Chapter 56: Langya, you look so happy, you look more like a groom than me. ...

The hazy light and semi-enclosed space increase the potential for ambiguity.

Yan Xue felt that this time the temperature was rising faster than any other time, like hiding under a shirt and exchanging a secret that only the two of them knew, lingering, passionate, and with a unique taboo.

This time, Qi Fang kissed Yan Xue more fiercely and aggressively than any other time. Soon, Yan Xue was forced to the edge of the kang and fell down.

But the man had no intention of letting her go. He supported himself on the edge of the kang with one hand and leaned forward to entangle himself more deeply with her.

Yan Xue felt like he was going to eat her up. She could only support herself with her hands to avoid falling down, and her breathing was completely disordered.

She felt like she was almost out of breath, and had difficulty swallowing. She even let out a few soft moans unconsciously.

This made her subconsciously want to step back, but the man's big hand grabbed the back of her head, leaving her with no way to retreat. Finally, her arm went limp and she fell down on the quilt.

The first thing Yan Xue did was to lift up the shirt and try to breathe, but what she saw was a handsome face that was no longer cold and a pair of peach blossom eyes filled with desire.

Further down, there was a clear red spot on her collarbone. It was the mole that she had been curious about for a long time but now saw its true appearance for the first time.

Yan Xue subconsciously reached out to touch her, but she didn't know that her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were blurred, and there were ambiguous water marks on her lips, which made her a delicious sight.

Qi Fang's eyes became deeper, and almost at the same time as her fingers touched him, he knelt on one knee on the edge of the kang, leaned over and exchanged another wet kiss with her.

This time the burning sensation went all the way down, stopping at her neck, winding across her collarbone, and finally even buried itself into her collar.

The braid Yan Xue wore specifically for the wedding was lifted up, and the hem of her skirt blossomed like a flower between the quilts, covering up even more of her beauty...

Before the man's long fingers buckled the belt, she only had time to say, "Turn off the lights first!", and then she was greeted by darkness and a hot body.

The long fingers that had just stroked the cold belt buckle also shifted their position, heading towards a warmer place, bringing out a few gasps and moans.

Even after making such thorough preparations, Yan Xue still bit the man's collarbone hard, right around the small mole.

Qi Fang wasn't feeling well either. Compared to that, the pain on his collarbone was nothing. In the end, he could only endure it and pull away first, then comfort her carefully.

It took an unknown amount of time before everything was over.

Yan Xue was covered in sweat, her skin still slightly red, and she lay on the bed with a slight gasp, with only one thought in her mind -

What a damn difference in size!

Qi Fang was also covered in sweat, but he looked more refreshed than her. He was able to go out to get some water to wipe her body and get a clean sheet from the cabinet.

After taking it, he saw that her little toe was still curled, so he reached out and rubbed it for her.

Yan Xue immediately thought of the sentence "I'll help you massage it when we get back."

But she had indeed been a little tense before, and now she suddenly relaxed, feeling a little uncomfortable from her calves to her toes. Seeing that his force was moderate, she said nothing.

Unexpectedly, after pinching a few times, the man stopped.

But his hand never loosened, and it held her ankle tightly, causing her to open her eyes and look at him in confusion, "What's wrong?"

The man raised his eyes and simply moved the mattress sheet he had just found out of the way. "It has to be changed anyway."

Before Yan Xue could react to what was meant by "had to change anyway" she was suddenly picked up by someone.

In the end, the mattress sheet was worth the exchange. It was too worthwhile, so Yan Xue couldn't help but kick the man and said, "Wash it yourself tomorrow morning."

Qi Fang hummed, said nothing more, and prepared to kiss her again.

This time, Yan Xue refused to let him kiss her. She put her hand on his lips and said, "Be more restrained. Don't get diagnosed with kidney deficiency when you go back to take Chinese medicine."

Qi Fang had no other intentions, but when he heard her mention kidney deficiency, his peach blossom eyes deepened.

Yan Xue immediately thought of this man's vindictiveness and his damned pride, "Okay, you're not weak. I'm afraid the doctor will find out I'm weak next time I go back."

She couldn't help but yawn. "I don't know what time it is now. What if I can't get up tomorrow..."

She just couldn't get up without any emergency. Not only her, but even Qi Fang would open his eyes in the morning when it was already daybreak.

