Under the light blue sky, railings stood on the gently rolling hillside, neatly dividing the ginseng plantation. The emerald ginseng seedlings weren't tall, with large serrated leaves spreading low on the soil like a green carpet.
The ginseng plantation wasn't far from the processing factory. Boss Peng drove past the gate, waving to the people at the entrance before driving in with familiar ease.
Everyone, both humans and supernatural beings, got out of the car, breathing in the fresh air and finally feeling refreshed in the remote suburbs.
Taking advantage of the nice weather, Boss Peng led Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao toward the fields, using ginseng as a conversation starter. Anyone wanting to discuss matters needs a starting point - refined people discuss poetry and literature, wealthy people talk about luxury cars and yachts, and as the conversation progresses, they eventually get to the real matter at hand.
Boss Peng spoke knowledgeably about ginseng: "Ginseng is called the king of herbs. Outsiders always think ginseng is expensive, but actually, depending on the cultivation method, different types of ginseng vary greatly in price."
"Little Chu, since you grow ginseng, you should know that its grade depends on the cultivation method. There's wild mountain ginseng, forest-grown ginseng, transplanted mountain ginseng, and cultivated ginseng. What we're looking at here is all cultivated ginseng," Boss Peng stood by the path, leading them down to the field. "Cultivated ginseng is grown in artificial ginseng pools or greenhouses, so naturally it can't fetch very high prices, but it's good for soup or as raw material."
"I see," Chu Zhishui carefully followed along. "This ginseng field looks huge."
"It used to be much smaller, but I gradually acquired more land. Later, when we built the factory, we slightly reduced the plantation area. Relying solely on cultivated ginseng income isn't enough." Boss Peng asked curiously, "Do you also grow cultivated ginseng?"
"We don't grow cultivated ginseng," Chu Zhishui hesitated, "I think ours would be considered forest-grown ginseng."
Old Bai himself might be a wild mountain ginseng - he sowed seeds in the forest without human intervention, so it should be classified as forest-grown ginseng.
"Growing forest ginseng requires woodland - your bureau must have a large area then?"
"To be honest, I'm from Huaijiang, and the bureau there has plenty of forest land."
Chu Zhishui didn't know where the bureau got its forestland and wasteland from, but there were very few buildings, mostly unused land. Since the bureau was in the suburbs of Huaijiang, the empty land had little use and low value.
"Oh, then you probably haven't seen much cultivated ginseng farming. It's not easy work - they say ginseng is grown on your knees because you have to crawl on the ground to work with it," Boss Peng smiled. "We can see more if we go further in."
Boss Peng led the way, with Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao following behind.
The further they went, the muddier the fields became, perhaps from recent watering, making walking rather unpleasant.
Boss Peng showed no airs, rolling up his suit pants and stepping into the field in his leather shoes, not minding the dirt at all. He suggested, "You two can stay here if you don't like it. My son never wants to come in here either."
Chu Zhishui thought she should be polite and accompany Boss Peng for a bit, but just as she was about to step into the field, Xin Yunmao blocked her path with his arm.
Xin Yunmao's expression was cold as he questioned, "Where are you going?"
Chu Zhishui froze, not understanding why he looked so serious, and replied, "I'm going to take a look."
Xin Yunmao frowned: "Every time you go into the fields, you get filthy, and I'm the one who has to clean up after you."
"???"
"I don't always..." Chu Zhishui was about to loudly refute his mention of her embarrassing past, but catching sight of Boss Peng's bewildered expression from the corner of her eye, she quickly lowered her voice and said indignantly, "You can drink carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly. It was just that one time in the tea garden."
Although Chu Zhishui went bare-faced at the Huaijiang Bureau, she considered herself a decent professional usually - how could she be described as filthy?
Xin Yunmao: "You also got muddy that time with the on-site compensation."
Chu Zhishui looked confused, finally remembering after his reminder that she had indeed gone into the fields when calculating compensation for Old Li, though she'd been surprised at the time that her shoes hadn't gotten muddy.
Hearing their bickering, Boss Peng looked between them hesitantly and asked, "Little Chu, are you two..."
Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao hadn't talked much during the trip, so Boss Peng hadn't noticed anything initially, but now after hearing their conversation, he seemed to be picking up on something.
Seeing his thoughtful expression, Chu Zhishui hurried to explain, fearing misunderstanding: "We're colleagues."
"Oh—" Boss Peng had a moment of realization, "A dual-career family."
Chu Zhishui froze: "..."
Xin Yunmao asked in confusion: "What's a dual-career family?"
Chu Zhishui was nearly driven to distraction by them. She took a deep breath to calm herself and said through gritted teeth: "Stop asking questions, or I'll warn you about hand-chopping bamboo."
"?"
Fortunately, Boss Peng hadn't heard Xin Yunmao's question. He went down into the field first, saying, "Then don't come down! I'll go look myself, just wait a moment. Haven't checked closely in a while, can't help myself."
Though Xin Yunmao had stopped Chu Zhishui from entering the field, he followed Boss Peng down the slope, his long legs moving quite naturally through the mud. He looked back at her on the slope, his eyes like dew-covered ink jade: "What do you want to see? I'll look for you."
Chu Zhishui saw his frank expression, and her earlier irritation at being called filthy dissipated. She lowered her eyes, pondering for a few seconds before saying softly: "Just the cultivated ginseng farming."
Xin Yunmao nodded and turned to follow Boss Peng deeper in, leaving only his tall, straight figure behind.
Chu Zhishui now had an indescribable feeling in her heart.
There was no need to be angry with him - this guy even complained about shampoo scents and had all sorts of peculiar habits, but none of them carried any malice.
It's just that she seemed to have become too familiar with him, losing her sense of social etiquette and boundaries, always revealing her true thoughts when provoked. Because she knew he wouldn't take it to heart, she could occasionally tease him or joke around, subconsciously believing their relationship was particularly stable.
But truthfully, she had only met him after joining the Huaijiang Bureau, and counting the time, it hadn't been very long. It had taken her much longer to truly become close friends with Wang Yiwen and others, but now she was like an out-of-control rocket unable to grasp its direction, inexplicably shooting to new heights.
Xin Yunmao walked around the plantation with Boss Peng, who explained many ginseng cultivation techniques, clearly very familiar with the fields. He appeared to be self-made, different from many executives who stayed in their offices.
After touring the plantation, they went to the processing factory to learn about raw material processing and which products yielded high profits. Chu Zhishui found it extremely informative; although she had researched before, talking with a real expert provided a different level of information.
Through their conversations, she also formed an understanding of Boss Peng. He was an old-school, modest boss who had seized opportunities to make money when young, but retained the diligence of someone who worked the fields. He liked to handle things personally, often checking the ginseng garden, and frequently mentioned his son, sometimes muttering about not understanding young people's thinking.
"You're both really patient. My son would have been bored long ago - he won't even come to the ginseng garden when I ask," Boss Peng sighed. "He just sits in the office, busy figuring out how to advertise, never comes to look at this side."
Chu Zhishui said gently, "It's certainly important to focus on the source in the early stages, but now that the company and factory are stable, it's also necessary to build brand awareness through advertising. You and your son make a great father-son team, with one managing production and the other managing the brand - it's perfect."
"If my son could speak as well as you, I wouldn't have to worry so much nowadays," Boss Peng laughed heartily, then added regretfully, "It's a pity I can't take you to the forest area. The really valuable ones are the wild mountain ginseng and forest-grown ginseng, which aren't in the plantation."
"Is the forest area far?"
"No, it's not far," Boss Peng looked at them hesitantly and said with difficulty, "The forest area isn't very clean right now."
"Not clean?"
"...Well, it's hard to explain."
Chu Zhishui thought for a moment, then seemed to understand something and asked curiously: "Actually, I've always wondered, how did you know about the Observation Bureau?"
Boss Peng had consulted her about praying to gods at the bureau, and he didn't seem like someone who would know about supernatural beings. The fact that he could come to the Observation Bureau to get a number was quite remarkable.
