"That works too. It gives everyone something to do and might cut down on some trouble."
Qin Sang gave the old village chief a thumbs-up for his decision. The old village chief then asked:
"What about the medicinal herb digging you mentioned?"
"It'll be the same as before. Dig them up, and my family will buy them at the same price as before.
But I suggest the village organizes everyone to go digging together, with the Patrol Team providing protection. That way, everyone can look out for each other, and there's less fear of encountering wild beasts or anything in the mountains."
The old village chief had some concerns: "Should we keep a tab for the exchange business first?"
Qin Sang knew the old village chief was worried her family didn't have enough rice and grain. Qin Sang smiled:
"Don't worry about that, it's no problem. Steward Huang sold me quite a bit of grain. If it runs out, I can go get more."
Only then did the old village chief agree:
"Alright then, I'll go tell the villagers and arrange everything properly."
Qin Sang asked again:
"Chief, did you put the water vat down the well?"
"Yes, it's down there. Just don't know if it'll work.
Qin Sang thought to herself, don't worry, it definitely will.
In the evening, Widow Xia came, carrying a full basket of root clumps and tubers, the dirt clods cleaned off them.
Qin Sang didn't stand on ceremony either, telling the Eldest Brother to pour the basket of roots into the tent to be sorted later.
Qin Sang looked at Widow Xia and asked:
"Did you convince Tieniu? Did he eat anything tonight? How much did he eat?"
Widow Xia replied:
"He actually wants to get treatment himself, he's just worried there won't be enough food to eat.
He heard it too when the chief announced that everyone could continue trading herbs for grain with you.
Tonight he ate a bowl of minced meat porridge and an Daner."
Qin Sang nodded:
"For the first few days, porridge is fine, it's easy to digest. After four or five days, when his stomach has adjusted, then you can give him meat.
Do you have enough ingredients at home? Don't give him all the food, leaving you all starving nine meals out of three days."
Widow Xia nodded with a troubled expression:
"...It's enough."
Qin Sang glanced at her, understanding the situation perfectly.
Because Widow Xia was the only laborer in her household, even though she found many expensive Medicinal Herbs, there were so many mouths to feed.
If she wanted Xia Tieniu to eat well, the others in her family would definitely have to tighten their belts:
"Liar. Alright, you don't have to lie to me. Xia Tieniu needs treatment, but you can't starve yourselves either, especially the children. If they get too hungry, they'll get sick.
I'll give you some ingredients to take back later. Don't worry about me losing out. Just dig me a basket of Medicinal Herbs every day from now on."
Widow Xia didn't refuse. Qin Sang's words contained a reason she couldn't refuse.
For the sake of the children, she could only shamelessly accept.
She just swore silently in her heart to bring even more herbs tomorrow.
Next, Qin Sang took Widow Xia into the room and began teaching her the rehabilitation exercises.
After about an hour, once Qin Sang had finished teaching, Widow Xia said softly:
"When the doctor examined Tieniu's injury back then, he also taught my sister-in-law a few exercises. He told her to do them for Tieniu every day once the wound healed a bit, but later..."
Qin Sang fell silent. Later, Xia Tieniu's wife ran away, Granny Xia went blind, and Widow Xia was his elder brother's wife. Rehabilitation exercises involved physical contact, which wasn't appropriate. Presumably, that's how Xia Tieniu's condition was delayed:
"It's not too late to start slowly now. Once the rehabilitation equipment is ready in a couple of days, I'll teach you other methods."
"Alright."
When seeing Widow Xia off, Qin Sang handed her a bundle:
"You need to eat more yourself. Otherwise, with your build and strength, I'm afraid you won't be able to support him."
Widow Xia was taken aback for a moment, then nodded:
"Thank you, Sister."
Widow Xia walked back to her family's shack holding the bundle. Only when she reached her dwelling did she open it, lighting a firestarter to see what Qin Sang had given.
