The history of ginseng mining in the Changbai Mountain area can be traced back to the Jurchen or Bohai periods.

At that time, ginseng was a tribute from the ethnic minorities in the Northeast to the Central Plains Dynasty, which shows its value.

Hundreds of thousands of years of development, countless ancestors who shuttled through the deep mountains and old forests in search of ginseng have left behind many experiences and rules.

In the past, there were special ginseng gangs, who pointed to the mountains to dig ginseng to live, and these people began to enter the mountains in the spring until they came out of the mountains before the snow fell.

The season of putting the mountain, according to the different seasons of ginseng growth, can be divided into sprout grass market, green grass market, leek flower market, small Jiabianer city, big Jiabianer city, Qinglangtou city, Honglangtou city, and Huangluo umbrella.

Among them, it is easiest to count the red hammer market.

At this time, the ginseng seeds are ripe, red and bright, swaying in the wind, as if beckoning to people.

A little red in the green bush is the most conspicuous.

So, most people will rush into the mountains at this time.

I hope to meet a big tree in the vast forest, dig it back and sell it at a good price, and improve my life.

Xu Shiyan carried his bags on his back, crossed the forest sea, and came all the way to the vicinity of the Immortal Cave.

He was alone, and he didn't plan to go too far, so he designated this place with a radius of more than ten miles as a mountain field.

When the mountain people enter the mountain, the first thing is to worship the old man of the mountain god.

With three stones, two vertical and one horizontal to build into the "old man's house", that is, the temple of the old head of the mountain god.

In front of the old man's house, three thin branches are inserted to replace the incense, and kneel down to pray for the mountain god to bless him and make a fortune.

After worshipping the mountain god, you should choose a leeward and sunny hillside and build a shack, that is, the shack where the mountain people live.

First, use a quick axe to chop three wooden poles, and then pick up some soft bark of poplars and elms to tie the wooden poles into a tripod.

Peel off the whole birch bark from the birch tree, put it on top to protect it from the rain, and spread hay and animal skins inside to prevent moisture, which can be regarded as a temporary home for the mountain herders.

After the ground is set up, I have to go around and chop some dry wood.

The night in Changbai Mountain is very cool, and there are many wild animals, so making a fire can keep warm, repel mosquitoes, prevent wild beasts, and guide the way for those who are lost.

The placement of firewood is also exquisite, and it has to be followed and taken smoothly.

After finishing all this work, most of the day passed, so I lit a fire to boil water, eat and rest.

The next morning, after breakfast, I began to officially release the mountain, which is also called pressing the mountain, opening the mountain, pressing the trip, and scattering grass.

If it is a gang into the mountain, there are many people, and everyone should stand together and shout in unison before pressing the mountain, the purpose is to scare away the beast, which is also called Huangshan.

Xu Shiyan was alone, and he relied on the fact that this place was not too far from the big house, and there were not many wild beasts, so he saved this Huangshan Mountain, and directly took the Suo Bao stick in his hand, and left the shack to go around the mountain.

Suo Bao Stick, also called Suo Bao Stick, is a six-foot-long wooden stick with a red rope tied to the top, and copper coins are tied to both ends of the red rope.

The mountains and forests are lush with vegetation, and I don't know what is hidden in the grass.

The mountain bearer holds a treasure stick in his hand, and as he goes, he uses the stick to hit the trunk of the grass and trees, and scares away the snakes or other small animals hiding in it.

At the same time, you can also remove the weeds and find ginseng.

Every time you walk a section, you have to "hit the crutches", that is, break the thin branches at 90 degrees and use them as a sign to indicate that the place has been walked.

It's not easy to walk around the mountains, you can't speak, and you can't shout when you see anything.

Xu Shiyan went into the mountain alone, but it also saved some trouble.

I wandered around slowly, my eyes kept wandering in the grass, and I couldn't let go of every inch of land and every flower and plant.

When you are tired, you will "take squatting", that is, to rest, when you are hungry, you will "take food", that is, to eat, and when you are addicted to smoking, you will "take fire".

"Take" is the meaning of auspicious smoothness in Manchu, all in order to get ginseng.

Xu Shiyan wandered around the mountains for a day, but he didn't "open his eyes", so he had to go back to Dijiazi to rest.

It is common for people to enter the mountain for a few days without "opening their eyes", Xu Shiyan is not discouraged, and cooks and sleeps step by step.

It's just that at night, there was a faint wolf cry in the distance, and Xu Shiyan didn't sleep very well.

It started to rain in the middle of the night, and although the rain stopped in the morning, the temperature was very low. Xu Shiyan changed into a torn leather jacket and leather pants, and then put on a raincoat.

Leather jacket and leather pants, all of which were found by Mrs. Li, when he was young, he often went into the mountains to release the mountains, and now he is older and looks at ginseng on the mountains, and these things are left at home.

Hearing Xu Shiyan say that he wanted to enter the mountain, Mrs. Li pulled out all the old man's belongings and gave them to Xu Shiyan.

It had just rained, and the leaves and grass were full of crystal raindrops, and when the wind blew down, it was another light rain.

Xu Shiyan was wearing a leather jacket and leather pants and a raincoat, but he was not afraid, still holding a rope stick and walking in another direction.

After walking for half a year, my eyes suddenly lit up, and in a green leaf in front of me, a little red was particularly conspicuous.

Xu Shiyan walked over quickly and came closer, looked carefully, and sure enough, it was a small ginseng seed.

Looking down along the ginseng seeds, there are four palm-shaped compound leaves on the purple-black stalks.

Ginseng, according to the different growth years and different biological characteristics of different ages, can be divided into "three flowers", "slap", "two jiazi", "lampstand", "four leaves", "five leaves" and "six leaves".

If it is a garden ginseng, it can grow to five or six leaves in the six-year growth period.

However, the growth cycle of mountain ginseng is particularly long, and each stage takes several years or decades, especially in the latter stages, and it is possible to grow for hundreds of years before one more leaf appears.

In other words, if you count the leaves of ginseng, the more leaves, the larger and more valuable the ginseng may be.

Generally, five leaves can be shipped in large quantities, and six leaves are stored with big guys.

Four leaves, that is, four leaves, the ginseng underneath is not very large.

When you enter the mountain and open your eyes, you meet four leaves, which is actually unlucky in the eyes of many people.

Xu Shiyan stared at the ginseng for a while before shouting, "Mallet." ”

This shouting mountain, the legend says that the ginseng will run, and when he met the ginseng, he shouted a mallet, and the ginseng was so frightened that he froze.

"How many leaves?" If there are a lot of people coming, other people will hear it and ask questions, which is called picking up the mountain.

"Mallet, do you want to take it?" This is to say the size of the ginseng, and then ask if it is mined.

Four, the same sound as death, the implication is not good, so most people don't say it directly when they meet the four leaves, only say the mallet, and the other party also understands.

"Take it." Xu Shiyan hesitated, but decided to dig.

One person, the procedures that should be taken have to be followed, so he did all the work of shouting mountains and mountains.

When I decided to dig this ginseng, I first took out a red rope tied to the copper coin, that is, a mallet lock, and locked the mallet.

Wrap the red thread rope of the mallet lock around the ginseng straw, and place the copper coins at both ends on the sticks or branches that have been inserted into the ground to prevent the mallets from escaping.

Ginseng is a plant and naturally does not run away.

The main reason for this is that the mountains are high and the forests are dense, the terrain is complex, and the ginseng and grass are mixed and difficult to distinguish, and it is easy to find them without good markings.

The mallet lock is made of red string, which stands out in a patch of green, making it easy to lock onto the target.