Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start

On the way back, Xu Yang turned off the live stream.

He didn't know that his story had gone viral online.

As soon as Xu Yang got home, a middleman specializing in ginseng purchasing came looking for him.

There were quite a few middlemen around here, and they were always sniffing out tips.

Whenever they heard about ginseng, they would be the first to come asking for the price.

The wild ginseng Xu Yang had dug up was complete from its leaves to its roots.

Top-grade wild ginseng with sixth-grade leaves and eighty years of age was quite rare in the entire Changbai Mountain ginseng market.

The two sides followed the normal process, inspecting the goods before quoting a price.

Once it was confirmed that it was indeed top-grade wild ginseng, the middleman began to inquire how much Xu Yang was planning to sell it for.

This was all a psychological game, as soon as Xu Yang named a price, they would know his mental threshold, and then start their bidding.

Xu Yang had a bottom line, 200,000 was the minimum, but as the market for top-grade ginseng was highly volatile, he believed that 250,000 was also achievable.

Xu Yang asked the middleman how much he was willing to offer.

"180,000, this price is about right. We are not here to cheat you or anything, we've been buying ginseng for so many years, we know the prices well," the middleman said.

He was good at talking, and his tone was relaxed, a sign of an experienced negotiator.

These kinds of middlemen were shrewd, using the calmest tone to make the seller feel like they had made a profit.

While Xu Yang was a recent college graduate and not skilled in bargaining, he was decisive and not easily misled.

"It's a bit lower than my expectation, for now, I will keep your offer in mind while I check with a few more buyers," Xu Yang replied.

"After all, this is something worth 200,000, and I can't just sell it offhand."

"Leave your contact information. I'll need to contact you."

Xu Yang said bluntly.

"Is that really necessary? Running around the mountains is dangerous for you, I've seen it all, you were even chased by a wild boar."

"Here's the deal, we'll offer 200,000, and that's really the highest price. No one is going to offer more than that," the middleman insisted, his tone sounding sincere.

"I'll look around some more."

Xu Yang remained calm.

And from the words of the middleman, he sensed changes in the top-grade wild ginseng market; the value of wild ginseng was higher than it had been in previous years.

Seeing this, the middleman tried to negotiate further, but Xu Yang didn't budge, and their first negotiation ended like that.

In the evening, the second wave of middlemen came knocking.

The highest they could offer was also 200,000, claiming that was the market rate for eighty-year-old sixth-grade leaves wild ginseng.

Xu Yang suspected that these middlemen might all be connected.

He didn't commit yet, but after dinner, he drove the van to the town's pharmacy to inquire about pricing there.

The pharmacy was relatively more official.

Also, they knew that wild ginseng was in demand, so their offer would probably be higher.

The old pharmacy master carefully lifted the ginseng out of the dirt, observing the complex structure and lush rootlets, a hint of amazement in his eyes.

This area was a source of traditional Chinese medicine, and countless medicinal herbs were transported across the country each year. The pharmacy master had handled many herbs, but it had been a long time since he had seen eighty-year-old wild ginseng.

"It's wild ginseng, the ninth node is just beginning to form, about eighty-five years old," he said.

"Haven't seen one like this in a long time."

"It's very well preserved, including the leaves. Your ginseng digging skills aren't bad either. With quality like this, the ginseng's value is relatively higher," the master commented, not diminishing the value of the ginseng in an attempt to lower the price.

Xu Yang listened to his explanation and waited for the offer.

In the end, the pharmacy was willing to pay 250,000.

Just like that, with one trip, he made 50,000 more than what the middlemen offered.

So many times, it pays to not be afraid of a bit of trouble.

Xu Yang knew this was a relatively high price and readily agreed.

The deal was done on the spot. Xu Yang recorded a video for proof, and the pharmacy transferred the money to Xu Yang's bank account.

The transaction was a success.

Today's Mountain Rushing had indeed been extremely lucrative.

