In the afternoon, Li Xiangdong did not rush to deliver the wild rehmannia he had dug up to Guangming Pharmaceutical Factory. He took some time to distribute the money to everyone, and then he and his fourth sister, Li Zhen, hurried to the river to dig up rehmannia.

The next day, Zhao Sufang, Li Zhen, and Li Ping got up early again to dig up Rehmannia glutinosa by the river.

When no one was paying attention, Li Xiangdong swam to the small island in the middle of the river and searched it carefully for a long time, but found nothing.

Three days passed in a row. Li Xiangdong packed up his two-wheeled cart and secured the three baskets of Rehmannia glutinosa and one basket of Cicada molts that the mother and her four children had dug up with ropes to the cart. He then wrapped the human-shaped Polygonum multiflorum, purple Ganoderma lucidum, and red Ganoderma lucidum in his blue cotton-padded jacket and placed them securely.

Currently, only the production team in the village has horses, donkeys, and oxen. Individual farmers do not own these large livestock for pulling carts. Generally, if a farmer needs livestock to pull a cart, they will borrow it from the production team.

Li Xiangdong needed to keep his sale of medicinal herbs a secret, and since it wasn't a big deal, he planned to pull his own cart to the county town.

The little sister watched her second brother bustling around through the window, waving her little hand impatiently, "Brother, I want to go too!"

Originally, Li Jiabao was supposed to watch over his little sister, but he figured the boy had run off to play again. So Li Xiangdong put Li Jiabao's floral mattress on the car, dressed his little sister in her clothes and shoes, and placed her on the mattress.

Let's go!

Li Xiangdong pushed his small cart, leading his younger sister and a pile of precious medicinal herbs straight to Guangming Pharmaceutical Factory.

"Brother Wang, I'm here." Li Xiangdong greeted Xiao Wang, who was busy at work, from afar.

"Xiang Dong, you're here. Wait a moment, let's load these goods onto the truck first."

Li Xiangdong parked his small cart near the shop entrance, told the young woman not to get off, and then ran over to help Xiao Wang load the cart.

Where are all these medicines going to be sent?

"Take him to the city hospital. Why did you bring a stroller here today?"

"I brought several baskets of rehmannia root. Since I couldn't carry them all, I pushed them over in a cart."

"So capable for such a young age!" Xiao Wang took a moment to make a cow gesture to Li Xiangdong.

"Hehe, I'll learn from you, Brother Wang." Li Xiangdong chuckled sheepishly.

They chatted and laughed as they worked, quickly loading all the medicinal herbs onto the tractor.

"Xiangdong, you've brought so much here."

After finishing negotiating the numbers with the salesperson from the city hospital, Factory Director Yan walked to the front of the small cart, parted the straw covering it, and looked at the contents of the basket.

"Wow! Good heavens! They all look like little sweet potatoes! Xiao Wang, hurry up and give me a hand, carry them in."

After a flurry of weighing, getting the bill printed, and settling the bill with the finance department.

The cicada molts weighed 15 jin (7.5 kg) and cost 150 yuan. The wild yellow grass weighed 630 jin (315 kg) and cost 315 yuan!

The two amounts totaled 465 yuan. Keep in mind that the county magistrate's salary is only 48 yuan a month. The money he earned today is equivalent to the county magistrate's annual salary!

Xiao Wang couldn't help but show an envious look on his face, but Factory Director Yan remained calm. He had seen it all before. Once, an inconspicuous old man sold him a century-old ginseng for a full eight thousand yuan.

Li Xiangdong was very perceptive; in later generations, taking kickbacks was commonplace. He took fifty yuan from a pile of brand-new banknotes and quietly slipped it to Director Yan.

Factory Director Yan quickly waved his hand and said seriously, "Buying some cigarettes and snacks for your uncle is your way of showing filial piety, so you can accept it. But I can't take the money."

After several attempts to refuse, Director Yan refused to accept the money, so Li Xiangdong had no choice but to give up.