The others at home weren't asleep yet. Seeing her return, the four little ones scrambled up. Xia Tieniu also opened his eyes. Granny Xia, though blind, propped herself up to sit.
The bundle was opened, and the four little ones couldn't help but exclaim:
"Wow... so much food!"
A waterskin of water, three oranges, three apples, one jin of potatoes, plus five jin of flour and five jin of white rice.
"This... this much..." Widow Xia carefully cradled the bundle, not knowing what to do.
Remembering Qin Sang's final words of advice, her eyes couldn't help but grow misty.
Granny Xia asked anxiously:
"What's so much?"
Widow Xia quietly explained about the bundle. For a moment, a long sigh filled the shack. Granny Xia said solemnly:
"We agreed those herbs we dug were just for the consultation fee. Da Zhuang's Mother still gave our family so many things. How can we ever repay this? Tomorrow, I'll go up the mountain with you to dig herbs too."
Widow Xia wiped the corner of her eye:
"Mother, you can't even see, how will you dig?"
Granny Xia said sternly:
"I have hands. I'll use my hands to feel."
Xia Tieniu also saw the contents of the bundle, his eyes dark and unreadable:
"Sister-in-law, how about... giving Daner to Da Zhuang's Mother?"
Widow Xia's hands holding the bundle tightened. She knew her brother-in-law meant selling his son. If it were anyone else's family, Widow Xia would never agree. Over these two years, she had come to see the four children as her own. Selling them into servitude, how could she bear it?
But this was Sister Qin's family. They were all good people. Even if Daner went, surely Sister Qin wouldn't mistreat him.
If Daner really went to Sister Qin's family, his life would be much better than staying in their own home.
Granny Xia, however, shook her head:
"Even if you wanted to give him, they might not accept him. What could Daner do if sent there? Can he eat or can he work?
That's not repaying a kindness, that's taking someone for a fool. No, no."
Widow Xia thought about her mother-in-law's words and felt it made sense. Daner was still so little. Although obedient, he was ultimately too young. If they really sent him, it would just trouble Sister Qin to watch over him. She nodded:
"Better to wait until he's a bit older to send him. Brother-in-law, you hurry up and get better. Then, whether it's being a guard or digging herbs, we can always repay the kindness."
Xia Tieniu didn't argue: "Mhm."
Qin Sang had no idea her family had almost gained an extra mouth. Candles and mosquito coils were lit in the wooden house. This bit of light instantly gave the family a strong sense of security and belonging.
However, Tian Dazhuang and the others thought the candles must be expensive and didn't dare waste them, urging everyone to go to their rooms to sleep early.
Because the big bed wasn't ready yet, the pregnant Third Brother's Wife, Er Fu, Si Jin, Eldest Girl, and Wen Mo slept on the bunk beds. Qin Sang and the Eldest Brother's Wife slept in the tent. The Eldest and Third Brothers were on night patrol duty, sleeping in hammocks for two nights.
Qin Sang, holding a candle, led the Eldest Brother's Wife into the tent, telling her to sleep first while she sorted the Medicinal Herbs.
To tell the truth, perhaps this mountain range had never been trampled or damaged by people, so the Medicinal Herbs in the mountains were truly plentiful.
Even though they were all roots, with the system present, anything could be identified.
"Ding. High-quality Smilax Glabra Rhizome detected. Five mall coins per gram. Sell?"
Qin Sang saw there was quite a bit of Smilax Glabra Rhizome. She kept half and sold half.
Licorice Root, Solomon's Seal Rhizome, they were all there.
"Ding. High-quality Coptis Chinensis detected. Ten mall coins per gram. Sell?"
A good medicine for reducing internal heat. The quantity wasn't much, so Qin Sang decided to keep it for now.
A hint of green was unearthed from the bottom.
"Ding. High-quality Pinellia Tuber detected. Ten mall coins per gram. Sell?"
No wonder the locusts didn't eat it; this medicine is toxic.
Pinellia Tuber requires special processing for medicinal use. Qin Sang sold it all to the Mall.