Chapter 98 Planting Medicinal Herbs
Li Meng looked at Lu Qingqing with curiosity.
She has changed so much, and now she even knows medicine. She is completely different from the Lu Qingqing of the past.
She had witnessed Lu Qingqing hitting a child on the head with a stone.
Just because that child called her an ugly monster.
In the end, it was Uncle Lu who compensated the family with money and said all the right things to settle the matter.
At that time, Lu Qingqing rolled her eyes behind Uncle Lu's back, showing no remorse whatsoever.
Although Li Meng loathed Lu Qingqing, a thought crossed her mind at the time:
If she caused trouble, would her father pay compensation, or would he beat her in front of others to make up for the compensation?
Father will definitely not pay that much money, because my brothers are growing and need to eat a lot.
At that moment, she was jealous of Lu Qingqing.
"It's nothing serious, but arsenic is highly toxic and may have long-term effects. It's best to continue taking the medication for another ten days to half a month," Lu Qingqing said after the examination.
Old Crow Li was relieved.
"Qingqing, it seems like matchmakers have been coming to your house lately?" the third brother asked.
That's right, he's either arranging a marriage for my second brother or for her.
It wasn't just the matchmakers; the older women who came to see the doctor also took the opportunity to talk about their nephews, cousins, and other relatives.
Lu Qingqing smiled but didn't say anything.
The third brother then asked, "How much dowry is needed for Qingqing to get engaged?"
Li Laogua also pricked up his ears.
Although he felt that his third son was not good enough for him, his fourth son was better.
"I will not get married."
"What? How can you not get married? Oh, I see!"
The third brother thought he had guessed the reason: "Actually, we farmers are not as particular as wealthy families. From now on, you should only treat women and not men."
Lu Qingqing wasn't angry.
That's what most people think.
When the matchmakers visited my home, they all mentioned this matter.
"No, I'm not getting married. My family can afford the taxes. My dad said he'll buy me a husband in the future! He'll take my family name!" Lu Qingqing explained frankly.
Although some people don't want to get married as long as they pay enough taxes, few people do so due to social pressure. When they reach a certain age, they still get married.
So Lu Qingqing bluntly said that she would buy a husband in the future.
That's what they said to the matchmaker too.
No one will bother us anymore.
Whether you treat men or women is none of anyone's business!
The third and fourth brothers were speechless.
He looked at Lu Qingqing with shock and disappointment.
The crow opened its mouth.
I used to think that Lao Lu doted on his daughter and would definitely not let her marry far away, and would definitely empty his family's savings to give her a dowry.
I didn't expect that I had underestimated it.
They don't even want to leave their homes!
This is truly the first of its kind in Ming'an County!
Envy reappeared in Li Meng's eyes.
However, he quickly lowered his head, afraid of being seen.
"Oh, right, Uncle Crow, there's one more thing."
"This year's excessive rainfall may cause crops to rot at the roots and may also lead to severe pest infestations, resulting in a poor harvest."
Old Crow Li nodded, his face full of worry.
The third and fourth sons each received an acre of land. He went to check on it early in the morning and found that the villagers were draining the water, but it had little effect and root rot was inevitable.
All we can do is pray that it doesn't rain again and that the damage will be less.
Otherwise, after paying the grain tax, there wouldn't be much left.
And this year there's one more mouth to feed.
"Uncle, you know I collect medicinal herbs, and I also plan to grow them, but I haven't found a suitable place yet."
Most of the land is rented by various families, and it's rare to find land that's all connected. Especially now that it's not harvest time, nobody sells land unless they're facing difficulties.
"I want to start by intercropping in the farmland."
Intercropping? Wouldn't that affect the crop yield?
"With the crops in this state, are you still worried about the impact? Medicinal herbs are wild plants, which are easier to grow than crops. Even if the crops are gone, you can still make some money from the medicinal herbs."
I'll go talk to the village head in a little while and see if anyone in the village wants to join.
I have seeds for some medicinal herbs, and for others I can just dig up seedlings from the mountains and transplant them.
I can't guarantee anything else; you'll have to weigh the pros and cons yourselves.
What I can guarantee is that the medicinal herbs we grow will be purchased at different prices.
Lu Qingqing went to the city early in the morning, mainly to check if Xu Rui was still alive.
Hearing from Mo Lang that he had gone to the irrigation canal again, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Summer has just begun, and the excessive rainfall is causing the most distress for ordinary people.
When Lu Qingqing suggested the intercropping method, Mo Lang stared at her for a long time without blinking.
Then he told her to wait in the shop while he rode off on his horse.
He returned after a long wait, covered in sweat.
He told her that the intercropping method was very good, and his young master said that no matter how many medicinal herbs Lu Qingqing collected, Ben Cao Fang would collect them all.
With Mo Lang's words, she became bolder.
She originally only planned to mention it to a few people she was familiar with.
After Lu Qingqing left, the Li family father and son started discussing it.
Crops are the lifeblood of farmers; how can they be given up so easily?
But what if the crops really do rot in the ground...
The fourth son said, "Dad, I plan to plant my one mu of land."
"Have you thought it through? Qingqing's idea is that you should bear the gains and losses yourself, and she will only be responsible for collecting the medicinal herbs."
"I've made up my mind. It'll probably rain again. Anyway, the medicinal herbs have no cost."
The fourth brother was quite decisive.
Li Laogua glanced at the third brother, who was still hesitating!
"I'm going up the mountain to dig up seedlings for Fourth Brother." Li Meng couldn't wait to contribute her efforts.
"But Qingqing hasn't said what medicinal herbs she's digging up yet, and I don't recognize them either."
"I'll go listen to the village head again." The fourth brother turned and went out.
Beneath the large millstone, the village headman struck the gong.
The irrigation canal is almost finished, and villagers from several villages have returned.
At a moment's notice, everyone who was at home came over.
Lu Qingqing explained the situation, and the crowd erupted in chaos.
Some people are afraid to risk planting certain medicinal herbs that could affect their crop yield.
Some people think it's important to prepare early.
The village head raised his voice and emphasized, "It's settled then. Lu Qingqing is only responsible for harvesting medicinal herbs after the autumn harvest. You'll have to figure out how your crops will be affected. If you lose money, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself. That's all!"
"What kind of medicinal herb is that? Is it valuable?" someone asked.
"Some shady medicinal herbs mature in autumn. Some are expensive, some are cheaper. I have some seeds that I can share with you. I will teach you how to identify the rest, and you can find them on the mountain yourself."
If we find Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng, they will naturally be expensive once they mature!
Lu Qingqing said jokingly.
There is another possibility.
The soil in the damp, shady places on the mountain naturally contains various fungi. If you transplant it to the ground, you never know what rare treasure might suddenly sprout the following year.
Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard Lu Qingqing teaching them about medicinal herbs.
Even if you lose money, you've still learned something, and you can collect herbs to sell for money in the future, right?
Is this for real?
How can Lu Qingqing teach them her family's money-making methods?
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