Chapter 304: Searching for Ginseng
"Xiongba is back."
Lin Heng stopped Xiong Ba who wanted to chase him, and shot him with another arrow from thirty meters away, killing him completely.
He looked up. The blood pheasant on the ground was easy to pick up, but the one on the cliff was a bit troublesome.
He found a way that could barely lead him up, and with considerable effort he finally climbed over and threw it down.
He was very happy to get the two blood pheasants. The feathers of these birds are very beautiful and they can be skinned and sold. One skin can be sold for a few dollars.
But of course he is too lazy to sell it now, so at most he will pluck the chicken feathers, as the chicken skin is a very delicious part.
"Come, you two are blessed." Lin Heng let the blood drip onto the stone, and the two dogs ran over to lick it.
Walking a little further up, Lin Heng saw his elder brother, who was holding two pheasants with brown and yellow hair in his hands.
"Brother, I got two pheasants and shot them all with one shot." Lin Yue said with a smile as he walked across the river carrying the pheasants.
Lin Heng raised the blood pheasant in his hand and said, "I found four of them. It's a pity you were not here, otherwise I would have killed them all at once."
"Blood chicken, this can be sold for money, you are lucky enough today." Lin Yue said enviously.
"I'm really lucky." Lin Heng smiled. He had hunted hazel grouse before, but this was his first time hunting blood pheasant.
After that, he pointed to the deep canyon ahead and said, "Keep going, we'll be there soon."
The two continued to move forward. Although it had just rained heavily, the canyon was only one or two hundred meters wide, and the water flowed only in the middle. The edge areas were relatively dry.
Forty minutes later they arrived at the shelter that Lin Heng, Grandpa Gao and his uncle had built in the canyon.
"If we can't go back today, let's go to the shelter to rest." Lin Heng said, pointing to the small cave under the rock wall on the opposite bank.
This small triangular cave is a natural shelter that only requires a simple cover to protect against wind and rain.
Lin Yue looked at his brother: "So should we move forward?"
Lin Heng smiled and nodded: "Yes, we will get there after climbing over two more mountains, but before that we can go to the shelter to put down some unnecessary things so that they won't become a burden to carry all the time."
"What kind of good stuff is it that makes you run so far here?" Lin Yue became more and more curious.
But Lin Heng just smiled and said nothing, walking towards the canyon.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the dogs were tired and they finally arrived at their destination. Lin Heng went to take a look at the bamboo forest where the pandas were before. There were many bamboo shoots and some panda feces, but they were all from a long time ago.
This panda probably hasn't been here recently.
"Brother, it's time to tell you now. You can't be here to see panda feces." Lin Yue looked at Lin Heng and asked.
Lin Heng stroked the dog's head and looked at his elder brother, not keeping him in suspense any longer: "There may be ginseng in this mountain. Let's look for it separately. If you find it, it's your luck, elder brother."
Lin Yue was stunned: "Ginseng?"
"How do you know that?"
“Could it be…”
Lin Yue thought of a possibility and was shocked.
"Yes, we found one here last time, otherwise we wouldn't have the money to carry out so much construction." Lin Heng smiled, but he didn't reveal the details.
"No wonder." Lin Yue suddenly realized, patted Lin Heng on the shoulder and said, "You are amazing."
Lin Heng smiled slightly: "That ginseng is quite old. I suspect there are more nearby. Let's separate and whoever finds it will own it."
He didn't care if the ginseng was found by his eldest brother, and he hoped he would find it when he decided to tell him.
Life is too hard, and he is willing to help those who are good to him. His eldest brother is undoubtedly the one who has been good to him since he was a child.
He could often slack off on farm work at home, but it was because his elder brother helped him a lot, not to mention how he had taken care of him since he was a child.
"I found half of it for you." Lin Yue said with a smile.
Lin Heng patted his eldest brother on the shoulder and said with a smile: "No need, we brothers don't talk about this. I believe that if you know such a place, you will tell me."
Lin Yue patted Lin Heng hard and nodded, "Okay."
Lin Heng first took his elder brother to the place where he had wrestled last time and discovered the ginseng, but no other ginseng was seen there.
Then the two separated and searched separately.
The fact that there is no ginseng in this place does not mean that there is no ginseng in the nearby mountains. Birds like to eat ginseng seeds, and it is generally difficult to preserve them in the original place, but there is a high probability that they can be found in the nearby mountains and forests.
Even though it is difficult for the seeds to germinate, this is a hundred-year-old ginseng. In more than a hundred years, there will always be ginseng seeds that germinate and mature.
"Xiongba, try your best. If you find it, I'll reward you with a pig." Lin Heng said, touching Xiongba's head. He also loosened Lai Fu's chain, but did not have any hope for it.
"Awooo~~" Xiongba called out in a low voice and sniffed around in front of him.
Lin Heng looked at the various green plants under the forest, searching for traces of ginseng bit by bit.