While Director Yan was in the restroom, Li Xiangdong slipped three ten-yuan bills to Xiao Wang, saying, "Brother Xiao Wang, I'm always troubling you when I come here. Take this and buy some food."

Xiao Wang declined a few times, but seeing that Li Xiangdong was sincere in giving it to him, he accepted it.

Xiao Wang said with a smile, "What trouble is there? I'd be happy if you came twice a day."

The two chatted for a few more minutes. When Director Yan returned from the restroom, he saw that Li Xiangdong was still there and asked curiously, "Why hasn't he left yet?"

Li Xiangdong placed two Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms and a human-shaped Polygonum multiflorum on the table. "Uncle Yan, please take a look and tell me how much these three things are worth."

"Wow! Good heavens!" Factory Director Yan was genuinely shocked this time; this was a real treasure!

"Where did you get this?"

Factory Director Yan put on his reading glasses and carefully picked up the Ganoderma lucidum to examine it.

"Hehe, how much do you think this Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum are worth?"

Factory Director Yan glanced at Li Xiangdong, then picked up the He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) and examined it closely. "These two Ganoderma lucidum plants are red and purple Ganoderma lucidum. They are indeed miraculous medicines for replenishing qi, calming the mind, relieving cough, and relieving asthma. The spore powder hasn't been sprayed yet, so they are top-quality products."

"In your opinion, how old are these two Ganoderma lucidum plants?"

"Judging from the cloud patterns, it will take at least ten years."

"Only ten years?" Li Xiangdong was a little disappointed.

"Silly boy, have you always heard of the immortal Ganoderma lucidum when you listen to operas? Hahaha, that's just a beautiful legend. The pharmacopoeia records that wild purple and red Ganoderma lucidum only have a one-year growth cycle. After a year, they get eaten by insects and are damaged by wind and rain. Your two Ganoderma lucidum have survived for ten years and are still intact. It's a miracle!"

"Oh? That's great! How old is the He Shou Wu?"

Upon hearing the word "miracle," Li Xiangdong was overjoyed.

"The value of your He Shou Wu doesn't lie in its age. Look at this body, with its arms crossed, legs crossed, large belly, and clear features—doesn't it resemble a very old man?"

"I once saw a statue of a long-lived person made of Polygonum multiflorum in Yanjing City, which was regarded as a great treasure!"

After listening to what Director Yan said, Li Xiangdong and Xiao Wang examined the object carefully and found it looked more and more like the real thing.

"These two items are quite valuable. Think about whether you want to sell them. If you do, I can introduce you to someone." Director Yan wrapped the Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum again in his blue cotton-padded jacket.

Li Xiangdong's heart was like a rollercoaster. After hearing what Director Yan said, he calmed himself down and said, "Thank you, Uncle Yan. I'll go back and discuss it with my parents and give you a reply."

Watching Li Xiangdong and his sister disappear through the door, Xiao Wang turned back and whispered to Director Yan, "Station Chief, why didn't you accept the Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum just now?"

Factory Director Yan understood what Xiao Wang meant: he had people who wanted to buy the goods. As long as he could lower the price with Li Xiangdong, he could resell the Ganoderma lucidum and Polygonum multiflorum for a considerable profit.

Seeing Xiao Wang's eager yet slightly envious gaze, he sighed, "Xiao Wang, what do you think of Li Xiangdong?"

"She's quite diligent and quick-witted."

"Yes, a fourteen-year-old kid, all he knows is digging up medicinal herbs to sell for money. Our Guangming Pharmaceutical Factory is a state-owned enterprise. In all these years, besides him, have you ever seen anyone else who knows to come here to sell medicinal herbs?"

"Besides, this kid never comes empty-handed." She glanced at the crisp three-yuan bills in Xiao Wang's shirt pocket. "One should be content!"

Xiao Wang felt embarrassed when Director Yan looked at him, and quickly made an excuse to go to the back to organize the medicinal herbs.