Chapter 727: 727 arrives
Yuanyuan nodded, "Understood. Let’s ask the mountain folks ourselves. They tend to keep the good stuff for themselves, as the purchase station’s prices aren’t that high."
"Xiao Su, I’ll pay you back with the money I get in the Capital."
"Alright."
In the evening, they went to the restaurant for dinner again. Zeng Hongling overate once more.
"The vermicelli here is so delicious. I want to send it back to my grandparents too."
"Sis, let’s send it back with the ginseng."
"That’s not safe either."
The main issue was that ginseng was too valuable.
"Yixin, you should make a trip back."
Zeng Yixin really had no way to deal with his sister, so he nodded. Moreover, he truly cared about the two elderly at home.
The next day at seven o’clock, the carriage arrived at the inn’s entrance. They had already had breakfast and even bought some fried dough sticks to eat on the road, along with some other provisions, so they wouldn’t worry about having nothing to eat along the way.
Sitting on the carriage in the morning was quite comfortable. However, as they traveled further, the weather grew hotter. Yuanyuan positioned clothes over her head to somewhat shield herself from the sun.
"Uncle, do you have any acquaintances there?"
"Yes, of course. My cousin’s family lives there. Our family also moved out during my father’s generation."
"Uncle, can we stay at your cousin’s place?"
"It should be possible. We left the house for my uncle after we moved out. When I visited during the New Year, I saw they have quite a few houses. I’ll take you there to ask."
"Thank you very much, uncle. We won’t stay for free."
The driver could tell right away; these people were clearly not ordinary folks. People who have seen the world won’t let small gains make them compromise their values.
"Uncle, will we really arrive at midnight?"
"Yes, indeed. It’s quite far, and there’s a section where you can’t travel by carriage at all."
"Why is that?" Zeng Hongling keenly asked when unsure about something.
"You’ll know when the time comes."
At noon, they didn’t stop and just ate the fried dough sticks on the carriage.
Yuanyuan didn’t eat a single bite. She simply couldn’t stomach it.
It wasn’t until nearly evening that the driver finally stopped, as the horse needed water and fodder.
After resting a while, they could see Dashan for quite some time; it truly felt like the saying, ’Running toward a mountain can break your legs.’
"Later, when we ascend the mountain, we’ll traverse a particularly steep path, just the width of a single carriage."
"Uncle, how far is it? Just following the mountain path will get us there?" Yuanyuan asked.
"The mountain path takes about one hour. It’s very steep but not too difficult to walk. Some of the timber from the mountain is transported down this path."
"Uncle, how much longer until we’re at the mountain’s foot?"
"About another hour."
"Uncle, how about this? Drop us at the mountain base. We’ll go up ourselves. It’d be too dangerous for you to return otherwise. We won’t pay you less for your trouble."
"Young woman, it’s fine. I’m used to it."
Yuanyuan shook her head firmly, "Uncle, I have a bad feeling. We won’t shortchange you. We’ll go up ourselves."
Zhan Yunzhao, listening to Yuanyuan, started counting on his fingers, looking at her in astonishment. How did this young woman know? Hadn’t heard she could foresee fortunes?
"Yes, uncle, we won’t pay less. Just be careful going back." Zeng Hongling trusted Yuanyuan completely and chimed in quickly.
Wei Guangxiang said the same, and only then did the old man agree, providing directions to his cousin’s house.
The horse fed to its fill, and they continued on their way. This time, the journey was quite pleasant. The evening breeze was gentle, lifting Zeng Hongling’s spirits.
When they reached the mountain’s base, it was already dark, a bit past eight o’clock.
"Villager, please be cautious. If it’s not convenient, find a place to stay overnight and head back tomorrow." Zhan Yunzhao advised the driver.
"No problem. I can make it back with my eyes closed."
Wei Guangxiang handed over the money. Zeng Yixin carried his sister’s bag, and Wei Guangxiang carried Yuanyuan’s. The five of them started ascending the mountain.
Zeng Hongling led with a flashlight, while Yuanyuan, at the back, also held a flashlight ensuring they could see the path clearly.
With just this single mountain trail, there wasn’t much worry about losing their way. They could chat along the way without feeling too tired.
The five of them walked for nearly two hours, truly reaching their destination by midnight.
The house of the driver’s cousin was easy to find, and the five didn’t take long to locate it.
To be honest, knocking on someone’s door so late at night might likely get them refused, but the mountain was genuinely cold at night.
Zhan Yunzhao went to knock, while Yuanyuan observed from outside.
"Who’s there?"
"Villager, we’re from out of town, came by your cousin’s carriage to the mountain’s foot and wish to seek shelter here."
Yuanyuan saw the person coming out armed with a gun.
After a few more questions, they finally opened the door.
Seeing the five, they were still very hospitable.
"Sorry, it’s not entirely safe around here at night."
"We understand, villager."
"Given the time, let’s make do for now, and we can tidy up tomorrow."
The five of them had no objections and declined their offer to cook a meal at midnight.
They lay down in the west wing. There was no other choice but to make do. Early the next morning, Yuanyuan woke up to find the host already preparing breakfast.
Discussing the longer stay arrangements was up to Wei Guangxiang. So she freshened up and waited for breakfast.
Wei Guangxiang had some advantages in this area. He negotiated successfully, so they’d stay for a period, paying fifty cents each day for the five of them.
They would contribute to firewood and food while sharing meals with the hosts.
The four of them had no complaints. It actually worked out pretty well.
Chatting over breakfast, "Coming here to harvest ginseng isn’t too early. Several outer peaks have already seen ginseng collected, so you can carefully try your luck. However, the mountain isn’t the safest, there are quite a few wild animals around."
The five of them anticipated this concern, but only Yuanyuan had a gun.
"Uncle, can we buy a hunting rifle? We weren’t prepared for this."
"These can be purchased. I’ll take you to look at them later."
"Uncle, can you help us buy some ginseng? We need quite a lot, but rest assured, our prices are definitely fair and reasonable," Zeng Yixin said.
"Every year the procurement station buys from here."
"Our price won’t be lower than the procurement station’s."
"Alright, I’ll inquire later."
"Uncle, rest assured. Good ginseng can be negotiated," Zeng Hongling assured as well. You can’t expect people to sell to an outsider without a good offer. They would likely have substantial future demands for ginseng.