"Well, it all started with strange happenings in the forest area. I didn't understand these things before, so I asked many friends about which master to seek or which temple to visit," Boss Peng explained. "Then a friend saw how worried I was and advised me not to panic, suggesting I should get a number from the machine at the Yinhai Bureau. If I couldn't get a number, there would be no problem, but if I could, someone would help."
Boss Peng was skeptical at the time, but since temples and Taoist shrines were already mysterious, he thought he might as well try his luck at the Observation Bureau.
"After hearing this, I went to the Yinhai Bureau. I did get a number from the machine, but my number was never called. Every day, they called other people's numbers. You know what happened after that."
Chu Zhishui understood in her heart. The self-service number machine at the Yinhai Bureau worked based on demon energy. Nothing would happen to ordinary people who came to the bureau, those with strong demon energy would get red numbers and would be quickly handled by Observation Department personnel, while those with weak demon energy would get gray numbers and begin a boring, endless wait.
Boss Peng was in an awkward situation, stuck in limbo.
Xin Yunmao calmly said, "Because you haven't encountered anything serious."
Boss Peng was shocked: "The ginseng guards in the forest area hear knocking on their doors at midnight, but when they open the door, there's no one there. Isn't that serious? Isn't that scary enough?"
Chu Zhishui was startled: "Oh, is that all? You can wear noise-canceling earplugs. Buy some good quality ones online."
Boss Peng shouted desperately: "You need to understand there's nobody else up in the mountains. Who knows what ghost is knocking on the door!"
"No, no, no, please calm down. There are no ghosts in this world," Chu Zhishui consoled him. "I used to be afraid of ghosts too, but after working at the bureau, I'm certain there are no ghosts."
Currently, she only had demon colleagues, not ghost colleagues.
Boss Peng's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. Suddenly remembering something, he argued: "But our surveillance cameras didn't capture anything, and there's definitely knocking every night. Now no one dares to stay up in the mountains anymore."
"Of course you can't see them if they haven't taken human form," Xin Yunmao said calmly. "It's just like how some people trip on flat ground, or things mysteriously disappear, or they feel pressure on their chest at night making it hard to breathe. These aren't really serious matters."
When demons transform into human form, it shows a certain level of skill, but transformation requires gathering large amounts of demon energy. There exists a state between demon energy and human form, similar to floating energy bodies, and some appear in their original form.
People born with the ability to see are more sensitive and often get bullied by them, like experiencing strange falls or having things mysteriously stolen. They don't cause major problems, just annoying ones.
Because they don't think like humans yet, they often play meaningless pranks.
Boss Peng asked patiently: "Then what counts as serious?"
Xin Yunmao replied matter-of-factly: "Death counts as serious."
"..."
Boss Peng looked at the expressionless Xin Yunmao and burst out: "Xin, this is where you're wrong. Is this how a public servant should talk? Your communication skills are worlds apart from little Chu!"
Chu Zhishui mediated: "He's a contract worker, not a civil servant."
Boss Peng earnestly advised: "I always tell my son, we shouldn't let small problems grow into big ones. We need to nip things in the bud, especially as the company grows bigger, steering becomes more difficult. We can't wait until we see the iceberg to change course..."
Xin Yunmao reminded him indifferently: "But this really won't turn into anything serious."
"So there's no solution?" Boss Peng said dejectedly. "We just let it continue?"
"Why not knock back at them?" Chu Zhishui winked. "When they knock, you knock back. Nobody gets to sleep tonight."
"..."
Facing the two calm individuals, Boss Peng's most agitated emotions were numbed. He stared at them absent-mindedly for a moment and mumbled: "You two really are a match, performing a comedy routine for me."
With Xin Yunmao saying nothing's serious unless someone dies, and Chu Zhishui suggesting knocking back at supernatural beings, they were quite the pair of troublemakers.
Chu Zhishui, Xin Yunmao: "!!?"
Xin Yunmao fell silent for a moment, pondering, then suddenly changed his attitude: "If they keep coming, they might have a request. Maybe we can solve it."
