Upon hearing Lu Qiqi's words, Niu Dahang instantly shrank back on the stool like a quail, not daring to look up even when the tea in his teacup had stopped steaming.

For a moment, only the rustling of insects could be heard in the courtyard.

Lu Qiqi's words awakened everyone, and some inappropriate thoughts suddenly vanished.

She glanced at Miao Dajiang, the village chief of Tianmiao Village, who was sitting next to Lu Da.

This man was burly, with a dark complexion and three deep wrinkles on his forehead.

He was the oldest person present. According to Lu Da, Miao Dajiang is already fifty-three years old this year, and his granddaughter is almost of marriageable age.

For generations, Tianmiao Village has made a living by growing seedlings, and because it is closest to the dock, it can transport seedlings to various places.

Therefore, Tianmiao Village is the richest of these five villages.

But now it's only slightly better off than Tianping Village.

The underlying cause remains the same old story: drought in the north and floods in the south, which prevents the seedlings from being transported out and causes them to pile up in the ground.

Days passed by, and it seemed the transplanting would become impossible.

It's a pity to discard them, but they can't be sold if we keep them. Even if the river becomes passable in the future, it will be difficult to transplant and survive once the seedlings grow into trees.

As a result, Tianmiao Village gradually declined.

Lu Qiqi's scrutinizing gaze made Miao Dajiang feel uneasy, and he carefully recalled what mistake he had made.

He thought and thought but still couldn't figure it out, and his palms were sweating with nervousness.

Finally, Lu Qiqi spoke up, saying, "Village Chief Miao, your village has been growing saplings for generations. How many years have you been doing this? What kinds of saplings do you have now?"

Suddenly called out by Lu Qiqi, Miao Dajiang looked up sharply, his back stiffening. It felt like he had done something wrong and was suddenly called over by his father for a lecture.

Miao Dajiang stammered nervously, "The saplings have been planted for almost four years. They could have been planted two years ago, but the merchant ships couldn't get through, so it was delayed."

He thought for a moment and said, "There are quite a few fruit trees, including persimmon trees, lychee trees, pear trees, plum trees, peach trees, and quite a few tea trees."

Upon hearing about tea trees, Lu Qiqi's eyes lit up. Well-roasted tea leaves could be a great way to make money.

She asked, "Are there many tea trees?"

Miao Dajiang nodded honestly, "The most abundant plants are tea trees. The seedlings have been planted for four years. Before the plague, a batch was rushed to Luzhou Prefecture, and the rest have not been touched."

Luzhou Prefecture?

Lu Qiqi thought for a moment and realized that the tea trees she planted in the Veteran Village were transported from Heshun Prefecture. The four-year-old tea trees were exactly the same as those in Tianmiao Village.

The seed shop owner offered a price much lower than the market price, and Lu Qiqi thought she had gotten a great deal, but she never expected things to turn out this way.

Presumably, Tianmiao Village could only survive by selling tea seedlings at a low price.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the batch of tea trees you sent should be ones I bought," Lu Qiqi said with a smile.

Not only was Miao Dajiang shocked and stared wide-eyed, but the other village chiefs present also stared at Lu Qiqi with wide eyes.

It's important to understand that large quantities of seedlings and tea tree seedlings are quite expensive; no matter how cheap they are sold, ordinary families still can't afford them.

Moreover, the Great Jin Dynasty has a law that forbids the unauthorized felling of trees on the mountain; violators will be punished with a cane for minor offenses and directly sentenced for serious offenses.

Anyone who could cultivate tea trees on mountainous terrain, regardless of their position in the Jin Dynasty, was either extremely wealthy or of high status.

Therefore, their hearts were pounding like drums, and they were extremely excited.

It seems that Lu Qiqi's promise to restore their prosperous lives is not impossible.

Lu Da said happily, "I never expected such a coincidence."

Not only did Lu Da not expect it, but even Lu Qiqi did not expect it. Things just happened so coincidentally, as if an invisible hand was pushing her onto a certain path.

And it's the kind that's indispensable.

Lu Qiqi had a general understanding of the five villages, but to make a plan, she needed to check the situation on-site. It was not something that could be done overnight or by just making a snap decision.

The most important thing now is the health of the villagers; only with good health can they work better.

Lu Qiqi said, "When I said I was growing medicinal herbs, I wasn't just making things up. The herbs we grow can not only nourish our bodies, but we can also process them and sell them."

"Will it sell?"

The speaker was Village Chief Miao. Large tracts of saplings in Tianmiao Village couldn't be sold. Now they're replanting medicinal herbs, but if those also can't be sold, won't the whole village starve?

Lu Qiqi said, "With good quality, there's no worry about selling them. In the current chaotic situation, with constant fighting on the border, we need to supply not only large amounts of food but also medicinal herbs."

"The medicinal herbs we need to grow are not only tonics, but also wound medicines."

Actually, there are two other crucial things: cold weapons and salt.

These two things are the fastest way to make money; they're the kind of money that gets you killed.

Since ancient times, except for those appointed by the imperial court, the sale of private salt and iron ore has been prohibited.

These two things are like having money to earn but no life to enjoy it; it's best not to earn them at all.

After exchanging bewildered glances, Village Chief Niu asked with a look of deep confusion, "If we don't grow grains and only medicinal herbs, what will we eat?"

The village chief's question really caught Lu Qiqi off guard.

After a moment, Lu Qiqi chuckled and said, "You've misunderstood. This kind of medicinal herb also depends on its habits. It can't just be planted in the soil and it will survive."

At this point, Village Chief Miao agreed with Lu Qiqi's words, "That's right. Just like the flowers and plants we've planted in our village, some flowers and plants prefer shade, while others prefer sunshine. If you mix them up, they'll all die."

Lu Qiqi had heard that Tianmiao Village grew flowers and plants, but now that people couldn't even get enough to eat, not many people had the mood to tend to flowers and plants.

Therefore, Tianmiao Village stopped planting flowers and plants two years ago.

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