Starting a new chapter in life

Jingyan had heard of ginseng in her previous life and knew it was a good ingredient for making medicinal wine, which was said to replenish qi. However, the ginseng she saw on TV back then was always plump and strong, not thin, small, and oddly shaped like this. It didn't look heavy either.

"Sister He, are you sure this is ginseng?" Jing Yan asked doubtfully, pointing to the ginseng in the box.

He Chunni, who had been quite confident, suddenly became much less confident and replied hesitantly, "They say it's wild ginseng, that it's thirty years old, and quite valuable, isn't it?"

The two looked at each other, puzzled: "Did they say how they're going to sell it?" Jingyan thought that since the thing looked ugly, the price shouldn't be high.

“Eighty-one pieces. They said if you buy three together, they can sell them for seventy, but no less,” He Chunni replied.

“This price isn’t low either. I don’t know much about this stuff. You sit down first. I’ll go next door and see if her husband is home. People who work for the government are always more discerning than us.” Jing Yan said and went next door to knock on the door.

What a coincidence! It was the weekend, and Gong Haibo was indeed home. Hearing the knock, he opened the door and was somewhat surprised to see Jing Yan: "Comrade Zhang, you're here to see Yueyue, right? Come in, come in, she's inside."

Jing Yan quickly shook her head: "I came to see you. I know Sister He, from the 13th Company. She brought some ginseng that she said was wild ginseng. It's at my house. I don't recognize it. I thought you might have seen it since you work for the government. I was thinking of asking you to help me take a look. I wonder if it's convenient for you?"

Upon hearing that it was wild ginseng, Gong Haibo immediately became interested: "Why don't you go back first, and I'll go inside, put on a coat, and then come over?"

Jing Yan nodded quickly: "Then I'll trouble you. I don't lock the door, you can just come in. You can bring Sister Chen and Qi Qi with you. I made some lamb bone soup today, you can have some to warm yourselves up."

Gong Haibo didn't stand on ceremony and readily agreed. He went inside to put on his coat, and Chen Xinyue asked, "Who's knocking? Is there something you need?"

"It's Comrade Zhang from next door. She said the eldest sister from the 13th Company brought over some wild ginseng. She doesn't know much about it and wants me to help her take a look. She also wants you and Qiqi to come over, saying she made some mutton soup at home and wants you to have some to warm up... Are you going?" Before Gong Haibo could finish speaking, Chen Xinyue was already telling Qiqi to get dressed and put on her shoes. Fine, he shouldn't have asked that question.

The family of three locked the door and arrived at Jingyan's house. As soon as they entered, they all spoke in a soft, sweet voice, "Aunt Zhang, Dad said you invited us to have mutton soup. Is it delicious?"

Jingyan stepped forward and gently pinched his chubby little face, smiling as she said, "Whether it tastes good or not is up to Qiqi to decide. Come on, Auntie will take you to the kitchen. Do you want more soup, more meat, or more radish?"

Qi Qi nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I want to choose myself."

Jingyan led him to the kitchen, stirred the soup a few times with a ladle, and all the ingredients came out. Qiqi's eyes widened: "Auntie, there's so much meat! Qiqi wants to eat meat!"

"Okay~" Jingyan served him a small bowl with more meat and radish and less soup, and served Chen Xinyue and Gong Haibo two large bowls with more soup and less meat and more radish. Chen Xinyue came over to help, and the two of them took the three bowls to the living room and sat obediently at the dining table. They first looked at the ingredients in their parents' bowls, and then happily picked up their own small bowls and ate with relish.

She took a bite of the meat and said with a smile, "Auntie's soup is so delicious, and the meat is also very tasty. Most importantly, she loves Qiqi the most, and Qiqi's bowl has the most meat."

The adults were amused by him. When Jingyan saw that He Chunni had finished her soup, she went to the kitchen and added some slices of meat and radish for her, handing them to her: "Eat some more. Lamb is good for replenishing qi, and this radish is very flavorful."

He Chunni was a little embarrassed, but since the soup had already been served, she didn't refuse anymore. After the group drank the mutton soup, Jing Yan put the bowl away, and only then did Gong Haibo seriously prepare to examine the ginseng.

Opening the box containing the ginseng, Gong Haibo examined it carefully, even smelling it. He put the box down and exclaimed, "This ginseng is exquisitely beautiful, possessing all five characteristics. It is robust and vigorous, with a solid and delicate texture. Its long, winding tendrils resemble dragons and snakes in flight, its pearl-like spots are prominent, and its rhizome is long and round. It has two round, rounded teeth and many rhizomes. This isn't the ginseng we usually talk about; this is genuine wild ginseng. Judging by its five characteristics and six physical features, it is indeed of excellent quality. Is this ginseng thirty years old?"

