Power and Wealth

In the back mountain of Da Sen Mountains, Dong Xuebing held the mother and daughter’s hands as they search for the location in the painting.

10 minutes... 20 minutes... 30 minutes... the back mountain is too big. They searched around and could not find the small cliff in the painting. Dong Xuebing saw Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian were out of breath, and he let go of their hands to lay a mat on the grass. He also took out the thermos flask and cups from his backpack.

Yu Meixia poured water for Dong Xuebing and her daughter. “Chief Dong, have some water.”

Dong Xuebing laughed. “Sister Yu, you said the scenery is beautiful here? How come I can only see trees around?”

Yu Meixia whispered. “When the sun sets, this place is beautiful. Of course, this place cannot be compared to Beijing’s tourism spots.”

“Actually, there are not many interesting places in Beijing. The Xiang mountains in autumn and... those places are not as beautiful here.” Dong Xuebing looked at his watch and took out the snacks he bought from the supermarket. “We are all tired. Let’s have an early dinner. These are all processed food and don’t overeat of these. Haha... You will get fat.”

Yu Qianqian nodded and start stuffing her face with the snacks.

Yu Meixia felt her daughter was not showing proper manners and secretly touch her with her feet. She was afraid Chief Dong will be mad. Yu Qianqian immediately understood and slowed down, picks up the potato chips one by one. In the past, some of her classmates, who were wealthy, could afford to eat these tidbits and Yu Qianqian never imagined she could get to taste it one day.

After satisfied, their stomach, Dong Xuebing, laid face down on the mat and closed his eyes.

Yu Meixia looked at him and hesitated for a moment. “I... Do you want me to give you a massage?”

Dong Xuebing was waiting for her to ask. “Please, thank you.”

“It’s what I should do.” Yu Meixia kneeled beside Dong Xuebing and start massaging Dong Xuebing’s back. But after a while, she remembered something and glanced at her daughter. Yu Qianqian was looking at her and she blushed. She felt embarrassed, massaging another man in front of her daughter.

Dong Xuebing felt relaxed and said. “You can stop if you are tired. Take a rest.”

“No, I’m fine.” Yu Meixia starts pressing his back harder. “Is this strength ok?”

Dong Xuebing nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

Yu Qianqian finished her titbits and looked at Dong Xuebing and her mother. She bit her lips and copied her mother. She kneeled on the other side of Dong Xuebing and start massaging his right arm.

Dong Xuebing got a fright and said. “Qianqian, you don’t need to massage me. Rest for a while.”

Yu Meixia added. “I am around. You... Go and read your books by the side.”

Yu Qianqian shook her head. She also wants to do something for Chief Dong.

Dong Xuebing laughed when he saw this little girl refuses to stop. “Thank you, Qianqian. Tomorrow I will buy you a few bags of your favorite snacks.”

Yu Meixia knew what her daughter was thinking and did not stop her. She pressed Dong Xuebing’s back and teach Yu Qianqian techniques of massaging. Yu Qianqian was much smarter than Yu Meixia and learned how to massage after a while. When her mother was pressing Dong Xuebing’s neck, she also followed. When her mother was pressing his arm, she did the same on the other arm.

Dong Xuebing was fully relaxed physically and mentally.

Two beauties were massaging him at the same time. How many men in this world can get this treatment?

Dong Xuebing’s head was on his arms, facing his left. His eyes were narrowed to a slit, looking towards Yu Meixia. She was kneeling, and her pants were tight, and he could see the outline of her tights. Yu Meixia was massaging his back and was leaning forward. The opening of her top was slightly open and Dong Xuebing could look inside.

Yu Meixia suddenly realized she was exposed and quickly straighten herself and blushed.

Dong Xuebing did not want to leave a wrong impression and quickly closes his eyes, pretending to sleep. After a while, he opened his eyes slightly to peep at Yu Meixia’s matured body. She was at least 10 years older than him, but Dong Xuebing could not help having dirty thoughts about her. To him, mature women are more attractive.

After about 20 minutes, Dong Xuebing said. “Alright. Thank you for the massage. Take a break first.”

