Lin Wanxia froze.
Zhou Jianbin and his companions were approaching the boulder. If she remained where she was, they would discover her within moments.
She couldn’t return along the main trail. It would lead her straight into their path.
Clutching the wrapped ginseng against her chest, she plunged into the thorny undergrowth and scrambled down the steep hillside.
Riiip!
A branch tore through her sleeve. Thorns scratched her cheeks, and loose stones sent her stumbling.
Behind her, a shout rang out.
“Brother Bin, look! Someone’s been digging here! The soil’s still fresh!”
“Fuck! Someone got here before us!”
“Who the hell dares steal Brother Bin’s treasure? Just wait until I catch that bastard! I’ll break his legs!”
Lin Wanxia pressed the bundle securely against her body and kept moving.
She couldn’t risk being seen.
Summoning every last ounce of strength, she stumbled, slid, and scrambled down the steep hillside, desperate to put as much distance as possible between herself and the men behind her.
Only when the voices faded into the distance did Lin Wanxia stop.
She leaned against a tree, struggling to catch her breath.
Her sleeves were torn, her arms and cheeks stung from countless scratches, and leaves clung to her tangled hair.
But she was safe.
More importantly, so was the ginseng.
She carefully opened the cloth bundle and inspected the delicate rootlets. To her relief, the precious root appeared undamaged.
A triumphant smile spread across her face.
Zhou Jianbin, you never imagined someone would reach it before you, did you?
In her previous life, this treasure had helped him build his future.
This time, it belonged to her.
After resting for a short while, Lin Wanxia studied her surroundings, figured out which direction led back to the village, and started walking.
By the time she finally reached the village entrance, she was exhausted and thoroughly disheveled.
And there, waiting for her, stood Zhou Yu’an.
He stood beside the village entrance, one hand resting on his cane.
The moment he noticed her torn clothes and scratched face, his expression hardened.
He moved toward her as quickly as his injured leg allowed, reaching out to steady her when she stumbled.
“What happened?”
His voice was low and controlled, but the tension in it was unmistakable.
Lin Wanxia shook her head.
“I’m all right. I just took a difficult path down the mountain.”
Zhou Yu’an examined the scratches on her face.
“You’re hurt.”
“Only a little,” she assured him. Then she lowered her voice. “But I found it.”
The moment Lin Wanxia saw him, the nerves that had been stretched to their limit all morning finally began to relax.
She shook her head.
Then, with the excitement of a child showing off a precious discovery, she pulled the cloth bundle from her clothes and opened it just enough for him to see what was inside.
A rich, distinctive medicinal fragrance immediately reached Zhou Yu’an’s nose.
His gaze fell upon the faintly human-shaped root nestled inside the bundle.
His pupils contracted sharply.
Without hesitation, he took the bundle from her hands, closed it securely, and grabbed her arm.
“Let’s get home first.”
He immediately led her toward their house, moving as quickly as his injured leg would allow.
Only when they returned to their familiar little courtyard and shut the gate behind them did Lin Wanxia finally feel completely safe.
Zhou Yu’an didn’t ask her any questions.
Instead, he fetched a basin of clean well water, then rummaged through his battered wooden chest until he found a small metal tin.
Inside was a medicinal ointment issued by the army.
He unscrewed the lid, dipped a cotton swab into the ointment, and pulled Lin Wanxia closer without giving her a chance to object.
Then he began treating the scratches on her face.
His movements were gentle and remarkably focused.
The cool ointment soothed her burning wounds, bringing immediate relief.
Lin Wanxia sat quietly, watching the man so close to her.
His face was handsome in a rugged, sharply defined way. There was a faint scent of tobacco about him, mixed with the clean fragrance of soap.
For reasons she could not explain, her pulse quickened.
“I can do it myself…” she murmured, feeling a little awkward as she tried to move away.
“Stay still.”
Zhou Yu’an placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
His tone left no room for argument.
Lin Wanxia had no choice but to sit obediently while he continued applying the medicine.
Only after treating every visible scratch did Zhou Yu’an finally turn his attention to the cloth bundle.
He carefully unfolded the cloth and examined the wild ginseng.
“Excellent condition,” he said.
His gaze moved over the thick main root, the crown, and the fine rootlets that Lin Wanxia had worked so hard to preserve.
“The crown has many growth scars, and the root is remarkably well-developed.”
He paused.
“I can’t tell you its exact age, but it’s clearly an old specimen. A medicinal herb shop should recognize its value.”
Lin Wanxia leaned forward.
