Yan Jigang's shout was particularly loud this time, without even a stutter, and only after calling out did he turn to look at his sister and brother-in-law.
Before Yan Xue could speak, Qi Fang had already responded, "How many prongs?" His hand remained steady, still holding Yan Xue's without letting go.
Yan Jigang was too focused on the ginseng to notice, his eyes bright with excitement. "F-five or six prongs."
Was it five or six?
Yan Xue found it amusing.
Besides, Jigang hadn’t even noticed. If she tried to pull away now, the movement might draw attention, so she simply maintained her composure and asked, "How many are there?"
This was part of the mountain tradition—when someone found ginseng, the more they claimed to see, the better. Even if there was only one, they’d say there were "a whole lot."
The young boy remembered his sister’s earlier instructions. "So many... so, so many."
He turned back, raising a small hand as if to count, then paused and turned again, his gaze finally landing curiously on his sister and brother-in-law’s hands.
"Steady now," Qi Fang said naturally, shifting his grip on Yan Xue’s hand to a pull before letting go, his voice calm.
Yan Jigang instantly understood—his sister must have almost slipped, and his brother-in-law was steadying her. He quickly added, "B-be careful."
Impressive composure. Once Yan Jigang turned away, Yan Xue couldn’t resist pinching the man’s arm lightly.
But since Yan Jigang had called out about finding ginseng, they still needed to go take a look.
Unexpectedly, when Yan Jigang said there were "so many," he wasn’t exaggerating. Following the direction of his digging stick, the two adults saw not just a few red berries peeking through the grass ahead, but clusters of them.
Judging by the size of the ginseng plants, these weren’t just small, two-pronged sprouts. The boy’s face flushed with excitement, and he whispered, as if afraid someone might overhear, "A-are we gonna get rich?"
They said newcomers to the mountains had good luck, but Yan Xue never expected the three of them together would have luck this incredible.
Her eyes curved into crescents, but before she could speak, her expression suddenly changed. "Watch out!"
She moved to step forward, but Qi Fang, with his longer legs, was faster. He grabbed the boy’s collar and yanked him back.
Before Yan Jigang could react, a large hand covered his vision. The next moment, something heavy brushed past where he’d just been standing—a massive snake, nearly as thick as a bowl, dangling from a tree.
Half its body still coiled around the branch, the snake hissed, its tongue flicking menacingly.
Though he couldn’t see, Yan Jigang could hear it. His face paled, but he tried to stay calm.
"It’s fine. It’s normal for beasts to linger near big ginseng. We’ll just scare it away," Qi Fang said, his voice steady as he stepped back and handed the boy to Yan Xue.
Yan Xue wrapped an arm around him, patting his shoulder without a trace of panic. "Your brother-in-law has a gun. One shot will send it running."
Wild animals in these mountains knew better than humans what was valuable. Large ginseng plants often had creatures guarding them, waiting to eat the red berries they bore.
Compared to other beasts, snakes usually didn’t attack humans unprovoked. If this one hadn’t been so huge, they could’ve just nudged it aside with the digging stick.
Qi Fang fired a shot into the air, and sure enough, the snake slithered back up the tree, rustling through the leaves before disappearing.
The danger had come and gone in an instant. When Yan Xue released him, Yan Jigang was still dazed.
He blinked once, then again. "It just... left?"
"You expected it to fight us for three hundred rounds? This isn’t some fantasy novel’s mystical treasure," Yan Xue teased, flicking his forehead.
Qi Fang gave a quiet "Mm" as he holstered the gun and pulled out a ginseng lock to begin carefully unearthing the roots.
In Yan Jigang’s eyes, Qi Fang’s stature—already tall—grew even more impressive.
The boy tugged at his sister’s sleeve, whispering, "Brother-in-law’s amazing."
"And so is our Jigang, finding all this ginseng at once," Yan Xue said, ruffling his hair before leading him forward.
As they approached, Qi Fang remarked calmly, "There is a five-prong here."
Sure enough, there was. Yan Xue glanced at Yan Jigang, then parted the nearby grass, soon spotting another five-pronged plant.
