Free Web NovelChapter 376: Chapter 148: Buying People and Planting Medicinal Herbs (Part 2)
The members of the Zhao family felt extremely awkward as Dashan lectured them to their faces.
"We couldn’t help it."
"We only have two hands each. We really can’t do that much work."
"I wish I could split myself in two, but I can’t."
"Enough with the idle chatter. Hurry up and help settle these people in. Oh, Wanqing, are you planning to have them sleep on a communal bed? Is it set up yet? Are there enough blankets? None of them know how to make incense, so we should come back tomorrow and guide them for a day..."
Chiming in one after another, the crowd got busy before Chen Wanqing or Zhao Jing could even say a word.
One person said they had wooden planks at home, while another mentioned their husband and son were idle.
Perhaps out of guilt, the family members quickly summoned people and brought things from their homes. In just a short while, they had the communal bed all set up.
Some, realizing the newcomers had no bedding or spare clothes, brought unused garments from their own homes. Others brought iron pots and old stoves, claiming they were too broken to use anymore. They insisted the items could be used here for now and that Chen Wanqing could replace them later when she was more financially comfortable.
Watching these scenes unfold, Chen Wanqing actually felt a pang of guilt.
’We were the ones who deliberately schemed, yet in the end, the family members are the ones feeling guilty toward us. This doesn’t feel right.’
Chen Wanqing looked at Zhao Jing. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "The aunties haven’t lost anything, and you’ve benefited. You’re all getting along well—isn’t this a happy outcome for everyone?"
"Now that you put it that way... I guess you’re right."
Zhao Jing smiled, pressing his lips together. Then, under the cover of his wide sleeve, he squeezed her fingers. "Don’t overthink it, Wanqing. Just look at the result. As long as everyone is happy with the outcome, it’s for the best."
The people were settled in, and the next day, the members of the Zhao family kept their promise and came over to offer guidance.
Only after seeing the newcomers quickly get the hang of it, working proficiently, did they leave with peace of mind to get busy with their own harvest.
The wheat was ripe, and Chen Song and Xu Su Ying returned for the harvest.
But of the two, one was too busy to be in two places at once, and the other didn’t want to roughen her hands. So, unsurprisingly, they once again paid others to harvest the crops.
Because they paid well, the three acres of land were harvested in a single morning. The wheat was threshed in the afternoon, and by the time they headed back that evening, they had several cartloads of fresh wheat.
Once the harvest was complete, the couple gave the land directly to their daughter. They wouldn’t interfere whether she decided to rent it out for income or use it to grow medicinal herbs.
The people of the Zhao Village who witnessed this all thought to themselves that Chen Song and his wife truly doted on their daughter.
They were probably worried that after this whole affair, Wanqing would be short on Silver, so they were finding all sorts of ways to subsidize her.
This was also thanks to the Chen family’s son being so promising and having a good relationship with Jing and Wanqing. Otherwise, if it were anyone else, wouldn’t they have thrown a huge fit?
Zhao Jing’s family owned eight acres of fertile land, which in past years had been rented out to their clansmen in exchange for a portion of the harvest. The lease happened to expire this year, so Zhao Jing took the land back.
Chen Wanqing had brought two acres of land as her dowry, her parents had just given her their three acres, and with the Zhao family’s eight acres of fertile land, she now had a total of thirteen acres.
Planting corn and potatoes on it would be a waste, so Chen Wanqing told Zhao Jing, "I want to plant some Danshen and Codonopsis."
Danshen helps to invigorate blood circulation, dispel stasis, regulate menstruation, relieve pain, and calm the mind. Codonopsis, on the other hand, strengthens the spleen, nourishes the lungs, enriches the blood, and promotes fluid production.
She chose these two medicinal herbs for three reasons. First, the soil was suitable for their growth. Second, they were easy to care for and had high yields, promising a hefty profit if tended to well. And third, it would help divert prying eyes.
With Moonlight Fragrance selling so well, counterfeit versions were now appearing everywhere on the streets.
Chen Wanqing had bought and tried one before. There was a difference compared to her Moonlight Fragrance, of course, but it wasn’t a huge one.
She knew people were watching her, trying to replicate her formula. Under these circumstances, she had to be even more careful about maintaining secrecy.
Ideally, Chen Wanqing wanted to plant even more types of medicinal herbs, but unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right. For now, she could only plant Danshen and Codonopsis to test the waters.
She explained her concerns and considerations, and Zhao Jing listened to every word. In the end, he gave a characteristically supportive reply: "If you want to do it, Wanqing, then just do it. Even if the herbs don’t grow well, it’s not a loss we can’t afford."
"Alright. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. I’ll ask Mom to buy the seeds, then?"
"Of course."
The planting time for Danshen was rather urgent, but not for Codonopsis. Codonopsis had to be planted in late October when the weather turned slightly cool, so the priority right now was the Danshen.