“Do you think someone in the county town would buy it?”
“There’s a good chance,” Zhou Yu’an replied. “I’ll take it to a reputable shop and see what they offer.”
Lin Wanxia’s eyes lit up.
“Then when should we go?”
“Now.”
Zhou Yu’an carefully wrapped the ginseng again.
“I’ll go alone.”
“Why?” Lin Wanxia asked, puzzled.
Zhou Yu’an gave her a pointed look.
“Have you seen what you look like? You’re in no condition to go anywhere.”
He tucked the bundle securely inside his clothes.
“Stay home and get some rest. Wait for me.”
With that, he changed into a clean shirt, picked up his walking stick, and left the courtyard without looking back.
Lin Wanxia watched Zhou Yu’an disappear down the road, the ginseng safely tucked inside his clothes.
She had placed another valuable treasure in his hands.
The jadeite was still hidden beneath their floor, and now he had gone to sell the ginseng without her.
In her previous life, trusting the wrong person had cost her everything.
For a fleeting moment, an old fear stirred.
What if he doesn’t come back?
She shook her head.
Zhou Yu’an had given her no reason to doubt him. He had protected her from the Zhou family, cared for her injuries, and treated her secrets as his own.
She wanted this marriage to be different from the life she had left behind.
So she chose to trust him.
Still, the waiting was difficult.
She tried tidying the room, then wandered into the courtyard. Every sound from the road drew her attention toward the gate.
The sun climbed higher in the sky, passed its peak, and slowly began its descent toward the western horizon.
Just when Lin Wanxia felt she couldn’t bear waiting another minute, a familiar sound finally came from outside the courtyard.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The steady rhythm of a walking stick striking the ground.
Her heart leaped.
She rushed across the courtyard and pulled open the gate.
Zhou Yu’an stood outside.
The golden light of the setting sun stretched his shadow far behind him.
His expression was as cool and unreadable as ever, giving away absolutely nothing.
Lin Wanxia’s heart rose into her throat.
“Did… did you sell it?” she asked cautiously.
Zhou Yu’an didn’t answer.
Instead, he reached inside his clothes and pulled out a thick bundle wrapped in a handkerchief.
He held it out to her.
Lin Wanxia accepted it with trembling hands.
When she unfolded the handkerchief, her breath caught.
Inside was a thick stack of ten-yuan banknotes.
Lin Wanxia stared.
She counted them once, then again.
Fifty notes.
Five hundred yuan!
She looked up at Zhou Yu’an, hardly daring to believe it.
“Did you really sell the ginseng for this much?”
“The owner of Tong Ren Tang recognized its value,” Zhou Yu’an replied. “He offered five hundred yuan.”
He paused.
“He said a larger specimen in equally good condition might fetch considerably more in the provincial capital.”
Lin Wanxia looked down at the money.
Five hundred yuan.
For a rural household in 1977, it was an extraordinary sum—far more than an ordinary factory worker earned in a year.
Her eyes grew hot.
This wasn’t merely money.
It was the first real capital she had obtained since her rebirth, earned through her own determination and Zhou Yu’an’s help.
They could buy necessities without counting every coin. They could begin saving for a better future. And with careful planning, they might eventually build something that belonged entirely to them.
She tightened her grip on the banknotes.
For the first time, changing her fate no longer seemed like a distant dream.
It felt possible.
While the two of them were quietly celebrating their good fortune, however, the atmosphere at the Zhou family’s large courtyard on the other side of the village couldn’t have been more different.
A dark cloud of frustration hung over the household.
Zhou Jianbin had returned from the mountain covered in dirt, his face twisted with anger.
The moment he stepped through the door, he grabbed a water ladle and hurled it violently onto the ground.
“Fuck! I don’t know which bastard did it, but someone got there before us!”
Wang Xiulan’s heart sank.
“You… you didn’t find it?”
“Find my ass! There wasn’t even a single root hair left!”
Zhou Jianbin roared, practically beside himself with rage.
He had gone up the mountain full of confidence, certain that he was about to get his hands on something incredibly valuable.
Instead, someone had beaten him to it!
And whoever it was had taken everything!
Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
But before he could vent any more of his anger, a villager suddenly came rushing into the courtyard.
The man looked anxious and out of breath.
“Jianbin! Secretary! We’ve got trouble!”
Zhou Jianbin turned sharply toward him.
The villager hurriedly continued.
“Director Li from the commune has sent someone over to ask about the wild ginseng!”
He swallowed nervously before delivering the rest of the message.
“He wants to know when you’re going to deliver it to him!”