Chen Yang couldn't help but feel a little exasperated by the antics of the online viewers. He patted the bag slung over his shoulder and said, "This morning, I ran into an old man from the neighboring village."
"He's a ginseng hunter, you know—he digs for wild ginseng."
"Today, he got lucky and dug up a wild ginseng root."
"So, this afternoon, I'm heading up the mountain to try my luck. Let's see if I can find one too."
"Big Black, Little White, let's go!"
As Chen Yang called out to his companions and headed out, the viewers were taken aback.
"Digging for ginseng? That sounds... pretty exciting!"
"Wake up, Master Chen! That old man has experience—do you really think a newbie like you has the same beginner's luck?"
"Are there even any wild ginsengs left? Aren't they all farmed these days?"
"Alright, alright, let's make a bet—who thinks Master Chen can't find a wild ginseng, hit 1! Who thinks he can, hit 2! Ten fish balls to start!"
"1!"
"1!"
"1!"
The chat was flooded with "1s".
It wasn't hard to see why they were skeptical.
Finding wild ginseng wasn't easy. Not only did you need a sharp eye and knowledge of where ginseng grew, but luck was the most important factor.
Chen Yang sighed, "You guys really don't have any faith in me, huh?"
"I was just going up the mountain to try my luck, but now that you all doubt me so much, if I don't find one today, I'll feel embarrassed."
Chen Yang clenched his fists. He couldn't let this group of goofy viewers look down on him.
So, with one snake, one dog, and himself, he marched out of the house.
The strange sight of this trio walking through the village turned quite a few heads.
Since they were all from the same village, news spread fast. Earlier that morning, Uncle Zhu had spotted Big Black the snake, and within half a day, everyone in the village knew that Chen Yang had tamed a pet snake.
Now, seeing the giant black snake following Chen Yang down the street, a few villagers came over to watch.
"Yang Yang, this snake really doesn't bite people?"
"No, it won't bite."
Chen Yang reached out to pet Big Black's head, and the snake squinted its eyes in pure enjoyment.
The villagers watched in awe.
"Yang Yang, you're amazing! You tamed such a big snake."
"This is a house snake, keeps the house safe. Make sure you take good care of it, Yang Yang."
"Let this snake come to my place sometime."
The villagers chatted excitedly for a while before Chen Yang, Big Black, and Little White continued on their way.
"Looks like Big Black's popularity is even higher than Master Chen's!"
"Yeah, in the villagers' eyes, where's Master Chen now?"
"Master Chen, you're really falling behind."
"Big Black: Little Chen, come follow me, I'll make sure you live a life of luxury."
The chat atmosphere was lively and playful.
Soon enough, Chen Yang arrived at the foot of the mountain.
He stopped and looked ahead, then continued walking, saying, "The first step to finding wild ginseng is to first locate the ginseng."
"But the key to finding wild ginseng isn't experience, it's luck."
"Even the most experienced ginseng hunters, if they're unlucky, might not find anything in a whole month."
"I'll give you all a little lesson on how to find wild ginseng."
"First, when you enter the mountain, you need to know how to read the terrain. Wild ginseng grows in very specific conditions, and not everywhere in the mountains will have it."
"Usually, you shouldn't go to places where the sun is blazing. Try to stick to shady mountain slopes because wild ginseng can't stand the sunlight."
"And if you find a really good wild ginseng, it will always have one or even several large trees surrounding it, like guardians watching over it."
As Chen Yang spoke methodically, the viewers were increasingly astonished.
"This sounds so legit."
"Master Chen, where did you learn all this?"
"Sounds pretty reasonable. I'm starting to believe this guy knows his stuff."
"Not sure, but it sounds impressive."
"Talk is cheap, Master Chen. How about you go dig one up?"
"Ahem, I'll just say this—everything Master Chen is saying is solid advice."
"Who's that up there?"
A new comment popped up.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm from Jiangnan Apothecary—my family owns it. When I was a kid, I used to go to Mount Taibai with my grandfather to dig wild ginseng, but that was a long time ago."
"Everything Master Chen said here matches exactly with what my grandfather taught me."