Yu Meixia was sweating, but she replied. “I am not tired.”

Yu Qianqian also said, with her aching arms. “I... I am also not tired.”

Dong Xuebing flipped over and sat up. “Both of you are sweating already. Ah... it feels so good. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us.” Yu Meixia stood up. “Errr... Chief Dong, I... I need to go...”

Dong Xuebing blinked and asked. “Go where?”

Yu Meixia points to the trees. “I need to go to the toilet.”

Huh? She is asking permission to go to the toilet? Dong Xuebing replied. “Ok. Be careful.”

“Yes.” Yu Meixia took out some tissue paper from Dong Xuebing’s backpack and walk quickly into the bushes.

It was already 4 pm, but Dong Xuebing was not giving up looking for the plants Zhao Jingsong was interested in. He started packing as he waits for Yu Meixia. He planned to search around until it becomes dark before going back. But as Dong Xuebing was packing, he heard Yu Meixia shouting from behind the trees. “Chief... Chief Dong! Please come over here.”

Dong Xuebing’s face changed and thought something had happened to her. He immediately ran towards her direction.

Yu Qianqian also ran over. “Mum, are you ok?”

Dong Xuebing found Yu Meixia after about 2 to 3 minutes. But he did not see any poisonous snakes or hooligans, and Yu Meixia was standing there, pointing to a small cliff. “Look, is that the place in the painting?”

Dong Xuebing was stunned as he looks around. Damn! This is the place they were searching for.

Yu Meixia was in a good mood as she knew she had helped Chief Dong. “I will go back to bring our bags here.” Yu Qianqian also followed her mother to carry their bags.

After they returned, Dong Xuebing took the oil painting from her and walked a few steps to his left. He looked at the painting and his surroundings and walked another 5 steps forward before stopping to compare the painting with the cliff. That young man should have painted from this location. “Sister Yu, come over. Can you recognize the plants in this painting?”

Yu Meixia looked at the painting and pointed to the plants. “These are ordinary grasses... this is also a common flower in the mountains.”

Dong Xuebing asked. “What about the rest?”

Yu Meixia had worked in the fields for years and lived in the countryside for years. She is very familiar with plants. “These are wild vegetables, and you can eat it. This is also wild vegetables, but you can only use it as dumpling fillings as they are bitter.” She could identify most of the plants and flowers in the painting. In the end, she looked at the few leaves on the ground. “These... I have never seen these plants before.”

Dong Xuebing turned to Yu Qianqian. “Qianqian, do you recognize this plant?”

Yu Qianqian shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Dong Xuebing stared at the painting. The trees in the background and the cliff should not be what Zhao Jingsong was interested in. Other than the commonly found flowers and plants, the small plants with leaves on the ground should be what he is interested in. There are 6 to 7 plants near to this area and another 10 of them in an area not far away. But the plants further away had lesser leaves.

Yu Meixia asked curiously. “These are?”

“I am not sure.” Dong Xuebing kneeled in front of that unidentified plant. “Come, let’s find out.”

Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian might not know, but Dong Xuebing knew some grass or plants can fetch high prices. For example, some rare orchids had been sold for a few million RMB. Although orchids are not so expensive now, there are still lots of unique flowers and plants around. He just doesn’t know how much do plants worth.

Dong Xuebing examined the plant carefully and touched the leaves.

After a while, Dong Xuebing made his decision. “Help me take the spade and knife from my bag. I need the flowerpot too.”

Yu Meixia immediately takes out the things Dong Xuebing asked and passed it to him.

Dong Xuebing was afraid he would damage the plant and used his hands to dig out the soil around the plant gently. Dong Xuebing used the spade on the area further away from the plant, and he felt this must be a rare plant. Since they do not know what this plant is, he might as well bring the whole plant back in a flowerpot. He can take pictures of the plant and post it on the internet or ask around to see if anyone can identify it.

Suddenly, Dong Xuebing’s hands touched the roots part of the plant.

