Fine beads of sweat gradually seeped out of Doctor Bai's forehead, but he ignored them and continued to work digging with full concentration.
He knew very well that the integrity of this ginseng was related to its medicinal efficacy and even more to whether it could save the patient's life at the critical moment, so he did not dare to slack off in the slightest.
After finally digging out the entire ginseng, Doctor Bai slowly stood up and held it in his hands as if it were a treasure.
His hands were trembling slightly, because of excitement and because he cherished this rare gain too much.
His face was full of smiles, and that smile revealed the joy and relief that came from the heart.
"Look at the reed head and roots. This ginseng is almost a hundred years old! But it is a life-saving treasure!" Doctor Bai carefully looked at the ginseng in his hand, his voice filled with irrepressible excitement.
He pointed to the ginseng rhizome and explained to the people around him how to judge the age of the ginseng based on the shape of the rhizome and the thickness of the roots.
After hearing Dr. Bai's explanation on how to judge the year, everyone was confused and didn't quite understand the ins and outs of it, but they didn't want to appear too ignorant in front of Dr. Bai, so they all pretended to nod their heads repeatedly.
Some of them would occasionally respond with words like "Yeah, yes, I see," but there was clear confusion in their eyes, and the expressions on their faces were the kind of embarrassment that showed they were trying hard to hide their ignorance.
Doctor Bai was speaking while paying attention to everyone's reactions.
He looked at this group of people who were confused but pretending to understand, and suddenly felt a little speechless.
He thought to himself, I have explained it in such detail and seriously, but this group of people still didn't listen much. It was just a waste of words.
He sighed inwardly, thinking that it would be futile to continue talking to this group of "illiterate" people who had no basic medical knowledge at all. So he simply stopped explaining to them and just silently held the precious ginseng in his hands and quickened his pace towards the camp, still thinking about how to properly place and use this rare life-saving treasure when he arrived at the camp.
In the somewhat lively camp, everyone who had just returned with the precious ginseng they had dug up gathered together.
As soon as the village chief saw Doctor Bai walking towards him carefully holding the ginseng, his eyes widened and his gaze was fixed on the ginseng, unable to move away.
His hands, which were rough and calloused from years of hard work, began to tremble involuntarily. The trembling became more and more intense, as if his whole body was shaking slightly.
The village chief was so excited that his heart was like a storm.
He never imagined that these peasants who worked in the fields all day would one day be able to touch ginseng, a treasure that they had only heard of as extremely precious but out of reach!
In his understanding, ginseng was a rare commodity that only wealthy families and dignitaries had the opportunity to come into contact with. He never imagined that it would appear so vividly before his eyes.
After recovering a little, the village chief hurried to Doctor Bai, his face full of anxiety and anticipation.
He remembered that he had heard someone say before that freshly picked ginseng cannot be used directly, but needs to be processed to better exert its medicinal effects.
So, with that kind of simple enthusiasm, the village chief looked at Doctor Bai eagerly, and asked with a voice trembling with excitement: "Doctor Bai, this ginseng needs to be processed, right? You see, we have finally obtained such a treasure, we can't use it carelessly like this. Could you please help us process the ginseng?"
The village chief's eyes were full of trust and expectation. He stared at Doctor Bai, as if Doctor Bai was the greatest hope of their entire village at that moment.
Doctor Bai looked at the village chief, who looked both excited and expectant, and couldn't help but smile. He nodded gently, his tone revealing the calmness and confidence of a professional. He said, "Of course. Village chief, it is truly my honor to be able to personally prepare such a precious century-old ginseng. Don't worry."
After saying that, Doctor Bai lowered his head and looked at the ginseng in his hand again, his eyes full of cherishment and solemnity, as if he had already silently planned the specific preparation steps in his mind.
After hearing Doctor Bai's affirmative answer, the village chief's heart finally settled down.
He let out a long sigh, his face full of relief, then turned and walked towards Yao Qingshuang's home.
Soon, the village chief arrived at Yao Qingshuang's house.
He immediately spotted Yao Qingshuang, who was sorting herbs, and quickly walked over to her with an irrepressible smile on his face. He said, "Mother Wencheng, I've just made an agreement with Doctor Bai that he'll bring the ginseng back to you once he's finished preparing it. This ginseng is a treasure, you must keep it well."
As the village chief spoke, he looked at Yao Qingshuang with eyes full of envy.
Yao Qingshuang was stunned when she heard what the village chief said, then she quickly waved her hand and said seriously, "Village chief, you can't do this! Although I found the ginseng, you know, if it weren't for Doctor Bai's help to identify it, I might have thought it was just an ordinary plant that looked like ginseng.
"And when digging the ginseng, Doctor Bai took a lot of effort and was very careful to dig it out completely. He put in a lot of effort. So I can't just eat it all by myself."
Yao Qingshuang paused, then continued, "I've been thinking about this. After the ginseng is processed, we should store it away and keep it safe. When we get to town, we can find a suitable opportunity to sell it. That way, we can get quite a bit of money."
Then we'll save all this money. Right now, we're all wandering around on this road, and life isn't easy. Once we're settled down, we'll share this money with everyone so that every household can live a better life. After all, I didn't find this ginseng by myself; it was thanks to everyone's journey through the mountains and forests that we were able to achieve this harvest."
After hearing what Yao Qingshuang said, the village chief was slightly stunned, then looked at her approvingly, feeling both moved and a little ashamed.
He wanted to refuse. After all, the ginseng was found by Yao Qingshuang, so it should belong to her. How could he let her sell this treasure and distribute the money to everyone?
But when he thought about the current situation in the village, where everyone was living in poverty and had to worry about food and clothes every day, he felt embarrassed to refuse.
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