The Large Hand Holds the Small Hand

"Don't you know?" Jiang Zebei was looking at her strangely, like she was some sort of weirdo. Chen Mengtian could not help but be shocked when she saw this. "Ah… that's right. I remember now. Are you talking about the ginseng Viridian offers as tribute every year? Theirs grows on trees, doesn't it?"

The moment she said this, Jiang Zebei's expression returned to normal, and he nodded in a very reserved manner. "That's right. Viridian offers ginseng to our country as tribute, and they cause a ruckus every year. Viridian is the only country that has ginseng, and while plenty of merchants go there to buy it, the trip back and forth is really long, so ginseng is worth gold."

As Chen Mengtian listened to Jiang Zebei, she stroked her chin deep in thought. 

But she forgot that she had dirt on her hands, and the moment she touched her chin, the dirt smeared her fair chin. 

Jiang Zebei's gaze darkened. He walked forward and reached out to bring down Chen Mengtian's hand from her chin. 

"Don't use your hand to touch your face. You were digging out medicinal herbs just now, so they're covered in dirt."

After he said that, Jiang Zebei used his sleeve to wipe the dirt off her chin. 

He did not notice that his actions were really gentle. 

This was a form of intimacy that he and Chen Mengtian never had before. 

Chen Mengtian was originally a little shocked by his action. Even though he was just twelve years old, Jiang Zebei was really mature, while she was an adult. 

This action was a little too intimate, and it made her feel a little stiff. 

When she heard what Jiang Zebei said, she looked at the dirt on his sleeve. 

Then, her expression became normal once more. She hid away the stiff look on her face and put on a grateful smile. 

"I forgot it for a moment. Thank you." Her smile was like a flower, and it was so bright that Jiang Zebei could not look at it directly. He looked away and cast his gaze once more on the plants with the strings of red fruits. 

"Do you still want to go over? Those bushes are definitely not ginseng, and it's too dangerous, so don't take the risk."

"No. If those are ginseng, then we'll be missing a chance to get rich," Chen Mengtian immediately disagreed. 

Jiang Zebei turned to look at her with cocked eyebrows. "Ginseng grows on trees. It's impossible for it to grow on the ground."

Chen Mengtian just gave him a look that said that he knew nothing. "The Viridianers say that ginseng grows on trees, but I refuse to believe it. I read my great-great grandfather's medical books before, and the ginseng's shape was recorded in them. Most of them grow in the ground in forests, not on trees."

Jiang Zebei's face was calm, and his eyes did not even flicker. Clearly, he did not believe Chen Mengtian's words. 

But when he saw how stubborn she was, he put on a slightly resigned expression. "I'll bring you over there. Don't run around, and when you walk over, you must observe your surroundings properly. If you miss a step, I won't be able to save you."

He was not trying to scare Chen Mengtian. That spot was really dangerous, and if she were careless, she would miss her step. 

The vegetation around the place was not easy to clear away either. 

Chen Mengtian nodded. "Alright. I'll definitely be a good girl and won't run around randomly."

Jiang Zebei extended a hand to her. "Hold my hand."

Chen Mengtian did not hesitate. She placed her small hand in the boy's large hand. 

Right now, his hands were still very clean, and they could even be said to be young, but they would be the pillar of support for Chen Mengtian in the future so that she could live however she wanted in a carefree manner. 

Her hand in Jiang Zebei's big hand might have been small and soft, and it was even covered in a considerable amount of dirt, but Jiang Zebei felt something tug at his heartstrings. 

His mood became much better, but he did not know the reason behind it. 

Perhaps it was because this was one of the rare times this girl was obedient. It caused his lips to curl up into a gentle smile.