Five-pronged ginseng counted as large—thick as a thumb, weighing two or three taels. Sold at the procurement station, it could fetch at least two hundred yuan, equivalent to two and a half months of her and Qi Fang’s wages combined.
"You get the credit for this one," she told the boy, who beamed before eagerly checking another plant.
"This one!" Yan Jigang gasped. "S-six prongs!"
Yan Xue looked—true enough, six broad leaves cradled a cluster of red berries. Yan Jigang hadn’t been wrong earlier—it really was five or six.
With finds like these, there was no need to search elsewhere. A single large ginseng took three or four hours to carefully extract. These three alone would keep them busy all day.
After clearing the surrounding weeds, they found yet another five-prong, along with several three- and four-pronged plants—likely offspring of the largest one.
Qi Fang secured the ginseng lock around the six-pronged plant first, while Yan Xue tied a red string around a five-prong and instructed Yan Jigang, "Go gather some dry branches nearby."
Deep in the woods, the grass was thick, and so were the mosquitoes. They’d been using a type of fungus called "old ox liver," broken from trees at the mountain’s base, to smoke out pests.
For a task this big, they needed a fire upwind, covered with mugwort—both to ward off insects and deter wild animals.
It took them over a day to carefully unearth the four largest ginseng plants.
The six-pronged one was several times thicker than a man’s thumb, its roots trailing long tendrils. A rough estimate put it at at least four taels.
The three five-pronged plants, though smaller, were still thumb-sized. As for the three- and four-pronged ones, they only dug up a few four-pronged specimens, marking the rest to revisit in a few years.
They scattered the seeds from the ginseng tops nearby—a mountain tradition, leaving something behind for future seekers.
It was customs like these that had sustained these mountains for centuries, nurturing the people who depended on them.
After four days in the wilderness, with the weather turning and their supplies running low, they finally headed back.
The moment they entered the courtyard, Yan Jigang called out, "Grandma!" darting inside like a sparrow.
But there was no answer, and he couldn’t find her in the house. He called again, and this time, the Second Old Lady’s voice came from the backyard.
The boy immediately spun around and ran toward it. "Grandma! Grandma, we’re back!"
"Slow down, don’t trip," the old woman fretted, catching her grandson. "Where’s your sister?"
Only then did Yan Jigang notice someone else in the yard. "Brother Chang’an," he greeted before answering, "S-sister and brother-in-law are b-behind me."
The Second Old Lady called toward the front, "Xue, come take a look—are these mushrooms ready to harvest?"
Yan Xue and Qi Fang had just set down their things and were washing up. Hearing this, she dried her hands hastily and hurried to the backyard.
"Chang’an thinks they might be ready, but I’m not sure," the Second Old Lady said.
Yan Xue nodded, leaning in to examine the log Guo Chang’an was holding.
Twenty days after the fungal inoculation, all the bark caps were removed. By then, the drill holes were already filled with mycelium, and small bumps had appeared on the surface of the logs.
"It's almost time for the mushrooms to sprout. Let's set up the racks," Yan Xue decisively declared.
Setting up the racks involved using four 1.5-meter-long wooden poles to create A-frame supports at both ends, with a long beam placed horizontally between them about 70 centimeters above the ground. The logs were then leaned against the beam at a 45-degree angle on both sides, making it easier for the mushrooms to grow and for harvesting later.
The frames had been prepared earlier, using leftover lumber from when they had selected the tree trunks and built the house. Without even pausing to catch their breath after arriving, the group immediately began arranging the logs on the racks.
By the time they finished, another half-day had passed. Only then did Yan Xue and Qi Fang finally have time to freshen up, first heading to the bathhouse for a wash before returning for a hot meal.
As expected, the mushrooms they had gathered were stir-fried with chili peppers by Second Old Lady. Perhaps because he had discovered them himself, Yan Jigang eagerly devoured them, taking one chopstickful after another.
Between bites, he chattered excitedly to the old woman about his experiences over the past few days. Though he still stuttered, his enthusiasm was palpable, his big eyes shining brightly.
For a child who had once been terrified of interacting with others, this was a rare and remarkable change. Second Old Lady listened attentively, occasionally nodding or adding a comment. Only after he finished did she turn to Yan Xue. "Isn’t school registration starting soon?"
