“Hubby, what if Chang’an and Xiaochun discover my space later? We’re together all day; if I use it, there’s no way to hide it,” Bai Nianqing said, worried and frowning.
If Bai Nianqing hadn’t mentioned it, Shen Wenhe would never have thought of this problem.
It was indeed an issue. In these times, without the space, they probably wouldn’t survive. Not using it was simply impossible.
Shen Wenhe thought for a long while but couldn’t come up with a solution. It truly was an unsolvable dilemma.
“How about this? We search carefully around here, find a cave or some safe spot, and place the things there. Later, I’ll say someone else brought them. Chang’an and Xiaochun both signed strict agreements; even if they get suspicious, they wouldn’t dare tell anyone,” Shen Wenhe suggested—a solution, though not perfect.
“All right, that will have to do for now,” Bai Nianqing agreed. She had no better idea, so they had to start with this.
Shen Wenhe then led Bai Nianqing around the wooden house once more before heading to the upper cave.
Bai Nianqing first bowed to Xu Changming’s remains and then went to the cave to collect the chests.
Before collecting, she opened each chest carefully. The gold and silver bars needed no comment.
The two chests of jewelry caught her attention—they were exquisite, belonging to palace ladies.
She picked up a gold hairpin and placed it in her hair, tilting her head prettily. “Does it look good?” she asked Shen Wenhe.
“Beautiful. My lady looks good in anything,” Shen Wenhe said truthfully. Bai Nianqing had fair skin and lovely features; the gold hairpin suited her perfectly.
Next, Shen Wenhe pulled out a jade bracelet from a chest and helped Bai Nianqing wear it.
The white wrist and green jade complemented each other, making her wrist look even paler and the bracelet greener.
Bai Nianqing liked it very much—what woman could resist beautiful jewelry?
“Beautiful. These are all yours. Later, we can take turns wearing them,” Shen Wenhe said, admiring her carefully.
After a while, Bai Nianqing took off the bracelet.
Shen Wenhe, puzzled, asked, “Lady, it looks so good on you. Why take it off?”
“I’ll wear it later. I want to dig up the older ginseng now. Who knows how the qi here might affect it. It’s safer to put it in the space first,” Bai Nianqing explained, still thinking about the herbs below.
“Good point,” Shen Wenhe agreed.
Herbs left in the ground were vulnerable—not just to environmental qi, but what if someone else discovered them?
It would be heartbreaking if someone took them.
Digging ginseng was tricky; the roots had to remain intact. And with so many, it took both Bai Nianqing and Shen Wenhe working together to finish three batches.
The ginseng’s age varied. The thinnest roots were as thick as a man’s thumb, while the thickest were as big as a child’s arm. The thick ones outnumbered the thin ones.
“Hubby, I counted—there are eighty-three ginsengs as thick as a child’s arm, and seventy-some thinner ones. We only took the big ones; the thinner ones remain untouched. Tomorrow we’ll also collect the Cordyceps and Lingzhi and head back,” Bai Nianqing said excitedly.
“Mm, these must have been planted by Master Xu. Now they belong to us,” Shen Wenhe said, feeling grateful.
In fact, both had misjudged. While the garden was indeed planted by Xu Changming, he wasn’t the first owner. By the time he settled here, the herb garden had already existed for many years.
When he first discovered it, he was shocked, but the seclusion suited him. He also cherished the garden, which was part of why he stayed.
“These ginsengs are priceless—taking even one would drive people crazy. These are life-saving herbs; nothing can replace them in a critical moment,” Shen Wenhe said.
“So we must keep this a secret. No one besides us can know about the ginseng. Wealth and life-saving herbs alike stir greed,” Bai Nianqing added thoughtfully.
They were ordinary people and dared not confront the powerful.
Shen Wenhe nodded. “You’re right. We cannot let anyone know we have so much fine ginseng.”
Unlike Bai Nianqing, who had only partial knowledge, Shen Wenhe, a native of this era, understood that the elite didn’t care about ordinary people’s lives.
He had witnessed powerful families force a woman into marriage, even killing her husband if she resisted. There was no one to plead with—justice was out of reach.
“We should also learn how to process the herbs. My space preserves them perfectly, but taking fresh ginseng out might attract attention,” Bai Nianqing said.
“All right. I’ll find someone to teach us,” Shen Wenhe promised.
He not only promised but intended to do it himself; he didn’t trust anyone else with this task.
While talking, they collected the Lingzhi and Cordyceps into the space.
Other unfamiliar herbs, if large enough, were also stored. Only the smallest or oldest remained in the ground.
“Finally done,” Bai Nianqing said, placing the last herb into the space.
“Yes, valuable but tiring to gather. Lady, sit down and rest. I’ll tidy up the cave. Tomorrow, before we leave, you can take some firewood, grain, and supplies from the space. That way, when Chang’an and Xiaochun arrive, we won’t need excuses,” Shen Wenhe said, wiping his sweat.
“You rest too. I’ll help you with the cave later,” Bai Nianqing said, taking him to wash their hands.
After washing, they sat by the pool and shared a watermelon from the space.
“Lady, what fruit is this? It’s so sweet.” Shen Wenhe asked, having never eaten it before, though he had seen it in Bai Nianqing’s dreams.
“This is watermelon. I have plenty in my space. Later, I’ll give you a taste of each,” Bai Nianqing said, biting into a slice.
She didn’t know whether these fruits existed in this era and therefore had been cautious, only taking them for private enjoyment.