Chapter 158: Grand Harvest Competition
The announcement of the Grand Harvest Competition sent a jolt of energy through the quiet routine of the Eastern Medicine Garden.
For Daniel, it was a beacon of hope, a clear finish line for his difficult journey of cultivation.
The thought of finally obtaining the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Ginseng made the endless rows of radishes seem suddenly less oppressive.
That evening, as they sat in their crude wooden hut, Daniel decided to try one last time to get some advice from his mysterious roommate.
"Old Man Hemlock," he began, speaking slowly and clearly, "the competition tomorrow.
The prize is a divine medicine. Do you have any advice? Any strategy for the final harvest?"
Hemlock, who was meticulously sharpening a small garden trowel, looked up, squinting.
He cupped a hand to his ear. "What’s that, boy? You’re worried about the competition? Worried you can’t beat this old bag of bones?" He let out a dry cackle.
"Don’t you worry your little city-bred head about winning or losing. A farmer’s duty is to the harvest.
You just show up, you follow your own rhythm, and you do your own thing. The radish will decide the rest."
He then turned back to his trowel, humming his favorite tune about a turnip in love.