At the mention of school, Yan Jigang immediately lowered his head, poking at his rice in silence.
But Yan Xue had already discussed this with him during their time in the mountains. Smiling, she said, "Yes, registration has begun. Tomorrow, I’ll take Jigang to check it out."
Avoidance was never the right way to face difficulties—confronting them was. Yan Jigang couldn’t hide at home forever, just being her little brother and Second Old Lady’s grandson.
She looked at the young boy across from her. "You promised your sister you’d give it a try, didn’t you?"
When Yan Jigang didn’t respond, Qi Fang also glanced at him. "If you go to school, I’ll make you a toy car."
It was hard to say whether his sister’s encouragement or the promise of a toy car was more persuasive, but in the end, Yan Jigang nodded.
Still, he remained somewhat listless even after finishing his meal, prompting Huang Fengying, who had just arrived, to exclaim, "Oh dear, what’s wrong? Did your sister scold you?"
Yan Jigang first greeted her with a polite "Aunt Liu," then shook his head to deny it—until his gaze landed on what she was holding. "Puppies!"
"Black Lion’s litter is already a month old, so I picked two for you. See if they’ll do?"
Huang Fengying set down the cardboard box in her arms, inside which two just-weaned puppies were snuggled together, whimpering softly.
"You didn’t have to deliver them personally," Yan Xue said apologetically. "Qi Fang and I were planning to return the gun and pick them up on the way."
Huang Fengying waved it off. "I was afraid someone else might snatch them if I waited too long. So, what do you think of these two?"
The puppies had broad faces, short muzzles, glossy coats, and compact builds—clear signs of their excellent hunting lineage. They were lively, energetic, and in perfect health.
Yan Xue had no complaints. After accepting the dogs and retrieving the gun, she and Qi Fang personally went to the Liu family to express their gratitude.
By the time they returned, Yan Jigang was already playing with the puppies. Children’s memories were short, and for now, he seemed to have forgotten all about school.
When he spotted his sister and brother-in-law, his eyes lit up. "S-sis, what sh-should we name them?"
Yan Xue leaned in for a closer look. "How about Health and Longevity?"
The moment she said it, Qi Fang shot her a glance. "Longevity sounds too much like Chang’an and Changping."
He calmly studied the two little dogs. "Might as well call them Eighty and Ninety."
If they went around yelling "Eighty! Eighty!" at home, people might think they had dozens of dogs—or that their house was full of holes like a honeycomb.
Yan Xue immediately vetoed the idea. "Too weird. People will think we’re running a kennel."
"Wh-what about Qi D-Dabao and Yan Xiaobao?" Yan Jigang suggested after a long, thoughtful frown.
Qi Fang immediately posed a critical question: "Which 'Qi'?"
The boy was baffled. "Y-your Qi, of course! Wh-what other Qi is there?"
The problem was, there had been another man with the same surname who had nearly become his brother-in-law…
Realizing Qi Fang must be thinking of that again, Yan Xue ignored him and turned to Second Old Lady. "Grandma, why don’t you name them?"
Second Old Lady shook her head. "I’m no good at that. If it were up to me, they’d just be Big Black and Little Black."
Both puppies were black, except for one with a white patch on its head and the other with a white right forepaw.
"N-name them s-something mighty!" Yan Jigang insisted, clearly invested in the prestige of their new family members.
Yan Xue examined the dogs again, then pointed to the one with the white spot on its head. "A star on its forehead—like a general’s insignia. Let’s call it General."
"Th-that’s mighty!" Yan Jigang’s eyes sparkled, though he hesitated. "B-but Aunt Huang s-said it’s a girl."
"So girls can’t be generals?" Yan Xue raised an eyebrow. "Comrade Yan Jigang, that’s a dangerous line of thinking. As our leaders say, women hold up half the sky."
The boy considered this, then—perhaps spurred by being addressed as "Comrade"—straightened up solemnly. "General! It’s General!"
As for the other puppy with the white paw, Yan Xue initially suggested "Blade Guard," shortened to "Guard," but Yan Jigang found it insufficiently grand and insisted on "Marshal."
