Meng Grandpa nodded, "Yuan Shan is right, be extra careful on the road."
"Understood, Uncle," Qi Yuan Shan replied, then ran out with big strides, eager to fetch Old Man Sun as soon as possible.
After Qi Yuan Shan left, Meng Grandpa remembered to ask the two children, "Where did you find these two wild ginseng roots?"
Mentioning this matter, Qi He felt a little guilty.
Fu Xin Ci, however, was not nervous at all and frankly told them where they had dug up the old wild ginseng.
Fu Yu listened and exclaimed, "Father, these two children are truly blessed. We've been here for five or six years, and adults and children alike have often gone to those mountains. Yet, only Ci'er and Xiao He have found wild ginseng, and this is the second time."
"Indeed, we must accept our fate. If it's meant to be, it will be; if not, don't force it," the father and son rambled on, discussing metaphysics. Fu Xin Ci listened quietly to this profound subject without offering any opinions.
It was half an hour later when the father and son changed the topic.
Meng Grandpa knew that Qi Yuan Shan would not be back anytime soon, so he told his granddaughter to go back to her room to rest.
Fu Xin Ci also knew that the journey was not short. Even if Uncle Qi rode his horse at full speed, he might not return before midnight.
With Old Man Sun involved, it wouldn't be appropriate for a young lady like herself to participate further. She pulled Qi He aside and explained her thoughts to him.
Qi He was incredibly moved. If it weren't for the consideration of Sister Fu's reputation, he would have wanted to hug her and cry.
Whenever their father and son faced difficulties, it was Sister Fu who offered a helping hand, enabling his father to avert danger and overcome misfortunes.
"Sister Fu."
Hearing the boy's trembling voice, Fu Xin Ci secretly tugged his sleeve and smiled, "Let's first go and tell Grandfather and my father, then I can go back and wash up. I seem to have gotten dirt on my hands and clothes."
"Mm."
They didn't enter the main hall but stood at the doorway and conveyed their intentions.
In front of Meng Grandpa and Uncle Fu, Qi He felt a bit nervous, but remembering Sister Fu's words, he forced himself to remain calm. He was a man; he couldn't be a burden to Sister Fu.
Meng Grandpa was not surprised by his granddaughter's words, and even Fu Yu showed no astonishment, as if they had already known Fu Xin Ci's decision.
Meng Grandpa looked at the two children kindly and, as usual, nodded with a smile, agreeing.
"Grandfather and your father have noted it down. We will tell your Uncle Qi when he returns."
"Thank you, Grandfather and Father," Fu Xin Ci thanked her grandfather and father, then pulled the still dazed Qi He away.
"Sister Fu." Qi He's heart was warm, and his face was flushed. He now despised his own helplessness. Whenever his father encountered trouble, it was always Meng Grandpa and Sister Fu who helped resolve it, while he, the biological son, was mostly clueless and powerless.
Fu Xin Ci didn't want him to belittle himself. In the current era, without a prominent family background, without connections to curry favor, and without the ambition to marry into power, Uncle Qi and his son were already rare individuals.
Fortunately, she didn't have to worry much. As they withdrew from the main hall entrance, they saw Yu'er and Ning'er running over with smiles.
Ning'er, still running ahead, called out loudly, "Sister, Brother-in-law."
"Hey." Seeing this little ray of sunshine, half of Qi He's troubles instantly vanished. When Yu'er came to ask him some questions, his mind was occupied only with answering them.
The next morning, Fu Xin Ci received news from Chun Yu that guests had arrived at their home around the end of the Chou hour (1-3 AM).
"Han Zhi said that the Thousand Households Lord himself knocked on the door. With the Thousand Households Lord were five men and their father, all strangers that Han Zhi did not recognize."
"Han Zhi also said that he heard the old man in the main hall of the main house shouting loudly, saying that his old bones could see such a good thing and that he could boast about it even when meeting his ancestors."
A few years ago, Fu Xin Ci had heard Uncle Qi mention that Old Man Sun was an experienced root finder, a skill passed down through generations.
The Sun family had an excellent reputation. The dignitaries and nobles in the capital were willing to buy wild ginseng directly from him.
Firstly, the price was fair, and secondly, he was honest.
Fu Xin Ci thought for a moment and then asked, "Are they still here?"
"No. When I got up, I heard voices in the front, so the Thousand Households Lord should have left with the five men and their father."
"Oh."
Fu Xin Ci wanted to go to her grandfather to ask what had been decided later. After thinking about it, she decided it was better not to ask. If there was any decision, her grandfather would inform her proactively.
After breakfast, her grandfather kept his granddaughter to talk.
"Ci'er, the old wild ginseng you found this time is very old. The old expert from the Sun family said that these two roots are at least seven to eight hundred years old."
Recalling the old expert's expression of joy and regret, the elder told his granddaughter everything.
"The old expert from the Sun family was first happy, and then he regretted it for a long time."
"Regretted what?" Fu Xin Ci asked with some confusion.
"According to the old expert from the Sun family, if they had grown for another hundred years, they would have become thousand-year ginseng kings."
Hearing this, Fu Xin Ci really wanted to say that she had older ones in her space, definitely exceeding the thousand-year mark the old expert mentioned.
However, she feared being too shocking and dared not reveal them.
Meng Grandpa, however, maintained a calm demeanor, and his words were comforting. "It is already a great fortune for our Ci'er to find seven to eight hundred-year-old ginseng. We should not covet thousand-year ginseng kings."
"Grandfather is right. If I wait another hundred years, I'll turn into an old goblin."
"Haha, our Ci'er is right. Who knows what will happen in a hundred years? We live in the present and enjoy the present. Being able to buy grain with such a large sum of money now is the greatest blessing."
"Grandfather, how large is a large sum of money?"
"That old expert said that if these two ginseng roots were taken to the capital, one of them could be sold for ten thousand taels of silver. He chuckled and said that this was also because the two roots happened to be of the same old age."
"Is it that much?" Fu Xin Ci exaggerated appropriately, showing the demeanor of a teenage girl.
"Indeed. Those powerful families are willing to collect such items. It not only represents the heritage of a family but also its strength."
There was such a saying!
Fu Xin Ci thought of the old ginseng in her space, then blinked her large apricot eyes mischievously and murmured to her grandfather, "Grandfather, next time we find old ginseng, let's not sell it. Let's keep it at home, so we can show those people our family's heritage and strength."
Hearing his granddaughter's words, Meng Grandpa found it both amusing and exasperating. He brushed away a speck of dust that was not there on his clothes and then said earnestly to his granddaughter, "Heritage and strength cannot be accumulated in a day or two."