn’t sufficient, they would return to cut more in the afternoon.
After another round of busyness, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun happily headed home, pulling a cart filled with bamboo shoots, along with the rabbits, wild chicken, and the ginseng plant hidden in the bamboo basket.
“Oh, Xia and Jingyun went hunting?” It was midday, and many were washing and selecting vegetables by the well, returning home after farm work. They noticed the fat rabbits hanging on the handle of the cart, and they praised them.
“These rabbits are really fat, and the wild chicken is huge. That’s quite a harvest.”
“It’s okay, our luck was pretty good. We caught them with a net,” Jiang Mixia responded with a smile.
“The feathers of this wild chicken look glossy and the fur is long. When you have time, give us a few feathers, and we’ll make a shuttlecock for the kids to play with,” remarked one of the onlookers.
“Sure, I’ll save some for you. You can pick them up at our place later,” Jiang Mixia readily agreed.
In rural households, chicken feathers, duck feathers, and the like were often collected by peddlers who would come door-to-door with their loads. When enough was saved up, they could be sold for a few coins, so they were usually kept in good condition.
They were all neighbors, asking for a few chicken feathers wasn’t a big deal.
After exchanging pleasantries, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun headed home.
However, the women who had gathered continued their idle chatter.
“You know, Xia and Jingyun are really capable. Every time they go out, they’re either cutting bamboo or hunting rabbits. With this kind of hard work, it’s no wonder their family is doing better and better.”
“Absolutely, hard work brings wealth to the household. Whether a family lives well in the future depends on whether the younger generation is diligent or not.”
“Xia and Jingyun are indeed praiseworthy. They are much better than those who only know how to deceive others and have no skills to catch anything. It’s even worse to claim that their luck has been ruined by others.”
“Are you talking about Jiang Chunhe?”
“Of course, who else? A grown man, yet so incompetent he can’t even catch a rabbit. And he has the nerve to blame others for ruining his luck. It’s really outrageous. It’s a wonder his parents tolerate him. If I were his parents, I’d be so ashamed!”
Zhang, who indulged Jiang Chunhe, was taken aback.
She had just gone to the field to pick a basket of green beans and intended to wash them by the well. As she approached, she overheard these unpleasant words.
It was truly infuriating! How could these gossipy women dare to say that her son was incompetent? It was clearly that wretched Jiang Mixia who was responsible for it.
But then again, she had just seen the size of the rabbits and wild chicken that Jiang Mixia was carrying on the handle of her cart. They were quite large indeed.
Jiang Chunhe never managed to catch anything when he went hunting. He claimed that the mountain creatures became more elusive in the summer, making hunting difficult. But how could Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun, who had never gone hunting before, effortlessly bring back so much?
This wasn’t just about the hunted animals; it was about the pride of their family! And it happened for two consecutive days! Zhang’s blood boiled, and she had a throbbing headache.
After Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun returned home, Liu and Jiang Youcheng were busily preparing lunch. Seeing their daughter and son-in-law return, they rushed to unload the bamboo in the courtyard.
“Dad, mom, let’s close the courtyard gate and then we can talk inside,” Jiang Mixia lowered her voice.
“What’s the matter?” Although puzzled, Jiang Youcheng and Liu complied with her request, closing the courtyard gate along with the main house door, as Jiang Mixia had asked.
“Today, when Jingyun and I went into the mountains, we found this,” Jiang Mixia set down the bamboo basket, taking out what was inside.
“This is…”
“Ginseng?”
Jiang Youcheng and Liu almost felt their legs go weak, and then, they were on the verge of tears, overwhelmed with excitement.
Ginseng – this was a precious and valuable find!
“You dug this up yourselves?” Jiang Youcheng’s lips trembled.
“Jingyun did,” Jiang Mixia didn’t take credit from her husband, and went on to praise him. “Originally, I thought the plant looked so unattractive that I didn’t want to dig it up, but Jingyun was determined to do so. As a result, we unearthed ginseng.”
“Jingyun is capable, and his luck is good. In the future, you should listen to him more,” ever since Jingyun brought back the pearls from the river clam, Liu felt that Song Jingyun had a natural luck about him, and now, she was increasingly convinced of it.
Song Jingyun grinned, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
“Let’s not stand around talking. Quickly wrap the ginseng in red cloth. They say this thing has great spiritual power, so don’t let it escape,” Jiang Youcheng urged.
“I’ll go do that.”
Liu hurried into the house, fetching red cloth and red string, carefully wrapping the ginseng and placing it in a box. Finally, she placed several layers of cotton quilts on top of the box, just to be extra cautious and prevent the ginseng from running away.
Once everything was organized, the whole family set about preparing lunch. Originally, they planned to make a simple vegetable soup with noodles. However, now that they had the ginseng, everyone was in high spirits. The plain soup and noodles transformed into a dish of noodles topped with green beans and diced tofu, each person also received a perfectly round fried egg.
By evening, they decided to stew the pork belly into braised pork, serving it with white steamed buns and white rice porridge, making for a satisfying meal.
The next day, Jiang Youcheng, Jiang Mixia, and Song Jingyun went to sell the ginseng. Concerned that the local medical halls might not recognize its value, they made a special trip to the county seat early in the morning.
With the experience of selling pearls last time, Jiang Youcheng didn’t need Jiang Mixia’s reminder. He visited several medical halls and herbal shops, eventually selecting the one offering the highest price.
The ginseng had decent quality but wasn’t particularly old. In the end, it fetched a price of twenty-five taels, slightly more than the pearls.
As Jiang Youcheng left the herbal shop with the silver, he felt more composed, holding his head high and exclaiming, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to eat something delicious.”
Once they had the money, they naturally wanted to have a good meal, especially since Song Jingyun also enjoyed good food.
Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun happily followed along.
As they made their way to find a restaurant, they passed by the “Golden Jade Pavilion,” where they had previously sold pearls. Previously, the place had been quiet, but now it was bustling with activity, with the waiters welcoming and seeing off customers, their faces almost frozen with smiles.
Then they glanced at the “Treasure Pavilion”…
Song Jingyun: “It’s another day of fortune. Life is too simple…”