Autumn colors are in full bloom. Corn has already been harvested in other places, and even the sweet potato vines in the fields have been cut. Only the corn in Xujia Village is still standing in the autumn wind. This is the second crop of late corn, and Xu Gen and a few others want to raise it for a few more days.

The pharmacy did not stop production; the antipyretics continued to be produced as scheduled.

This medicine was not sold locally, but was transported to other places by the Huo family, and only a few people could use it.

Where there is demand, there is a market. As soon as the pills appeared, savvy people hoarded and sold them, and the price immediately soared.

Although the Huo family did not obtain the formula, their profits this year have exceeded everyone's expectations, and as expected, some of the money went into Nie Fantian's pocket.

The mosquito coil workshop closed down again, and the villagers finally had some free time.

Even though it's supposed to be a quiet time, no one in Xujia Village is actually sitting idly by.

At this moment, Xu Gensheng, Li Laoshi, and several others were at Sishuitang, sitting in the spacious corridor, peeling pumpkin seeds and eating snacks while discussing what was to come.

First of all, the ten mu of ophiopogon japonicus planted by the Huo family in the village should be harvested by now; these were planted in the second spring of the year.

In modern times, Ophiopogon japonicus can generally be harvested after one year of planting, while high-quality and top-grade products take two years to grow. However, Ophiopogon japonicus has the best medicinal effect after three to five years, and the best harvest season is from October to March. Ophiopogon japonicus dug in winter is easier to store.

The Ophiopogon japonicus in Xujia Village has now grown for three years and is ready for harvesting.

Ten acres of land yielded no income for three years, a situation most families couldn't afford. Everyone wanted to know how much silver these Ophiopogon japonicus plants could fetch.

Now, Jiang Zhi, who is "indifferent to fame and fortune," watches Cai Xia paint red on the sidelines, no longer excited about how much money Ophiopogon japonicus can sell for.

I can only marvel at how such a growing environment, close to its natural state, with a growth period of more than three years, is what truly makes a medicinal herb capable of curing diseases and saving lives.

No wonder traditional Chinese medicine is gradually declining; the difference in medicinal materials is too great.

Authentic medicinal herbs need to be categorized by geographical location, climate characteristics, season, and growth cycle.

In the modern world, driven by profit, what should take three years to grow becomes one year, what should grow in the south becomes greenhouse-grown, and whatever is lacking in the soil is supplemented. People deceive it, and it deceives people in return!

Prescriptions in classical literature are very simple, with fewer than ten ingredients and a dosage that rarely exceeds 10 grams.

Each dose of medicine consists of only one small packet, taken once a day, and is decocted separately in a small earthenware pot.

Modern medicine, on the other hand, involves large prescriptions and high doses, with the dregs of the medicine being collected in large basins, before claiming that traditional Chinese medicine is ineffective.

The group chatted noisily about whether they should go to Song Tingzhang to find a better job after they finished digging up the Ophiopogon japonicus, since it would be time for their corvée labor.

This year, the river next to Lihua Town is dry, so you won't be able to find any pebbles.

Jiang Zhi suggested building a ditch down the mountain to prevent flooding the following year.

Repairing the irrigation canal was no easy task. As the group was talking animatedly, Pi Shi suddenly came in carrying her son, Xianwa. Upon seeing Li Laoshi, who was gesturing excitedly, she exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Li, why are you still here? Aren't you going to Genqing's house to keep your aunt company?"

Without turning his head, Li Laoshi waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no!"

Xu Gensheng glanced at Pi Shi and said irritably, "Why are you here again?"

Pi was also unhappy: "I have things to do, you hold the baby for a while!" With that, she put her son, who was only a few months old, into Xu Gensheng's arms and turned to leave.

Xu Gensheng caught the baby in a panic, and after only a few "hey hey" sounds, he saw that Pi Shi had really left. He immediately made a bitter face: "Oh dear, I wanted children when I didn't have them, but now that I have them, they're such a pain."

If I had known that giving birth to this baby would cause so much trouble, I would have preferred not to have it at all. All it does all day is eat, poop, cry, and scream; it's so noisy I can't even get a good night's sleep.

