Chapter 32
The past few days in prison had already caused some losses for Yu Wan, and recently, the number of customers coming to her restaurant had increased dramatically, so Yu Wan decided to cancel one of her days off. She didn't force the ten newly hired employees to take the day off; those who wanted to rest could, but those who remained on duty on the day off would receive an extra bonus.
Chen Lie and the others all expressed their willingness to work. Such a harmonious working atmosphere was truly rare, and they didn't even realize how hard the work was. They chatted and laughed as they finished their day's work.
After working hard for more than ten days, Yu Wan announced that the whole store would be closed the next day and explained the rules for wage distribution.
"Since you're new here, we can only pay you for the few days you worked last month. This month's wages will be paid next month. Tomorrow is the tenth of the month, which is our restaurant's day off. Let's pay everyone's wages and bonuses today, so you can all go home and relax tomorrow."
Everyone cheered as they received their wages.
Since Aunt Li and the others were paid daily wages, they also received their share for today.
Everyone was satisfied, except for Rongxun, who kept talking about going up the mountain to find American ginseng.
After dinner, Yu Wan said she would take him up the mountain the next day, which made him very happy.
Don't let Rong Xun's age fool you; his stamina is truly remarkable. He jumped three feet high with excitement.
"That's great! I've searched the entire back mountain for the past two weeks but haven't found the American ginseng you mentioned. Where did you find it? Is there somewhere I haven't been before? That can't be! You're finally going to take me there, otherwise I can't eat anything every day."
He Jing closed the shop door. "You eat more than anyone else every day, and you still can't eat?"
Rong Xun snorted angrily, "You brat, no matter what, your grandfather and I are best friends, we've been through thick and thin together for so many years, can't you give me some face?"
When Yu Cheng heard about it, he wanted to go too, and he begged Yu Wan for a long time.
"Sister, it's been so long since I've been up the mountain. The last time was last Mid-Autumn Festival with Xiaohu. Speaking of which, he was sold to an opera troupe. I wonder how he's doing now. Sister, I've been diligently learning to read lately, and I can recite a lot of the Three Character Classic. I've also been diligently learning martial arts from Brother Asu. Will you take me with you?"
Yu Wan found his noise annoying, so she had no choice but to agree, "Alright, alright, but let me make this clear beforehand: you can't run around by yourself. If something happens, your mother will worry."
Yu Cheng excitedly hugged Rong Xun and spun him around, "Great! Grandpa Rong, we can play together now!"
Rong Xun stroked his beard. "Grandpa isn't going to play with you. I have something very important to find."
Yu Cheng patted his chest and assured him, "I'll help you find it. I have good eyesight, I'm sure I can find it!"
The next day.
Yu Wan changed into old clothes, carried a basket on her back, and also brought small tools such as a shovel.
As the weather warms up, the snow and ice on the mountains gradually melt, and you might encounter some good things.
Rong Xun and Yu Cheng were also ready, just waiting for her command.
Yu Wan repeatedly reminded them to be careful, otherwise she wouldn't be able to take care of the old man and the child by herself.
"Alright, let's go!"
No sooner had they finished speaking than a boy with a high ponytail appeared out of nowhere and caught up with them.
Yu Cheng clapped his hands and cheered, "Sister, you don't have to worry this time. With Brother Su here, he's so capable, we won't be in any danger."
Yu Wan glanced at the boy but said nothing.
The town was at the foot of the mountain, so they walked for more than an hour before entering the deep mountains.
Yu Wan was constantly agonizing over how to make Rong Xun discover the ginseng in a plausible way. Before leaving, when she saw He Suzhi following her, she immediately knew something was wrong. That guy had a sharp eye; he might just spot her clumsy little trick.
Moreover, Rongxun had already searched the entire mountain but had not found any American ginseng, so he could not simply bury it.
Rong Xun bent over, determined not to miss a single inch of land. "Little girl, where was that plant you had last time? Maybe there are more around there. It's really strange, why don't I have such good luck?"
Yu Wan casually pointed in a direction, "Over there."
The three of them looked in the direction she pointed and fell silent.
Yu Cheng, being a child, couldn't help but ask, "Sister, you're not thinking of it as being at the bottom of the cliff, are you? Or on the other side?"
Yu Wan fell silent. She hadn't even looked at it; she just wanted to give a general direction, otherwise she'd give herself away if she didn't know anything. Now, she'd dug herself a hole.
"Maybe... it's been so long, I've almost forgotten about it."
Rong Xun, however, refined his reasoning: "It really could be there. Most rare treasures reside in extremely dangerous places, such as snow lotus, cordyceps, and dendrobium. They're either high in the snow line, on cliffs, or in treacherous terrain. Even experienced herb gatherers wouldn't always be absolutely certain of finding them, let alone ordinary people. So this American ginseng might really be there. Let's go take a look!"
Without saying a word, he rushed straight to the edge of the cliff. Yu Cheng, being a child, had no idea what danger was; on the contrary, the more exciting it was, the more he wanted to participate.