Now their household boasted both a general and a marshal—ready to march into battle at any moment.
That night, Yan Jigang placed the dogs’ beds in his own room and only went to sleep after Second Old Lady repeatedly urged him to put the puppies down.
Meanwhile, Yan Xue let her hair down and collapsed onto the kang, feeling the exhaustion from their days in the mountains wash over her.
Seeing how unwilling she was to move, Qi Fang lifted her legs and began massaging them. "They’re swollen."
He had noticed earlier when she washed her feet. Yan Xue pulled her legs back and rubbed them herself. "We’ve been hiking for days. Aren’t your legs swollen too?"
Qi Fang didn’t answer, nor did he insist. Propping himself up on one arm, he watched her. "Do you need me to go with you tomorrow to register Jigang?"
"No," Yan Xue said. "Too many people might make him nervous."
"Then I’ll go to the county to sell the ginseng."
At the mention of the ginseng, Yan Xue paused. "Let’s keep that six-leaf one. It might be useful later."
Qi Fang had no objections. "Fine by me." Then he asked, "Is there anything you want?"
"What would I want? Just be careful." She hadn’t forgotten the last time they were followed. "Who knows if reporting it did any good."
The answer was unsurprising yet still caught him slightly off guard. Qi Fang glanced at her, then suddenly reached over and turned off the light.
Yan Xue, still in the middle of rubbing her calves, was left in darkness. She stopped. "You tired?"
"No." Qi Fang stood up and leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. "Let's talk about the story of the female general and the sword-bearing guard."
"Didn't we agree to call him a marshal?" Yan Xue didn't react at first, but soon her earlobe was gently sucked.
"A marshal is a marshal, a guard is a guard," the man said with a serious tone, though his lips wandered to the corner of her mouth.
It wasn’t until she sensed something stirring in the heat of the moment that Yan Xue belatedly realized what kind of "sword" this guard was carrying...
And this guard, having endured long hardships in the mountains, wielded a blade that was swift and unyielding, long and resilient, striking straight at the core with relentless force. At first, the female general could hold her own, exchanging blows in a fierce duel. But after several rounds, she began to understand the saying: "An inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch shorter, an inch riskier."
Yet the female general didn’t rise to her rank for nothing. Not only was she sharp-tongued, but she also excelled in the art of disarming.
The guard, young and impulsive, hadn’t anticipated such a move from her. After a stubborn resistance spanning dozens of rounds, he was forced to surrender his weapon.
But youth also meant defiance, boundless energy, and courage. Soon, the handsome guard rallied his spirits, raised his blade, and charged back into battle. The female general, her stamina waning, began to falter. Seizing the opportunity, the guard launched a rapid assault, leaving her no choice but to concede defeat.
After the battle, the guard sheathed his sword and asked the general, "Who is stronger—me or Lord Qi of Xiaojinchuan?"
The female general praised him lavishly, "You’re healthy, you’re strong, you’ll live to ninety-nine! Now, can you go to sleep?"
She mused that the next time she went for a checkup, she might suggest the doctor increase the dosage of the heat-clearing medicine—this prescription clearly wasn’t working well enough.
The next morning, Qi Fang checked himself in the mirror first, buttoning his collar all the way up before stepping out. He told the Second Old Lady that Yan Xue had been exhausted these past few days.
Coincidentally, Yan Jigang was also worn out and hadn’t woken up yet. By the time he opened his eyes, his brother-in-law had already left, and his sister was lazily emerging from her room.
"Eat first, don’t just focus on playing with the general and the guard," Yan Xue said, her voice still weak as she reminded her little brother. "You still have to register for school today."
Yan Jigang reluctantly withdrew his hand from teasing the puppy but glanced at her. "Sister, it’s… it’s the marshal."
Yan Xue froze.
It was all Qi Fang’s fault. She’d accidentally blurted out "guard," and now how was she supposed to face these two dogs?
The elementary school in the forestry settlement was built near the administrative area, less than a ten-minute walk from home.
Since the settlement wasn’t large, only one class was enrolled each year, and the school was modest—a small playground and a few single-story buildings.
