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On the vast Qing Mountains, trees were abundant, and the ground was covered with layers of old fallen leaves, soft to the touch. Beneath the fresh top layer lay years-old decaying leaves, interspersed with dense grass. Coupled with tree roots protruding from the ground and vines extending from the sides, navigating through this terrain was challenging, let alone running.
The villagers from Riverside Village typically followed familiar routes when venturing into the mountains, paths well-trodden and easier to traverse. In the absence of clear paths, they had to carefully choose their way, akin to navigating through varying degrees of tree density. Earlier, Shen Zi’an, Li Shi, and Su Zhi had traversed areas with sparse trees and abundant grass.
Unfortunately, Su Zhi found herself amidst dense trees, making her path treacherous and difficult to run through. Managing to run for some time without obstruction was already fortunate. As she stumbled over roots and tumbled downhill, whether this was due to good or bad luck, she couldn’t tell.
“Ouch, that hurts…”
Su Zhi only cried out when she finally stopped moving. Despite the ground being covered in fallen leaves and grass, rolling over was still painful. She heard two whimpering sounds coming from her embrace, something stirring within. Realizing she had rolled down with the two puppies held tightly, she immediately stooped to check on them. Meeting their two pairs of gleaming dark eyes— one almond-shaped and the other phoenix-shaped, one exuding pure joy while the other seemed wary—Su Zhi couldn’t help but see them as little humans.
“Have you two little ones been hurt anywhere?” she inquired, carefully releasing the puppies and placing them on the ground. Sitting up, she felt pain but recognized it as superficial, a mere flesh wound without any broken bones or sprains—a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
The black puppy suddenly whimpered and circled around the white one, its voice growing sharp.
It was then that Su Zhi noticed the white puppy’s injured leg, blood staining its shiny white fur. She approached to examine the injury, and this time, the white puppy remained calm, allowing her to tend to its leg with far less apprehension. Su Zhi discovered that besides the external wound, the white puppy’s bone was also affected—not entirely fractured, but likely cracked. Seeing such a young pup injured yet remaining so composed tugged at Su Zhi’s heart.
“Whimper…”
The black puppy playfully tugged at Su Zhi’s sleeve with its teeth, shaking it while gazing at her with its shiny black eyes. Seeing this, Su Zhi felt compelled to find a way to assist the white puppy without delay.
Thinking swiftly, Su Zhi considered the lotus flower. She patted the black puppy’s head, Summuning the spiritual spring. The black puppy bounded over at the sight of the spring but refrained from drinking, instead turning back to check on the white puppy. Su Zhi smiled, appreciating the black puppy’s loyalty and camaraderie, despite its eagerness. She gently moved the white puppy closer to the water’s edge, prompting the black puppy to happily whimper before eagerly lapping up the water.
Using one hand to cup some spring water, Su Zhi collected a bit of pollen with her other hand, placing it near the white puppy’s mouth, softly saying, “Drink this; it will help you feel better.”
The white puppy glanced at her, as if understanding, and began to lap up the water from her palm, swiftly finishing it.
Observing the white puppy drinking from her hand, the black puppy curiously approached, sniffing the water. Su Zhi detected a hint of longing in its eyes but noticed that it returned to the spring for a drink after the white puppy’s gaze shifted back to it.
Su Zhi thought the puppies could likely discern the difference in the spring water and might even realize the added lotus pollen made it better.
While the puppies drank, Su Zhi was pleasantly surprised to find numerous small round balls with thorns, mouths open, revealing brown hard shells inside—chestnuts!
Looking ahead, she saw numerous chestnut trees, the ground strewn with chestnuts and some still hanging from the trees. Each small spiky ball resembled a tiny hedgehog.
Feeling fortunate to stumble upon such treasures while rolling down, Su Zhi approached the chestnut trees. There were about eight to nine trees, and if she harvested all the chestnuts, they could sustain her for a long time, alleviating any concerns about food shortages.
After examining the chestnuts on the trees and on the ground, she calculated how many bags they could fill and even considered selling the surplus. Just as she reveled in her discovery, her eyes landed on a particular spot, blinking in disbelief. Slowly widening, she couldn’t fathom the sight before her. Could it be real? Was that ginseng? Hadn’t ginseng already shed its leaves by this time of year? Doubting her eyesight, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the cluster of leaves on that plant indeed resembled ginseng—a sight she had only witnessed in cultivated form in the countryside.
Su Zhi hurried over and crouched down, carefully examining the plant. The more she looked, the more convinced she became that it was indeed ginseng, albeit a younger plant. Uncertain but somewhat sure, she noted the plant’s relatively young age. If this was truly ginseng, she thought, it would be wonderful. Not daunted by its youth, she possessed the magical spiritual spring—why worry about its growth?
Deciding to act, she tightened her grip, causing the water the black puppy had been happily drinking to vanish. Perplexed, the puppy turned to Su Zhi, only to find the water had moved next to her, prompting it to bounce over. As the black puppy dashed towards the water, the white puppy noticed and, taking a step, realized its leg no longer hurt. After a brief pause, it too ran over.
Observing the white puppy’s swift movement, Su Zhi marveled at the pollen’s miraculous effects, smiling before using the spring water to nurture the plant she believed to be ginseng.
The plant rapidly began to grow visibly, its once yellowing leaves regaining a green hue, blooming delicate pale yellow-green flowers—a familiar sight to Su Zhi from her encounters with ginseng. The flowers gradually withered, eventually producing small, tiny fruits.
Su Zhi finally confirmed the plant was indeed ginseng, diligently watering it until it reached what she deemed its optimal state. If she were to sell this ginseng now, she wondered if it might be mistaken for centuries-old ginseng, or perhaps even deemed a millennium ginseng.
The black and white puppies stood by, captivated by the ginseng as it bloomed and bore fruit, forsaking the water to observe. The black puppy cautiously sniffed at it, refraining from touching, as if the ginseng might bite.
Reflecting on the day’s events—being chased by a tiger, rolling down the slope, yet miraculously escaping injury, discovering chestnuts, and encountering ginseng—Su Zhi considered herself incredibly fortunate. With chestnuts for sustenance and the ginseng potentially bringing in money, having some silver coins put her at ease. While this year might not see significant changes, next year she could build a better house, making their home even more perfect.
Amidst her thoughts of good fortune, a whimper from the black puppy caught her attention. Startled, she turned to see the puppy darting outside. Looking up, her eyes widened, and she involuntarily took two steps back, beholding a massive creature not far ahead. She marveled at what creature it could be!
***Thank you to the two individuals for their support. Guess what creature is approaching now.