Chapter 86: Urging to Plant Herbs

"What about us? We can do it too."

"I still need a few people to grind medicinal herbs, but grinding herbs is particular work. You must be steady and hardworking, willing to learn earnestly. The wages are also twenty wen."

Several older women rolled up their sleeves and surged forward, only to hear Chi Nan Yi say, "I want younger ones."

Just then, a woman led a young woman forward. "Look, is my daughter suitable?"

The woman's surname was Fang. She had one daughter and three sons. Her eldest daughter was named Lin Lin, sixteen this year, just the right age to marry, and quite pretty. She had not yet been matched for marriage—not for lack of suitors, but mainly because the Lin Family demanded too high a bride price: thirty taels. That number alone deterred anyone from coming to propose.

Fang Juan smiled and said, "My eldest daughter can do anything. She's obedient and sensible, and willing to endure hardship."

Lin Lin kept her head down and said nothing.

Seeing her expression, Chi Nan Yi guessed that Lin Lin perhaps did not want to come work at her house.

"Auntie, grinding herbs is also hard work. Are you really willing to let her do it?"

Hearing this, Fang Juan reached out and pinched Lin Lin's arm. "Are you mute? Say something!"

Lin Lin clutched her arm in pain and nodded. "I—I'm willing."

"She's willing, she's willing. Don't worry, my daughter works hard and isn't afraid of effort. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Just then, a few more people came over to sign up.

Seeing this, Fang Juan grew anxious. "Is it yes or no? Give me a straight answer."

"Since you want to come, then try it for two days first. If you can stick with it, you may continue. If you find it too hard, take your two days' wages and leave."

Seeing her nod, Fang Juan beamed. After returning home, Fang Juan called the children to her side.

Lin Lin stood on the far left. Though the eldest, she was the thinnest of all the children.

"Ma, what did you call us for? We were catching crickets!"

"Starting tomorrow, your eldest sister is going to work at the Chi Family. Do you want to go too?"

"Ma, let's not go! Working is really hard."

"Yeah, Ma, we'd rather stay home and fight crickets with Big Brother!"

"Tsk, are you few idiots or what!" Fang Juan poked each of her three sons on the head. "If you get tired, you can let your eldest sister do it! As long as one more person from our family goes, we earn an extra share of wages. Twenty wen a day—twenty wen! Do you know how hard it is to earn twenty wen nowadays? If all of you go, that's eighty wen a day, two and a half taels of silver a month. Our family might not even earn that much in a whole year."

The three sons of the Lin Family's eyes lit up when they heard this.

"Ma really is the smartest! If we can't finish, there's Big Sister! Big Sister will help us do it." Lin Da laughed and said, "Getting silver without having to work."

Lin Er nodded too. "Right, right, right. Ma, if we really can earn that much, could we buy some meat to eat?"

"Good, good, good. You earn the silver, and Ma will definitely buy you more meat to eat."

Lin Lin bit her lip and said softly, "Ma, the employer said grinding herbs is already very hard work. If I also help my younger brothers, I..."

"Hard work? What hard work? Could it be harder than when I birthed you and raised you? Do you know that just because I gave birth to you and you're a girl, I endured your father's and your grandmother's scorn for so long? Never mind your lack of gratitude—now you're talking about hard work in front of me?" Fang Juan shot her a glance. "If I hadn't given birth to your younger brothers afterward, I'd probably have been swept out of the Lin Family long ago. You'd better be grateful to your brothers, you hear me?"

Lin Lin shrank her neck and nodded.

Seeing this, Fang Juan smiled with satisfaction. "You wait here. Ma is going to tell the Chi Family right now."

Fang Juan left fully satisfied. Lin Lin pressed her lips together, tears falling ceaselessly.

Seeing this, Lin Da spat at her. "Who are you putting on that long face for? Didn't you hear what Ma said? The three of us are your benefactors. My clothes are dirty—go wash them for me right now."

Lin Lin picked up the dirty clothes from the ground and headed straight for the riverbank.

Fang Juan arrived at the Chi Family. By now, the villagers were still asking about the medicinal herbs.

"What did you say? Your family is putting up more than half your land to grow medicinal herbs next year?"

"That's right," Chi Huai Qian said loudly. "My little sister said that the land in our village isn't suitable for growing grain, but it's very suitable for growing medicinal herbs. Plant herbs and you'll surely have a bountiful harvest."

Bountiful harvest?

Those two words had seemingly never appeared in Yuping Village before.

"Not growing grain on the land but growing herbs instead—can that work?"

"I've never heard of land that's unsuitable for crops but suitable for herbs."

"Exactly."

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi smiled and said, "Most of the soil in our village is sandy. Growing grain in sandy soil and hoping for a bountiful harvest is basically impossible, but there is one herb that can grow in sandy soil, and that is licorice root. The pills I make require this licorice root." Seeing their interest, Chi Nan Yi continued, "If you also want to grow licorice root, I can provide it. When it's mature, I can also buy it at market price."

The villagers were thoroughly confused by talk of sandy soil or whatever soil, but they understood the last sentence clearly.

"You provide the herbs, we grow them, and you'll also buy them?"

"That's right."

"Good heavens! I've never heard of such a thing."

Just then, Zhao, standing not far away, curled her lip. "You lot actually believe what this girl says! Who's the fool here? She gives you seeds and buys your herbs back—even a real fool wouldn't believe that. She's just tricking you."

"Old Zhao, stop talking nonsense!" Chi Huai Qian said loudly. "My little sister said she'll buy, so she will definitely buy!"

"Pah, anyone can talk! If we switch to growing this licorice root and then you don't want it, won't we be ruined? No grain at all—how would we pay the tax grain? Your Chi Family has prospered, so it's easy for you to talk, but you're going to ruin us!"

Zhao's words made the villagers who had already been tempted hold back.

What Zhao said wasn't unreasonable either. If they also switched to growing herbs and lost everything, what then?

Zhao looked at Chi Nan Yi with a face full of smugness. Dead girl, let her go against me—now you'll see.

Knowing that Zhao was deliberately stirring trouble, Chi Nan Yi wasn't angry. Even if Zhao hadn't come to interfere, there were some things she needed to say openly anyway.

"Anyone who takes seeds from my house and switches to growing herbs, no matter how much, I will buy at market price or even above market price, guaranteeing you'll earn more than grain. Not only that—if natural disasters cause reduced yields or total crop failure, our Chi Family will compensate you with grain based on per-mu yield. This way, you can not only pay your tax grain but also have surplus left over. It's a win all around."

Hearing this, everyone began to calculate.

Figuring it back and forth—weren't all the advantages falling right into their laps?