Yan Xue led Yan Jigang inside and immediately spotted a sheet of paper pasted on the wall beside the principal’s office, reading "Registration."
Well, that simplified things. She knocked and entered, presenting the necessary documents to the principal, a man in his forties who introduced himself as Principal He.
Yan Jigang, having lost both parents, now had Yan Xue as his legal guardian. Thanks to Secretary Lang’s help, his household registration had already been settled. The only complication was the Second Old Lady—Yan Xue had asked Jin Baozhi to arrange temporary registration for her in Dahuan Village through her family connections.
Once the documents were verified and the two-yuan tuition fee for the first semester was paid, the enrollment process was complete.
If a family was truly struggling and couldn’t afford tuition, the child could still attend school. As a result, very few children here grew up illiterate.
After registration, Principal He took them to the adjacent teachers’ office and introduced a woman in her thirties. "This is Teacher Liu, your first-grade homeroom teacher."
Just as Yan Xue was about to speak, a boy with straw-like yellow hair and a missing front tooth, who had been facing the wall, turned around. "Mom..."
It was the same boy who had called Yan Jigang a "little stutterer" the other day—though back then, his front tooth had still been intact.
Teacher Liu immediately scowled. "How many times have I told you? At school, you call me ‘Teacher.’ Can’t you see we’re busy here?"
The boy stuck out his tongue and turned back to his punishment, but Yan Jigang’s small face tensed up.
Ever since the scare, he had been somewhat timid. Teacher Liu’s harsh tone and the obvious punishment made him uneasy.
Yan Xue noticed her brother’s nervousness and patted his back reassuringly, forcing a polite smile at Teacher Liu. "Hello, Teacher."
Teacher Liu nodded curtly. "Name?" Her tone remained far from gentle.
"Yan Jigang," Principal He interjected, clearly remembering. "The boy’s a bit shy. Please take extra care of him."
Before he could finish, the yellow-haired boy spun around again. "He’s not shy—he’s a stutterer."
The air froze, especially for Yan Jigang, who pressed his lips tightly together.
Yan Xue’s expression darkened, though she maintained a superficial smile. "Isn’t it inappropriate for your child to speak about others like that?"
Teacher Liu, embarrassed, glared at her son. "Who told you to interrupt? Stay quiet or get out!"
But being called out directly, her face also hardened. "Your child does know how to speak, right? Why hasn’t he said a word since coming in?"
The implication was clear—she was questioning whether Yan Jigang was truly a stutterer or simply ill-mannered.
Yan Jigang clenched his lips even tighter, but fearing his silence would reflect poorly on his sister, he forced himself to speak. "H-H-Hello, Teacher."
His stutter, worsened by nerves, was more pronounced than ever.
The boy smirked, his expression screaming, "See? I told you he stutters!"
Teacher Liu frowned. "This will hinder communication. Can he even answer questions in class?"
The other day, with only the boy present, Yan Jigang had mustered the courage to claim it was just his dialect, not a stutter. But under this barrage of questions, he fell silent.
Yan Xue had seen enough. "My brother communicates fine normally. Maybe the problem is your attitude."
Teacher Liu bristled at this, but before she could retort, Principal He cut in. "Teacher Liu, why don’t you have your child step outside first?"
Teacher Liu hesitated, but Yan Xue interrupted, "No need."
Her eyes curved into a smile, though there was no warmth in them. "My apologies—I didn’t make it clear earlier. We’re enrolling in second grade, not first."
Teacher Liu was stunned. Principal He also seemed surprised. "I thought he wasn’t transferring?"
Yan Jigang wasn’t transferring, and Yan Xue had originally intended for him to start in first grade.
Younger classmates would be simpler, less likely to bully him.
But this Teacher Liu not only had a bratty son but was also impatient and showed no respect for a child like Yan Jigang, who had a minor speech difficulty.
Yan Xue couldn’t possibly trust her younger brother to just anyone, so she gently rested a hand on Yan Jigang’s shoulder. "My brother here has already studied ahead—he’s finished the first-grade curriculum. If you don’t believe me, you can test him with an exam or a few questions."
Liu Weiguo: You educated folks really know how to keep things interesting...
