After returning home that evening, He Jiuniang told the Lu family about the medicinal herbs. The eldest son of the Lu family suggested that they build a few stoves and one or two thatched sheds to process the herbs. Everyone thought it was a good idea, but He Jiuniang rejected it.
He Jiuniang explained, "It's best to keep our family's processing of medicinal herbs as secret as possible, so that no one knows about it. Otherwise, what if they steal our techniques?"
Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense, and Qin asked, "Then won't we lose a lot of money?"
That's almost half the money; just thinking about it makes my heart ache.
"It's not a loss, after all, we didn't make it before, which saved us half of a very important step."
He Jiuniang explained earnestly, and then said to Old Man Lu, "Father, since the family is going to do this business, why don't we build a couple more houses and set them up as processing workshops? My sisters-in-law can process the herbs at home, and Cui'er and Sister-in-law Qi can go and pick the fresh herbs. We'll buy them at the price of fresh herbs, process them, and then sell them. This way, we can help the clan members make money, and our family can also benefit."
"That's a great idea!"
Lu Laoda immediately slapped his thigh. Compared to his third sister-in-law, he had been too simplistic in his thinking. His third sister-in-law's idea was the best!
"The idea is good, but are you only going to make these two kinds of medicinal herbs? How long can you make them in a year? Besides, do you even know how to process them?"
As expected of Madam Sun, she got straight to the point as soon as she opened her mouth. As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the Lu family, young and old, stared at He Jiu Niang.
He Jiuniang cleared her throat, her manner particularly affected: "To be honest, I didn't know how either..."
The Lu family members all frowned.
"But, I asked the pharmacy owner about it today..."
The Lu family members' facial features relaxed slightly.
"After haggling with the shopkeeper, we agreed to supply him with the medicinal herbs exclusively. The shopkeeper was so pleased that he not only agreed to charge two extra coins for each herb, but also..."
The facial features of the Lu family members began to appear larger.
"Ouch, you brat!" Mrs. Sun slapped her arm without any mercy. "Speak up, stop keeping me in suspense!"
"Hehehe!" He Jiuniang had had her fill of teasing and stopped keeping them in suspense. "She even told me about some commonly used medicinal herbs and simple processing methods!"
The Lu family members' facial features were completely unrestrained, and the corners of their mouths could almost reach the moon.
"real?"
Sun tried hard to control the corners of her mouth from turning up, and grabbed He Jiu Niang's hand.
How come this third son's wife is so smart now? How come she's so shrewd? How come she likes me so much!
But stay calm and don't let her know, or that brat will get arrogant!
"Of course it's true!"
He Jiuniang proudly tossed the stray hairs from her forehead: "How could I possibly do a bad job?"
"Oh, Auntie, you're amazing! I like you too!"
Youya was the first to rush into He Jiuniang's arms and rub against her vigorously, and Gou'er, not to be outdone, squeezed in as well: "I love Mom too!"
The others, though unable to squeeze into her arms, clung to her like ornaments. Only Lei Zi and Lian Hua felt too old to approach her.
Lianhua couldn't help but smile as she watched a group of children surround He Jiuniang. She really liked the atmosphere at the Lu family home; it was much more lively than her own home before. Grandpa and Grandma Lu didn't dislike her just because she was a girl. She had been here for so long, and no one in the family had gossiped about her. She felt very happy.
"Alright, alright, let's get down to business. What are you kids doing causing trouble? Get out of here!"
Sun pulled them all away in frustration and said, "It would be great if this business could succeed, but there are only so many herbs on the mountain, and they can't be available forever. We still need to figure out a way out."
"Of course!"
He Jiuniang snapped her fingers, feeling quite pleased with herself, but upon seeing Sun Shi's disdainful look, she immediately became much more obedient.
"Here's what I'm thinking: if this business can succeed, we can grow some medicinal herbs on the land we've cleared on the mountain, ensuring that this business can continue for a long time."
Sun immediately interrupted her: "You're such a fool, always coming up with something on a whim. Didn't you say yesterday that you were going to use the wasteland on the mountain to grow those damn potatoes? What, have you forgotten?"
How could He Jiu Niang forget something as delicious as potatoes?
Just as he was about to speak, Boss Lu asked, "What potatoes?"
Oh, right!
He Jiuniang slapped her forehead; she had forgotten to tell them about the potatoes last night.
So He Jiuniang recounted how she had dug up potatoes on the mountain, something even the most knowledgeable old man, Lu, had never heard of, let alone these people.
Fortunately, the women and children in the family already knew about it yesterday, and had even eaten it, so the men weren't surprised.
"Is there really such a good thing? That's amazing! That's wonderful!"
The four men, led by Boss Lu, were so excited that they didn't know what to say. They had actually discovered new grain. If this were reported to the government, it would be a great achievement.
Of course, they have no such plans for the time being. They want to make sure they fill their own stomachs first, earn enough money, and then make the matter public.
"Calm down, calm down~"
He Jiuniang raised her hand calmly and continued talking about what had just happened: "When I was little, I heard about potatoes. I heard they were very easy to grow. We can clear the wasteland first and plant the potatoes during the autumn planting season. They'll be able to survive the winter well. As for the medicinal herbs, we have no experience in planting them. We'll have to trouble Father and my two older brothers to put in some effort to research them. We can plant them next spring."
The eldest and second sons of the Lu family were both skilled farmers. Back in their hometown, the two brothers managed the family's fields. Old Man Lu and Mrs. Sun had long since stopped working in the fields, only occasionally going to check on the crops.
But no matter what, Old Man Lu has been farming for so many years and has a lot of experience. He Jiu Niang is at ease leaving this kind of thing to him.
Zhang Song listened to He Jiu Niang's detailed arrangements, but she didn't assign any tasks to the two brothers. He became a little anxious and said, "Third Sister-in-law, although we brothers are not good at farming, we can learn. Can we help grow medicinal herbs?"
Lu Guilan nodded earnestly. Although everyone was getting along well at her parents' home, they couldn't just do nothing and not be able to help at all, or they would feel anxious.
"Brother-in-law, don't worry, we'll definitely take you with us."
He Jiuniang replied, and then said, "My younger sister and Sister Shen can help the two sisters-in-law with their work. Right now, all they need to do is go up the mountain to dig potatoes and medicinal herbs. Once the house is built, they can help process the medicinal herbs. As for the two brothers-in-law, I want to entrust the business matters that require them to show their faces to you."
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