"Grandpa Rong, wait for me!"
Seeing her younger brother running around wildly, Yu Wan hurriedly tried to follow him, saying, "Be careful, there might not be any there."
He Jing's expression was solemn, his dark, bright eyes filled with a kind of inquiry, as he tugged at her sleeve.
"There's hardly any American ginseng on this mountain, is there?"
Yu Wan inwardly cried out in alarm, forcibly calming herself, her eyes crinkling into a forced smile.
"It's probably really gone, otherwise why would Elder Rong have searched for half a month without finding it?"
She tried to shake off the boy's hand, but couldn't.
The boy knew she was faking her smile, but he was still mesmerized for a moment. He didn't let her go, however, holding tightly to her sleeve to prevent her from escaping.
"The American ginseng you took out to detoxify the magistrate's daughter wasn't found here, was it?"
Yu Wan vehemently denied it, "Who said that? There could be all sorts of rare treasures in these mountains. Didn't Elder Rong find several precious herbs?"
The thing I was worried about still happened; I should have refused to let this person follow me before I left the house.
This has already aroused his suspicion, and he will definitely keep a close eye on her every move.
When exactly did you start to have doubts?
Could it be that the doubts were never dispelled when the contract was signed?
He Jing stared blankly at her, knowing full well that she was lying, but looking at that bright, small face, he couldn't say a word.
"Can……"
Yu Wan didn't give him a chance to speak, and launched into a tirade, "But if I didn't find it in the mountains, where did I get it from? Even a skilled doctor like Elder Rong couldn't find it anywhere, so how could I just casually produce it? How am I so amazing? Don't think of me as too capable, okay?"
He Jing: "You..."
Yu Wan continued her barrage: "Do you think I'm a god? That I can just take whatever I want? If that were really the case, why would I need to work myself to the bone every day to earn money? Young Master He, what exactly do you suspect about me?"
The girl's expression was cold and distant, and her address of "Young Master He" further distanced the two of them.
He Jing immediately told her to stop, "Can I not ask anymore?"
He then let go.
Yu Wan gave him a look, letting him figure it out himself, and then pretended to be angry as she turned around and chased after Rong Xun and the other person.
I have to say, this guy is much smarter than she thought.
On second thought, this wasn't so bad, it was even an advantage. After all, this was the manager she had reserved, and she would be managing the restaurant for him in the future. How could he not be smart?
He Jing looked remorseful; he had indeed acted rashly this time. He took a deep breath and then silently followed.
At the edge of the cliff, Yu Cheng was too scared to approach, and only by clinging to a big tree could he feel safe.
Seeing her older sister following, she hurriedly called out, "Sister, don't go over there! It's too dangerous."
Yu Wan looked around but couldn't see the old man.
"Where is Elder Rong?"
Yu Cheng pointed to the tree he was hugging, "Up there."
The group looked up and saw an old man with white hair sitting on a tree trunk, holding onto a branch with one hand and placing the other hand on his forehead, looking down the cliff.
He had been looking for a while, but couldn't see anything. Now he was feeling frustrated and annoyed.
"The terrain here is treacherous, and there might really be treasures. But how do we get down? If we could think of a way to go down the cliff, we might find something of great value. Alas... what a waste of my old bones."
After saying this, he looked at the boy under the tree and sighed, "I'm getting old! It's so much better to be young!"
The boy looked up and glared at him.
Yu Wan understood what the old man meant; he wanted He Suzhi to go down and take a look.
That's outrageous!
Below is a cliff, not downstairs; it's not something you can just walk down on a whim.
Who knows what we'll encounter down there, or whether we'll be smashed to pieces?
"Old Rong, A-Su is still not well, don't let him go through all that trouble."
The boy's eyes gradually softened, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
To his surprise, the girl's next words made him turn pale.
"He is not like a normal person and is not suitable for this kind of extreme sports."
Yu Wan thought to herself, "It's been a while since I've seen him cough up blood. With Rong Xun's careful treatment, he's improved a lot now. What if something happens to him here? Wouldn't it be a waste of his life?"
The main problem is that she would have to find another person to manage the business, which is not cost-effective.
She needs to bury the ginseng quickly so that Rongxun can find it sooner and give up on exploring the cliff.
He Jing felt that her phrase "not like a normal person" was as if she was calling him a useless person.
His face was grim; he was determined to regain his dignity.
"I'll go take a look."
Yu Wan reached out to stop her, but only managed to grab air.
"He Suzhi, are you out of your mind! Come back!"
He Jing walked to the edge of the cliff, squatted down and looked down. Thick fog swirled around the bottomless abyss.
He flipped over and jumped down.
Yu Wan and her brother were dumbfounded.
"He Suzhi!"
"Brother Asu!"
Rong Xun chuckled and reassured them, "Don't worry, that kid is incredibly lucky. When he was about A-Cheng's age, he fell off a cliff and lived alone at the bottom for a month. Guess what? When they found him, he had gained a pound and grown a bit taller."
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