It is a tiring and eye-straining job, as it is difficult to find ginseng among so many green plants, many of which have leaves that look very similar to ginseng.
No ginseng was found, but a Ganoderma lucidum could be found occasionally. The number of these things in the primeval forest is quite large.
As he walked, he saw another tree fungus, still the black fungus of the mulberry tree. Unlike the soft black fungus on other trees, the mulberry tree fungus was particularly tough and felt like rubber.
But in fact, it is very good to use it for hot pot. It tastes great and is rich in nutrition.
She picked it beautifully and put it into her backpack, then continued looking for ginseng.
I didn't encounter much prey, just some squirrels and small birds from time to time, which is normal as most animals are active in the evening and early morning.
Before he knew it, it was already five o'clock. Lin Heng had searched the entire mountain, but still could not find any ginseng. He only found a few Ganoderma lucidum, two wild lilies, and some leeks.
I saw a lot of turmeric, but it was worthless and heavy, so I was too lazy to dig it.
"Hey, these Lycoris radiata are blooming beautifully." When stopping to rest, Lin Heng discovered a large patch of Lycoris radiata.
Lycoris radiata is also called the flower of the other shore. Its flowers and leaves never meet, but it is not rare and can often be found in the mountains. It is blooming with beautiful orange and red flowers now.
He sat down to rest, drank some water and leaned against a tree for ten minutes, then got up and continued looking for ginseng.
It takes time to find this thing, so don't be discouraged if you can't find it for the time being. And if it were that easy to find, it wouldn't be so precious.
“Woof woof!!”
Suddenly Lai Fu let out a roar. Lin Heng looked up and saw a black-necked snake as thick as his wrist sliding down the mountain at a rapid speed.
This snake is estimated to weigh about three or four pounds. It must be great for making wine or stewing soup.
Although his parents didn't let him eat it, he still wanted to chase it and take a look.
After walking for dozens of meters, the snake crawled into a hole and Lin Heng couldn't do anything about it.
But he didn't want to catch them in the first place, because his parents wouldn't let him eat them. He looked around, ready to continue looking for ginseng.
But when his eyes swept across the front left, he was suddenly stunned, and then he hurried over to check.
After taking a closer look, Lin Heng was a little disappointed: "Sanqi, I thought it was ginseng."
Panax notoginseng and ginseng are both plants of the genus Panax in the Araliaceae family. They look very similar, so it is normal to mistake them for each other.
When he saw a patch growing here, he was sure that it was not ginseng but Panax notoginseng. If he looked closely from a closer distance, he could clearly distinguish the two.
"But this is also a surprise." Lin Heng said with a smile.
It is recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica that 'Ginseng is the best for replenishing Qi, and Panax notoginseng is the best for replenishing blood'. These are extremely precious medicinal materials. Even now, the price of wild premium dried Panax notoginseng is almost the same as that of Ganoderma lucidum.
The reason why it is not expensive is that its yield is relatively high and it is not as rare as ginseng.
For example, the ones Lin Heng found in front of him were an area of about 20 to 30 square meters. After looking carefully, he identified the specific species.
This is the large-leaf Panax notoginseng, and there are several other corresponding species such as the feather-leaf Panax notoginseng, but the medicinal effects are the same.
I took out a short-handled hoe from my backpack. This hoe weighs two kilograms, but it is a necessary tool in the mountains. Many herbs need to be dug with a hoe.
Digging with a stick or a knife is too inefficient, so you have to carry it even if it is heavy.
The soil under the forest was all humus and very soft. Lin Heng took a hoe and dug it twice and saw the roots of Panax notoginseng. It had many small heads and looked more like ginger, with one small bump next to another.
So some people call it Gedaqi.
Soon Lin Heng dug out three or four Panax notoginseng plants, which weighed about four or five pounds in his hand. If dried, they would weigh about one pound.
Panax notoginseng is divided into winter Panax notoginseng and spring Panax notoginseng. As the name suggests, winter Panax notoginseng is Panax notoginseng picked after it has formed seeds. It has average appearance and poor medicinal efficacy.
The best Panax notoginseng is spring Panax notoginseng, which is picked in July. The flowers are removed and the Panax notoginseng dug out contains the highest medicinal effects.
"1, 2, 3... 26, 27, it's top quality, it's indeed wild Panax notoginseng!!"
After counting the number of heads, Lin Heng was shocked. This wild Panax notoginseng was extraordinary. A few plants dug out randomly turned out to have thirty heads each of them as top-grade Panax notoginseng.
The quality of Panax notoginseng can be distinguished by the bumps on its body. Each bump is a head. The fewer heads in the same weight, the higher the grade. The State Food and Drug Administration divides it into 13 grades.
A pound of dried Panax notoginseng with 20, 30 or 40 heads are all top-grade products, namely first, second and third grade, all within the top grade range and are the Panax notoginseng with the best medicinal effects.