He Chunni's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly: "The seller said it's for thirty years, you really know your stuff."

How do you plan to sell it?

He Chunni looked at Jing Yan, "Eighty yuan a stick."

Jing Yan asked, "I think I've seen this somewhere before. Ginseng doesn't look like this. It's the kind that looks a bit like a radish. What, is this also ginseng?"

"This wild ginseng is used to replenish vital energy. Medical books record that it can quench thirst, promote sperm production and strengthen yang, nourish blood, and beautify the skin. It can also refresh the mind, calm the nerves, improve brain function, and enhance memory. Furthermore, it can combat fatigue, aging, cold, heat, and cancer."

Ginseng is primarily used for deficiency of the five internal organs, five types of overwork and seven types of injury, weakness and emaciation, vomiting and loss of appetite, stopping cholera-like symptoms of restlessness and nausea, nourishing the five internal organs and six bowels, protecting the middle and calming the mind. It also eliminates phlegm in the chest, treats pulmonary tuberculosis with purulent sputum, epilepsy, upward flow of cold qi, and loss of appetite due to typhoid fever.

The efficacy and growing environment differ, and those with medical backgrounds know more about these aspects. I only know this because a colleague bought it before and explained it to us while bragging about it, so I have a basic understanding.

"Then, um, old ginseng, do you want to buy it?" Jing Yan asked.

Gong Haibo hesitated for a moment but still shook his head and refused: "My family doesn't need to keep it, and we don't need it for daily life. However, the price is still reasonable. Now that we've finished our appreciation, we'll head back first. If you need anything in the future, just come and find us. Don't be shy."

After seeing the family of three off, Jing Yan returned and He Chunni looked a little downcast. "Sister Zhang, thank you for asking around for me. The mutton soup is delicious. It's getting late, so I'll head back now." With that, she closed the box and prepared to leave.

Jingyan grabbed her arm and said helplessly, "I didn't say I wouldn't buy it just because they didn't. Although I don't know what this thing can be used for, it can be considered a specialty of Northeast China. I was just discussing with my husband a few days ago about buying some specialties to send home. Yours is quite timely. It's settled, three for a total of two hundred and ten yuan."

After her initial disappointment, He Chunni regained hope and gritted her teeth: "This is a good product, but it's not easy to sell. I'll take the liberty of giving it to you for exactly two hundred. I know you weren't planning to buy it, but you're only helping me out because you need the money urgently. I understand."

Zhang Jingyan… could she say that she originally wanted to buy it? Everyone says that ginseng is the best medicinal material. Even if it's not used in medicine, it's good for making wine. But since they offered the lowest price, it would be foolish of her to refuse. She didn't think she was smart, but she was definitely not foolish. She quickly tried to suppress her grinning face and counted the money as seriously as possible before handing it to He Chunni.

He Chunni carefully checked the amount of money, left happily, closed the courtyard gate, and Jingyan went back into the house to look at the wild ginseng again before carefully closing the wooden box and placing it in the hidden compartment of the dressing table.

Taking stock of my money again, I can't help but feel heartbroken. Money really doesn't last long. I only have two hundred yuan left. I must finish planting in the yard in the spring, and pickling some vegetables in the fall will save me some money.

In early March, He Zhijun finally had a holiday. When he returned home, Jingyan took out the wild ginseng and handed it to him: "The subsidies that my parents gave me and the money that my uncle gave me were all out of kindness. We should give them something in return."

If I hadn't found a suitable one, I wouldn't have bothered. But since someone was selling these, I bought them. Three for two hundred yuan. I asked my neighbor, and Gong Haibo works in the government, so he definitely knows them. That's why I bought them. When would be a convenient time to send them to my parents?

He Zhijun didn't understand these things, but he still smiled and praised her: "You are so thoughtful to think of giving a return gift. Although the price is not cheap, it is a rare and good medicinal material. I will send it home on my way back to the army tomorrow, so don't worry."

After Jingyan fell asleep that night, He Zhijun went to the living room to write a letter home. In the letter, he specifically mentioned that the wild ginseng that Jingyan bought was her way of showing filial piety. He also specifically instructed his parents that even if they didn't like the things, they should praise her and not scold her to make her feel bad. He also talked about some small things between the two of them, especially mentioning that his sweaters and trousers were all knitted by her by hand.

