The history of ginseng mining in the Changbai Mountain area can be traced back to the Jurchen or Bohai Kingdom periods.
At that time, ginseng was a tribute paid by the Northeastern ethnic minorities to the Central Plains Dynasty, which shows its value.
After hundreds of thousands of years of development, countless ancestors traveled through the mountains and forests in search of ginseng, leaving behind many experiences and rules.
In the past, there were special ginseng gangs who made a living by digging ginseng in the mountains. These people started going into the mountains in spring and went out before the snow fell.
According to the different growth seasons of ginseng, the season for planting can be divided into Yacao City, Qingcao City, Chive Flower Market, Xiao Jia Bian'er City, Da Jia Bian'er City, Qing Bangtou City, Hong Bangtou City and Huangluo Umbrella.
Among them, counting Honglangtou City is the easiest.
At this time of year, the ginseng seeds are ripe and the bright red clusters sway in the wind, as if waving to people.
A little red among the greenery is the most conspicuous.
Therefore, most people will rush into the mountains at this time.
I hope I can find a big tree in the vast forest, dig it up, sell it at a good price, and improve my life.
Xu Shiyan carried his luggage and walked through the forest, all the way to the vicinity of the Immortal Cave.
He was alone and didn't plan to go too far, so he designated this place with a radius of more than ten miles as a mountain farm.
When people enter the mountains, the first thing they do is pay homage to the mountain god.
Use three stones, two vertical and one horizontal, to form the "Laoye Mansion", which is the temple of the mountain god Laotou.
Place three twigs in front of the old man's house as incense, kneel down and pray to the mountain god for peace and prosperity.
After worshiping the mountain god, you should choose a hillside with leeward direction and facing the sun, and build a tent on the ground, which is a shack for the mountain people to live in.
First chop three wooden poles with a quick axe, then dig up some poplar trees and tie the wooden poles together with the soft bark of the elm tree to support a tripod.
A whole piece of birch bark was peeled off from the birch tree, covered with thatch to protect it from rain, and hay and animal skins were spread inside to protect it from moisture. This was considered a temporary home for the mountaineers.
After setting up the moat, we still need to cut some dry firewood from the surrounding areas.
It is very cold at night in Changbai Mountain, and there are many wild animals. Making a fire can keep warm, drive away mosquitoes, prevent wild animals, and provide direction for those who are lost.
The placement of firewood is also very particular, and it must be arranged according to the meaning of success.
After finishing all this work, most of the day passed, so I lit a fire, boiled water, ate, and rested.
After breakfast the next morning, we began to officially release the mountain, which is also called mountain pressing, mountain opening, pressing trip, and planting grass.
If you go into the mountain in a gang and there are many people, everyone should stand together and shout in unison before pressing down the mountain. The purpose is to scare away the wild animals, which is also called rocking the mountain.
Xu Shiyan was alone, and because this place was not too far from the big house and there were not many wild animals, he skipped the mountain and took a treasure hunting stick in hand, leaving the shack and wandering into the mountains.
Suobao stick, also called Suobao stick, is a six-foot-long wooden stick with a red rope tied to the top and copper coins tied to both ends of the red rope.
There are lush vegetation in the mountains and forests, and I don’t know what is hidden in the grass.
The herders hold treasure-seeking sticks in their hands and use the sticks to poke the trunks of grass and trees while walking to frighten away snakes or other small animals hiding in them.
At the same time, you can also push through the weeds and discover ginseng.
Every time you walk a section of the road, you have to "beat the kidnappers", which is to break thin branches at ninety degrees and use them as marks to indicate that you have walked through this place.
It's not easy to wander around in the mountains. You can't talk, and you can't shout when you see something.
Xu Shiyan went into the mountain alone, which saved him some trouble.
He walked around slowly, his eyes constantly wandering through the grass, not letting go of every inch of land and every flower and grass.