Noticing the light coming in from outside the curtains, Qi Fang looked at his watch and found that it was already past six o'clock.

This is extremely rare for him in recent years. He always has a light sleep, not deep or long. Sometimes he is obviously very tired, but he knows clearly that he cannot sleep.

But the ticking of the watch and the breathing of the person beside him were reminding him that all this was real, reminding him that something was different.

Yan Xue was still sleeping, with long eyelashes and beautiful facial features. No matter she was asleep or awake, smiling or calm, she always gave people a reassuring feeling.

Qi Fang didn't disturb her. He quietly got up, put on his clothes, took the changed sheets and shirt, and prepared to go to the river to wash them.

When he zipped open the door, he bumped into the second old lady who came out from the opposite side quietly.

The old lady was an experienced person. She immediately pushed Yan Jigang back and said, "Go back and lie down for a while. Your sister drank too much yesterday."

Yan Jigang didn't understand why his sister asked him to go back and lie down for a while after drinking too much, but he still climbed back onto the kang obediently.

The old lady pretended to look for something again, "Where did I put the mirror? I'm old and my memory is not good. I can't even find it to check if my clothes are on properly."

Qi Fang understood as soon as he heard it, and stepped back to pick up the mirror hanging on the wall and look at it.

The teeth marks left by Yan Xue were obvious under his shirt, imprinted on his cold white skin, like a seal declaring sovereignty.

Anyone who saw this would have no idea what they did last night. He thought it had disappeared, but it was still there. He could only button his shirt to the top.

As for the remaining satisfaction between his eyebrows, Qi Fang really had no way to hide it and could only keep a cold expression.

This time when he went out again, the second old lady had already gone back, obviously leaving space for him, so he took the basin and soap and went to the river.

When I came back, I happened to see Liu Weiguo coming out to open the gate. He was yawning as he opened it. It was obvious that he had been working there until very late.

When he saw him, Liu Weiguo stared at him carefully with wide eyes, "Qi Fang, what were you doing so early in the morning? You look so cheerful, more like a groom than me."

His eyes are quite sharp.

Qi Fang looked at his friend and said nothing.

Liu Weiguo suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, I've been so busy lately that I forgot to give it to you. Wait for me to go back and get it." He turned and went into the yard.

After a while, he came back and spread out his hands, showing a few wolf fangs. "My grandfather has already drilled the holes for the wolf fangs from last time. I'll give them to my child to ward off evil spirits in the future."

The main purpose last time was to save people, which was bloody and most likely to attract wild animals. Mr. Liu only pulled out four canine teeth of the wolf and then came back.

Now the four canine teeth have been processed and are in Liu Weiguo's hands. Qi Fang took a look and said, "Two will do."

"I'll give it all to you." Liu Weiguo stuffed it directly into his pocket. "My family doesn't need this. Don't you want to have three children in two years? Maybe it won't be enough in the future."

He chuckled, waved at him and went back, "I have to go see my wife."

Qi Fang returned home, hung up the washed sheets and clothes, then took out the wolf teeth and asked the second old lady, "Do you have a red string?"

The old lady knew what it was as soon as she saw it. "Yes, wait for me to rub one for you."

A single strand of thread was too thin and might not be strong enough to wear, but the old lady was very skillful and twisted the strands of thread together in a few seconds.

"Rub another one." Qi Fang took it and put it through the hole on the wolf tooth, then went out to call Yan Jigang who was playing in the yard.

Yan Jigang ran over and saw the obvious curiosity in his eyes.

"The wolf tooth is for you to wear to calm your nerves and ward off evil spirits." Qi Fang said, and tied it around his neck directly.

When he heard that it was a wolf's tooth, Yan Jigang became even more curious, but he waited until his brother-in-law finished tying it before taking it for a closer look.

When Qi Fang returned, the old lady had already finished twisting the other red rope. He thanked her, took it, and took it back to the house.

When Yan Xue woke up, it was already past her usual dinner time. She pulled the towel up to cover her face, lay there for a while in despair, and then got up as usual.

Don't ask, if you ask, I just drank too much last night, not too much of anything else.

While washing her face, she realized that there was something on her neck. She picked it up and looked at it, then asked the man, "Did you put this on me?"

"Well, Weiguo gave us all the fangs of that wolf last time."

Yan Xue took a quick look and immediately discovered that there was also one on Yan Jigang's neck. The little boy was so curious that he would touch it with his little hand every once in a while.