Chu Zhishui was initially shocked by Boss Peng's words, then shocked by Xin Yunmao offering advice. He usually just tended to plants at the bureau, rarely participating in any complicated matters, occasionally being called by her to water the tea garden with demon energy.
Since she realized his different employment status, she rarely assigned him work, feeling it would be cruel to frequently order him around for little pay.
Him taking the initiative to speak up was unprecedented.
Boss Peng excitedly asked: "Really?"
"Yes, but we need to go there and make some preparations."
"Good, good, good, I'll lead the way!"
The forest area was up the mountain along a small path beside the plantation. Wild ginseng grows completely naturally, while forest ginseng is artificially seeded among the trees, growing without any artificial fertilization or intervention, simulating wild ginseng growth.
These ginsengs need time to grow, so ginseng guards are stationed in the forest area to prevent theft and regularly check growth conditions.
Boss Peng led them to a forest cabin. Seeing the various tools at the door, he hurriedly added: "Right, I remember now, they also said every time they came back, everything at the door would be in chaos, all tools scattered on the ground, but without any signs of wild animals."
Xin Yunmao: "Still just pranks."
Boss Peng insisted: "You don't understand! We make money from ginseng, we have some reverence for these things!"
In the past, when harvesting wild ginseng, people would even go into the mountains to tie red strings around the ginseng, following many such customs.
Chu Zhishui smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, we don't understand, we've never had reverence for ginseng." They bullied Old Bai in the tea garden every day.
Xin Yunmao walked around the forest cabin, somehow now holding a dragon bone umbrella. After thinking for a while, he looked at Chu Zhishui and said: "Can't hear them here, I need to go in further."
"Where are you going?" Chu Zhishui hurriedly said, "Let me come with you."
Boss Peng and the others stayed in the cabin while the human and demon walked into the forest.
The forest was lush with vegetation, broken branches making creaking sounds underfoot, the air filled with the damp smell of soil. Clusters of oddly shaped plants grew under the tree trunks, thick shade blocking sunlight, making the forest gradually darker.
Chu Zhishui asked: "What did you say you couldn't hear earlier?"
Xin Yunmao: "Their power is too weak before taking human form, can't hear their voices clearly."
"You'll tell Boss Peng after hearing what they have to say?" Chu Zhishui looked at him in surprise and praised, "Indeed, no violence involved."
Thinking about it, he had only fought with Little Yellow and Little Black in the tea garden, and didn't directly conflict with other demons at other times.
"Hmph." Xin Yunmao lifted his chin proudly and said, "If they don't provoke me, why would I bother picking fights all the time?"
Holding the black umbrella handle that looked like a long bone, Xin Yunmao opened the dark blue dragon bone umbrella. He looked handsome and distinguished, like a figure from a misty ink painting. Regrettably, he wasn't wearing his hair in an ancient topknot or traditional robes today, but rather simple modern clothes.
Afraid of interfering with the matter at hand, Chu Zhishui stood quietly to the side, not interrupting him.
Noticing her silence, Xin Yunmao suddenly looked at her again. With one hand holding the umbrella and the other waving, he invited her to come to his side: "Would you like to see?"
"See what?"
Chu Zhishui walked under the umbrella in confusion, and then saw a brand new world.
Countless bright green lights floated through the forest, like beautiful fireflies in the night, or green gems condensed from the forest's spiritual energy. These green lights were like nature's eyes, blinking among the silent branches, moss, and leaves, twinkling and sparkling.
Chu Zhishui was mesmerized by the beautiful sight before her: "This is..."
In this familiar environment, Xin Yunmao's tone also became gentle: "Plant demons before they take human form."
All things have spirit, plants have hearts, none should be wronged carelessly.
The glowing green lights decorated the forest like a summer night sky full of stars.
Chu Zhishui reached out trying to catch a green light floating past, but her hand passed through nothing. Suddenly thinking of something, she asked with interest: "Were you like this before taking human form?"
It looked quite nice, quite a beautiful scene.
Hearing her enthusiasm, Xin Yunmao was unwilling to discuss his less powerful days, and changed the subject: "It's starting."
In the forest, he quietly listened to the words of the not-yet-humanized spirits. A faint, scattered sound drifted with the wind, like countless children whispering in the shadows.
