Chapter 10

Looking at the deep color and resilience of the sprout leaves, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but feel a great joy in his heart. He was certain that this was definitely a ginseng root that had been growing for at least twenty years, and it might even be older...

Carefully using a bamboo spear to extract the mountain ginseng from the crevice, he looked at the old ginseng and a series of data quickly and mysteriously flashed through his mind: "Determination: A forty-year-old mountain ginseng... Main body intact, minor root damage, high-quality..."

"Forty years..." Jiang Yuan was extremely delighted. This old ginseng was an extremely rare forty-year-old root. He must have been very lucky. If this ginseng hadn't been growing in such a hidden crevice, it wouldn't have been his to harvest. This time, he had really hit the jackpot. The medicinal effects of this old ginseng were at least equivalent to three or four twenty-year-old roots, and its effects were even stronger and more lasting. This would be much better for Uncle Li's recovery.

Jiang Yuan quickly and carefully picked two wild taro leaves from the mountain stream to wrap the old ginseng, then excitedly hurried down the mountain.

When he got home, the old man was chatting with Little Yu in the courtyard. Seeing the pile of wild game on Jiang Yuan's shoulder, both of them were taken aback.

"Xiao Yuan... Did you go to gather herbs or hunt?" The old man laughed and helped Jiang Yuan take the string of game from his shoulder, placing it on the well platform.

The little girl, standing nearby, couldn't help but widen her eyes at the string of game. Although she knew there were many wild animals in the deep forest behind the village and often saw hunters return with two or three animals after going up the mountain with guns, she hadn't seen Xiao Yuan with a gun. How did he manage to catch so many?

Jiang Yuan chuckled and said, "I just happened to come across them and caught them..."

The old man, while placing the game on the well platform, asked, "You caught quite a bit, but did you gather the herbs? Most importantly, did you find the old mountain ginseng? Uncle Li has been coughing a lot lately. If you didn't find it, we'll have to use white ginseng for a couple of doses first!"

As the old man spoke, Little Yu looked at Jiang Yuan with hopeful eyes. She knew that Xiao Yuan had gone up the mountain early in the morning to gather herbs for her father. Grandpa Ming had said that if he could find suitable herbs and prepare a few doses, her father's condition would greatly improve.

Seeing the hopeful look in the little girl's eyes, Jiang Yuan took off the herb basket from his back and laughed, "I found it, enough for five or six doses."

"Really... Xiao Yuan, you're amazing!" Hearing this, the little girl's worried expression immediately disappeared, and her beautiful big eyes turned into crescent moons, looking incredibly cute.

"Really?" The old man, hearing Jiang Yuan's words, was surprised. Jiang Yuan had found enough for five or six doses? This was incredible luck. Wild ginseng was hard to find, especially old mountain ginseng. This wasn't the Changbai Mountains, and in recent years, the price of old mountain ginseng had skyrocketed, attracting more and more people to search for it, making it even rarer.

Now, it was considered very lucky for a herb gatherer to find one or two old mountain ginseng roots in a trip. Many times, they wouldn't find any after seven or eight trips. Even locals who found one or two would keep them as treasures or sell them for a good price. This was why Uncle Li's old injury could only be slowly treated, as it was difficult to find enough old mountain ginseng for the main medicine.

"Let me see... Is the age enough?" The old man believed his grandson wouldn't exaggerate, but he was afraid Jiang Yuan might have mistaken younger roots for old mountain ginseng. Old mountain ginseng wasn't easy to find.

The little girl, however, had no doubt about Jiang Yuan's words. Although Xiao Yuan was only a few years older than her, he was handsome and very responsible. The way he saved people that day was incredibly cool.

Opening the bamboo basket covered with leaves, Jiang Yuan revealed a pile of wild ginseng and four tightly wrapped bundles.

The old man didn't pay much attention to the wild ginseng. It could be found with some effort, and Jiang Yuan wouldn't mistake it. But looking at the four tightly wrapped bundles, his heart trembled. Could it be that he really found four old ginseng roots?

Carefully taking one out and unwrapping the leaves, he revealed a ginseng root covered in white whiskers. The old man carefully examined it, noting its thick upper part, thin lower part, and long, patterned body. It was at least twenty years old.

