Not that Chen Yuezhi didn't recognize ginseng; she understood medicine and, therefore, knew various herbs. However, she had never seen such a large wild ginseng root before, and for a moment, she doubted her professional judgment.
"My dear daughter, you are truly our family's little lucky star!"
Jiang Pan hugged Jiang Wan, rubbing his bushy beard face against hers, which left Jiang Wan quite bewildered.
"Dad, what's wrong? What happened?"
Jiang Pan's smile was so wide it seemed his mouth couldn't close. "Wanwan, where did you dig up that ginseng?"
Heavens, such a large wild ginseng root! He had lived for decades and had never seen one like it!
Years ago, someone in the village found a ginseng root thicker than a finger and sold it for dozens of taels of silver. That family, relying on that money, bought land and cattle, and their lives became increasingly prosperous, eventually making them the wealthiest family in the village.
That person was the current village chief's father!
If a ginseng root thicker than a finger could sell for dozens of taels of silver, then how much would this arm-thick ginseng root fetch!
Jiang Pan, overjoyed, lifted Jiang Wan high. "My daughter, my little lucky star!"
Jiang Wan had no idea what ginseng was, but seeing her entire family beaming with joy, she guessed that the item must be very valuable!
Truly, one shouldn't judge a book by its cover!
The whole family was so happy they were a bit dizzy.
After finally calming down, Jiang Pan asked, "Mother of our children, how should we handle this ginseng? Sell it in town for silver to buy grain?"
Chen Yuezhi thought carefully, then shook her head. "No, with the country in such chaos, if we take this ginseng out, they'll surely offer us a low price. Grain prices are skyrocketing; one tael of silver won't buy much grain. It would be too much of a loss. It's better to preserve this ginseng properly and wait until we reach a better place to sell it. Then, our family will have the capital to establish ourselves."
Jiang Pan nodded eagerly upon hearing this.
This was indeed the best course of action.
Besides, if they exchanged it for grain, how much attention would it attract on the road? It was better to be low-key, not flaunting wealth, to ensure safety.
So, Chen Yuezhi and Jiang Pan, with Erlang, Sanlang, and Jiang Wan, repeatedly instructed them never to mention the ginseng to anyone.
With their future livelihood secured, the family felt an inexhaustible surge of energy, and their tree-cutting speed increased significantly.
After felling the trees, the family exerted great effort to transport the timber down the mountain.
Fortunately, many of the trees in the mountains had already withered and dried naturally; otherwise, they would have been skinning themselves today.
Once down the mountain, Jiang Pan found a few villagers to help carry the wood to the carpenter's house. He paid them some wages and urged the carpenter to build the cart quickly.
Carts were not technically demanding; they just needed to be sturdy. As time was pressing, Jiang Pan brought Erlang and Sanlang to help with the construction.
Chen Yuezhi, carrying Jiang Wan and the ginseng root, returned home.
Still some distance from the Jiang family's courtyard, they saw Jiang Yu and Jiang Silang glance their way before quickly running into the courtyard.
Chen Yuezhi snorted. "Shameless wretches. They'd do anything. Acting as thieves themselves and having their children act as lookouts. Are they afraid their children will turn out well in the future?"
Jiang Wan also felt speechless. She had been wary of the second branch stealing things, but it turned out her guess was correct.
The mother and daughter quickly entered the courtyard, only to find it quiet, with no sign of activity.
If they hadn't seen Jiang Yu and her siblings enter the courtyard just moments ago, they would have thought no one was home.
Chen Yuezhi stood in the courtyard and spat, "Guilty conscience!"
The second branch remained silent.
Chen Yuezhi said nothing more, carrying Jiang Wan into their room.
Inside, the room was in disarray, with signs of everything being rummaged through. The chests where clothes were kept were particularly chaotic.
Chen Yuezhi took several deep breaths to suppress her anger.
They were leaving in the middle of the night, so she needed to use her time to pack. Those lowly creatures were not worth her wasting time on. Besides, all the valuable items were already with her, so the second branch wouldn't be able to steal much.
Comforting herself this way, Chen Yuezhi managed to calm down.
Jiang Wan, however, was furious. The second branch was truly disgusting. If they weren't taught a lesson, her resentment would not be appeased!
They liked stealing things, didn't they?
Then she would let them taste what it was like to have their things stolen!
While Chen Yuezhi was packing, Jiang Wan slipped out and found a mouse hole in a corner of the courtyard.
Her special ability had mostly recovered. Confirming there were mice in the hole, Jiang Wan channeled her ability into it.
The two mice inside, controlled by her ability, began to look strange.
They followed their tunnel and burrowed their way into the second branch's room.
After a while, two mice emerged from the hole, dragging a somewhat dirty cloth bag. They placed the bag in front of Jiang Wan. As soon as their eyes returned to normal, they saw a person standing before them. The two mice, startled, squeaked and plunged back into the hole.
Jiang Wan reached out, picked up the bag, and shook it. A rustling sound came from within.
Finding the money bag, Jiang Wan grinned. She hadn't expected the second branch's little treasury to be so substantial.
She declared that the second branch's fortune was hers!
Tucking the money bag into her embrace, Jiang Wan returned to her own room as if nothing had happened.
Chen Yuezhi saw her return after a short absence but didn't have time to ask what she had been doing. She only instructed, "Wanwan, don't wander around."
Jiang Wan obediently replied, "I know."
In the afternoon, Dalang returned with Su Shi, both carrying five catties of chestnuts.
As soon as they entered the house, Su Shi rushed into her room and began to cry.
Chen Yuezhi put down her work and came out. "What's wrong?"
Dalang sighed and pulled Chen Yuezhi aside. "Su family... they already fled famine days ago."
Chen Yuezhi was stunned and looked sympathetically at the room of Dalang and his wife. "The Su family is too unconscionable. They should have at least informed their own daughter. She's already married; are they afraid she'll cling to the Su family?"
Speaking of Su Shi's maiden family, Chen Yuezhi held them in utter contempt.
When Dalang and Su Shi met by chance in the market, Dalang fell in love with Su Shi at first sight.
The Su family knew Dalang wanted to marry Su Shi, and they asked for an exorbitant bride price of fifteen taels of silver, emptying the first branch's savings accumulated over many years.
Despite the large bride price going to the Su family, when Su Shi got married, the Su family gave not a single piece of dowry, not even a wedding quilt.
It was fortunate that Chen Yuezhi was kind and didn't fault Su Shi. Su Shi herself knew how little her maiden family cared about her, and after marrying into the Jiang family, she was diligent and sensible, and the family lived harmoniously.
The Jiang family had never held the Su family's matters against them. Even now, they still thought of helping the Su family, but they never expected the Su family to have already fled famine days ago without even a word.
It was one thing not to inform the Jiang family, but to not even tell their own daughter was truly despicable!
Chen Yuezhi sighed, walked into Su Shi's room, patted her shoulder, and said, "Don't cry. You are already married; from now on, you are part of the Jiang family. Our family living well together is better than anything else."
Su Shi, crying, got up and hugged Chen Yuezhi tightly. "Mother, from now on, I live as a Jiang family member and die as a Jiang family ghost. I have nothing more to do with the Su family!"