Although Lin Heng's products weigh only four or five kilograms, they become about one kilogram when dried, and are definitely top-grade products.
For the same weight, the fewer heads there are, the older the year is and the higher the nutritional value it contains.
"I can only say that this place is worthy of being the dragon vein of China." Lin Heng grinned. This Panax notoginseng may have been growing for more than ten years.
"You two, be alert. I want to dig up Sanqi."
Lin Heng glanced at Xiongba and Lai Fu, then continued to dig Panax notoginseng.
Except for some small Panax notoginseng that obviously grew only in the last one or two years, Lin Heng took out all the big ones.
It took him thirty or forty minutes to finally finish cleaning out the large piece of Panax notoginseng.
Looking at the three pieces of medicine piled up like a small mountain in front of him, Lin Heng grinned, took a snakeskin bag from his backpack, filled it up and weighed it.
"There are about 60 to 70 kilograms. Twelve or thirteen kilograms can be dried. They are all top-grade wild Panax notoginseng. They can be sold for at least 60 yuan per kilogram, or at least 700 yuan."
Lin Heng was very happy talking to himself. Although he didn't find wild ginseng, it was comparable to a ginseng of a lower age.
"I'll reward you with a big meal of meat when I go back today. It will be of some use." Lin Heng rubbed Lai Fu's head and said, thank goodness it discovered the snake, otherwise he might have missed this opportunity.
Even though it seems very close, sometimes you may not even notice it, it is right under your feet.
Lai Fu is not as humane as Xiongba. When Lin Heng said he would reward him, he just licked his hand and didn't understand. He really liked him tickling him.
Carrying the Panax notoginseng, Lin Heng turned back. It was too heavy to carry on. This time the search for ginseng had to be temporarily ended and he would come back tomorrow morning.
It was already past six o'clock when they returned to the canyon where the shelter was located. Lin Heng went straight back to the shelter without waiting for his elder brother.
Because they had already discussed it when they separated, that they would go home at the appointed time, and he was basically in no danger as he brought a dog and a compass with him.
With dogs on guard, large animals approaching will definitely be discovered, and then the hunting rifle will win. No animal can defeat human technological creations.
Returning to the shelter, Lin Heng put his things down and began to clean up the place.
After they left, rats seemed to have visited the place, as there was a lot of rat droppings on the ground. The wind shelter outside had long since rotted away and could only be used for burning.
The nights deep in the mountains in July are very cold, so you still need to protect yourself from the wind.
Lin Heng went to a nearby tree to cut down a tree and made a new frame. Then he took out a piece of film from his backpack and spread it on top. He then put some small branches and mugwort on the outside and it was done.
After the shelter was ready, he began to kill chickens and rabbits.
The feathers of the blood pheasant are very beautiful. He plucked them and put them into a plastic bag. Xiulan can use them for handicrafts when she goes back. It would be nice to stick the feathers together to make a painting and hang it on the wall.
He didn't take the pot, but his elder brother took a small teacup for boiling water, which he had placed here before.
He can use boiling water to scald the skin little by little, and remove most of the hair.
While boiling the water, he also peeled the rabbit skin by cutting it from the neck and then from the belly to the anus. He scalded the chicken three times before he could peel off the rabbit skin.
After scraping off the grease, stretch it up and hang it in a ventilated place to dry.
The rabbit's internal organs were taken out and examined, and they did not seem to be spoiled, so the liver and heart were kept, and the other internal organs were cleaned and roasted together with the rabbit head to feed the two dogs.
While killing the chicken, the pheasants on the opposite hill were clucking, which made Lin Heng a little dissatisfied. These guys were too arrogant and simply ignored his existence.
After scalding the skin of the blood pheasant and hazel grouse, Lin Heng also kept the chicken liver and chicken heart, and fed the rest to the dog. He actually wanted to eat chicken offal, but he couldn't fry it without a pan, and it would definitely go bad if he took it back tomorrow.
Chicken hearts and livers along with chopped rabbit hearts and livers were put on wooden sticks and roasted over the fire.
The chicken and rabbit meat will not be eaten today. After smearing salt on the surface and inside, hang them in a high and ventilated place. This way, they will not go bad even if you go back tomorrow and can be preserved for one more day.
It was already eight o'clock when all this was done and it was completely dark. Lin Heng was a little worried as his elder brother Lin Yue had not returned yet.
"Let's go up and look for it."
Lin Heng took a flashlight, a bow bag, and two dogs and set off.
"Huh, there are eels everywhere!!"
Lin Heng was a little surprised when he looked at the water's edge. There were a lot of aquatic creatures in the river in the canyon in summer. After walking seven or eight meters, he saw two eels and a big crab.
He planned to wait until he found his elder brother and then catch some fish and grill them.
After walking up a few hundred meters, Lin Heng finally saw the flashlight and shouted, "Brother, why are you back so late?"
"Come and help me!"
Lin Yue's voice came down, filled with excitement.
(End of this chapter)
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