Jingyan was unaware of all this, nor did she know that he had done so much behind the scenes to help her integrate into his family. All she knew was that He's parents were kind and loving, a kind of in-law family that she would never have dared to dream of, not even in her past life, but she had stumbled upon it by accident.

When He's parents received the package, they were eager to read the letter before even opening the box. After all, their second son was practically a lost cause and rarely sent letters home. If it weren't for the fact that they often sent him things to keep him in touch, they might not receive a reply for two or three years. But now, after only six months of marriage, he made a phone call during the New Year and sent a letter after the New Year. It was truly rare.

Two and a half pages of the three-page letter were filled with praise for his new wife: how she was a good cook, how she respected his superiors and made him proud, and how she worked hard carrying grain rations back home every month. In short, she was incredibly capable of supporting the family on her own, which allowed him to focus on his work without any worries.

When the topic turned to wild ginseng, she mentioned that she hadn't thought of getting some local specialties to honor her parents. It was only by chance that Jingyan came across wild ginseng that was over thirty years old. Thinking of nourishing her parents' health, she specially bought it, and it was quite valuable. But Jingyan didn't feel bad at all; she's a generous and polite girl.

He's parents were speechless. Cui Hongru said, "There's an old saying that goes, 'Once you have a wife, you forget your mother.' Fortunately, this daughter-in-law still cares about us. If we were relying on your son, he wouldn't even remember us until he's in his coffin. It's all because of you; you don't care about your family at all."

He Jiaoxu immediately objected: "You're talking like this isn't your son. Don't forget, whether the child is good or bad, neither of us can shirk responsibility. I said before that he couldn't go to another province, but you said something about a man's ambitions lying in the four corners of the world. You, as the mother, are willing to let go, so I, as the father, can't hold him back, can I?"

"You were the one who decided to let our son go, and when he didn't come back you scolded me, when he didn't write back you complained, but now that we've written, how can you still scold me?"

Cui Hongru sounded weak: "Did I really yell at you that many times?" But then she snapped back to her righteous indignation: "Are you trying to hold a grudge against me? Don't you like me anymore? Who was it that promised to be my punching bag for life? It's only been a few years, and those vows have already become so empty. What kind of taste did I have..."

He Jiaoxu quickly stepped forward and covered her mouth, saying helplessly, "My dear aunt, can you please calm down? How many years have you been using this same excuse? Aren't you going to come up with something new? The neighbors probably all know it by heart. I was wrong, I shouldn't have argued with you. Whatever you say, I won't argue with you anymore, okay?"

We were just talking about the second son and his wife, how did we end up talking about ourselves again? Look at our second son, he has great taste. Even though his wife is from out of town, she's generous and kind, and she has a good relationship with Zhijun, which makes things easier for us parents. If they have a child, then we'll really have nothing to worry about.”

Cui Hongru had been nodding in agreement, but when it came to the child, she spoke up: "The child isn't urgent. Zhijun is away, and if your daughter-in-law gets pregnant, does she have any mother at home? Do you think I should take leave to take care of her during her postpartum period, or what? You can't just leave your daughter-in-law to take care of herself alone at home, can you?"

In my opinion, this time in the letter we should tell Zhijun not to rush into having a child. It wouldn't be too late to have one after he's transferred back in three years. At least it would be easier for us to take care of him if he were closer to us. We could also hire a nanny to come and take care of him for a couple of months under the guise of being relatives. It's much better than him being over there where we can't help him at all.”

“Okay, whatever you say. Anyway, the eldest son already has a child, so there’s no rush for the second son. Let’s look at wild ginseng. I’ve seen ginseng soaked in wine before, but I’ve never seen wild ginseng before.” He Jiaoxu cheerfully changed the subject.

Upon opening the wooden box, three wild ginseng roots were neatly arranged inside. He Jiaoxu wondered, "Are these ginseng roots thirty years old? Why are they so small and oddly shaped? Could my daughter-in-law have been deceived?"

Cui Hongru glared at him: "If you don't understand, don't speak. Don't make a fool of yourself. This is wild ginseng, not ginseng. The medicinal properties are different, but both are excellent for health. These three are of really good quality; they're hard to find around here."

So, the younger daughter-in-law's place is the production area, and even then, it's not easy to get. It seems she's really lucky to have bought such high-quality ones. One of these must cost at least a hundred yuan. This child has spent all the money her uncle gave her as a wedding gift; she's such a generous girl.

We'll keep one as a spare, give one to your older brother, and I'll go buy some more herbs to make a medicinal wine. After a month or two, you can drink a small cup every day to nourish your body; it's a filial gesture from your child.