When you are tired, you "take a squat", that is, rest. When you are hungry, you "take a meal", that is, eat. When the craving for cigarettes comes, you "take a fire."
"Taking" means auspiciousness and success in Manchu, all for getting big ginseng.
Xu Shiyan wandered around the mountains for a whole day without opening his eyes, so he had to go back to Dijianzi to rest.
It was common for a mountaineer to go into the mountains without "opening his eyes" for a few days. Xu Shiyan was not discouraged and went about making fire, cooking and sleeping step by step.
But at night, there was a faint howl of wolves in the distance, and Xu Shiyan didn't sleep well.
It started to rain in the middle of the night. Although it stopped raining in the morning, the temperature was still very low. Xu Shiyan put on a torn leather jacket and torn leather trousers, and then put on a raincoat.
The leather jacket and leather trousers were all given to him by Mrs. Li. When Lao Li was young, he often went to the mountains to look after ginseng. Now that he is old and looking for ginseng in the mountains, these things are all left at home.
When she heard that Xu Shiyan wanted to go into the mountains, Mrs. Li took out all the old man's belongings and gave them to Xu Shiyan.
It had just rained, and there were crystal raindrops on the leaves and grass. When the wind blew them down, it started to rain again.
Xu Shiyan was wearing a leather jacket, leather trousers, and a raincoat. He was not afraid at all. He still held the rope stick in his hand and wandered in the other direction.
After walking for half an afternoon, my eyes suddenly lit up. Among the green leaves in front of me, a bit of red stood out.
Xu Shiyan walked quickly over and came closer. He looked carefully and saw that it was indeed a small ginseng seed.
Looking down along the ginseng seeds, four palm-shaped compound leaves grow on the purple-black stems.
Ginseng, according to different growth years and different biological characteristics of different ages, can be divided into "Sanhua'er", "Pashang", "Erjiazi", "Dengtaizi", "Four-leaf" and "Wu-leaf" from small to large.
", "Six leaves".
If it is a garden ginseng, it can grow to five or six leaves in a six-year growth period.
However, the growth cycle of wild ginseng is extremely long. Each stage takes several years or decades, especially the later stages. It is possible that it can take hundreds of years to produce just one additional leaf.
In other words, if you count the leaves of a ginseng, the more leaves it has, the larger the ginseng may be and the more valuable it may be.
Generally, five leaves can produce a large quantity, and six leaves can be used to store a large quantity.
There are four leaves, that is, four leaves, and the ginseng underneath will not be very big.
Going into the mountains to open your eyes and encountering four leaves is actually unlucky in the eyes of many people.
Xu Shiyan stared at the ginseng tree for a while and then shouted, "Bangchui."
This mountain is called Shouting Mountain. Legend has it that ginseng can become a spirit and run away. When you meet a ginseng, you shout a stick and the ginseng trembles in fright and freezes.
"How many kinds of leaves?" If there are many people coming, others will continue to ask after hearing it. This is called picking up the mountain.
"Bangchui, do you want to take it?" This refers to the size of the ginseng, and then asks whether to dig it.
Four has the same pronunciation as death and has a bad connotation, so most people don’t say it directly when they meet four leaves, they just say stick and stick, and the other party understands it.
"Take it." Xu Shiyan hesitated for a moment, but decided to dig it.
A person must follow the procedures that need to be followed, so he did all the hard work by himself.
When I decided to dig this ginseng tree, I first took out a red rope with copper coins tied to it, which is the mallet lock, and locked the mallet.
Wrap the red cord of the mallet lock around the ginseng straw, and place the copper coins at both ends on the stick or branches that have been inserted into the ground to prevent the mallet from escaping.
Ginseng is a plant and will not escape naturally.
This is mainly because the terrain is complicated due to the high mountains, dense forests, and mixed ginseng and grass. It is easy to lose sight if you don't mark it well.
The mallet lock uses a red rope, which is very conspicuous in the green, making it easy for people to lock the target.