Yan Xue also touched it and stuffed the thing back into her collar.

During lunch, the second old lady suddenly said, "Jigang has been sleeping in your room for almost two months. It's time for him to come back and sleep on his own."

Yan Xue was slightly stunned. She looked up and found that the second old lady was not looking at her when she said this. She suddenly realized what was going on and her face turned red.

Qi Fang, however, remained calm, even picking up a piece of food for her with his chopsticks. He asked Yan Jigang in a tone like an adult, "Is it okay for you not to sleep with me tonight?"

He is obviously pretending. He is the only one in the house who wants Jigang to go back to sleep, okay?

But boys actually need male elders in their growth process. Yan Jigang was a little hesitant and reluctant at first, but when his brother-in-law asked him, he immediately puffed out his chest and said, "I, I can do it!"

The second old lady also said, "The two times Jigang slept in my room, he didn't have nightmares. I think he is almost recovered."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jigang nodded even more vigorously, "Yes, okay, okay, no need to take the medicine anymore."

In order to stop taking the medicine, he decisively gave up his reluctance and went back to the second old lady's room that night with his pillow and quilt. His attitude was even more resolute than that of his brother-in-law.

Then the next morning, Yan Xue got up late again.

This time, while she was still in the house, she heard Yan Jigang whispering to her grandmother outside, "Sister, sister, did you drink too much again last night?"

This left the second old lady with no answer, so she could only say vaguely, "Maybe."

Then when she went out to wash up, Yan Jigang waited outside specifically to tell her: "Sister, drink less. It's not good for your health."

Yan Xue felt both touched and embarrassed, so she gave the man a yellow card that night. If things didn't work out, she would go to the room opposite to sleep with Yan Jigang and the old lady.

So this time she didn't get up late, but before the lights were turned off at night, the man came over to kiss her and asked her with his peach blossom eyes if she had rested. She couldn't bear it for a while...

Yan Xue doubted whether he still remembered what happened in the hospital and was deliberately trying to prove that he was in good health and his kidneys were not weak at all.

He was no longer weak, but she was almost weak. Yan Xue flipped through the solar calendar, ready to find something to save her precarious health.

"Jigang," she called her brother, "do you want to go up the mountain to dig ginseng?"

Yan Jigang's eyes lit up when he heard this. "What, when?"

"In just a few days, your brother-in-law and I will be ready to go. But digging ginseng requires living in the mountains. Are you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid." Yan Jigang answered firmly.

With his sister and brother-in-law around, what is he afraid of? He also wants to dig a big ginseng that can turn into a big girl!

In the Changbai Mountain area, going into the mountains to dig ginseng is called "freeing the mountains". It is usually done in late August, around the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, mainly because ginseng seeds will form at this time.

Normally, ginseng is buried underground and mixed in with other plants, making it difficult to find. Only when it is being planted will a cluster of red fruits shaped like cashews appear on its head, revealing its presence.

It just so happened that there was a training session in the town these few days, and there was nothing to do at the forest farm. The wood ear mushrooms had not sprouted yet, and the school was on vacation.

Yan Xue didn't have much experience, so she brought some bean flour cakes made by the second old lady and went to ask Mr. Liu for advice.

The relationship between the two families was good. Even if she didn't bring anything, if she asked, the old man would definitely tell her everything he knew.

Seeing that she had brought some things with her, the old man simply lent them his hunting/wooden barn and gave them a few roe deer skins.

Although free-range hunting is different from hunting, and emphasizes the harmonious coexistence of individuals and nature, and avoiding harming animals whenever possible, there are many wild animals in the mountains, and you always need something to protect yourself in critical moments.

The roe deer skin is used as the base when people spend the night in the mountains, which the locals commonly call "making a small stay".

This thing can keep out moisture and cold, and has no peculiar smell. When it rains, it will not attract snakes around.

The rest are some tools for digging ginseng and some dry food for the mountain...

Before the "Four Olds" movement, people would bring incense, candles, and paper horses, burning incense and paper to pray to the mountain gods, hoping they would find a good dig this time. But times have changed, and doing this is indeed sensitive. Old herders like Mr. Liu no longer do this.

On the day of departure, the couple each carried a backpack, and Yan Jigang also carried a schoolbag.

In order to gain something, they walked farther this time and did not choose the nearby hills. They also brought tools to build their own shack.

