A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 13 Small Valley

The ginseng seedlings in the mysterious little valley were discovered here. At that time, we were just kids and we all thought it was a small radish. Being unfamiliar with such things, we would think of the most common things we saw.

The ordinary things we experience around us are like shooting stars, flashing by in a short time, leaving behind a brilliant moment.

When Zhang Niu grew up, he read a book called *Nature*. He randomly flipped to a chapter that happened to describe wild ginseng. A few short sentences in the book caught his attention: ginseng is commonly called "club" because its root resembles a baby, hence the name "club baby." Legend has it that ginseng that has lived for thousands of years will transform into a child and appear in the night. Ginseng has a longer growth cycle than other plants, often taking several years to grow a few leaves, leading to the practice of grading plants based on the number of leaves they have.

Zhang Niu remembered that just before he discovered that small radish seedling, a very beautiful bird appeared in the sky. It kept making a sound that sounded like a human, and he thought the bird had just happened to be there.

On the page following the one describing the ginseng-collecting bird, there is a description of a bird very similar to the sparrow Zhang Niu had seen. This sparrow, commonly known as the "club-shaped bird," is the most revered bird among ginseng hunters. It is said that wherever the ginseng-collecting bird calls, ginseng will appear; legend has it that those who have made their fortune digging for ginseng have all encountered this bird. Over time, this story naturally spread.

After that, Zhang Niu began to suspect that the small seedling he had found was actually wild ginseng, and he was so happy that he couldn't sleep well for several days. However, a few days later, Zhang Niu's face fell. So many years had passed, and he didn't even know if the ginseng was still there or if someone had dug it up. He suddenly went from heaven to hell.

Zhang Niu's trip into the mountains wasn't just about bringing back some local produce. Another reason was to explore the small valley there. Whether he actually succeeded or not, it was all driven by curiosity and a touch of personal greed.

The mountain path was completely overrun by weeds and low shrubs, which Zhang Niu hacked his way through with his large machete. The weeds were tolerable, but the low shrubs were covered in sharp thorns, making them particularly bothersome.

As they approached the small valley, Zhang Niu's heart pounded with excitement. After clearing away several bushes, he heard the rushing sound of a stream flowing down from above.

Looking at the small valley that I vaguely remembered, I felt extremely excited.

They followed the path along the stream and turned into a small crevice beside the mountain. Luckily, Zhang Niu wasn't very big, so he could just manage to cross it, while Jin Gang struggled quite a bit.

Just moments ago I was in a narrow crevice. Suddenly, everything opened up before me. I was now in a small valley shrouded in mist, the scenery exactly as it had been before. I had no idea how this place had been formed.

The world is full of wonders, it's just that no one has discovered them yet. Good places rely on people to discover and promote them. That's how famous historical sites are known to the world.

Before Zhang Niu lay this strange place, accessible only by crawling through a crevice. Few people ventured into these mountains, especially during the height of summer when poisonous insects and snakes roamed freely.

The place was nice, but the weeds were too tall. As soon as I entered the thicket, I startled quite a few birds. The little one next to me chirped and squawked.

Although the weeds grew tall, the lower part was still quite wide and didn't require much trimming to pass through. However, it felt like a mouse trying to get through a tunnel.

About ten minutes later, emerging from the thicket of weeds, one sees a shimmering lake surface, with a light mist rising from it and drifting in the wind.

Zhang Niu's target was under a large tree by the lake. He ran to the tree, squatted down, broke off a small twig, and gently brushed away the rotten leaves and weeds to reveal a plant with six small leaves.

When the six small, dark green leaves appeared, Zhang Niu was absolutely certain that this was a ginseng root, and a six-leaf one at that. Normally, four or five leaves were already extremely rare, but this was a six-leaf ginseng root before him. It would be several times more expensive than a four- or five-leaf one, and most importantly, it was wild. Nowadays, most ginseng is artificially cultivated, and it's generally ready for market in three years, but the effects aren't very high. It's enough to fool ordinary business owners.

While Zhang Niu was standing there in a daze, Little Dot had already jumped down. He ran to Wild Stick, took a deep breath, and then stretched out his little paws to grab Wild Stick, while King Kong next to him was panting heavily.

Just as the little one's paws were about to grab the club, Zhang Niu lifted it into the air from behind. The little one waved its tiny paws in mid-air, looking furious.

Once the little one calmed down, it pointed at the wild ginseng with its tiny paws, then at its own mouth, indicating that it wanted to eat it. It quickly put on a pitiful expression, its big, round eyes darting around, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

It really is a strange beast. It can even distinguish the rarest treasures in the world.

After some hesitant bargaining with the little one, the little one stopped looking pitiful and let out a squeaking sound.

He carefully pulled the wild ginseng out of the pile of weeds. Fortunately, Zhang Niu was careful and didn't break the most valuable roots.

Once inside the space, carefully plant it by the pond; it should grow its seventh leaf soon.

Even after leaving the space, the sun was still very hot. I'd guess it was a little after one in the afternoon!

Since we're here, we should take a look around. Maybe we'll find something interesting.

Carrying a machete, he walked towards the lake. The sun blazed overhead, yet the lake remained shrouded in mist, creating a rather picturesque scene. Zhang Niu was confident that if he could upload a video or photo of it online, the click rate would be astounding—far superior to anything photoshopped. It would be perfect for a movie.

There is a small sandy area by the lake. There are many bird tracks on it.

I squatted by the lake and cupped my hands in water. I splashed it on my face, and a chilling sensation immediately washed over me.

Zhang Niu, who wasn't usually one to swear, exclaimed, "Damn! This water is really cold! There's something strange about this lake!" His face, which had just been splashing in the water, felt as if a cold winter wind had swept across it. Luckily, he hadn't jumped into the lake earlier, or he might be an icicle by now. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but cramps are inevitable.

To put it bluntly, the lake water is much colder than the stream water in winter.

The lake water was crystal clear. Silvery-white fish swam leisurely to and fro, seemingly without any discomfort—a bit like Darwin's concept of survival of the fittest.

Just as I was about to get up and go look around, the little guy dug a small hole in the sand and beckoned to Zhang Niu with his paw.

When Zhang Niu ran over, he saw small white eggs lying in the pit, buried in the fine sand.

"Huh! Aren't these turtle eggs? How come there are so many here?" He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

There are a total of eighteen baby turtle eggs.

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