"Hehehe, you pick the name, you're educated, so I'm sure it'll be a nice one."
Su Hu was a rough man, but he was skilled at coaxing his wife. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to marry the most beautiful young woman from the neighboring village during the time his family was very poor.
"Sister carries the character 'qiao,' which implies a clever and skilled girl."
Li Xiu'e liked the idea and gave him a shy look: "The child has a distinguished origin. Let's call her Sister Yu."
No!
That's so tacky!
The baby girl and the bird both shivered and couldn't help but mutter their disapproval.
"Ahem."
Li Xiu'e sensed the disdain from the person and the bird and coughed awkwardly, speaking softly to calm them down: "The child is still young. Let's call her Sister Yu for now. When she grows up, learns to read, and recognizes characters, she can choose her own name."
"Hehe."
The baby girl understood and laughed happily, her bright big eyes forming into a crescent moon shape, looking extremely adorable.
"Sister Yu, that's a good name. It rolls off the tongue easily."
Su Hu, unaware of the baby girl and the bird's secret exchange, buttered up his wife shamelessly, causing Li Xiu'e's ears to turn red.
"Mom and Dad, I've brought the small shovel and basket."
Sister Qiao was quick on her feet, and she had run back from the yard during their conversation, panting excitedly with a bright red flush on her cheeks from the vigorous exercise.
"Wife, you and the kids stand back, watch out for the mud."
With the small shovel, Su Hu dug the hole more efficiently, excavating the soil quickly, with dirt splattering everywhere.
"Be careful, don't damage the roots!" Li Xiu'e couldn't help but remind him.
"Don't worry."
Su Hu patted his chest confidently: "Before we got married, my grandpa and I went hunting in the mountains, and we found ginseng. It wasn't as big as this, just a small finger-sized ginseng. Grandpa couldn't see it well, so I alone dug it up, without damaging a single root."
"Alright, you dig; we'll watch."
Li Xiu'e let go of her worries, pulled Sister Qiao and Doudou a few steps back, and watched as the Hundred-Year-Old Ginseng, as thick as a little girl's arm, gradually appeared before their eyes. Their hearts beat faster and faster.
A Hundred-Year-Old Ginseng, how much silver would it be worth?
Heaven was kind to them, and their family no longer needed to worry about filling their stomachs.
********
"Wife, I want to go to town, take advantage of the ginseng's fresh roots, and sell it at a good price."
After digging up the ginseng and carefully hiding it in the basket, Su Hu, following his past experience of selling ginseng with his grandpa, wanted to leave immediately for Furong Town, the closest town to Woniu Village, to sell the ginseng.
"It's getting late, it will take you at least until the afternoon to reach Furong Town, and it's more than a dozen miles back."
Li Xiu'e was concerned, worried about her husband's old leg injury, and the pain in his swollen knee that could be unbearable in the cold weather.
"It's not a problem, there's a donkey cart going to town on the other side of the river. It's 3 cents per ride. If I take the donkey cart, I can get to Furong Town by noon and be back by evening." Su Hu had his own plan and was determined to go.
"Mom, I want to go with Dad to Furong Town."
Sister Qiao shyly joined the conversation, looking at her parents with anticipation.
"Me too."
Doudou was his sister's little follower, wanting to go wherever she went.
"Yiya."
The little girl also waved her hands cheerfully, her shiny black eyes glittering, showing her interest.
"Do you want to go too, Sister Yu?" Li Xiu'e asked without thinking.
In her mind, the little girl at this moment was no different from the Fortune Child bestowed upon them by heaven.
Having the little girl with them would ensure a smooth trip to Furong Town to sell the ginseng.