When everyone heard this, they stopped what they were doing and turned their eyes to the team leader. The threshing ground instantly became quiet, with only the occasional cries of livestock.
The captain went on to say, "Lin Zhiyue is going to school tomorrow. As everyone knows, she used to take us to collect herbs, but now that she's gone, no one can take us there anymore. We can now collect those herbs by ourselves, which is a good thing. But Lin Zhiyue said that there are not only those three herbs in the mountains, there are many others. Those herbs grow in the mountains, and if we don't collect them, it would be a waste, because they are all worth a lot of money!"
The villagers were immediately in an uproar when they heard this. "Captain, what should we do? We can't waste it!"
"Captain, please think of a way. We can't let this money slip away." Everyone's face was filled with anxiety and helplessness. After all, the profits from picking herbs have already made them taste the sweetness, and they really don't want to give up this income easily.
At this time, a thin woman with a sour face in the crowd shouted at the top of her voice: "Captain, tell Lin Zhiyue not to go to school, and take us to collect medicinal herbs in the village!" Her voice was sharp and piercing, and it was particularly abrupt in the noise.
When the captain heard this, his face suddenly turned gloomy. He turned his head sharply, staring at the woman with a sharp gaze, and then shouted loudly: "What are you thinking? You asked others not to go to school and took you to collect medicinal herbs. Do you think it is realistic? Lin Zhiyue is only a 13-year-old girl with a bright future. How can she ruin her chance of studying because of this? How can you say such a thing!"
The captain's voice was loud and majestic, echoing in the threshing ground, shocking the surrounding villagers so much that they couldn't help but take a step back.
The woman's face turned red after being told this by the captain. She opened her mouth and wanted to refute, but found that she was in the wrong and had no words to say. She could only lower her head and dared not say another word. In the eyes of everyone, she looked embarrassed and awkward.
The threshing ground fell into a brief silence again. Everyone was thinking about how the village should deal with this new problem after losing Lin Zhiyue's leadership in collecting herbs.
In the threshing ground, the villagers' eyes were still focused on the team leader, and everyone was anxiously waiting for a solution to the problem of collecting herbs.
The captain looked around at everyone and continued, "As you know, we have several people stationed in the cowshed in our village. Don't underestimate them, they are all very capable. Take Grandpa Bai for example, his knowledge of herbs is better than that of everyone in our village combined. And Grandma Lin, her method of handling herbs is so neat."
The villagers looked at each other and whispered. They all had some impression of the people mentioned by the team leader. Although they rarely went out on weekdays, they could occasionally detect that they had a different temperament from ordinary people.
The captain raised his voice and continued, "I thought, let those people take us villagers to know other herbs and teach us how to prepare them. Think about it, if we learn how to do it, we can continue to make money. This is a good opportunity."
Someone in the crowd whispered, "Captain, but they came to our village because they committed a crime. Is that okay?"
The captain looked serious and explained, "Don't worry about this. Although they made mistakes, they came to our village to reform themselves and become new people. Moreover, their ability in this area is a rare help to our village."
After a pause, the team leader continued, "Of course, these people are also here for labor reform, so we can't give them work points. Otherwise, it would go against the purpose of having them come down for reform. So, let them take us to collect herbs, we can earn money, and at the end of the year, we will give them some food so that they can also maintain their lives. What do you think?"
The villagers fell into deep thought. After a while, a gray-haired old man stood up and said, "Captain, I think this is feasible. Our village finally has a way to make money by collecting herbs, and we can't let it stop. They can help us, and we can give them food to eat. This can also be considered mutual help."
"Yeah, I think so too."
"I think we can give it a try."
The villagers spoke one after another, and more and more voices of approval emerged.
The woman who had previously suggested that Lin Zhiyue give up going to school also nodded silently at this time and dared not say anything.
The captain looked at everyone with a gratified smile on his face: "Since everyone thinks it's okay, then it's settled. Starting tomorrow, let the old men in the cowshed take everyone to the mountains to get to know those new herbs and try to keep this money-making business going!"
There was warm applause in the threshing ground, and the villagers' faces were filled with expectations for the future again, as if they had already seen the abundant harvests of medicinal herbs and generous income.
In the slightly dilapidated cowshed at the west end of the village, six old men were busy with their work.
Grandpa Bai sat in the corner, carefully wiping his old but well-maintained herbal medicine tools, his eyes full of nostalgia;
Grandma Lin was sorting some medicinal herbs on the side. With her years of experience, she classified and arranged them neatly.
Suddenly, the familiar figure of the captain appeared at the door of the cowshed.
His arrival instantly brought a tense atmosphere to the originally quiet bullpen.
The six old men stopped what they were doing, raised their heads, and looked at the captain in unison.
The captain walked into the cowshed, cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, tomorrow you will lead the villagers to the mountains to collect herbs."
As soon as these words were spoken, confused expressions instantly appeared on the faces of the six old men. They looked at each other with doubts in their eyes.
They didn't understand why they were suddenly arranged to do this. After all, they had been working silently in the cowshed and had little contact with the outside world.
Seeing this, the captain sighed slightly and said slowly: "This is Lin Zhiyue's suggestion. She will go to school tomorrow and is worried that the herb-collecting business in the village will be cut off. Thinking that you are very proficient in herbs, she suggested that you lead everyone up the mountain."
When they heard the three words "Lin Zhiyue", the old people's expressions relaxed a lot.
They remembered the smart and kind little girl and her respect and concern for everyone in her daily life.
Grandpa Bai nodded first and said, "Since it's Yueyue's idea, let's go."
Several other elderly people also echoed this, and the confusion on their faces was gradually replaced by understanding and recognition.
They understood that Lin Zhiyue was truly caring about the village and also about them. After all, collecting herbs was much easier than working.
And they are also willing to contribute to the village in return for Lin Zhiyue's trust.
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