Who Would Pick a Fight with Those Old Monsters?

Zhou Wanwan continued doing as it instructed, though she didn't quite understand. "Why can so many wild grasses develop intelligence, but these ginseng plants can't?"

"I don't really understand either, but I can't communicate with them. Those that don't develop intelligence can't live very long, either."

Zhou Wanwan carefully dug up this ginseng plant as well. It knew the woods extremely well and soon led her to many medicinal herbs.

Zhou Wanwan asked, "How do you know this place so well? Can you really run around?"

The ginseng chuckled and said:

"That's right! I can run all over the mountains and fields, so you won't need to take care of me in the future.

I can take care of myself. I like drinking dew, and I'll come back to sleep at night."

Zhou Wanwan looked at it. "I've never heard of ginseng growing legs and running around on its own."

"Hehe! I'm a little different from ordinary ginseng. I was struck by lightning when I was little, and then I discovered I could run around. I know these woods better than anyone."

Zhou Wanwan asked softly, "Besides drinking dew to quench your thirst, what else do you like? Tell big sister some more..."

The little ginseng said in a tiny voice:

"I also like water boiled with medicinal herbs. Boil herbs like angelica root, licorice root, and goji berries.

Once it cools, give me a bath in it, and I'll grow nice and plump and fair.

I can help you gather information. I'm really good at it."

Zhou Wanwan understood. This ginseng really was different from ordinary ginseng; it liked all kinds of medicinal herbs.

She nodded and said:

"All right, then! You can stay with me! There'll be a locust plague after a while.

Lots of things will be eaten when that happens. You won't be in much danger if you stay with me."

The ginseng covered its mouth. "A locust plague? Wouldn't that mean a lot of my friends will be in trouble?"

Zhou Wanwan nodded. "You have friends too?"

The little ginseng shook its head proudly and said:

"Of course I have friends! I have lots of friends in the woods!

Every one of them is a venerable elder who's lived for hundreds, even thousands of years..."

It counted on its rootlets and said:

"There's a three-hundred-year-old white ginseng big brother. His root is thick enough to serve as a little pillar, and he knows all sorts of tricks for identifying herbs.

And there's an eight-hundred-year-old wild ginseng grandpa. His rootlets have a jade-like sheen, and he can tell lots of old stories about the forest..."

Its voice softened, taking on a note of admiration.

"The most amazing one is thousand-year-old purple lingzhi grandpa! His cap is a gleaming purple, and even its edges glow. He's lived for twelve hundred years!

I heard lots of things from him, like which clouds mean rain is coming and which herbs make the best root-nourishing brew.

Purple lingzhi grandpa even taught me that dew gathered at the hour of the dragon is the freshest and sweetest!"

Zhou Wanwan nearly drooled. Hundreds, thousands of years old?

It was just like something out of a myth. But the little ginseng said, "I won't tell you where they are. If I did, you might dig them all up."

Black lines filled Zhou Wanwan's forehead.

"I wouldn't go that far. Who would pick a fight with those old monsters?

All right, I still have other things to do, but I can boil a pot of medicinal herbs for you. I also need to thank you for helping me find two ginseng plants today."

Zhou Wanwan planned to keep both ginseng plants in case she needed them someday.

Zhou Wanwan tossed all the medicinal herbs she had no use for straight into the pot. The little ginseng exclaimed excitedly, "Put that gastrodia in too! I saw a fleeceflower root that was decades old. Put that in as well."

Zhou Wanwan gave a cold laugh.

"Those are the most expensive herbs I found. If I put them all in there, how am I supposed to make money?

Stop fussing. You're lucky enough to have medicinal herbs to bathe in."

The little ginseng looked aggrieved. "I know you're good to me. Next time, I'll find you even better herbs."

Zhou Wanwan picked him up by his ginseng leaves and said:

"The locust plague is almost here. Whether those things can survive it is another question!

Right now, I have to find ways to stockpile more grain and make more money. You don't understand."

The little ginseng lay listlessly in a corner. "Hmph! I'm ignoring you."

Zhou Wanwan had put in over twenty kinds of medicinal herbs, all of which she had found on the mountain. Their medicinal properties were actually quite good.

Once the herbs were done boiling, she set them aside to cool and went to eat lunch.

After the brew cooled, the little ginseng climbed straight into the bucket with an "Ow!" and said, "Wow! This feels wonderful! Sure enough, bathing like this feels the best."

Zhou Wanwan couldn't be bothered with it. She picked out some herbs that would benefit Zhou Fusheng, then found two wooden boards and had Zhou Qingyan make them the same size. "I need to go to the medicine shop again. There are still lots of things I need to buy."

Zhou Wanwan went with her three older brothers to find Lin Shouyi, who was looking at the crops in the fields. "Why haven't these crops turned yellow yet? Once they do, we'll cut them all down."

The villagers couldn't help frowning. "Shouyi, who exactly told you there was going to be a locust plague? We can't go spreading nonsense."

"Exactly! I think this year will be a bumper harvest, and look how nice the weather is!"

"I don't believe it either. My family has five mu of land in all. If we get a bumper harvest this year, we're planning to buy a house in town. Living in the village is just too stifling."

Lin Shouyi looked at them. "Better to believe it might happen than assume it won't. Have you stocked up on the grain and water I told you to prepare?"

Quite a few households close to Lin Shouyi nodded. "My family stocked up on some. We're just afraid that if a disaster year really comes, we won't be able to buy any even if we want to."

"Our water jars are all full, and we filled some wooden buckets too. We have plenty of grain, more than ten sacks!"

Lin Shouyi nodded. "Try to buy as much as you can and put it away. If you trust me, do as I say. If a disaster year really does come, we won't have to flee the famine."

The man from the Shen family shouted:

"Boy from the Lin family, I think you're talking out of your ass. What exactly are you after, telling us to do this?

Are you trying to get us to sell our grain for dirt cheap? Dream on.

And you lot, how can you believe his nonsense? If it really is a disaster year, I'll kowtow and apologize to you then.

If there's no disaster year, what are you going to do?"

Lin Shouyi said angrily, "I was only trying to give you a kind warning. If you don't want to do it, forget it. No one can force you."

"Then tell us, who exactly did you hear it from?"

Lin Shouyi shouted:

"Shen Boxian, don't go too far. What business is it of yours where I got the news?

If you don't want to do it, forget it. No one's forcing you. I've said all I have to say; decide for yourselves!"

Shen Boxian shouted, "See? I told you he couldn't be trusted. Every time we ask who told him, he refuses to say. You'd better not listen to him."

The villagers began discussing it among themselves. Zhou Wanwan waved from the ridge between the fields and called, "Uncle Lin..."