The Northeast Ginseng Digger's Ballad: Blades in a Drought

In the final years of the Qianlong reign, a severe drought struck Shandong. Li He, a tenant farmer from Hanting, joins the "Mountain Ginseng Gang" on its journey to the Northeast to dig for ginseng, hoping to pay off his father's debt. He has a hundred days to find a seven-leaf ginseng root, or the creditor's steward will enslave his entire family. On the snowy plains, wolves howl, horse caravans rumble, and abacus beads click like a death sentence. Deep in the forest, the old ginseng master, the one-eyed woman, and packs of Manchurian wolves lay trap after trap. Armed with an heirloom jujube-wood token, Li He makes a blood oath to follow the mountain rules with the ginseng master Song San. He crosses icy cliffs, battles mountain miasma, and searches for ginseng, all while seeking a way to save himself. Along the way, through snow and wind and the shifting hearts of men, a girl who understands wolf speech, an old storyteller who performs fast-talking ballads, and a fellow named Golden Tooth who dreams of turning his fortunes around all become knots in the thread of his fate. As the three-month deadline approaches and the snow turns to blood, can he leave the old forest with a seven-leaf ginseng root? And can he hold fast to the balance in his heart? This is a documentary-style epic about the snows of the Northeast and the debts people owe one another. Every page carries the scent of pine resin and glimmers with the faint light of human kindness.