The reason Wang An was completely stunned was that beneath this single square meter of withered grass, there were ginseng sprouts packed densely together, with only about a centimeter of distance between each pair.
Even more surprising, there were some sprouts huddled tightly against one another.
To put it bluntly, the visual impact of these piles of ginseng sprouts was simply too overwhelming!
The key was that beneath every single sprout lay a representative ginseng root!
Immediately following this, Wang An's eyes widened further and further, nearly popping out of his head.
Because among this pile of sprouts, small particles that looked like grains of sand at first glance were actually ginseng seeds that hadn't been buried in the soil.
Some of these seeds were new, while many appeared weathered and discolored, suggesting they had been there for many years.
Clearly, he had stumbled upon a ginseng nest!
Seeing the look of shock on Wang An's face, Wang Li wore an expression that said, "I didn't see it, so it's not my fault," and said with a smile
"Fourth Brother, don't you think this stuff looks just like grass sprouting? It doesn't look precious at all, does it?"
Wang Li wasn't wrong; at first glance, this stuff truly looked worthless, making it very easy for someone to overlook its existence.
It had to be admitted that no matter how good something was, if there was too much of it, it wouldn't easily attract attention, even if its actual value was immense.
Hearing Wang Li's words, Wang An gave him a sidelong glance and said irritably
"What? You didn't notice all these 'club' seedlings and you're still acting like you're in the right?"
Wang Li had been watching Wang An with a face full of smiles, seemingly waiting for Wang An to explain that kicking him had been a mistake, but upon hearing this, his smile vanished instantly.
Seeing Wang Li's change in expression, Wang An continued to needle him
"Why are you staring at me with those big buck teeth? Do you want me to praise you or something?"
Wang Li said sheepishly
"I'm just saying, it's a fact that this stuff doesn't look precious."
Wang An gave him another sidelong glance and continued
"Just because it doesn't look precious means you can ignore it? Why are you so reckless? I think you just deserve another kick."
To be fair, this time Wang Li was completely subdued.
Ignoring Wang Li, Wang An looked at the patch of ginseng sprouts and fell into deep thought.
The fact that so many ginseng sprouts and seeds were gathered together was enough to prove that these ginsengs were, at the very least, "lamp-stands"—meaning they were Grade 3 leaf or higher.
The reason for this was that ginseng only flowers and produces seeds once it reaches Grade 3 leaf or above.
Then the question arose: these Grade 3+ ginsengs must have a mother ginseng, and a mother ginseng would have to be at least Grade 4 leaf or higher.
Otherwise, it would defy common sense.
Because for wild ginseng, the process from a seed to absorbing water, swelling, and sprouting, and then growing three leaves to become a "three-flower," is very slow; just becoming a "three-flower" could take several years.
Then, it would stay in the "three-flower" state for a few more years before becoming a "horse-hoof," which would take another few years...
In other words, among this pile of sprouts, there had to be at least one ginseng that was Grade 4, or even Grade 5 or higher, to produce so many Grade 3s.
Grade 4 was already rare, and Grade 5...
Thinking of this, Wang An raised his hand and looked at the withered grass he had pushed aside.
Sure enough, among a pile of long-broken withered grass, Wang An discovered a properly long, dried ginseng stalk that looked like a withered twig.
Of course, besides this one, there were many other dried stalks, but this one was the thickest and longest.
Instinctively, Wang An pulled this blackened, dried ginseng stalk out from the pile of grass.
This dried stalk might have remained relatively intact because it had been protected by the surrounding weeds.
Mainly, although the leaves and seeds were gone, the various branches on the main stem still had segments less than a centimeter long remaining.
As his gaze swept over it, Wang An felt his heart skip a beat.
Then, like a madman, Wang An suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Hahahaha!"
To be honest, the laughter sounded quite terrifying, primarily because it was so abrupt.
Consequently, Wang Li's eyebrows jumped, and his whole body visibly jolted.
Simply put, Wang Li had been startled by Wang An's terrifying laughter.
Two seconds later, having recovered, Wang Li looked at Wang An and then followed his gaze to the "twig" in Wang An's hand. He frowned in thought for a moment, and then a sudden realization dawned on him, and he began to laugh along.
Because Wang Li realized that this "twig" was by no means an ordinary object, but a key to the gates of wealth.
After a good while, the two brothers stopped laughing. Wang An gave Wang Li a smiling glare and asked
"What did you figure out? Why are you grinning like an idiot over there?"
Wang Li looked at Wang An and replied with a smile
"If you're grinning like an idiot, then I'll grin like an idiot too. You're my brother, so I've got to learn from you!"
Wang An was stunned for a moment, patted Wang Li on the head, and pointed to the dried ginseng stalk in his hand
"Tell me then, what is this?"
Wang Li shook his head
"I don't know, but it's definitely something good."
Wang An patted Wang Li on the shoulder and said with a face full of approval
"Alright, you're not bad, kid. You even guessed that much."
Being suddenly praised, Wang Li seemed to immediately forget about being kicked earlier and looked quite proud of himself.
Seeing Wang Li's expression, Wang An stopped smiling and continued
"This is a dried 'club' stalk. When a 'club' has green stalks, you distinguish the leaf grade by looking at the stalks, but if the stalks are gone—like the two we just carried..."
Following this, Wang An fully explained the method of identifying wild mountain ginseng to Wang Li.
By the time Wang An finished, Wang Li clearly felt he had gained a wealth of knowledge.
Looking at the "dried ginseng stalk" in Wang An's hand again, Wang Li's gaze was markedly different from before.
Through Wang An's explanation, Wang Li now understood that the stalk in Wang An's hand was clearly the stalk of a Grade 6 leaf ginseng.
Seven branches on one main stem was the most obvious sign.
The reason there were seven was that the center-most branch was not for leaves, but for ginseng seeds; only the other six were for growing foliage.
Wang Li said tremulously
"Four... Fourth Brother, this... this is a Grade 6 leaf 'club,' right?"
(End of Chapter)