Dong Xuebing was surprised at the size of this plant’s thick and long roots. The roots were thicker than the part of the plant above ground and were about the width of his thumb and had long root hair. It went very deep into the ground and Dong Xuebing patiently brush the soil away, taking care not to harm the roots. After a while, he managed to dig the plant out from the ground.

Dong Xuebing, Yu Meixia, and Yu Qianqian were stunned as they looked at the plant in Dong Xuebing’s hand.

Yu Qianqian gasped. “It’s Ginseng! This is ginseng!”

Dong Xuebing did not realize this was a ginseng plant when he was digging. But now, when he held the plant in his hands, he recognizes it immediately. Dong Xuebing is more knowledgeable than Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian and knew this is not any ordinary ginseng. This is wild ginseng and it is at least a 100 years old Wild Ginseng!

How can this be possible?

How can Hebei Province have such high-quality wild ginseng?

Dong Xuebing felt this was unbelievable. Most of the wild ginseng comes from Chang Bai Mountains because the temperature and environment there are most suitable for ginseng to thrive. All the wild ginseng found there are top grade and ginseng can be found in places with the same latitude. In the northern area of Hebei’s mountainous region, North Korea, Ukraine, etc. also have wild ginseng, but the quality cannot be compared to Chang Bai Mountains’ Ginseng. But the ginseng Dong Xuebing found was the same grade as the ginseng found in Chang Bai Mountains. The roots were thick and long. This should be at least 100 years old!

Yan Tai County have wild ginseng?

Absolutely impossible! At most, there is some cultivated ginseng, but not for wild ginseng!

Dong Xuebing could not understand why there is wild ginseng here. Maybe the climate and weather at Da Sen back mountain are different. Although the temperature and altitude here are not suitable for wild ginseng, one should not underestimate the power of nature.

Yu Meixia asked with a trembling voice. “This... Is this ginseng valuable?”

Is ginseng valuable? Of course!

There are many categories for ginseng. In the supermarkets, the Sha Ginseng (upright lady bell roots) and American Ginseng were worthless. These were selling for a few RMB for a packet. When Dong Xuebing’s mother was sick, she often bought this and brew water to drink. Anyone can afford these ginsengs. The cultivated ginsengs are not very valuable and cost a few hundred to a few thousand for one. But wild Ginsengs are different and are said to be able to prevent aging and even cure cancer, etc. The length of this wild ginseng should be at least 100 years and weighs about 100 grams. 1 gram of a 100 years old wild ginseng is worth more than 10,000 RMB! It is more valuable than gold!

Dong Xuebing was excited. “Of course, this is valuable!”

Yu Meixia mumbled. “Then... then what should we do now?”

Dong Xuebing replied. “We will bring all of these ginsengs back. Remember, this is only between the three of us. Don’t let anyone else know.”

Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian nodded.

Dong Xuebing rolled up his sleeves and was about to continue digging the remaining ginseng when he stopped. He washed his hands and used his iPhone 4 to check on the steps on digging and preserving wild ginseng. He does not want to damage the ginseng during the digging process and lower the value of it. He must be careful as he found out on the internet that the value of the wild ginseng will drop if any of the root hair is damage.

After reading up on how to dig wild ginseng, Dong Xuebing said. “Let’s start work. Sister Yu, Qianqian, you two need to help. Watch out, don’t damage the root hair.”

Yu Meixia replied timidly. “I’m afraid... I’m afraid I will damage...”

Dong Xuebing said. “It’s alright. I had checked on the internet, and the lesser leaves the ginseng plant have, the shorter is the age. The value will also be lower. You and Qianqian can pick the ones with lesser leaves. Even if you damage the roots, the value will also not be lowered by much. If you two don’t help me, I can’t finish digging all these ginseng before dark.”

Yu Meixia felt this is an important task. “I..., I will do my best.”

Yu Qianqian is very smart. She stood behind to watch how Dong Xuebing digs the roots before teaching her mother.

Dong Xuebing successfully dug out the second wild ginseng, and this was not as old as the first ginseng. From the leaves, it should be around 25 years, and it was much smaller. Wild ginseng grows about 1 gram per year and a 20 years ginseng weighs about 20 grams. This ginseng is only worth tens of thousands of RMB and cannot be compared to the first one.

