The years these wild ginseng roots had been growing were short, so Chen Lan didn't mark them. There was no urgent need for them right now. If she were to dig them up immediately, it would be a terrible waste, a true desecration of natural treasures.
Thinking this, she decided to let them grow in the forest for a few more years. When the need for wild ginseng arose in the future, it wouldn't be too late to come back and dig them up. After all, they had always grown there and weren't going anywhere.
Having already found several wild ginseng roots, which was more than enough, Chen Lan stopped searching.
Without lingering further in the tangled woods, she turned back to find Xu Mingxuan and his mother, who were digging for wild ginseng with her mother-in-law. From afar, she saw Xu Mingxuan and his mother kneeling before a "candle stand" plant, heads bowed, digging the soil.
Xu Mingxuan had become the main force in digging for wild ginseng, his head lowered as he skillfully and quickly unearthed the soil. His mother assisted him, handing him tools and supporting his efforts.
Chen Lan hurried over, her voice filled with anxiety and surprise. "Brother Mingxuan, how is your wound? Is it serious? Won't this strain your injury? You said you'd never dug wild ginseng before, but watching you now, you're far more skilled than your mother. You don't look like someone who's never done it before at all!"
Xu Mingxuan looked up, exhaled deeply, and smiled at Chen Lan. "Lan'er, don't worry, relax! My wound has healed, and I'm fine. Besides, digging for wild ginseng isn't strenuous work; it won't bother me!"
He continued, "Lan'er, it's true I've never dug wild ginseng. But when I was in the army, I disarmed landmines! Landmines are much trickier to dig up than wild ginseng, and one wrong move could be fatal. When digging for wild ginseng, you just need to be careful not to break the root hairs. There's no great difficulty involved."
Hearing his explanation, Chen Lan was at a loss for words.
She took out the towel, swimming trunks, and a change of underwear she had bought from the system on her way back. She wrapped them in a large piece of flawed cloth and hung them on a nearby tree branch.
Then, pointing to the bundle hanging on the tree, she said, "Brother Mingxuan, look. These are the clothes and swimming trunks you'll need for the hot springs later. I've put them in the bundle and hung them on that branch. Remember to bring them when you go soak."
She then turned to her mother-in-law and said, "Mother, you and Brother Mingxuan can continue digging for wild ginseng here. I've marked the other spots with wild ginseng using snake skin bags. Dig as many as you need. I'm going to the woods to cut wood and hunt."
Xu Mingxuan immediately looked up and started to get up, saying, "Lan'er, wait, I'll go with you!"
Chen Lan immediately refused, "No need, Brother Mingxuan. You should stay with Mother and dig for wild ginseng. Digging is very tiring! There are still several plants waiting to be dug. If you leave with me now, how long will Mother have to dig alone?"
At this point, her mother-in-law spoke up, "Mingxuan, don't worry! Xiao Lan isn't going far, just to the nearby woods. Besides, it's not her first time hunting on the mountain. Almost all the wild chickens, rabbits, wild boars, and wild goats we've eaten these past few months were brought back by her. Don't you worry. We need to focus on digging the wild ginseng. We can't afford to still be digging when Xiao Lan returns from hunting. Digging wild ginseng takes time. Mingxuan, hurry up!"
Chen Lan, with her basket on her back, said goodbye to her mother-in-law and son and walked into the adjacent tangled woods.
Chen Lan decided to hunt first, then saw off dead branches. As she walked, she took out her bow and crossbow and six carbon steel arrows from the system's inventory.
Perhaps it was the autumn season, but the wild chickens in the tangled woods were exceptionally plump, and the rabbits were round and meaty. Moreover, she encountered flocks of wild chickens and litters of wild rabbits in this area.
In no time, the tangled woods were alive with the sounds of chickens flying and rabbits leaping.
After more than an hour of sweeping through the woods, Chen Lan had collected 26 wild chickens, several wild eggs, and 34 wild rabbits, having found three rabbit nests.
She stored the prey and wild eggs, along with her basket, in the system's inventory.
Then, she took out an electric saw from the system's inventory and began trimming the excess branches from the trees in the tangled woods. Following the same old rule, she sawed off any branches within reach of the electric saw, storing them in the system's inventory as she worked.
After about an hour of collecting branches, Chen Lan felt a stinging pain in the back of her head and immediately stopped using her mental focus.
Carrying the three branches she had just sawed off and holding the electric saw, she turned back and headed home.
It wasn't far; past this patch of tangled woods was where her mother-in-law and son were digging for wild ginseng. She wanted to go back and see how many wild ginseng roots Xu Mingxuan and his mother had dug up and if they needed any help.
Since it wasn't far, she quickly reached the spot where they were digging for wild ginseng. SuDan Novel Network.
She saw Xu Mingxuan holding a "six-leaf" wild ginseng root and saying to his mother, "Mother, look at this wild ginseng root. It's actually grown into a human shape! Look, this is its head, these are its two arms, and these are its two legs. No wonder there's a folk legend that ginseng can become spirits!"
Seeing Chen Lan return, he said happily, "Lan'er, you're back! Come quickly and see, this wild ginseng root has already grown a very clear human shape."
Chen Lan put down the three dead branches and looked closely. It was indeed shaped like a human. Not only was this wild ginseng root large, but it was also of good quality and pleasing in appearance, with a delicate form.
The skin of the wild ginseng was lustrous; the root hairs were sparse and long, with many pearl-like points on them. The two arms and two legs of the wild ginseng extended naturally to the sides. It was truly an exceptional wild ginseng root.
After the three of them had admired it enough, the mother-in-law pulled a large piece of bark from a nearby tree, wrapped the wild ginseng root, and handed it to Chen Lan, saying, "Xiao Lan, take this wild ginseng root to your father-in-law first. Let him keep it safe for us! After I process it at home, I'll save it. It might be of great use in the future."
She took the wild ginseng root and placed it in the system's inventory. Then, she turned back and asked, "Mother, Brother Mingxuan, how many have you dug so far? Do you want to keep digging?"
The mother-in-law replied, "No, not counting the one I just gave you, we've dug two. Mingxuan can only stay home for about seven or eight days, and two wild ginseng roots are enough for his nourishment this time. We won't dig any other wild ginseng for now; let them grow in the ground. We can come back here and dig them when Mingxuan returns next time."