After changing from the small railway track to a mountain road and walking for several hours, they finally found a place to stay with water nearby and sheltered from the wind.

The first thing they did after settling down was to go to the master's house to worship the mountain god. After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. What if they really didn't encounter anything? Wouldn't it be a waste of several days staying in the mountains?

Three stones, two vertical and one horizontal, stacked together form the master's house.

Qi built a mound of earth in front of the master's house, stuck three pieces of dry grass in it and set it on fire. The three people took turns to worship the mountain god, especially Yan Jigang, who put his hands together and worshipped very seriously.

With the blessing of the mountain god and the old boss, they will definitely dig up a big club and sell it for a lot of money!

After the greeting, the young boy remembered something and quietly pulled his sister: "Who is the old boss?"

Yan Xue had been curious about this before, and even looked it up online. "It was the founder of ginseng pickers, named Sun Liang. Ginseng pickers respectfully addressed him as 'Uncle Sun Liang', or 'Ginseng Headman' or 'Old Headman'."

It is said that this person went into the mountains to collect ginseng to treat his mother's illness in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He eventually starved to death in the mountains because he could not find his companion Zhang Lu.

Local ginseng collectors respected him, primarily for his loyalty and righteousness. He had been digging for ginseng with his fellow villager, Zhang Lu, whom he had become friends with, but accidentally became separated from Zhang Lu a few days before leaving the mountains. Rather than leaving alone, he chose to find Zhang Lu and join him, ultimately dying of starvation by the Cricket River.

After all, money is a temptation. In the past, people who joined gangs would rather go into the mountains alone than in pairs, for fear that if they dug up something big, someone would become greedy.

There is also a suicide poem about this old boss that is circulated in the local area and his hometown of Laiyang, Shandong:

"My family lives in Laiyang, and my surname is Sun.

Cross the ocean to dig ginseng.

I lost my brother on the road.

Go upstream along the Cricket River.

I ate a crayfish for three days.

I won’t be satisfied until I find my brother.”

Yan Xue told the story to Yan Jigang, who was filled with awe. He went back with a serious face and bowed again, even more pious than the last time.

By the time the shack was set up, the sun had almost set. A few people took out roe deer skins and spread them on the ground. After eating some dry food, they huddled together and prepared to sleep.

Yan Jigang said he was not afraid, but it was his first time camping, and it was such a simple camping place. As soon as it got dark, he still couldn't help but lean towards his sister.

Yan Xue was not surprised and hugged him in her arms. Qi Fang hugged her and Yan Jigang together and reached out to touch Yan Jigang's head.

With the familiar smell and body temperature in front and behind, and his sister telling stories, Yan Jigang still fell asleep in a daze.

The next morning, just after dawn, Qi Fang had already gone to the nearby river to fetch water. After washing and having breakfast, they stood in front of the shack and began to shout at the mountain.

The main purpose of the "mountain shouting" is to scare away wild animals and ensure the safety of the people who release the animals, so the louder the better. Only after the shouting ends can the real release of the animals begin.

Qi Fang had prepared in advance the long sticks that would be used for scouting the mountains. Ginseng pickers also called them "treasure-seeking sticks." Each person held one in his hand and used the stick to push aside the grass in front of them as they walked, searching carefully inch by inch.

The reason why wild ginseng is rare is mainly because it has very high requirements for the growing environment and takes too long to grow.

This plant prefers shade to sun, dryness to humidity, but cannot be completely without water and sunlight. Therefore, it is usually placed in uncut coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, with appropriate sunlight (not too much or too little), and water sources (not too far or too close).

After the three of them walked a distance, Qi Fang stopped his stick and was the first to shout, "Bangchui."

Bangchui is what the locals call ginseng. When Yan Xue and Yan Jigang heard it, they all looked over. Yan Xue even shouted back, "What grade of leaves?"

This is called "jieshan", which means asking about the size of the ginseng. And "jipinye" means how many palmate compound leaves grow on a stem.

When ginseng seeds just germinate and emerge from the soil, there is only one three-petal compound leaf on the stem, commonly known as the three flowers.

When it grows a little bigger, the three-petal compound leaf becomes five-petal, forming a small palm, called five leaves.

Two small palm-sized leaves on a stem are called Erjiazi, three are called Sanpinye, four are called Sipin, five are called Wupin, and six are called Liupin.

