“I only came in to pick some medicinal herbs, but I got scratched on the leg by the bamboo in the forest, and then I couldn’t get out—and a wolf came after me!”
Wang Guifen indeed saw the young educated youth holding a wrinkled herb in his hand.
“You child, how can you just pick herbs here? There are wolves, wild boars—if I hadn’t been here, you wouldn’t have made it out of this forest. Come, I’ll help you up. Let’s get out quickly.” Wang Guifen helped the injured youth to his feet.
The youth’s face went pale. “Today, thanks to you, auntie. Without you, I would have been wolf food.”
Wang Guifen steadied him. “Learned your lesson? Don’t ever come to a place like this again. Even the men who often patrol these mountain paths dare not enter this deep forest. A delicate city kid like you coming alone—might as well feed the wolves yourself.”
The youth shivered at the memory of the wolf. “Auntie, I won’t dare next time.”
At first, Wang Guifen had been a little angry.
Young people didn’t value their own lives, and having once died herself, she could not stand to see anyone squander their life.
Hearing the youth’s words, her anger melted away.
As they passed the dead wolf, Wang Guifen paused and glanced at the small bamboo basket on the youth’s back.
She swapped their baskets, taking some items from her large basket and putting them into the youth’s small one.
“This lone wolf has a few pounds of meat. It’d be a shame to waste it, and it could attract other beasts. Carry it back to the brigade—we can share some, let everyone see some meat for a change.” Wang Guifen laid a layer of leaves at the bottom of the basket and carefully placed the wolf inside.
“Auntie… you can carry this down the mountain?” The youth looked shocked.
“Hah, this wolf is skinny. It’s lighter than a bag of grain. Carrying it is nothing. If it were full bags of grain, I could carry two. Come on, let’s head down.” Wang Guifen said as she hoisted the basket effortlessly. One hand supported the youth.
The youth laughed nervously. “Auntie, how come you’re here too? Good thing I ran into you, or I’d be wolf food now.”
“I was just collecting firewood nearby. I heard someone calling for help in the deep forest, so I dared to come take a look. Young comrade, what’s your name?”
The injured youth placed the herb in his small basket. “Auntie, my name is Shen Wangchun.”
Wang Guifen froze, stopping in her tracks. Slowly, she looked at him—this was the same youth who had been harmed by that spy in her previous life?
Shen Wangchun noticed her staring and touched his face. “Auntie, is there something dirty on my face?”
Wang Guifen shook her head and kept walking. “No, your face is perfectly clean.”
She remembered her daughter-in-law’s words: the spy had harmed him because he possessed something the spy wanted, or he had some important skill. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but glance at him again.
Shen Wangchun, puzzled, touched his face once more.
“Young comrade, do you have parents?” Wang Guifen asked. In the previous life, Shen Wangchun had been orphaned; she needed to confirm.
He nodded. “My parents died when I was very young. My uncle raised me.”
Without parents, and with an uncle who also had children, how could anyone truly care for a child that wasn’t their own? Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let him be sent to the countryside.
Wang Guifen thought that in the future, if they raised livestock, she could call the young comrade over to share some food. In the past life, both of them had been in danger in the hands of others. This life, they were safe—fate had brought them together.
As Wang Guifen slowly led Shen out of the forest, she suddenly paused mid-step, eyes brightening.
“Auntie, what is it?”
Shen Wangchun swallowed, alarmed. Was there another wolf?
Wang Guifen helped him to a tree. “Wait here a moment, young comrade. I’ll be back shortly.” She picked up the youth’s small basket and walked to a patch of weeds. Carefully, she brushed the plants aside. A wild ginseng root stood tall in the moist soil.
Wang Guifen was stunned. Had she just struck pure luck?
Swallowing nervously, she squatted down and carefully loosened the soil around the plump main root. Using her iron arrow tool, she gently dug, making sure each root remained intact.
Wild ginseng was precious, a rare herb. Only wealthy city people could afford even a slice. For rural people, it was almost unheard of. If not for the youth’s father being a barefoot doctor, she wouldn’t even know what it was.
Unexpectedly, she had found this treasure. She could bring it home to nourish her daughter-in-law, or sell it on the black market for grain coupons. With its age, she could fetch twenty coupons easily.
After more than ten minutes, Wang Guifen finally dug up the ginseng. Counting the segments on the root, she grinned. “Seven or eight segments. One segment grows per year—at least thirty years old.”
She placed it in the basket, covering it with mushrooms at the bottom.
This ginseng must not be revealed.
First, exposing it would invite envy. She had already stirred jealousy by catching a few extra fish. Who knew what trouble would arise if people learned about the ginseng? Even good people had hidden agendas.
Second, it grew in the deep forest. If anyone knew, they might risk their lives entering the forest, and if anything happened, she would be blamed. Too much trouble for no benefit.
So, this ginseng would remain a secret. Only her daughter-in-law would know.
Wang Guifen stood, brushed off the soil, hoisted the basket, and helped the youth. “I just saw some mushrooms—perfect for mushroom soup.” She chuckled lightly.
Shen Wangchun laughed awkwardly. He had been terrified moments ago, thinking she might leave him behind. How narrow-minded of him to doubt such a kind-hearted aunt.
Wang Guifen didn’t notice his expression. She smiled, eager to reach home and tell her daughter-in-law the good news about the treasure.
As they descended, the women chatting under the old locust tree in the brigade were shocked.
“Wha—Wang Guifen hit the educated youth?” Wang Qiulan exclaimed.
Her daughter Qianqian had been frightened yesterday and had said Wang Guifen wanted to kill her.
Indeed, Wang Guifen, a village woman, had thrown an iron arrow recklessly when the spy held Qianqian. Had she not been lucky, the arrow could have struck her. Seeing Wang Guifen now, hatred welled up in her heart.
“The youth’s leg is still bleeding.”
“Hurry! Go call the brigade chief!”