PFC Chapter 490 Rules
Chapter 490 Rules
"See that grove of trees over there?" Old Master Zheng stopped at the foot of the mountain, pointing to a dense pine and cypress forest ahead. "That's a famous ginseng-growing area in our region, but there are some things to keep in mind, so you'll have to listen carefully."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou nodded quickly, perking up their ears.
“Gathering ginseng isn’t something you can just do casually; there are many rules.” Old Master Zheng stroked his beard, his eyes turning serious. “First, before entering the mountains, you must worship the mountain god and pray for safety.”
As he spoke, the old man took out three incense sticks from the cloth bag at his waist, handed one to Li Xiangyang and one to Wang Ergou, and kept one for himself.
"Light it."
Li Xiangyang took the incense sticks, took out matches from his pocket, and carefully lit the three sticks.
"Bowing three times towards the mountain." Old Master Zheng bowed deeply towards the distant mountain with a solemn expression, muttering incantations, "Mountain God, today I, Zheng Defa, have brought two young men to search for treasure. I humbly request your blessing for safety and success. If we find anything, we will reward you handsomely."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou also bowed and placed the incense sticks in front of a flat stone by the roadside.
"Alright, the first rule is complete." Old Master Zheng nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, the Mountain God hates disrespect and greed the most. Every time you enter the mountain, you must offer sacrifices, and after taking what you need, you must express your gratitude."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Grandpa Zheng, besides this, is there anything else we need to be careful about?"
Grandpa Zheng glanced at him and smiled, "Of course, the rules in the mountains aren't superstition; they're lessons learned through blood and tears from our ancestors."
The three continued on their way. As they walked, Old Master Zheng said, "There's a second rule for ginseng harvesting: the rule of language. Once you're in the mountains, you can't say anything carelessly, especially unlucky things like 'death,' 'severance,' or 'collapse.' You can't say those."
"What if we encounter these kinds of things?" Wang Ergou asked curiously.
“There’s jargon!” Old Master Zheng counted on his fingers. “For example, you can’t say ‘death,’ so you say ‘west’; you can’t say ‘fall’, so you say ‘crooked’; you can’t say ‘go back’, so you say ‘turning plate’. And we don’t call ginseng by its name directly, we call it ‘club’.”
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou listened quietly.
“And another thing,” Old Master Zheng continued, “when you see ginseng, never shout loudly. You have to whisper to your companions, ‘The ginseng is showing its head.’ Shouting loudly will disturb the mountain god, and the ginseng will run away.”
"Ginseng can run away?" Wang Ergou's eyes widened.
Grandpa Zheng said confidently, "Of course, it's incredible if a ginseng becomes a spirit. Legend has it that an old ginseng that has lived for a hundred or eighty years can transform into human form."
Seeing Wang Ergou's surprised expression, Old Master Zheng laughed heartily: "Believe it or not, I believe it. There are many things in these mountains that we can't explain or understand."
Li Xiangyang asked thoughtfully, "Grandpa Zheng, where do ginseng usually grow?"
"Good question!" Old Master Zheng's eyes lit up. "Ginseng likes to grow on shady hillsides, especially under pine and cypress trees, where the soil needs to be loose and the moisture moderate. There are several important signs for finding ginseng: first, look at the vegetation; second, look at the soil color; and third, look for 'companion grasses'."
He pointed to a grove of trees ahead: "Look at that pine forest over there. Those small grasses with five-lobed leaves growing underneath, that's 'Wujiapi,' a good partner for ginseng. Where there's Wujiapi, there's probably ginseng nearby."
Wang Ergou quickly looked in the direction the old man pointed, but all he saw was a patch of lush green grass, and he couldn't tell what Acanthopanax senticosus was at all.
“Don’t rush,” Old Master Zheng noticed his confusion, “These things take time to learn; you can’t learn them in a short time. Come on, I’ll take you to see.”
The three of them rounded a ridge and came to a dense pine forest. Old Master Zheng slowed down and carefully observed the vegetation on the ground.
“Look,” he crouched down, gently parted a clump of grass, and pointed to a small plant with leaves divided into five petals, “this is Acanthopanax senticosus.”
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou stepped forward and carefully observed the appearance of the plant, silently memorizing it.
“Now that we have Acanthopanax senticosus root bark, let’s look at the soil color,” Old Master Zheng picked up a handful of soil, held it to his nose, and smelled it. “Clematis chinensis prefers to grow in dark brown, slightly fishy soil, like this.”
Li Xiangyang also grabbed a handful of soil, and smelled it like the old man. It did indeed have a peculiar smell.
Grandpa Zheng stood up and said, "Next, let's search slowly along this forest. Remember, observe carefully and don't miss any corner."
The three split up, each taking charge of a specific area, and began the long search process.
About two hours later, Wang Ergou suddenly called out in a low voice, "Brother Xiangyang, Grandpa Zheng, come quick!"
Li Xiangyang and Grandpa Zheng rushed over and saw Wang Ergou pointing at an inconspicuous little grass, stamping his feet excitedly.
"Don't rush, let me take a look." Old Master Zheng squatted down, examining it carefully, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. "That's right, it's a clubmoss. Although it's not very old, probably only three or four years old, it's a good omen, indicating that this area has..."
Li Xiangyang also saw it clearly. It was a small plant with a bright green stem and five leaves at the top. It looked inconspicuous and could easily be confused with the surrounding weeds if you didn't look closely.
"What should we do, Grandpa Zheng?" Wang Ergou asked in a low voice.
“This one is too small, we won’t dig it up,” Old Master Zheng smiled kindly. “We need to keep the smaller ones; it’s called ‘nurturing the mountain.’ Only in this way can we harvest more next year.”
He took a red thread from his pocket and gently tied a small piece to each of the trees around the ginseng, saying, "These are markers to let others know that this place has been discovered. Please respect the rules and don't dig."
Li Xiangyang admires this method of harvesting that respects nature and is sustainable.
As they continued their journey, Grandpa Zheng explained a great deal about ginseng harvesting: how to determine the age of ginseng, the tools and techniques for digging ginseng, and various taboos during the harvesting process.
"Tools should ideally be made of wood or bone; avoid using iron tools to directly touch the roots, as this will damage their spiritual energy," the old man said as he walked. "When digging, start from the perimeter and slowly work your way towards the center, being careful not to damage the roots."
Around noon, the three of them found a flat spot to sit down and started eating the dry rations they had brought.
"Don't rush," Old Master Zheng said with a smile, "Good things aren't so easy to find. Today we're mainly here to learn the rules, get to know the way, and familiarize ourselves with the environment, so we'll know how to find things next time we come."
After wandering around for an entire afternoon on the mountain, they didn't see much, and the animals they found were all quite young. The three of them returned the way they came, arriving back in the village near dusk.
Along the way, Grandpa Zheng taught them many methods for distinguishing genuine ginseng from fake ginseng, storing ginseng, and judging the quality and value of ginseng.
Before leaving, Old Master Zheng gave him another piece of advice: "Remember, when harvesting ginseng, you must respect the rules and the forest. Don't dig up small ginseng roots; leave them for seed production to nourish the mountain."