The old man suppressed his joy and carefully opened the other two bundles, becoming more delighted with each one. Especially the last one, wrapped in a taro leaf, which he estimated to be nearly forty years old. He slapped his thigh excitedly, "Great! With this forty-year-old old ginseng, and a few more twenty-year-old ones, Uncle Li will be fully recovered in two months at most!"

"Really? Grandpa Ming, can my dad really be cured?" The usually quiet little girl, hearing the old man's words, was almost jumping with joy.

Seeing the excited little girl, the old man chuckled and nodded, "Your dad is lucky. With this forty-year-old old ginseng as the main ingredient and a few twenty-year-old ones, the medicine will last him half a month. If Xiao Yuan can find a few more old ginseng roots like today's, two months of treatment should be enough to fully recover your dad!"

With that, the old man carefully took Jiang Yuan's herb basket and stood up, "Alright... Xiao Yuan, clean up the game first. Give a couple to Little Yu to take back. I'll process these old ginseng roots first to prevent them from losing their medicinal properties..."

"Okay... Grandpa, you go ahead. I'll take care of the game!" Seeing the old man and the little girl so happy, Jiang Yuan felt that his trip up the mountain was worth it. He quickly agreed, as cleaning the game was much easier for him than processing the ginseng.

The little girl, who couldn't resist running back to tell her father the good news, saw that Xiao Yuan was about to clean all the game alone. She blushed and asked softly, "Xiao Yuan... Can I help you boil water?"

"Ah... Sure... Make sure it's boiling, and be careful not to get burned..." Having someone help was a good thing, and as the saying goes, men and women working together makes the work less tiring. With such a pretty and cute little girl helping, Jiang Yuan felt much better than working alone.

The little girl went inside to boil water, and Jiang Yuan started with the wild rabbits, which didn't need to be plucked. He had caught three wild rabbits and two mountain chickens. The two mountain chickens needed to be plucked with boiling water, but the rabbits didn't.

So, he took a kitchen knife and skillfully gutted and skinned the three rabbits. By the time the little girl came out with a pot of boiling water, Jiang Yuan had already cleaned the three rabbits.

Seeing the little girl so quickly boil a pot of water, Jiang Yuan felt a warm feeling. It seemed she had been here quite often in the past two years and was very familiar with the kitchen.

He quickly walked over, took the bucket from her, and smiled, "Come on... I'll carry it, don't get burned!"

Jiang Yuan placed the bucket on the well platform, then threw the two mountain chickens into the water. Looking at the pure and beautiful little girl, his heart suddenly felt a bit sad, as a similar figure flashed in his mind. This figure often appeared in his dreams over the past few years, and he still vividly remembered that beautiful face and the look of fear on it when he rushed out to save someone.

But this sadness quickly passed, and he smiled at the little girl, "Xiao Yu... Are you in college now?"

"Yes... I'm a freshman at Dongyuan University!" The little girl lowered her long lashes and answered shyly.

"Dongyuan University?" The name made Jiang Yuan a bit lost in thought. He took a deep breath and smiled, "Dongyuan University is great. The clinical medicine, civil engineering, and broadcasting arts programs are among the best in the country..."

Hearing Jiang Yuan's words, the little girl was a bit surprised. She looked up at him with bright eyes, "Xiao Yuan, you know so much about Dongyuan University?"

"Of course I do..." Jiang Yuan deeply hid the bitterness in his heart and smiled, "Dongyuan University is the most famous university in Chunan, so I know it well. Which program are you in, Xiao Yu?"

"Of course, clinical medicine..." The little girl pouted her cute pink lips and said with a bright face, "Since my dad's injury wasn't cured and he was often in pain, if it weren't for Grandpa Ming, he wouldn't be able to get out of bed. So, I decided to go to medical school and become a good doctor like Grandpa Ming!"

Seeing the sacred look on the little girl's face, Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, "Good... Work hard. I believe you will be a great doctor in the future!"

After a brief chat, Jiang Yuan saw that the two mountain chickens were ready to be plucked and started to remove the feathers.

The little girl, seeing that there was nothing else she could help with, was eager to tell her father the good news, so she said, "Xiao Yuan... I'll go back. My dad will be very happy to know you found the herbs for him..."

"Xiao Yu, wait..." Jiang Yuan skillfully gutted and cleaned the plucked mountain chicken, then rinsed it under the tap. He then picked up a clean wild rabbit and handed it to Xiao Yu with a smile, "Take this back and make a soup for Uncle Li..."

PS: As usual, please give me a recommendation. Thanks...