Ger, So Proud

Chapter 23: Ginseng

“…”

“Brother, why aren’t you saying anything?” He An leaned in closer to He Ze, his eyes widening involuntarily as he looked at He Ze’s face. “Brother, your nose…”

“It’s nothing, just accidentally hit a tree,” He Ze said expressionlessly.

“Hit a tree?” He An twitched his mouth, looking at him with an expression that was hard to describe. “No wonder Brother Lin asked me to cook two eggs for you. Wait here, I’ll go cook them now, and we can use the warm eggs to reduce the swelling.”

Before he finished speaking, He An hurriedly rushed towards the kitchen, as if he were being chased by a flood. As soon as he disappeared, He Ze faintly heard two suppressed laughs coming from the kitchen.

His brother was really something…

He Ze glanced towards the kitchen and then turned his head to enter the room. Inside the room, He Youcai, who rarely put down his pipe, was holding a ruler in his left hand and gesturing towards a cabinet against the wall.

“Feeling restless?”

“Xiao Ze?” He Youcai was startled by He Ze’s voice. He paused for a moment before walking over to the table and placing the ruler on it. “Yes, feeling a bit restless. Who knows when it’ll get better. In the past, I used to tinker with these wooden pieces at home when I had too much free time.”

He Youcai’s voice sounded somewhat despondent.

“Father, don’t worry. Your hand will definitely get better. Dr. Xu has stamped it, so it’s just a matter of time,” He Ze comforted him.

Transitioning from the backbone of the family to what he considered a “burden,” He Youcai’s discomfort was probably not much less than Dad Li’s. However, he was still the pillar of the family, and these things could only be kept to himself, stiffly bearing the weight.

“I know, I know. You really think your father’s getting old?” He Youcai smiled and glanced at He Ze, but his gaze suddenly froze. “Didn’t you go up the mountain today? What’s with your nose?”

“—Hit a tree,” He Ze replied with a few words before immediately changing the subject. “Father, today I found something good on the mountain.”

Seeing He Youcai looking at him, He Ze didn’t say anything more, just stepped out of the room.

“This child!”

He Youcai shook his head and poured himself a cup of tea, a smile playing on his face, softening his rugged features.

When He Ze came in with the ginseng plant, He Youcai was truly surprised. He kept looking at it repeatedly, his expression unusually tense.

“This, did you dig it up yourself?” He Youcai asked nervously.

He Ze glanced at He Youcai, his meaning clear without words.

“I remember a couple of years ago, someone from Liu Family Village dug up a wild ginseng. I went to see it specially. I heard he made quite a bit of money selling it to the pharmacy in town!” He Youcai’s face lit up with joy. Then he turned to He Ze and said, “A narrow escape is a blessing in disguise. Xiao Ze, our He family’s ancestors must have blessed you!”

“What are you saying, Father?”

“Alright, enough talk,” He Youcai laughed a couple more times. “You can take this to town tomorrow. Selling it could probably pay off most of our debts!”

He Ze looked at the ginseng in his hand and then at He Youcai, who still had bandages on his hand. “Father, I didn’t plan to sell this. Tomorrow, I’ll cut it into slices and put a few pieces in soup for you and Dad to drink!”

“No, absolutely not,” He Youcai quickly waved his hand. “We can’t afford to eat such precious things. It’s something rich families enjoy, not for us!”

“Father, ginseng is a highly nutritious tonic. If you eat it, your injuries will definitely heal faster, right?”

“…”

“Don’t you want to recover quickly?” He Ze raised an eyebrow.

“Xiao Ze is right. Since our son has encountered such good fortune, what can’t we eat!”

A voice suddenly sounded at the door. He Youcai and He Ze turned to see Dad Li standing there, his clothes swaying as he walked in from outside. He took the ginseng from He Ze’s hand, sighed in admiration, and then turned to He Ze, “Xiao Ze, don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll stew this ginseng with some wild chicken for him to eat. If your father refuses, I’ll make sure he drinks it!”

“You, still speaking like this in front of the child! How can you…”

He Youcai raised his hand to interrupt Dad Li’s scolding. Seeing him glaring at him, his voice grew smaller and smaller until he turned away.

“Alright, Dad, I’ll listen to you!” He Ze glanced at both of them and smiled. “I’ll go to the kitchen to see if Xiao An needs any help. I’ll be right back.”

As He Ze’s figure disappeared from view, Dad Li immediately kicked a stool leg and sat down. He glared at He Youcai, who looked intimidated. After a while, he let out a sigh and said, “What’s wrong with you? He Youcai, can’t you think for once? Is your health more important or money? Xiao Ze’s intentions were ruined by you!”
Dad Li lost his temper, not giving He Youcai any face.

What angered him wasn’t his refusal to eat the ginseng, but his disregard for his own health. Looking at He Youcai’s still injured arm, Dad Li felt a pang in his nose.

“I…”

“What ‘I’! When you recover, our family will be fine. Xiao Ze is sensible now. He’s not inferior to you back then!”

“That’s true, but…”

“Alright, you don’t want to eat the ginseng, then I’ll give it to Xiao Ze!” Before He Youcai could finish, Dad Li interrupted him. “He’s just recovered from his injury, his body must still be weak… Besides, I’ve been thinking, Xiao Ze was brought to the mountain by Lin’s family again this time. And considering the last time they saved his life, Lin’s dad has always been in poor health. Let’s give him half of it as well, consider it repaying the favor.”

“Oh, alright! If Yu-ge saved Xiao Ze’s life, what’s half a ginseng? Even if he asked me to be his servant, I wouldn’t say no!”

“…Do you have any objections now?”

Dad Li’s temper came and went quickly. He listened to He Youcai’s words and gave him a displeased look.

“No, no objections. After hearing your explanation, I think it’s a good idea,” He Youcai said excitedly, leaning closer to Dad Li’s ear. “Our son’s dad is really smart!”

Dad Li blushed and immediately pushed him away, standing up. “Bah, shameless!”

“…”

He Youcai watched Dad Li’s figure, his eyes wandering around, before muttering to himself, “Where am I not serious! This kid…”

With a smile on his face, he casually took out his pipe from his belt, wiped it on his clothes, lit it with a match, and walked out of the door.

…

By the time the family finished dinner, the moon had risen. He Ze brought in several pots of well-grown flowers and placed them in He Youcai and Dad Li’s bedroom. They thought it was just a whim and didn’t ask much.

Early the next morning, He Ze took the two pancakes prepared by Dad Li and left the house.

Today was the third day, and he had to go to the town tavern to discuss the follow-up with Wei Quan.

As he approached the village gate, Zhao Fugui waved at him. He Ze walked closer and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

Turning around, he saw Lin Yu standing not far behind him with a basket on his back. As their eyes met, Lin Yu immediately lowered his gaze.