A long time ago, there was a child named Liu Jun in Bangjaluzi Village, Weiziyu. His parents died when he was young. Neighbor Uncle Shang adopted him.

Uncle Shang's family consisted of only father and daughter, and life was also very difficult.

When Liu Jun was thirteen, Uncle Shang fell ill. Liu Jun was very anxious and wanted to see him, but he had no money.

Uncle Li next door is a hammerhead. Every year in Red Hammer City, he brings a group of people to Changbai Mountain to dig sticks and hammers.

Liu Jun discussed with Uncle Shang's daughter, Xiaoyan, that he would go digging sticks and hammers with Uncle Li to earn some money to treat Uncle Shang. Xiaoyan said, "You are so young, Uncle Li will not take you there."

Liu Jun said: "When Uncle Li and the others left, I quietly followed behind. When they arrived at Changbai Mountain, they couldn't let me come back by myself. They wouldn't let me join, so I dug myself up."

Xiaoyan asked, "Can you do it?" Liu Jun said, "Yes."

Xiaoyan helped Liu Jun prepare the things to bring. When Uncle Li and the others left, Liu Jun quietly followed behind, and no one noticed. When they arrived at Changbai Mountain, Liu Jun showed up.

Uncle Li asked, "Why are you here?"

Liu Jun said, "I want to dig a club and sell it to my uncle for medical treatment."

Uncle Li said, "You are so small, can you dig a hammer?"

Liu Jun said, "If you can dig, I can dig too."

Uncle Li wanted to bring Liu Jun, but someone objected: "We add people halfway through, which is not in line with the rules of digging sticks and hammers, which is unlucky."

Liu Jun said, "Uncle Li, I'm too young, and it's not fair to join you. I'll do it alone. Just don't leave me behind."

Uncle Li said, "Well, we'll stay here these days. You come back here every day before the sun sets." Uncle Li told him how to find and dig sticks. So they went their separate ways.

A month passed in a flash. Uncle Li and the others dug a lot of sticks and hammers; Liu Jun was empty-handed and did not dig a single one.

One night, Uncle Li secretly found Liu Jun and said, "Hammer City has passed, and we have to go home in two days. But you haven't even dug a single mallet, so you can't go home empty-handed. I have two mallets here, and I took them behind my back. You can say tomorrow that you dug them."

Liu Jun said: "Uncle Li, thank you. But I can't take this hammer. You dug it hard. I can't get it for nothing." No matter what Uncle Li said, Liu Jun would not accept it.

The next day, Liu Jun got up early in the morning to set the mountain free. He was determined to dig a hammer in the last two days. At noon, Liu Jun came to a small water bay. He was tired and hungry and wanted to sit down and rest for a while. As soon as he sat down, he found an interesting thing. There was a spider rolling a mud ball in the water bay. After rolling, he put it in a small wooden box.

Liu Jun thought it was funny and wanted to take it back to Xiaoyan, so he hurriedly walked over, put the spider in a wooden box, and put it in his arms. He turned around to leave, looked up, and saw a mallet in the hole of a very thick tree in front of him. He hurriedly ran over and carefully dug it out according to the method Uncle Li had taught him.

The mallet was very small. He thought again: Small is also a mallet. He scraped some catalpa bark, found some moss, wrapped the mallet, and went back happily.

When everyone saw it, they smiled and said, "This mallet is so small, how much can it sell for?" Liu Jun lowered his head. Uncle Li comforted him and said, "Liu Jun, it doesn't matter, no matter how small it is, it is still a mallet. If it is in good shape, it can be sold for more money."

They returned home a few days later. Uncle Li said to Liu Jun, "Come with us to the soda factory tomorrow to sell mallets. If the sale is not enough for your uncle's medical treatment, I will help you find a way."

The next day, when they arrived at the alkali factory pharmacy, the sun was already in the west. The pharmacy hasn't opened the pound yet. When I asked, people said that the bulk goods haven't arrived yet, and they can't open the pound until the bulk goods arrive.

At that moment, someone in the line shouted, "Who just arrived? Please come inside." Uncle Li walked in with his entourage.

The shopkeeper said, "Not you."

Uncle Li said, "We are the ones who have just arrived."

The shopkeeper said, "Who's here with you?"

Uncle Li hurriedly called Liu Jun in. "By the way, this is the big cargo owner."

The shopkeeper said to Liu Jun, "Take out your goods." Liu Jun took out his own mallet and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper carefully opened the bark of the catalpa tree, peeled off the moss, and said, "Don't look at this small stick, it's a thousand-year-old ginseng! Do you think the shape of this ginseng is not human? I can't price this ginseng either. Young man, make a price."

How could Liu Jun know its value? He turned to look at Uncle Li. Uncle Li didn't know the price of the ginseng either, so he said to Liu Jun, "You should make up your own mind."

The shopkeeper looked at Liu Jun, pointed to a long chair and said, "It doesn't matter. You sit down and think about it slowly, and then think about it." Liu Jun sat in the chair, without any idea. He lay down, got up, lay down, and got up, lying down ten times in total.

The shopkeeper said, "Well, don't lie down anymore. I'll give you ten Tang silver. I can only give you this price." Everyone present was surprised that this ginseng was so valuable!

Uncle Li sold his mallet and helped Liu Jun hire a carriage to pull the silver back.

At night, Liu Jun took out the wooden box and wanted to open it for Xiaoyan to see. As soon as he opened the wooden box, he was stunned. The mud balls in the wooden box had turned into golden balls. He hurriedly found some mud for the spider to roll. The next day, when he saw it, the mud balls had turned golden again.

Later, Liu Jun and Xiaoyan cured Uncle Shang, bought land, built a new house, and lived happily ever after.