Chapter 16: Wild Ginseng

The next morning.

In a daze, Chen Jie felt a figure swaying in front of him.

Opening his eyes, he saw Little Bean sitting right in front of him, looking at him anxiously.

Chen Jie rolled over, causing Little Bean to panic instantly: "Brother-in-law, wake up! The sun is hitting your butt!"

"What time is it?" Chen Jie asked.

Little Bean replied, "It's the second quarter of the Mao hour."

"What kind of nonsense is that? I'm sleeping a bit more."

Chen Jie still hadn't gotten used to the timekeeping methods of this era. The second quarter of the Mao hour, according to the ancient twelve-hour system, was 6:30 AM.

"Brother-in-law, wake up! Sister has already finished cooking; she's been waiting for you for a long time," Little Bean said urgently.

In truth, she didn't really care what time he woke up; it was because today's breakfast consisted of leftover rabbit meat from yesterday and freshly made sorghum rice, and she was craving it.

However, her sister had said that since the brother-in-law wouldn't wake up, they couldn't eat, so the little one could only wait anxiously by Chen Jie's bedside.

Chen Jie didn't actually enjoy sleeping in, but after reading the intelligence last night, he had been too excited to sleep.

The most important piece was the fifth item: Physician Bai had fallen into Wolf Ravine.

Wolf Ravine was deep and treacherous, rumored to be crawling with wild wolves. For Physician Bai to fall in, cry out to heaven and earth with no response, and even sprain his ankle—one could only imagine his despair.

If he happened to pass by at that moment and save his life, wouldn't the man be eternally grateful?

Doing a favor for someone and making them owe a massive debt of gratitude would undoubtedly bring great benefits.

He remembered that the man's son-in-law was the manager of the fish market in Xiantao Village and a disciple of the Fishing Gang. By establishing this connection, wouldn't he be able to join the gang and become a member as he desired?

Thus, he had been calculating for a long time last night, only falling asleep after 2:00 AM.

Getting up, Chen Jie felt his head was heavy. The sisters were already awake and had finished cooking; it wouldn't look good if he slept until eight or nine. Besides, there was the matter of Physician Bai—he couldn't arrive too late, lest someone else rescue him.

After washing his face, he finally ate the sorghum rice Little Bean had been longing for.

The sorghum was not very tasty and the rice was hard, but Little Bean ate with great satisfaction. In this era, refined rice was considered "official rice," which only officials or wealthy families could afford.

After eating two bowls of sorghum rice and more than half of the leftover rabbit meat, Chen Jie stopped.

He stood up and told Su Yunjin that he was going to the back mountain to see if he could hunt something.

Hearing this, Su Yunjin looked at him with concern, but Little Bean asked, "Are there any fat rabbits today?"

Chen Jie patted Little Bean's head and said, "If you want them, there will be."

Su Yunjin thought for a moment, went back into the house, and soon returned with a small cloth bundle. She handed it to Chen Jie and said, "Be careful. We are out of dry rations. There is some scorched rice left from cooking; if you get hungry on the mountain, eat some."

"If you go up the mountain again in the future, tell me in advance, and I'll make some flatbreads for you."

Looking at the scorched rice, Chen Jie knew it was a gesture of Su Yunjin's care. Beside him, Little Bean smacked her lips at the mention of scorched rice; it was so fragrant. She really wanted a taste.

Chen Jie smiled at Su Yunjin, patted Little Bean's head, instructed them not to go out today as he would find food, and then headed up the mountain.

He had to get up the mountain early. Who knew what time Physician Bai had fallen into Wolf Ravine? If he arrived too late, the man might truly be carried off by wolves.

It didn't matter if Physician Bai got eaten, but it mattered if his own future was eaten away. Currently, Physician Bai was a very important part of Chen Jie's plans.

Once on the mountain, Chen Jie first checked Wolf Ravine. There was no movement, so he headed straight for Old Ox Cliff. At the location mentioned in the intelligence, Chen Jie searched thoroughly before finally moving a large stone. In the crevice of the rock, he saw the wild ginseng.

A ten-year-old wild ginseng was quite precious. Although it couldn't compare to legendary treasures, it was excellent for nourishing the body. This single root could likely be sold for three to five taels of silver.

This was a significant amount of money. Converted to the currency of the Great Qian, one tael of silver was equal to one thousand wen.

Currently, the price of sorghum in Great Qian was ten wen per jin, and pork was twenty wen per jin. In the countryside, two taels of silver could absolutely buy a girl from a poor family to serve as a maid.

Meanwhile, a strong laborer working for a landlord earned only ten wen a day, and even a laborer at a more profitable dock would only make thirty wen a day.

Yet, this single ten-year-old ginseng could sell for three to five taels, which was equivalent to three to five hundred jin of sorghum—enough food to feed a family for half a year.

One shouldn't think this price was cheap.

Ginseng wasn't as precious as one might imagine; its value lay in its age. This was only a ten-year ginseng; if it were twenty years old, the price would double. At thirty years, it would double again. Almost every additional decade brought a new price tier. This specimen's age was still too low.

However, Chen Jie was very happy. Once he sold this ginseng, it would at least alleviate much of his financial pressure and ensure he had food money for the short term.

With that thought, Chen Jie wrapped the ginseng and placed it into the bamboo basket on his back. The basket had been woven by Uncle Erba and was quite sturdy.

After packing the ginseng, Chen Jie casually dug up a few inexpensive herbs and put them in the basket as well. Carrying the basket, he disguised himself as a medicinal herb gatherer and approached the direction of Wolf Ravine.

Although he intended to rescue Physician Bai, he couldn't go there ostentatiously, or he would arouse suspicion. It was better to dress as a gatherer; since he understood a bit of medical theory, gathering herbs was perfectly normal.

In this manner, he reached Wolf Ravine, but he didn't find Physician Bai. Had he arrived too early?

Thinking this, Chen Jie found a large tree to lean against. He had woken up quite early and was sleep-deprived, making his head feel heavy.

Chen Jie wanted to take a nap, but sleeping in the deep mountains was a death wish; who knew if he would be snatched away by a wolf the moment he opened his eyes?

Therefore, Chen Jie began to practice the Spring Nourishing Art directly.

To his surprise, as soon as he practiced the Spring Nourishing Art and adjusted his breathing, the feeling of fatigue quickly dissipated, his mind cleared, and his entire state improved. It was as if he had just had a full night's sleep. Unknowingly, Chen Jie entered a state of deep meditation.

Not long after Chen Jie entered meditation, an old man wearing gray cloth clothes, a bamboo hat, and carrying a medicinal pick, with a goatee, was passing by Wolf Ravine on a nearby mountain. He looked down and spotted a fine specimen of Astragalus growing on a hillside.

The old man's eyes lit up. He approached bit by bit and stood on the slope, preparing to dig with his pick. But as he bent over, a snake suddenly slithered out.

"Aah!"

The old man was startled and recoiled two steps, only to step on a rock behind him. He instantly lost his balance.

"Aaah—!"

With a scream, he tumbled down the slope, rolling and falling straight into the great ravine.