Seeing that everyone was having a very exciting discussion, Village Chief Yao tapped on the table in front of him, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"Swapping the medicinal herbs this time is definitely not an option. Their main objective this time is salt. Let's discuss who will go and swap the salt first. As for the medicinal herbs, we'll negotiate with them later."

“I see there are a lot of women in their group. Why don’t we organize our village to set off together like them? That way, the village will have a safety net and can bring back as much salt as possible,” Yao Shu suggested.

“I think it’s a good idea. This time, let’s travel together like them, and following the main group will ensure our safety. It’s much safer than if our village organizes its own trips in the future.” Several elderly people in their village also agreed with this approach, since everyone is important now.

If Sicheng and his group were here, they would find that many of the rules in Yaojia Village are very similar to those in Pinghe Village, and it is also a very united village.

They probably discussed things like this often before, so they quickly decided who would travel together. As for the items to be changed, the village let each family decide for themselves. The whole meeting ended in less than an hour.

Just as they finished their work, Xiao Lie's family had also prepared a meal and were waiting outside for Yao Shu to deliver it to the doctor at the village entrance.

"Uncle, don't worry about traveling with them tomorrow. I'll take care of things at home for you." Yao Shu's family was still preparing food, so he took the food to Xiao Lie's family first.

"Thank you all so much. Xiao Lie just took his medicine and is now fast asleep. He hasn't slept this soundly in ages." Xiao Lie's father wiped away tears as he said this. Heaven knows how his family has been getting through this. They had prepared for the worst, but hope suddenly appeared. Now he will definitely work even harder to keep this little family, which they have barely managed to keep afloat, alive.

"Everything will be alright. As long as people are alive, there is hope." Yao Shu was extremely grateful for Si Cheng and the others' arrival. If Si Cheng hadn't remembered his name, he would have missed his village.

Si Cheng went to greet them as soon as they opened the door, and when he saw that they were carrying a full load of dishes, he knew what they meant.

"Why are you being so polite? We've already prepared everything."

"Thank you for saving my life. This little bit of food is nothing. Please see where we can put it." Xiao Lie's father now knew that the young man in front of him was the leader of the team, so his attitude became even more polite.

"Come with me." Si Cheng led them directly to the outside of the Yunnan medicine tent.

"Uncle Nanyao, get up and eat." After returning from the village, Yunnan Yao went straight to his tent to rest, telling everyone to wait until mealtime to find him. The villagers naturally agreed. Yunnan Yao is now a key protected individual in the village; he's no longer allowed to do heavy work, and everyone takes turns tending to his fields. Furthermore, his young apprentices have shared all his belongings, allowing him more time to study the surrounding herbs.

"You're here! Finally, it's time to eat. I've been so hungry I couldn't sleep. Wow, what a feast!" He saw the food laid out on the makeshift stone platform as soon as he came out.

"This was delivered from Xiao Lie's family in Yaojia Village." Si Cheng saw Xiao Lie's father standing there honestly, not knowing what to say, and decided to help him out of the predicament.

"Why are you being so polite? Anyone would have helped in this situation."

"It's alright. If it weren't for you guys, I don't know how long Xiao Lie would have survived. Please don't look down on this little bit of food." Yao Shu quickly chimed in from the side.

"Alright, I haven't had such delicious food in many days, let's call it a day."

"Thank you, doctor!" Xiao Lie's father didn't know how to express himself, so he simply bowed to the Yunnan medicine doctor before turning back to the village.

When Yao Shu left, he took Yun Xun and Yun Tao, the mother and son, with him. He had already told them beforehand to come to his house for dinner. He had originally wanted to invite Si Cheng and the others as well, but Si Cheng declined.

"Let's eat, we're starving." After everyone had left, Yunnan Medicine had someone bring all the food together so that everyone could have a taste.

Early the next morning, the village opened the village gate to allow everyone to pass through, and those who had set off with them were waiting inside. This time, they would follow the group directly from their respective village points according to the arrangement.

Yao Shu and the village chief led the way, following Si Cheng and everyone as they walked through the village. They found that every household in the village was well-built, and they also noticed that although they had diverted some water from the village's stream, the water level was obviously not very high.

"Uncle Yao, you should prepare to store water. The water level has dropped drastically recently, and some places are almost dry." Si Cheng couldn't help but give a reminder. He didn't want such a good village to fall into water shortage and drought.

"The villagers have noticed it too, but even though we've blocked the river, the water level is still dropping every day." In fact, even if Si Cheng hadn't reminded them, several elderly people in the village had noticed the anomaly. Although they had made some preparations, the results didn't seem to be very good.

Si Cheng knew that the water was flowing downhill and was being lost; if the riverbed below wasn't repaired, it would never be able to hold any water.

Si Cheng simply told him how Pinghe Village built its reservoir. Moreover, Yaojia Village had an advantage over them. In his opinion, the village should still have some cement stored in it, which was more reliable than the three-component soil that his village used.

"This is a good idea. Otherwise, watching the water level drop every day is making me so anxious that I'm almost losing all my hair." The village chief has also been worried lately, and his hair is falling out in clumps.

"In a little while, our village will also start digging a reservoir. Even if we can't do it like you, with every household digging one, we'll still dig a big one for the whole village."

"I think you should dig in separate groups and fill the reservoirs gradually. Otherwise, I'm afraid the water will be gone by the time you finish digging them." Si Cheng wasn't optimistic about a large reservoir at this point; digging a reservoir large enough for the village's use would be very time-consuming and labor-intensive.

"Look at me, my brain just doesn't work as fast as yours young people. If you hadn't reminded me, I might have really messed things up." Village Chief Yao realized at this point that he really couldn't do things the way he suggested. Otherwise, by the time he finished digging the reservoir, there would be another drought. He really wouldn't know what to do then.

"You were just too nervous. Even if I didn't say it, you would have remembered it later." Si Cheng dared not take credit.