Lin Zhiyue was full of expectations, with hope in his eyes. He stepped forward and politely said to the girl, "Comrade, since our herbs are all qualified, please calculate the price for me. I talked to your manager last time, and he said that for more than 300 kilograms, he would add 10 cents to the price per kilogram."
The girl smiled and nodded, "Okay, I'll give you the price right away."
After that, she walked quickly to the table beside her, where account books, abacus and other items were placed. She gently pulled out a chair and sat down, first spreading out the account book, turning to the page that recorded today's medicinal materials, and then skillfully moved the abacus beads with both hands, making a crisp and pleasant sound.
Her eyes moved intently back and forth between the account book and the abacus, sometimes frowning in thought, and sometimes quickly recording the calculation results.
At this time, there was silence in the backyard. The village accountant and several young men held their breath, staring at the girl's every move. Their mood was like a taut string, rising and falling with the girl's calculations.
The sun shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting golden beams of light, stretching the shadows of everyone on the ground.
The breeze blew gently, bringing a hint of coolness, but it did not relieve everyone's inner tension at all.
After a while, the little girl stopped what she was doing, raised her head, and said with a gentle smile, "It's settled."
Everyone involuntarily leaned forward, their ears pricked up. The girl cleared her throat and began to report: "1,200 catties of Astragalus, originally 2.5 yuan per catty, more than 300 catties plus 1 cent per catty, so the total price of Astragalus is 1,200 × 2.6 + = 3,120 yuan; 800 catties of Bupleurum, originally 1.6 yuan per catty, more than 300 catties plus 1 cent per catty is 1.7 yuan, the total price of Bupleurum is 800 × 1.7 = 1,360 yuan; 1,000 catties of Atractylodes, originally 2.2 yuan per catty, more than 300 catties plus 1 cent per catty is 2.3 yuan, the total price of Atractylodes is 1,000 × 2.3 = 2,300 yuan. The total of the three herbs is 3,120 + 1,360 + 2,300 = 6,780 yuan."
Upon hearing this number, the village accountant and the young men were stunned at first, then bright smiles broke out on their faces, and their joy was beyond words.
They looked at each other, their eyes full of surprise and excitement, and whispered: "I didn't expect it to sell for so much money!"
"Our hard work during this period is really worth it!" Lin Zhiyue also showed a gratified smile. After thanking the little girl, she and everyone else were immersed in the joy of this harvest.
Lin Zhiyue's face was filled with a satisfied smile, and she said to the little girl, "Okay, comrade, no problem. And comrade, I want to tell you something later. I'm going to school soon, and from now on, Uncle Wang will be the one who will bring the people to sell." As she spoke, she turned sideways and pointed to Uncle Wang, the village accountant beside her.
The little girl smiled amiably again and nodded in response, "Okay, as long as the quality of the herbs you send is not a problem, we will buy them from you at this price in the future."
After talking to the little girl, Lin Zhiyue turned around and said to Uncle Wang: "Uncle Wang, let's go back. You have to keep the money."
Uncle Wang tightly grasped the cloth bag containing the payment in both hands. The bag seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and his knuckles turned slightly white from the force.
On the way back, the ox cart was still moving slowly, but Uncle Wang no longer had the nervousness he had when he came. Instead, he was filled with tension and anxiety.
From time to time, he looked down at the cloth bag in his arms, then glanced around vigilantly, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
Although the people traveling with him were all acquaintances in the village, he felt very uneasy with such a large sum of money.
The country road is winding, and the crops on both sides rustle in the breeze, as if whispering something.
Occasionally a few birds flew overhead, making crisp calls, but they could not ease Uncle Wang's tense nerves.
His eyes were always vigilantly observing everything around him, fearing that any accidents might happen.
Finally, Uncle Wang couldn't bear it any longer. He leaned over slightly and said to Lin Zhiyue in a pleading tone, "Yueyue, why don't you hold the money for me first and give it to me after we get into the village. I'm really worried that something might go wrong."
As he spoke, he handed the cloth bag to Lin Zhiyue, his eyes full of anticipation.
Lin Zhiyue looked at Uncle Wang's nervous expression and couldn't help but smile. She gently took the bag and comforted him, "Uncle Wang, don't worry, I'm here. The money will be safe, so you can rest assured."
After hearing this, Uncle Wang let out a long sigh, and the tense expression on his face eased a little. He looked at Lin Zhiyue gratefully, leaned on the ox cart, and relaxed his tense body a little, but his eyes still fell on the cloth bag in Lin Zhiyue's hand from time to time.
The ox cart moved slowly along the winding country road. The wheels rolled over the gravel, making a "crunching" sound, as if telling the story of the journey.
Lin Zhiyue sat in the car, tightly holding the cloth bag containing the proceeds from selling medicinal herbs in his hand, looking at the familiar scenery along the way, his heart full of emotion.
In the distance, the outline of the village gradually became clear, and wisps of smoke rose from the scattered roofs, as if calling for people to return.
At this moment in the village, the villagers were already looking forward to it.
Ever since Lin Zhiyue and his group set out early in the morning, everyone has been worried.
The old people sat at the door of their house, looking towards the village entrance from time to time, and their work was done absent-mindedly;
The women gathered together, doing housework while quietly discussing the results of the sale of medicinal herbs, their faces full of worry and expectation;
The children were running and playing in the village, but from time to time they would run to the village entrance to look around, curious about what news the adults' long journey would bring.
They all desperately want to know whether they can make money from the medicinal herbs they have worked so hard to pick and prepare these days, how much they can be sold for, and how much money each household can get.
Finally, the familiar ox cart at the entrance of the village slowly came into view.
The sharp-eyed child was the first to shout: "They're back! They're back!" This shout instantly broke the tranquility of the village. The villagers put down what they were doing and rushed to the village entrance from all corners.
For a while, the entrance of the village was bustling with activity, and everyone was chatting and asking about the situation of selling medicinal herbs.
Uncle Wang sat on the ox cart, looking at the villagers who were gathered here, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Don't gather here, don't gather here, wait until I put the cows away, then go to the threshing ground, we'll talk after we get there!" When the villagers heard this, although they were anxious, they knew that what Uncle Wang said made sense, so they dispersed and walked quickly towards the threshing ground.
As they walked, everyone was talking in low voices, speculating on the results of this sale of medicinal herbs, and everyone's face was filled with anticipation.
Lin Zhiyue and Uncle Wang drove the ox cart and walked slowly towards the cowshed.
After settling the cattle, they also walked towards the threshing ground.
At this time, the threshing ground had already been filled with men, women, young and old from the entire village. Everyone was staring at the entrance, waiting for their arrival. An announcement concerning the interests of the entire village was about to take place here.
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