The wild ginseng he washed was as long as a pair of chopsticks including the trailing rootlets. The main root was as thick as her thumb. People always said ginseng looked like a person—at a glance, it really did resemble a wrinkled little old man.
Earlier at Wang Auntie’s, she’d heard the description of the one they’d sold—only as thick as a little finger, barely human-shaped, and it had fetched over a hundred yuan.
Then the one in Changzong’s hand—wouldn’t it sell for over two hundred?
Dayang Village bordered the mountains, yet no local villager had dug up wild ginseng in years. An outsider bride and a sent-down youth—two non-natives—both stumbling upon mountain ginseng. Didn’t they feel afraid?
Hongguo did.
She carefully dried the ginseng with a clean cloth and wrapped it up. It was fresh—how should it be preserved? She didn’t dare ask anyone and feared it might spoil. Anxiety knotted her stomach.
Changzong told her not to worry. “If it goes bad, I’ll just find another one.”
The mountains weren’t short of ginseng. Even if Meng Qingdai dug up every last root on this slope, he could simply go to another mountain. There were plenty.
Guoguo truly didn’t need to fret over such a small matter.
Jiang Hongguo was furious at his careless attitude.
Didn’t he know how to be cautious?
Even married couples had secrets between them. Just look at Meng Qingdai’s in-laws—barely a month had passed, and it had gone from wild pheasant eggs to wild gastrodia… and now wild ginseng. Why did Qingdai need to keep digging up mountain ginseng? Wasn’t it because of greed? Wang Auntie was already counting on Qingdai’s luck to build a house. Wasn’t she afraid of harming her?
Anger was anger—but Changzong’s attitude also meant trust.
He had gone into the mountains to dig ginseng to make their little family’s life easier. He had trusted her completely with it.
Being trusted so wholly, Jiang Hongguo began planning seriously.
They didn’t know how to process fresh ginseng themselves, so it had to be sold quickly. Economic reforms had been in place for over three years now. Some private traditional medicine shops would buy it—but not in their county. They’d have to go to the neighboring county. Better yet, go to the city. The price would be higher, and safer too. No one would know.
Coincidentally, the money Changzong had saved from odd jobs was enough for round-trip fare to the city.
Hongguo told him to take the ginseng there to sell, carefully going over every detail.
“Just say it’s hard to find work in the county and you’re trying your luck in the city. Don’t dress too well. Be careful on the road. When you get there, ask around at a few shops. If the prices are close, sell it—but not for less than two hundred. If it sells quickly, stay in the city for two or three days. If you come back too fast, it won’t look like you went to look for work.”
Every instruction was for Gu Changzong’s sake.
His smile deepened. He stepped closer and closer, until they were nearly touching. Then he scooped her up in one arm, voice husky as he murmured helplessly, “Guoguo… I’ll be gone for several days.”
Her waist went weak and tingly. Face burning, she squirmed. “It’s daytime. Don’t make trouble.”
Changzong was surprisingly obedient. He glanced at the bright sun outside and set her down—but didn’t let go. Leaning close to her ear, he coaxed, “Don’t go to Auntie Liu’s tonight to stitch shoe soles. I’ll buy you new shoes this trip.”
Now that he was earning money, he seemed eager to spend it.
Hongguo immediately warned, “No. After you sell it, aside from food, lodging, and travel expenses, bring everything back.”
That night she still went to Auntie Liu’s to stitch shoe soles. She wasn’t skilled at making shoes and needed guidance. She hurried to finish the cloth shoes before Changzong left for the city and mentioned that he planned to look for work there.
Auntie Liu’s mind stirred.
Wang Auntie’s daughter-in-law had such good luck—even digging up wild ginseng. Today, half the village had gone up the mountain to try their luck.
As for Hongguo’s Gu Zhishi Qingnian, since giving up on retaking exams, he’d become diligent. Every household was striving for a better life. Auntie Liu wanted her own husband to follow suit and try the city too—but she feared losing the travel money if no work was found. Better to wait and let Gu Zhishi Qingnian scout things out first.
Just as they finished pasting the shoe uppers, Gu Changzong arrived to fetch his wife.
Auntie Liu couldn’t help envying the way young couples stuck together like glue. She told Hongguo to leave the shoes there; she’d help finish pasting them tonight. Gu Zhishi Qingnian was ambitious—be kind to young couples like them, and there would be goodwill in return someday. That was how Auntie Liu saw it.
As soon as they left Auntie Liu’s house, Hongguo touched her burning cheeks and complained softly, “I was making shoes for you. You came so early to pick me up. Aren’t you afraid people will laugh?”
Changzong said, “You told me not to wear anything too new or too good. I’ll go in old shoes. The new ones aren’t urgent. You can make them slowly.”
Of course he’s not in a hurry, she thought, sighing inwardly. She knew very well what tonight would be like.
Truthfully, it had been… frequent. She was a little overwhelmed.
But when he leaned close and coaxed softly, “Guoguo, hold me,”
She couldn’t ignore him like before.
In the past, whenever she said those words, he would immediately come hold her. She used to pretend she didn’t hear when he asked. This time, she responded.
She didn’t disappoint him.
When emotion surged, she couldn’t help biting his shoulder.
The one being bitten didn’t seem to feel pain. Instead, he sounded almost delighted. “Guoguo, bite harder. This doesn’t hurt at all—it’s unbearable.”
The next morning, Hongguo forced herself out of bed despite her aching waist. A light rain had begun to fall. She went to Auntie Liu’s to retrieve the shoe uppers. It rained for two days straight. By the time it stopped, the cloth shoes were finished.