The more palms it has and the older it is, the more valuable the ginseng is.

However, Qi Fang found that this was obviously not a very old year. "Two Jiazi."

Generally speaking, when people encounter ginseng of this year in the wild, they will not dig it up. They will leave a mark and come back to look for it in a few years.

But they were going to the top of the mountain to pick a ginseng, and it was not good to come back empty-handed, so Qi Fang took out a red rope with copper coins tied at both ends, which the mountain people called a hammer lock, and tied it around the ginseng stem.

This is because they are afraid that the ginseng will run away. Locals often say that ginseng is spiritual. If it is not tied with a red rope, sometimes it looks big from the leaves but is small when dug out, which means the ginseng has run away.

Therefore, many local people will carry a red rope with them when they go up the mountain. If they don’t have a red rope, they can just tear off a red belt, just in case they encounter ginseng.

Yan Xue and Yan Jigang both came over, and Yan Jigang opened his eyes wide to see how his brother-in-law would carry the ginseng.

Lifting ginseng is a job that requires a lot of patience and carefulness. You must be careful not to damage any of the ginseng roots, otherwise the ginseng will lose its pulp and become worthless.

The tree they came across was not very big, and it only cost a few dollars if sold at the purchasing station. It didn't take too long to carry it out.

Yan Xue had prepared the moss and put it aside. Qi Fang placed the ginseng on the moss and sprinkled some soil on it to ensure that the ginseng remained moist.

Then wrap the ginseng with moss and roll it up, then wrap it with birch bark and tie it with soft bark. This is commonly known as making ginseng buns.

This kind of ginseng will maintain its best medicinal properties and its roots will not be damaged.

Qi Fang packed the ginseng and handed it directly to Yan Xue. Seeing that Yan Jigang was curious, Yan Xue gave it to Yan Jigang to touch.

"Let's look carefully around here." She glanced around. "Ginseng this big is mostly grown from fallen seeds of large ginseng. There might be a big one nearby."

Yan Jigang touched the ginseng bag and returned it to Yan Xue. Upon hearing this, he immediately perked up and picked up the treasure-hunting stick, "I, I will definitely take a good look!"

There were no outsiders in the mountains, so he became much more lively and spoke louder.

After a while, the boy stopped at one place, squatted down and took a closer look, "Sister, mushrooms."

"Are you calling me sister or mushroom?" Yan Xue was a little helpless, but still walked over.

There was indeed a patch of mushrooms in front of Yan Jigang, with slender stems, brown caps, scales in the middle of the caps, and white flesh. It was Armillaria mellea, also known as hazel mushroom, a companion fungus of Gastrodia elata.

If they came here to dig Gastrodia elata, Yan Xue would definitely be happy, but this time they went up the mountain to dig ginseng.

Yan Xue also squatted down and said, "Pick them, pick them all." She then gently instructed Yan Jigang, "Next time you see something, don't shout it out casually. There are rules for freeing things in the mountains. If you shout something out, you have to catch it in your hand, otherwise you might miss it if you hit a stick. You saw mushrooms, but what if you saw a snake?"

Yan Jigang's face immediately showed shame. "I know, I know. I will definitely not yell next time."

There's no need to talk too deeply about such sensible children. Talking too deeply will only make them blame themselves. Yan Xue smiled and changed the subject, "But you're quite picky. You picked something delicious."

"Can this be eaten?" Yan Jigang looked up at his sister.

"You can eat it." Yan Xue gave him a positive answer with a smile, "Go back and ask grandma to fry some chili peppers for you."

Yan Jigang didn't feel so guilty anymore. He quickly helped his sister pick all the mushrooms, then picked up the treasure-hunting stick to continue searching, but this time he closed his little mouth first.

Yan Xue took a look and was about to put the basket on her back when Qi Fang called her in a low voice, "Yan Xue."

She turned around, thinking that something was wrong with the man, but the next second her hand was held by someone.

Yan Xue was stunned for a moment, then she remembered that she had told Ji Gang before that he should catch whatever he shouted. She couldn't help but laugh, "I didn't say it included people."

Qi Fang didn't say anything, but his expression was serious. He tightened his grip on her hand.

At this moment, Yan Jigang in front suddenly stopped.

Yan Xue thought he was going to turn around and was about to shake him off when she heard the young boy yell with full force, "Bang Hammer!"