Earning 250,000 in a day.

In the past, he wouldn't even have dared to dream of such a thing.

Every year, during ginseng harvesting season, many mountain runners would go into the mountains to search for ginseng. Most of the wild ginseng would be valued between 10,000 and 20,000, with the occasional find exceeding 100,000 for top-grade ginseng.

But such cases were very rare, only appearing a few times a year.

Whenever such stories were told, people would show envious expressions.

Xu Yang was no different; he never imagined something like this would happen to him.

After acquiring the system, everything seemed to have changed.

Having made a fortune, Xu Yang felt elated.

Driving the family van back home, he felt even the wind was free.

The world was inherently unfair; some people were born with a golden key in their mouths, but the vast majority were born into ordinary families and had to struggle just to survive.

For Xu Yang, the feeling of earning money was indeed pleasant.

After returning, Xu Yang discussed something with his parents at the store.

He wanted to renovate the yard at home and build a better house.

Upon hearing this, his parents were completely opposed.

"Keep the money you've earned for yourself; you'll definitely need it in the future. Our yard is just fine as it is, don't waste that money," Xu Hongshan immediately said.

"The courtyard has just been refurbished not too long ago; it's still in good condition. There's no need for renovation. As long as we live a good life, that's enough—no need for any extravagance that might attract unwanted envy," Xu Yang's mother also didn't want him to squander money.

Hearing this, Xu Yang could only nod silently.

Earning money, the first thing he thought of was to help his parents with something, but they didn't need him to do anything.

Xu Hongshan then said:

"If you're contracting a farm and you don't have enough money, just tell us. Your mother and I have some savings; you can use that first."

Hearing this, Xu Yang waved his hand,

"No need, you guys keep your money. Buy whatever you want with it, I don't need it."

"Our little farm here doesn't cost much money anyway."

"Aren't I starting live streaming this month? That should earn some money as well."

When the topic of live streaming came up, his parents also shared their opinions.

The family was harmoniously joyful.

The atmosphere in Xu Yang's family had always been good; it was precisely because of this that his character and personality were commendable.

The influence of one's original family is significant.

Later, while Xu Yang's mother went to the front of the store, Xu Hongshan talked to him about the encounter with the wild boar today.

A father's care wasn't always easy to express.

"You ran into a wild boar in the mountains today?" Xu Hongshan asked.

"I did, but I managed to chase it away," Xu Yang nodded.

"Be more careful next time; wild boars have tough hides."

"It's okay, I'm fast at climbing trees; there's nothing to worry about."

"Still, be cautious."

"Alright."

That concluded the father-son conversation about the wild boar.

At this point, Xu Yang's mother still didn't know what had happened today. Once she found out later, she nagged Xu Yang several times.

Xu Yang could only say he would be more careful next time.

After chatting leisurely with his parents, Xu Yang returned to the courtyard in the village.

It was just past nine at night.

The wind on a summer night blew cool and refreshing.

Xu Yang was in the courtyard, feeding Little Black and Big Yellow.

The Little Black Dog was truly adorable and incredibly clumsy and cute.

"Sit down!"

Xu Yang commanded Little Black.

This time, Little Black was somewhat puzzled, wagging its tail uncertainly. Big Yellow, somewhat anxious, reached out a paw to push Little Black's bottom, making it sit.

The scene was joyous to watch.

"Little Black, stand up!"

"Turn around!"

"Lie down!"

Xu Yang began training Little Black.

With Big Yellow teaching by example, Little Black learned quickly, and soon, it could understand Xu Yang's commands.

The little fellow was sly and smart.

Xu Yang found it increasingly delightful.

Little Black was a good dog.

Properly trained, it could truly accompany him into the mountains to look for mountain goods when it grew up.

After all, entering the mountains was dangerous; having a companion was best.

Of course, at the moment, he had no idea that in the future he would have two companions when venturing into the mountains.

Both little ones were growing robustly.