The footsteps were some distance away from Chu Yue, but she had excellent hearing, so she heard them clearly. When she pushed the door open and went out to take a look, she happened to see a group of people walking nearby.

They were a group of women from the village. During the recent spring season, while the men in the families had all gone to work in the fields, the women could not sit idle either, so they all went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables and mushrooms. The bamboo baskets and backpacks they carried with them were all filled to the brim.

"Look at my Chinese toon trees. They are so tender. They will be delicious if you fry them with eggs. I picked a lot. I'll give you a handful. You can take them home and eat them."

"I picked a lot of ferns. You see, they fill a whole basket. I think they can last for seven or eight days. If they are left out for too long, they will go bad. I'll give you some too. They are especially delicious when blanched and served cold!"

"Wild vegetables should be eaten fresh! If they go bad over time, we can feed them to chickens and pigs. We can go up the mountain and pick them when the time comes. The mountains are full of them and we can never pick them all."

"I heard that Chinese toon, bracken, and wild mushrooms are very expensive in the city. This bamboo basket of ours could be worth several dollars!"

"So what if it's more expensive in the city? There's no car or road from here to the city. It takes a whole day to walk and take a carriage. It takes several days to go back and forth. If you get it, you can't stay overnight. If you don't have a letter of introduction, you'll be caught by the inspection team."

"Last time, the third son of the Lu family went to the city to sell corn. He carried more than 100 kilograms on the road. In order to save on accommodation expenses, he came back at night. He got lost in the mountains and almost fell off a cliff and died. Have you forgotten?"

Chu Yue was listening to the nagging of these aunts, and suddenly her eyes lit up, and a way to make money flashed through her mind!

There are plenty of wild vegetables and game in the mountains, so much that we cannot eat them all and have to feed them to chickens and pigs. They are not worth anything at all.

As long as it can be shipped out, it will be valuable in the city. The only problem in the middle is transportation.

The grocery store that Chu Yue is about to open can also sell these wild vegetables and game. She can spend the least money to purchase them and then sell them at a high price, making several times the profit in the process!

The aunts gradually walked up to Chu Yue. They already knew the famous Dr. Chu, so they didn't dare to get too close, but still greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, Doctor Chu, come out and bask in the sun."

"Doctor Chu, you've been working really hard lately."

"Doctor Chu, the medicine you prescribed for my old man has made him feel much better after taking it for a few days..."

Chu Yue smiled and nodded. Without beating around the bush, she said directly, "Aunts, I just heard you say that there are too many wild vegetables to eat and you can only feed them to chickens and pigs. That's such a waste. Why don't you sell them to me?"

"Doctor Chu, do you want some wild vegetables?" An auntie slapped her thigh and said, "If you want them, why are you being so polite to us! You treat us for free, but we can charge you for some wild vegetables. Doctor Chu, here you go - tell me if it's not enough."

The aunt grabbed a handful of Chinese toon, about two or three pounds, and stuffed it directly into Chu Yue's hand.

The other aunts were just as warm and polite. They took things out of their backpacks and stuffed them into Chu Yue's arms without hesitation.

When Chu Yue came to her senses, her palms were already stuffed full and she had no time to count the money. The aunts waved goodbye and left, which made Chu Yue laugh and cry.

She was carrying so many wild vegetables and couldn't go home for the time being, so she could only put them in her personal space and preserve them.

As for the subsequent plan for purchasing mountain products, it has gradually taken shape in Chu Yue's mind.

She also has to take care of the shops in the city and it is impossible for her to go to the village all day long. She also needs a reliable helper.

Chu Yue was thinking on her way back when she saw Song Dashun and Du Juan.

The candidate for cooperative helper is here!

At this time, Song Dashun had been taking medicine for five days. His previous severe coughing up blood condition recovered at a miraculous speed under the treatment of Chu Yue's superb medical skills and the careful care of his wife Du Juan. Not only did he no longer have a fever or cold, but even his cough was much better.

After all, he is young and has a good physical condition, so he will recover quickly.

Therefore, after the inspection this morning, Chu Yue allowed him to go out for a walk, but he could not go beyond a five-meter radius of his home.

In addition, Du Juan was asked to keep an eye on the rough man to prevent Song Dashun from making another mistake.

After Song Dashun was given some freedom, he did not run around.

He came out of the house and went straight to the open space where the chickens were previously raised.

There used to be some wild grass for the chickens to eat, but after the chicken plague was discovered, Chu Yue not only used disinfectants, but also set a fire to burn the entire open space. Not to mention wild grass, there wasn't even a trace of green to be found on the ground.

Song Dashun's burly body squatted in the corner, staring motionlessly at the empty scorched earth. The once noisy crowing of chickens could no longer be heard, and he couldn't help but look melancholy.

Dujuan accompanied him and squatted down with him, looking at the open space silently together.

When Chu Yue walked over, they looked like two sparrows walking side by side, except that one was bigger than the other and the other was smaller.

Song Dashun looked at the empty space and sighed sadly, "It's gone... all gone..."

Du Juan comforted him gently, "Dashun, didn't we agree before that we can just start over? As long as you are fine, all the difficulties won't matter!"

Song Dashun took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and regained his spirits. "Right! As long as there is life, there is hope! This difficult time is nothing. I, Song Dashun, am strong and have plenty of strength. Let's start all over again!"

Chu Yue just happened to hear his passionate words.

She asked aloud, "Are you still going to keep raising chickens?"

Song Dashun and Du Juan had their backs to Chu Yue and did not hear any footsteps. They were startled when they suddenly heard Chu Yue's voice.

The couple shuddered in tacit understanding, then turned around. Because they saw Chu Yue, their savior, they quickly calmed down and smiled.

"Doctor Chu, why are you here? Is it time to take your temperature again?"

"No, I just happened to pass by and heard you talking." Chu Yue shook her head and asked again, "Do you plan to raise chickens in the future?"

"Raise them!" Song Dashun nodded without hesitation. He said seriously, "Free-range chickens and pheasant eggs are the most valuable. If you want to get out of the mountains, you can only rely on them."

Du Juan smiled with relief, obviously supporting her husband's decision.

This tacit understanding between husband and wife made Chu Yue even more satisfied with them.

Chu Yue suggested, "I know there is a new breed of chicken in the city. It only takes a month and a half to raise it from a chick to a hen, and it can still lay eggs."

"Really?" Song Dashun widened his eyes in shock.

Ordinary hens raised by mountain people, a local Chinese chicken breed, usually take 5-6 months to grow into adult chickens. The long breeding cycle also means high feed costs.

The new chicken breed that Chu Yue mentioned is an excellent broiler breed improved in later times - the white-feather broiler chicken.

It actually only takes 42 days for white-feathered broilers to be marketed, which can greatly increase the meat yield and meet everyone's desire to eat chicken.

The comparison from six months to one and a half months, which originally took half a year, can now be completed in one and a half months. It is no wonder that Song Dashun was so surprised.