43 Conversation
“What’s the matter? Let’s talk while we eat. Say, why did you come over to my house? What’s with the dried meat? It’s so expensive!”
The village chief knew that Jian Qingqing’s family was in the stewed meat business. They were doing quite well. In less than a month, they had already started to build a house.
“How can a little snack compare to Grandpa Village Chief’s friendship? I’ve been in business for so long and have never shown filial respect to Grandpa Village Chief. In the past, you’ve helped my family so much. Now, let you have a taste of my cooking!”
The village chief was coaxed into laughing loudly. “You are the best. You are so thoughtful! Come, come, eat your vegetables. Why are you looking for me? If I can help, I’ll definitely help!”
Speaking of serious matters, Jian Qingqing said seriously, “Grandpa Village Chief, I came to look for you for the medicinal herbs in the east mountain. If you do well, the entire village will be able to make a fortune.”
“What?” Hearing about medicinal herbs, the village chief was extremely surprised. “Why would there be medicinal herbs in the mountain? Even if there were, we wouldn’t recognize them. We wouldn’t dare to enter a deeper mountain. What good things can we find in that area outside?”
Jian Qingqing took out the honeysuckle and the Iron-skinned Dendrobium, “Grandpa Village Chief, look, this is honeysuckle. You should know how many there are in the mountains. Fresh flowers that haven’t bloomed can be sold for 50 wen a catty, and the processed ones can be sold for 120 wen. Its vines can be sold for 1 wen per catty even if they are dried.”
The village chief knew that these flowers were everywhere on the East Mountain, and there were also some on the roadside, so he was even more surprised. “Can these flowers really be sold for money? Can they be sold for so much? Aren’t they everywhere?”
“Yes, but I suggest that you sell fresh flowers. If you prepare them, you won’t be able to produce half a catty of dry flowers even with a catty of fresh flowers. If the quality of the processed flowers isn’t good, I’m afraid that the herb merchants won’t accept them.”
“It’s already a lot to sell fresh flowers for 50 wen. We’re all boorish people, so we can’t do the processing work. What about this one? Is it also a medicinal herb? I remember that it grew on the mountain wall, right?” The village chief pointed at the Iron-skinned Dendrobium and said.
Jian Qingqing smiled. “Grandpa Village Chief has good eyesight. This is the one on the stone wall. It’s called the Iron-skinned Dendrobium. It’s a very precious medicinal herb. Fresh ones can be sold for 300 wen per catty, and processed ones for 500 wen.”
“What, what?!” The village chief almost could not breathe. He held his heart and gasped. “You, you, you, you, you, how much do you think it will sell for!”
The sons and daughters-in-law of the village chief who were eating at the table were also shocked. They looked at the small section of green plants on the table in surprise.
Jian Qingqing supported the village chief and helped him pat his back to calm his breath.
After a long while, the village chief finally recovered. He extended his trembling hand and pointed at the plant. “This, this can really sell for so much?”
Seeing that the village chief’s face was no longer red, Jian Qingqing sat down. “Yes, I went to the Ji Shan Hall this morning to ask. The Big Brother who taught the medicine there even taught me how to make this medicine.”
Hearing her words, not only did the village chief not show a happy smile, but he also had a sad expression on his face, and his eyes were red.
Jian Qingqing was shocked. The village chief’s son and daughter-in-law also looked sad, and his youngest daughter-in-law even shed tears.
“What’s wrong with you guys? Aren’t you very happy to be able to sell them for money? Why are you so sad?”
Hearing this, the village chief’s tears could not help but flow down.
“Qingqing, I’m guilty. My family pulled out quite a lot of these fortune-making medicinal herbs when they were building a house a few years ago. How much money did that cost? My heart aches!”
Jian Qingqing did not know whether to laugh or cry. She said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. You can just pull it out and throw it away. It can still grow. Moreover, I saw it yesterday. There is still quite a lot of it there. Think about it this way, it is an unexpected windfall. No matter how much or how little you sell, it is all pure profit.”