After worshiping the mountain god, you also have to offer incense and pray to Gui Ye, the originator of the ginseng digging business.

After offering incense, everyone divided the work under the leadership of the old leader——

There is no doubt that the old leader is the leader of the team. Behind him are two "side sticks", that is, the people who assist the leader. When the ginseng pickers are pulling the ginseng (picking ginseng and rowing the mountain), the nine people are arranged in a row.

A line, and the person on the edge is called a "bian stick";

Ginseng can also be collected by three people, seven people, or even more than ten people. However, it must be an odd number, not an even number. Five does not work, as five means "nothing".

The "side sticks" are arranged downwards, there are a few "dummy hands" with experience in digging ginseng, who are also masters, and the ones in the middle are the "picking poles". People like Lin Ze and Zhong Cheng who have just joined the team and have no experience are usually placed there.

Between "dummy hands";

Although the ginseng picking team led by the old leader is not large in number, it is fully equipped, and there is also a "pot cook" who specializes in cooking.

After assigning tasks and formations, the "dumb hand" named Ziantou specifically told Lin Ze and Zhong Cheng the rules they needed to abide by and the taboos they should avoid.

For example: you can't yell or say dirty words in the mountains to scare the ginseng; you can't call ginseng ginseng, it must be called a stick; you are not allowed to use words like digging and planing, which is disrespectful to ginseng; you can't sit on a tree stump.

——That is the dining table where the Mountain God eats...

Zhong Cheng clicked his tongue when he heard these rules and regulations, and couldn't help but whisper to Lin Ze: "What if I can't remember what I said wrong? How can I fix it, or can I run away just because of my words?"

"Just shut your mouth and act like a mute!"

After giving instructions to Zhong Cheng, Lin Ze turned his head and walked forward.

As a result, he was scolded again: "Don't be too close, even a stick can't push them away. Just be a stick length apart."

The "stick" mentioned in the tilt of the head is the tool used by ginseng pickers to clear the grass to find ginseng - the Solo stick. This stick can also be used as a walking stick on mountain roads to scare away snakes and wild beasts. The stick is as tall as a person, and the stick is

There is a hole in the upper part, and the animal tendons pass through the middle hole. Six copper coins tied with red ropes are worn on the animal tendons, which means six or six fortunes.

Copper coins are usually of Jiaqing or Xianfeng typefaces, and must not be made of Daoguang. Because Daoguang is the same as "stealing light", and Bangchui does not like light, so it is impossible to see ginseng where there is light.

Xiantou explained the rules in the mountain to the two novices, and everyone entered the mountain under the leadership of the old leader.

The leader first paid attention to whether there were any signs of other colleagues on the surrounding trees. If there were, it would prove that the mountain had been touched by others, and they would have to change places; if not, they would proceed according to the original plan.

"(Soushan).

"Check the guys in your backpacks and see if there are quite a few."

As soon as he started working with his head tilted, his experience showed. He knew that it was the first time for the two people who had just joined the team, and he was worried that they would hold back, so he reminded him specifically.

Lin Ze quickly put the backpack on the ground and checked the axe, scissors, and shovel inside...

Seeing Zhong Cheng's careless look, he checked him again.

Lao put his head up and shouted: "Take the guys, tighten the leggings, let's go to the mountains!"

There are many mosquitoes in the mountains, and occasionally you will encounter poisonous snakes. The leggings can prevent poisonous insects, mosquitoes and ants from getting into the crotch, so they should be tied at least to the bend of the knees.

The leggings should not be too loose, otherwise they will be easily torn by branches when walking in the forest.

Tighten your leggings and the team continues to move forward.

"Pull the sticks and pull the boat!"

Following the leader's loud slogan, everyone began to use Solo sticks to move the grass branches on the ground in an orderly manner.

About half an hour passed. Everyone was looking with their heads down, and no one spoke. There was only the "squeak" sound of wooden sticks scratching the grass and the crisp "ding-ding" sound of copper coins strung on the sticks colliding in the woods.
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Being too quiet in the woods is not a good thing. There are blind bears, wolves, and even Siberian tigers in the mountains. The boss will lead his disciples to shout for the mountains every once in a while, which has the effect of knocking on the mountains to frighten the tigers, frightening the wild beasts away.

The "side stick" has to knock three sticks on the tree trunk next to it from time to time to indicate its position.

The process of climbing the mountain is boring. You have to lower your head and repeat the same actions again and again. You can't eat or drink in the middle until you finish checking the mountain.

Soon, Zhong Cheng couldn't hold on any longer. He left the team on the excuse of peeing, found a big tree to rest, took out a pancake from his backpack and started to chew on it.

He was eating deliciously when he suddenly felt something cold on his neck. When he pressed it with his hand, it felt cool and smooth. He screamed in fright, let go of his hand and threw out a small green snake as thick as his thumb.<

/p>

At the same time, two marks were left on the back of his hand.

The advancing ginseng collection team heard the sound and quickly surrounded Zhong Cheng.

Zhong Cheng had fainted from fright. Lin Ze saw the injury on his hand and asked the boss anxiously: "Boss, he seems to have been poisoned. Please save him quickly!"

The boss said angrily: "He can't die. A little grass snake scared him like this! If you don't worry, just suck out his blood."

After a while, Zhong Cheng woke up and shouted: "Brother Lin, I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."

After hearing this, the boss went up and gave him two big-eared melon seeds: "What's the name of the ghost? You live well and don't say bad things!"

Zhong Cheng was stunned, but he didn't dare to speak anymore.

"Okay, that's it. Let's take a break, carry the pot and get the rice!"

When everyone heard this, they quickly found a few rocks to sit on, took out the hard steamed buns and pickles from the basket on their backs, and ate them.

After finishing the meal, everyone went to the stream to grab a few cups of water, drank enough, and then continued to get up and go hiking.

For the next half day, Zhong Cheng never dared to leave the team and followed Biantou honestly.

Before dark, Lao Tou took everyone into a shack.

I heard from Biantou that there are many such shacks in the mountains. Some are left by ginseng pickers, and some are used by hunters who go into the mountains to hunt temporarily.

There are pots and straw mats in the shack, as well as the salt and rice left by the hunters - these are the tacit rules left by everyone in the mountain mining or hunting industry. Whether it is mountain mining or hunting, they are both high-risk industries.

The temporary shacks built for rest can also be used by future ginseng pickers, and the excess food will be left for future use.

After a hard day, the boss called for the pot to cook more rice. He also asked everyone to take out the mushrooms and wild vegetables picked during the day, add some salt and dried roe deer meat, and cook it into a pot of stew.

.

After everyone had a delicious meal of game, they took an early rest.

Lin Ze spent ten days repeating the boring life in the mountains.

Ten days later, the boss suddenly asked the team to go back home and stop digging.

Others seemed to take it for granted and silently packed up their tools and prepared to go down the mountain.

Only Lin Ze was not willing to give in. He walked in the mountains for ten days without even seeing a single ginseng, so he just went back like this. Wasn't he suffering in vain?

He tilted his head and patted Lin Ze on the shoulder: "This is your first time. You will get used to it if you come out a few times in the future."

"Master, didn't I tell you that it would take a month to enter the mountain this time? Why did you go back so quickly?"
Chapter completed!