They repeated one phrase back and forth, as if singing a nursery rhyme with cheeky grins.
[A lone man and woman sharing an umbrella, how shameless, how shameless.]
"..." Xin Yunmao paused for a moment, his tone turning cold with displeasure, "I've changed my mind. Let's use force after all."
Chu Zhishui couldn't hear the voices of the green lights and didn't understand why he suddenly turned hostile: "?"
An overwhelming surge of spiritual energy swept through, instantly throwing the green lights into chaos, creating a breathtaking scene like meteors across the sky.
[Someone's hitting children! Someone's hitting children!]
Chu Zhishui gazed at the scene in fascination, burning it deeply into his memory.
Countless points of light transformed into green vortexes within the spiritual energy.
[Mercy, Your Excellency! Mercy!]
[Ugh...]
Xin Yunmao sneered: "This method is indeed faster."
Spirits who dare to provoke are usually spoiled - one beating and they're already calling him 'Your Excellency.'
Chu Zhishui: "Did they speak? What are their demands?"
Xin Yunmao hesitated briefly before translating directly: "They want him to get lost."
"?"
Shortly after, Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao returned from the forest and sat in the cabin, discussing with the formally seated Boss Peng.
Unable to directly relay what the green lights had said, Chu Zhishui had to polish the message, saying gently: "Boss Peng, the situation is this: they feel that your ginseng harvesting activities in the forest over the past two years have seriously affected their normal lives. Considering they've already provided you with plenty of materials, and following the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, they hope you won't harvest for the next fifty years."
"Huh? But we've been following all legal regulations!" Boss Peng was bewildered, "We observe proper forest closure periods and allow for long recovery times."
Boss Peng believed he hadn't broken any laws and had always prioritized ecological protection, never over-harvesting ginseng.
Chu Zhishui coughed lightly: "Have you considered that your laws and their laws aren't the same system? Laws don't apply across species."
"..."
As humans, Boss Peng and his people naturally thought the recovery period was long enough, but the ginseng spirits certainly didn't agree. They wondered who decided the forest closure times and why nobody asked for their opinion.
"Besides, they seem to be minors. Even under human law, they wouldn't face severe penalties."
"So I've managed to offend underage... um..." Boss Peng stumbled over his words, fretting, "Do I just have to accept this?"
Chu Zhishui said matter-of-factly: "Well, we generally advise against fighting with children. After all, you must have seen human kids - young ones typically don't listen to reason."
Boss Peng worried: "If I don't agree, will they harm my family..."
Chu Zhishui waved his hands: "No, no, no, they won't kill anyone. They'll just keep causing trouble, knocking on doors at night."
Boss Peng asked: "How long will they keep that up?"
"Fifty years, probably," Xin Yunmao considered carefully, "If they get bored, maybe forty years."
"I might not even have forty years left," Boss Peng felt utterly helpless.
Boss Peng had never encountered anything so ridiculous. He had all the proper human permits for ginseng harvesting, but now the ginseng themselves were saying no harvesting allowed because they had lives and needed time to rest!
In fact, it was precisely because the forest was well-protected that spiritual energy was particularly abundant, allowing the ginseng to gradually develop consciousness. In a few more years, they might become sensible, like Old Bai who understood and showed gratitude, protecting Grandpa Chen and his granddaughter who had saved him. But for now, they were as unreasonable as children, causing trouble for no reason.
Of course, by the time the ginseng spirits truly became sensible, Boss Peng would probably be gone, and they would only be able to protect his descendants.
Boss Peng asked helplessly: "So I can only accept their demands?"
"No, you don't have to accept. You filed a court case at the bureau, and today's meeting is just private mediation. If you don't accept the mediation, just don't withdraw your case at the bureau," Chu Zhishui said calmly. "We're a proper institution, we follow procedures."
Xin Yunmao: "But their procedure will also take about forty years."
"Please understand, we're really understaffed, and our bureau chief admits it's normal for such institutions to be a bit slow."
Boss Peng stared at the two civil servants from the proper institution: "?"
