Gu Qingli looked towards a crevice where a plant was growing, bearing a few tiny red berries.
"Ginseng!"
Gu Qingli was amazed. Dashuang's luck was incredible; this was a common passage for people, yet no one had discovered it.
"Second Sister, is this ginseng?"
"Yes, I didn't expect our Dashuang to be so lucky. We won't have to worry about his school tuition for next year." Gu Qingli pinched Dashuang's little face.
Dashuang let Gu Qingli pinch his face and laughed happily. Thinking that he wouldn't have to worry about school tuition next year, he wondered if he could find a few more plants to completely cure his mother's illness and if Second Sister could then afford a dowry.
Little brother, you're thinking too much. Do you think the whole mountain is covered with ginseng? Gu Qingli thought.
It wasn't like her Space, where there was indeed a small patch of ginseng, some of which were centuries old.
She would only take them out as a last resort.
Gu Qingli told Dashuang to move aside. She cleared the soil around the Ginseng and then carefully began to dig deeper.
The ginseng was growing in a crevice, making it difficult to excavate. If she wasn't careful, she could damage its roots.
Dashuang watched tensely from the side, his teeth clenched. He wanted to help several times, but the space was too narrow for two people.
"Second Sister, Third Brother, what are you digging?" Xiaoshuang asked as he came over, seeing Dashuang with clenched fists, staring anxiously at Gu Qingli.
"HUSH. Don't disturb Second Sister; she's digging something good," Dashuang said, pulling Xiaoshuang aside.
Xiaoshuang nodded and also craned his neck to watch Gu Qingli dig.
It took Gu Qingli a great deal of effort to finally unearth it. A ginseng root, as large as her palm, rested carefully in her hand.
Its roots were intact. She held it carefully and walked towards where she had left her basket.
The two boys quickly followed, craning their necks to see.
Gu Qingli gently placed the ginseng on top of the medicinal materials and smiled happily.
"Second Sister, is this the ginseng?" the two boys asked, staring at it as if it were a treasure, gently poking it with their small fingers.
"Yes. Doesn't it look like a little person?" Gu Qingli sat on the ground to rest for a while. She was really tired; this young body was still too weak.
"It really does!" The two boys stared at the ginseng intently, as if their gazes could bring it to life.
After resting for a while, Gu Qingli patted the two beaming boys on their heads, shouldered her basket again, and led them to a nearby water source.
They were hungry, and it was time to eat.
The two boys went to gather firewood while she skinned and cleaned the rabbit.
By then, the two boys had already built a fire and were waiting for Gu Qingli to start roasting the rabbit.
Gu Qingli found a sturdy branch, skewered the rabbit, and began roasting it over the fire.
At first, the two boys added firewood slowly and obediently, but soon they started piling it on too eagerly.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH! Stop, quickly, or it will burn!" The fire flared up, producing a lot of smoke that made Gu Qingli cough heavily. These two little fools, who ever heard of roasting meat over such high flames? It'll turn into charcoal!
"Oh." The two boys, looking sheepish, quickly dropped the firewood in their hands. They looked at the rabbit Gu Qingli had pulled away from the fire. It wasn't golden brown and fragrant; instead, it was blackened and smelled slightly burnt.
"HA HA HA!" The two boys pointed at the charred lump and burst out laughing.
"Still laughing?" Gu Qingli glared at them, then waited for the fire to die down a bit before putting the rabbit back on to roast.
After a while longer, although not perfect, the meat was finally cooked.
"Second Sister, should we eat now, or take it home to eat together?" Dashuang asked, his eyes glued to the roasted meat, practically drooling.
"Go and find a large leaf," Gu Qingli said simply.
"Okay!" Both boys ran off to do as she asked.
After a short while, they returned with a large, dry leaf, which they had carefully cleaned.
Dashuang placed the leaf on the ground, and Gu Qingli used her knife to cut the meat into small pieces, arranging them on it.
"Eat," Gu Qingli glanced at the two little gluttons.
"Okay." The two improvised, breaking off twigs from the unburnt firewood to make three pairs of chopsticks. They quickly washed them and returned, placing one pair in front of her first.
Xiaoshuang picked up a piece of meat and offered it to Gu Qingli's lips. Gu Qingli smiled, opened her mouth, and ate it. Then Dashuang also picked up a piece of meat for her, and she ate that too.
"Mmm, delicious! You two, eat up."
The two boys grinned at her and began to eat.
They chewed slowly, as if savoring every bit of the meat's flavor.
Watching them, Gu Qingli's heart filled with mixed emotions. This was the first meat they had eaten together in her memory.
"Second Sister, the meat is so delicious!"
The two boys smiled at her, their eyes curving into crescents.
"Mmm, eat more. When you're done, your sister will go catch more."
Seeing them eat with such happiness and satisfaction, Gu Qingli felt a lump in her throat. Even the meat in her own mouth was hard to swallow.
I will definitely lead them out of this place, she vowed silently, and help them forge their own great paths.
The three siblings finished the rabbit. To be precise, the two boys devoured most of it, while Gu Qingli only ate two or three pieces, including the two they had fed her.
The boys looked utterly content, still relishing the taste.
Gu Qingli took them to the water's edge to wash their mouths before they packed up and headed home.
That night, she secretly gave the buns to Ms. Wu and Second Brother Gu, as usual. The buns had been in the basket all day and were cold.
Second Brother Gu had an idea: he used a clay pot to burn some charcoal and slightly warmed the buns before they ate them.
「The following day」
As usual, the three siblings rose early. It was market day, so they set out even earlier than usual to avoid running into people, especially someone like Zhang Qiaozui.
When they reached the Drugstore, it hadn't opened yet, so the three of them had to wait in a nearby empty alley.
The morning air was quite cold, and all three siblings had faces flushed red from it. But the thought of the ginseng in their basket made the cold bearable.
They didn't have to wait long. After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the Medicine Apprentice opened the door.
By then, a few people were already on the street, heading to the early market.
The three siblings entered the Drugstore. Gu Qingli carefully took the ginseng from among the medicinal materials in her basket and placed it on top.
"Huh? You siblings are here so early again?" the Medicine Apprentice greeted them.
The two boys shyly nodded at him.
"Young man, is your shopkeeper in?" Gu Qingli asked.
"What's the matter? Are there some medicinal materials that require our shopkeeper's personal inspection?" The Medicine Apprentice walked over. Is it another precious medicinal material? he wondered.
Gu Qingli pointed to her basket.
The Medicine Apprentice peered into the basket. Good heavens, it's ginseng! He turned and dashed towards the back hall.
The three siblings smiled and waited by the basket.
Soon, the shopkeeper hurried out, his expression excited, adjusting his robes as he came.
"Here, here, let me see!" The shopkeeper's voice preceded him.
The three siblings made way for him. The shopkeeper took a few steps, looked into the basket, and his smile widened. "Hehe, young lady, you've come at the perfect time! Just yesterday, I was in urgent need of a hundred-year-old ginseng, and today you've brought one! You truly are my lucky stars! HA HA HA! Little Six, help them weigh their other items; I'll take care of this."
With that, the shopkeeper carefully cradled the ginseng as if it were a baby and entered the back hall. Little Six, the Medicine Apprentice, then took the basket to weigh the rest of its contents.