The Harvest in the Mountains
Jian Yiling awoke before dawn, the sky barely beginning to shift from black to a pale shade of gray. Her movements were silent and deliberate, careful not to wake her children as she gathered her tools: a small woven basket, a sturdy knife, and a trowel for digging.
She knelt by the bed, brushing Yun'er's messy hair aside to kiss her warm cheek, then leaned over to lightly pat Little Zhi's shoulder. "Mama's going out for a bit," she whispered softly to their sleeping forms. "I'll bring back something good for us."
Wrapping her scarf snugly around her neck, she slipped into the cold morning air.
The mountain stretched before her like an ancient guardian, its slopes shrouded in mist and silence. Its dangers were as vast as its riches—wild animals, treacherous paths, and unpredictable weather. But it also held treasures, and Jian Yiling's sharp eyes knew how to find them.
She had mapped the terrain in her mind over her previous trips, recalling a hidden grove where ginseng might grow. After two hours of careful climbing, her perseverance was rewarded. Nestled under the roots of a massive pine tree, its leaves barely visible under the thick moss, was what she had been searching for: a 100-year-old wild ginseng, its thick, gnarled roots testifying to its age.
Jian Yiling knelt and studied it closely. "You'll feed us, clothe us, and keep us warm," she murmured to herself as she dug around the plant's base with steady hands. After carefully extracting it, she stored it in a pouch she'd prepared, her heart light with victory.
As the morning stretched on, she gathered more treasures—bundles of rare herbs that could fetch a high price, wild vegetables to supplement their meals, and a cluster of mushrooms she recognized as edible. With her basket heavy and her spirits high, she began her descent.