Worried the fresh ginseng might spoil, she checked it several times a day. The moment the rain cleared, she urged Changzong to leave for the city.
He set off early in the morning with the ginseng.
Hongguo was restless with anxiety.
Would it sell? For how much?
Almost no one in the village had ever been to the city. He probably wouldn’t run into anyone he knew. Surely no one would remember him?
Since they’d already dug it up and spent the travel money, she could only hope it fetched a good price.
…
Changzong went under the pretense of job hunting. He wouldn’t return for at least three or four days.
Before he came back, another piece of good news came from Wang Auntie’s house.
After being scammed while trying to buy a job for Kong Laosan, their savings were drained. The two older sons split from the family. Wang Auntie and her husband followed the youngest son and daughter-in-law to live in a woodshed. She had begun to regret everything—
And then Meng Qingdai picked up a piece of gold in a patch of wasteland.
In the past, if others knew, it might not have stayed with her. But now, with household contracts and economic liberalization, whatever was found on wasteland belonged to the finder.
They took the gold to a jewelry shop and sold it for nearly a thousand yuan.
Enough to build three brand-new tiled-roof rooms.
This time, alongside envy came whispers—talk of fate, blessings, and strange supernatural nonsense. The more Hongguo heard, the more uneasy she became.
Changzong wasn’t home. She was honestly afraid someone might pry at her window in the middle of the night. So she stayed at Auntie Liu’s house. Auntie Liu’s younger brother boarded at the county high school and wasn’t home, so Auntie Liu was glad for the company.
Still, she couldn’t avoid hearing Auntie Liu’s speculation.
“Hongguo, do you think Wang Auntie’s youngest daughter-in-law might be a weasel spirit repaying a debt? Remember when the cart overturned? Kong Laosan carried her back. What if something strange possessed her then, and now it’s repaying a life-saving favor?”
How could that be?
Besides, Changzong had been up there too. He’d come back hardworking and affectionate. Wouldn’t people gossip about him too?
Hongguo couldn’t let Auntie Liu spread such talk. She hurriedly said, “Why couldn’t it just be that Sister Qingdai accumulated great virtue in her past life, and now she has good luck? No one has ever truly seen ghosts or spirits. But we’ve all heard of lucky people. We shouldn’t say superstitious things just because Qingdai is lucky. It would only bring her trouble. We’re neighbors—there’s no need to harm her, right?”
Auntie Liu wasn’t malicious. She’d only spoken casually out of envy. But even if she stopped, others might not.
“I’ll go advise Wang Auntie tomorrow. She shouldn’t be too showy and stir up resentment. If something good happens, it’s enough to know it within the family. No need to announce it and invite jealousy.”
Wang Auntie listened—but she couldn’t resist immediately starting to build.
The village assigned a housing plot to her youngest son. She wasted no time ordering bricks, tiles, and timber. Envy spread through the village. The two older daughters-in-law were so jealous their eyes nearly bled. They spread rumors, saying the third daughter-in-law might not be human. Wang Auntie slapped them and even had her sons scolded, saying it was their own fault for splitting the family just because their wives urged them to.
Hongguo didn’t go see it herself. She only heard about it from Auntie Liu.
But she couldn’t shake her unease—for Meng Qingdai, and for Gu Changzong.
…
When the foundation was being dug, Changzong returned.
Wang Auntie came over beaming, telling Hongguo that tomorrow Changzong should come help lay the foundation for their new house.
In the village, building houses meant calling experienced masons. Changzong was young and strong. Even if inexperienced, he was prime labor. Everyone helped each other—after household contracting, Hongguo’s family lacked manpower, and neighbors had helped with their fields. Naturally, they should return the favor.
She agreed.
As soon as Wang Auntie left, Gu Changzong latched the courtyard gate, pulled Jiang Hongguo into the house, and took out a newly bought dress, eyes shining with anticipation.
He wanted her to try it on.
Hongguo had once admired this kind of dress—city girls wore them. It was called a bulaji, a style that had come from the Soviet Union. The word simply meant “dress.” Loose puffed sleeves, a gathered skirt—any girl who owned one was envied.
Even city folks treasured them. In the countryside, who had spare money to chase fashion?
She was happy—but her heart ached over the money.
“This style isn’t even in the county. How much did you spend? Didn’t I tell you not to waste money? Why don’t you listen?”
Not only had he ignored her—he’d bought black round-toe lace-up leather shoes and white socks too. The full set would look beautiful without even trying it on. That was how city girls dressed.
How much must this cost?
Now she was truly distressed.
“You sold the ginseng, right? No matter how much you got, you shouldn’t spend like this.”
Gu Changzong insisted she try the dress first—and the little leather shoes.
She looked stunning.
His Guoguo was no worse than anyone else. If others had something, she should have it too.
He simply wanted to give it to her.
He handed her the money from selling the ginseng.
Two hundred eighty-five yuan.
“Guoguo, the money for your clothes and my travel expenses—I earned that working in the city. I didn’t touch the ginseng money. I listened to you. It’s all here.”
He looked like he was waiting for praise.
Hongguo didn’t know what to do.
No wonder a trip that should have taken three or four days stretched into a full week. She’d thought the ginseng was hard to sell.
It had sold easily—but he’d stayed a week doing odd jobs, earning at least thirty or forty yuan.
That couldn’t be mentioned in the village. And she couldn’t let him go again.
He had worked so hard, handled everything properly, even earned extra money. Didn’t he just want a word of praise?
Other matters could wait. For now—
She rose on tiptoe and lightly stamped a seal on his lips.