After the meal, Ruan Ruan asked Huo Haocheng to take her to the logistics department. They were going up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs and needed tools. They only had one hoe at home, which was too big and unsuitable.

After choosing their tools, the three went home, changed into coarse cloth clothes for the mountain, and set off into the mountains.

"Little sister, what medicinal herbs do we need to find?" The three of them stood at the foot of the mountain. Gu Jinghe looked at the mountain in front of him. He didn't know how many times he had walked up the mountain, but he still couldn't tell which ones were medicinal herbs!

"We need to find Coptis chinensis, licorice, honeysuckle, Lysimachia christinae, and Plantago asiatica. How high is this mountain?" Ruan Ruan shielded her eyes with her hand, the sunlight so bright she could barely open them.

"It's about 1500 meters," Huo Haocheng replied.

"That's good, let's go." The three of them walked into the mountains. Gu Jinghe walked in front, Ruan Ruan walked in the middle, and Huo Haocheng protected Ruan Ruan from behind to prevent her from slipping.

The three had only walked for a few minutes when Ruan Ruan spotted moneywort on a small hillside. "Wait," she told the other two to stop, then walked over, squatted down, and examined it closely. It really was moneywort, so she started digging it up.

"What is this? How do we dig it?" Gu Jinghe asked. None of them knew how, and they were afraid of ruining the medicinal properties, so they asked before they started.

"This is moneywort. Like this, shovel a sickle into the soil, then downwards, and a patch will be up with its roots and soil intact. You can take it home and plant it in your yard. It has the effects of clearing heat and dampness, removing dampness and detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, reducing swelling and relieving pain. If you have stones, you can use it to make tea."

The three of them quickly finished exploring the area, and Gu Jinghe's basket was about half full. After finding a type of herb, they continued their ascent.

Even though the mountains were difficult to traverse, it didn't deter them. After walking for about twenty minutes, Ruan Ruan put down her basket and walked towards a clump of green plants.

"Little sister, if you like flowers, we'll pick some prettier ones for you later. This one, which is both yellow and white, isn't very pretty," Gu Jinghe said to Ruan Ruan when he saw that she had stopped to pick a less attractive flower.

Huo Haocheng rolled his eyes at him, then walked over and started picking [the fruit]. "Idiot," Huo Haocheng said, and then they began picking together.

Only then did Gu Jinghe realize that one of the medicinal herbs Ruan Ruan had mentioned was a flower, and that this must be it. He then began picking it as well.

"This is honeysuckle, and it also has a very nice name called mandarin duck vine. It is called honeysuckle because the flowers are white when they first open and turn yellow after a day or two. It is also called mandarin duck vine because it has two flowers on one stem and two stamens protruding outwards, forming a pair and inseparable. Its flowering period is particularly long, about 150 days, starting to bloom in May and not fading until October."

It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispersing wind-heat. It can also be used to treat carbuncles, boils, abdominal pain, external wind-heat, sore throat, etc.

After picking all the honeysuckle in this area, Ruan Ruan's arms were almost too sore to lift. The three of them collected the honeysuckle from their baskets and put it into Gu Jinghe's basket, which was already full.

"Brother, why don't you carry it back and spread the honeysuckle out in a winnowing basket to dry first?" It's too much trouble to carry so much stuff around everywhere.

Gu Jinghe glanced at Huo Haocheng before saying, "Okay, I'll carry it back first. Tell me how to do it."

"Honeysuckle can be dried after rinsing with water. For moneywort, you need to wash off the mud and remove any damaged leaves. Make sure the roots and leaves are not separated."

"Okay, I got it. Be careful, you guys. I'll head back now."

"Take the key."

Afterwards, Huo Haocheng and Ruan Ruan continued up the mountain, while Gu Jinghe went home.

"Brother, take me to a place at a higher altitude, where the sun doesn't shine too much, and the soil is loose and fertile. Do you know of any places like that around here?" Ruan Ruan thought for a moment. Of all the medicinal herbs, Coptis chinensis was the hardest to find. She decided to look for it first.

"It's a bit far, stay close to me." Huo Haocheng thought for a moment; they had passed through a place like this during a previous training exercise.

Huo Haocheng led Ruan Ruan to the top of the mountain, then down the other side, and then up again. They walked for an unknown amount of time until they finally arrived at the place Ruan Ruan had described.

"Let's rest for a bit," Ruan Ruan said, sitting wearily on a fallen tree trunk, and casually picking up a blade of grass from the ground.

"Ah, ah, ah, brother, brother, look, I found it!" Ruan Ruan showed it to Huo Haocheng in disbelief.

"What is this?" Huo Haocheng frowned as he looked at the thing in Ruan Ruan's hand.

"Coptis chinensis"

"Uh, once when we came here for a field training exercise, Zhang Pengchuan from the Third Company, the one who always eats like a fool, pulled out a piece of bitter melon. We didn't know what it was, but he put it in his mouth and tasted it. It was so bitter that he almost cried, and the bitter taste lingered in his mouth for a long time." Huo Haocheng recalled the scene of Pengchuan eating bitter melon, and he laughed for a long time.

"His courage is commendable! He actually dared to put such bitter Coptis chinensis directly into his mouth. Do you know the saying, 'Eating Coptis chinensis is like a mute eating bitter herbs—he can't express his suffering'? Coptis chinensis is very bitter even when boiled in water, but it has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, so eating a little won't hurt."

Huo Haocheng saw that this was the medicinal herb Ruan Ruan had found, so he started pulling it up. Because the soil was loose, he quickly finished pulling it up.

"Phew... Next, we need to find licorice. Bro, do you know any places around here that are chronically arid or short of water?" (Licorice grows in arid or semi-arid climates and doesn't have high soil requirements. It's mainly found in Northeast China, North China, Shaanxi, Gansu, and other places. We moved this location here because of the plot.)

Huo Haocheng thought for a moment. There was a mountainous area on the other side of the road, mostly without water, which he could check out. "I know a piece of land I can go take a look at, but I don't know if it matches what you're describing."

"Let's go check it out first. If that doesn't work, we'll have to think of something else." It's already past four o'clock. If we can't find it soon, we'll have to go down the mountain. Otherwise, it's very dangerous on the mountain at night.

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