"I'm actually really curious, how does Master Chen know all this? My grandfather spent decades learning the ropes, but Master Chen seems to know just as much… It's really impressive."
"Holy crap, a big shot!"
"Is this really the young master of Jiangnan Apothecary?!"
"Big shot, notice me! Pick me!"
"Does Jiangnan Apothecary have a big reputation?"
"Don't know it? You're so ignorant. Jiangnan Apothecary is the first pharmacy in our country to be listed!"
"Wait, what?! The first listed pharmacy?!"
The chat was now going wild.
At that moment, in a quiet office of Jiangnan Apothecary, a young man was watching Chen Yang's live stream while furiously typing away.
His name was Dong Xu, and Jiangnan Apothecary was his family's business.
Since he was a child, his grandfather had taken him into the mountains to dig for herbs, including wild ginseng. Occasionally, his grandfather would take him to appraise rare medicinal herbs if they heard about them in a distant village.
And if the herbs turned out to be genuine, they would purchase them for a high price.
So, despite being only 24 years old, Dong Xu was an expert when it came to herbs and wild ginseng—probably more knowledgeable than most people who studied medicine.
He stumbled upon Chen Yang's live stream by chance and was soon hooked.
When he heard that Chen Yang would be hunting for wild ginseng that afternoon, he thought it sounded like a waste of time. After all, finding wild ginseng wasn't something just anyone could do.
But when Chen Yang started talking, Dong Xu's interest piqued.
Chen Yang's words weren't just random guesses. Everything he said was logical and grounded in solid knowledge.
As Chen Yang continued to speak, Dong Xu's admiration grew.
"Wild ginseng is a rare and precious medicinal herb, known as the king of herbs!"
"You might not realize the value of old wild ginseng."
"Let me briefly explain. Ginseng is generally classified into several categories: Old wild ginseng, forest-grown ginseng, transplant ginseng, and garden-grown ginseng."
"Old wild ginseng is what you find deep in the mountains, naturally grown—people call it the earth spirit, a heaven-born treasure."
"Forest-grown ginseng is what happens when people sow ginseng seeds in the mountains and let them grow naturally. It's considered semi-wild."
"Transplant ginseng is when you plant ginseng seeds in the wild, and once it starts to sprout, you move it to your garden to grow."
"Garden-grown ginseng is the lowest quality, basically just ginseng grown in a vegetable garden, not much different from a radish."
"Back in the day, rich families would keep a few plants of wild ginseng because it was said to be life-saving."
"Some elderly people who were on their last legs would chew on ginseng slices, and they could hold on for a few more hours, especially those with heart problems. They'd literally be 'revived' long enough to be sent to the hospital and save their lives."
"Now, you might ask, if wild ginseng is that powerful, isn't it as expensive as gold?"
"No, it's even more expensive than gold, especially wild ginseng that's over 30 years old."
"Forest-grown ginseng doesn't exceed 30 years old, so any ginseng older than that must be from the deep mountains, and it's worth a fortune."
"Wild ginseng is great for supplementing your health, especially in autumn and winter. Just a gram a day for a month, and you'll feel warm and energized—no colds all year long."
"But honestly, unless you're a high-ranking official or someone who doesn't care about money, there's really no need for wild ginseng. Forest ginseng is cheaper, and one plant can last you a week for only a few hundred bucks."
"If you're asking which is more effective, of course, wild ginseng is stronger, but it's not something you can just eat every day. You'd be better off consuming a whole bunch of forest-grown ginseng than just one piece of wild ginseng."
"Also, the older the wild ginseng, the more bland its taste. To be honest, younger ginseng tastes better than the old stuff."
As Chen Yang finished speaking, the chat room went silent for a moment.
Finally, someone quietly typed: "Is the young master of the pharmacy still here? Is everything Master Chen said accurate?"
Dong Xu: "Honestly, at first, I thought Master Chen was just going up the mountain for fun, but after hearing what he said, I have to admit—when it comes to understanding wild ginseng, I'm no match for Master Chen. My grandfather would probably give him a run for his money."
...
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。