He thought that once Ms. Pi was pregnant, he could play as much as he wanted for a long time.

As soon as it got dark, everyone in the village called him back, and no one wanted to stay any longer.

The answer is, "Village Chief Jiang gave instructions that if anyone keeps you out at night to play cards, she will come and lecture them."

As a result, Pi became pregnant, and Xu Gensheng was unable to act recklessly, otherwise the whole village would have to chase him away.

Now that the baby is finally born, he can no longer be a carefree guy.

Not only is the noise at night keeping me awake, but even when I pretend to be in a meeting outside, I can't escape having to take care of the baby.

It's so bitter!

Old Li chuckled beside him, "Serves you right. If you don't take care of the kids now, don't expect them to be filial to you in the future."

Xu Gensheng was both angry and anxious, and blurted out, "You're making sarcastic remarks here, but it's all because Aunt Qin didn't give you a child."

The room fell silent. Jiang Zhi frowned and looked over, then suddenly asked, "Gensheng, have you finalized the order for the willow bark?"

Xu Gensheng realized he had misspoke and quickly said, "I ordered it a long time ago, and they said they would definitely deliver it when the time comes."

Last summer, they cut branches from the surrounding willow trees, and now they need a large amount of willow bark again. The willow trees within a ten-mile radius of Lihua Town have suffered, and Xu Gensheng and his team have had to start purchasing from villages further away.

This is a great opportunity to make money. Now, Song Tingzhang is planning to plant a large number of willow trees on the riverbank outside Lihua Town, and also encourage other villages to plant them along the riverbanks and streams.

(Readers in the north, please rest assured that there are very few cases of willow catkins flying in the south. For example, everyone praises the beauty of the willows by West Lake in Hangzhou, and no one has ever complained about the annoying willow catkins.)

(Because willow catkins in the south fly from April to June, which is the rainy season in the south, with high humidity, lots of rain, and no wind, so they can't fly.)

Hearing Jiang Zhi and Xu Gensheng deliberately change the subject and stop mentioning having children.

Li Laoshi snorted twice: "Stop being sarcastic. I'm an honest man and I never lie. I said it doesn't matter whether your Aunt Qin has children or not, I haven't thought about it much."

Xu Gensheng chuckled: "That's good, that's good. Uncle Li is already a man of stature, it would be too much trouble for him to have another child."

"Look at me now, I regret it so much! Even sitting down and chatting is a struggle when I'm with the kids."

Li Laoshi and Qin Shi had been married for over a year without any results. Seeing that Pi Shi and Wang Xiaoju were pregnant, Qin Shi couldn't sit still any longer. She secretly went to town to find a doctor to examine her, and when she returned, she burst into tears.

Li Laoshi asked for a long time before revealing the reason. The doctor told her that she was too young when she gave birth before, and she did not take good care of herself during her postpartum period in the cold winter, which caused her uterus to become cold. She did not receive any treatment, and now that she is too old, she cannot have children again.

Qin was heartbroken. She wanted to leave a child for her husband, but she had given birth to a child before because she didn't want to. Now she wanted to have children but couldn't.

Although Li Laoshi was also upset, he patted his chest firmly and said, "Having children or not makes no difference. I was prepared to be a bachelor for life anyway. Now that I can live comfortably with you for another twenty years, I've gained everything."

If I get old and fear no one will collect my bones, I'll crawl into a sandpit and die. After a rain, I'll be buried by the sand.

These words made Qin cry again, and she said that she had made a mistake.

Qin couldn't keep a secret, so she blurted it out herself. Now the whole village knows that Li Laoshi has no offspring, and they can't help but feel sorry for him.

But Li Laoshi himself still acted as if he didn't care and treated Qin Shi as well as ever.

He had thought of this when he married Qin Shi. After what happened with Tian Gui's wife giving birth, he was even more reluctant to let Qin Shi, who was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, take the risk of giving birth again.

Just as the group was praising Li Laoshi for his open-mindedness, Pi Shi, who had already left, rushed back: "Uncle Li, Aunt Qin has been bullied!"