Yu Qianqian also dug ginseng and was carrying it in her hands. “Brother, I got one too.”

Dong Xuebing nodded. “Good. Yours should be around 10 years.” A 10 years old wild ginseng is only worth a few thousand RMB.

Yu Meixia also dug ginseng around 15 years old.

Dong Xuebing was not interested in these low-value ginsengs as they cant be sold at high prices. He might as well keep them as gifts for others. He looked around and picked a ginseng plant with lots of leaves. After a while, he dug up this ginseng and it is at least 80 years old. This should be worth a few hundred thousand.

Dong Xuebing turned around and picked a new target to dig.

A few minutes later, Dong Xuebing dug a 50 to 60 years old ginseng.

In another few minutes, Dong Xuebing got another 40 years old ginseng.

Half an hour....

1 hour...

Soon, two hours had passed, and the sun was setting.

“Chief Dong, we finish digging up all the ginseng.” Yu Meixia said.

Dong Xuebing looked at the sky and knew he did not have much time left. “Let’s look around and see if we had missed out any.” Dong Xuebing dug up a 50 years old ginseng and went to look around in the woods. But he could not find any. It seems wild ginseng could only survive in the back mountains. “There are no more around. Let’s go back. Thank you for your hard work today.”

Yu Meixia was so tired until she cannot straighten her back. “It’s my duty.”

Dong Xuebing did not use the two flowerpots as they were not big enough to hold all the ginsengs. But Dong Xuebing had brought a big plastic box with him and filled it with water. He placed all wild ginsengs in it to prevent damaging them on his way back. This was taught on the internet, and drying the ginseng after soaking the, will extend the shelf life. If not, wild ginseng will rot when kept at home.

On the way down.

The wild ginseng was not heavy, but the container of water was. Dong Xuebing had to carry the container and could not hold Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian’s hands.

Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian had slower reactions and coupled with their tiredness, they fell several times on their way back.

Dong Xuebing also tripped on some small pebbles and dropped the plastic container down the hill. All the wild ginsengs were scattered on the floor and many of their roots broke. Dong Xuebing immediately shouts BACK 5 seconds!

......

Everything flashed in front of his eyes.

Dong Xuebing was relieved when he did not trip himself. “Come, Sister Yu... both of you hold my arms, and it is safer. The road downhill is too dangerous.”

“No... no need.”

“Haha... then just treat it as holding me to prevent me from falling, ok?”

“Err... err...”

Yu Meixia hesitated and shyly used both hands to hold Dong Xuebing’s right arm. Yu Qianqian also held Dong Xuebing’s left arm to balance herself. At first, they were only holding on to Dong Xuebing’s upper arms, but as the trail got more dangerous, they wrapped their arms around Dong Xuebing. Left and right... One big and one small...

Of course, the big and small is not referring to Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian’s age. It was referring to their breast. With their arms wrapped around Dong Xuebing’s arms, Dong Xuebing could feel their chests as they walked unsteadily down the mountains. Yu Meixia’s breast felt soft and smooth and Yu Qianqian might be young, but she was very firm.

Because of them, Dong Xuebing lost concentration and almost rolled down the hill a few times. As a result, he used many BACKs!

......

Public Security Family Quarters.

After reaching home, Dong Xuebing removed the cloth covering the plastic container and entered the bathroom. He poured the muddy water away and filled it with clean water. Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian offered to help, but he rejected and asked them to watch TV in the living room. After that, he took out a small soft brush to clean off the mud on the ginseng carefully. After cleaning them, he hangs them by the window to dry.

Dong Xuebing counted his spoils and was overjoyed.

All the treasures Dong Xuebing picked in the past cannot be compared to these wild ginsengs. In total, he had picked a 100 years old, 90 years old, and more than a dozen wild ginsengs ranging from 10 to 80 years old. Wild ginsengs were rare nowadays and there were restrictions on harvesting them. Many of these wild ginsengs cannot be bought even if you have money. These ginsengs should be worth at least 3 million RMB.

3 million RMB!!!

This was a great find!!