"This is called aconite. If someone eats it, they won't make it past seven steps before they die.
Yet, it's also a very valuable medicinal herb. With special processing, it can be turned into a life-saving medicine."
Aconite is also called Monkshood. In ancient times, many Hunters and assassins loved to coat their arrows with aconite juice, as using poisoned arrows made hunting and killing enemies twice as effective.
Processed Monkshood, however, is a good medicine for saving lives. Its use as either poison or medicine is very significant.
Most importantly, when Qin Sang obtained this aconite, the system immediately identified it:
"High-quality aconite detected. Fifty mall coins per gram. Sell?"
Qin Sang certainly couldn't sell it now. To be safe, she asked one more question:
"Caoer, you and your brother didn't eat this aconite, did you?"
Widow Xia also grew anxious: "Caoer? Daner? Did you eat any?"
Both children shook their heads. Only then did Widow Xia feel relieved.
Qin Sang nodded:
"Very good. Children shouldn't eat things of unknown origin."
Qin Sang rummaged through the cloth bag again, picked out a plant, and said:
"This is notoginseng. Taken internally, it promotes blood circulation; applied externally, it stops bleeding. It's also a good medicine."
The system detected high-quality notoginseng at ten mall coins per gram.
Qin Sang pointed to another plant and smiled:
"This is gastrodia elata. It can treat headaches and paralysis.
I must say, Caoer is truly clever. Just these few medicinal herbs are worth much more than all that mugwort you worked so hard to gather.
It's just that there's only one or two of each kind, adding up to only about a hundred grams in total."
Widow Xia was stunned by Qin Sang's words. Instead, Caoer emerged from behind her mother, happily asking:
"Aunt, you said these are all medicinal herbs. Will you take them?"
Qin Sang smiled:
"Yes, I will. And the price is quite good. Caoer, do you want to sell them?"
Caoer answered loudly:
"Sell! Aunt, can these herbs be exchanged for rice?"
Qin Sang nodded, reached out to pat Caoer's head, and said:
"These few aconite plants can be exchanged for five catties of rice. The notoginseng and gastrodia elata can be exchanged for half a catty."
Caoer's small hands hanging at her sides clenched nervously into fists. Hearing Qin Sang say they could be exchanged for five and a half catties of rice, tears of joy welled up in her eyes:
"Mother, I saw more of these herbs today. I can go dig them up."
Widow Xia wasn't much better off than Caoer. Her eyes grew moist with excitement, and she kept nodding in agreement.
Eldest Sister-in-law Tian weighed out the rice and Millet for Widow Xia. The three of them thanked Qin Sang profusely for a long time before leaving.
Qin Sang placed the aconite and other herbs into her basket. The basket was now packed full, all with relatively expensive medicinal herbs.
Eldest Sister-in-law Tian and Da Hua's Mother, who had approached last, seemed hesitant to speak. Qin Sang then plucked samples of the aconite, gastrodia elata, and notoginseng plants and handed them to the two women:
"In-law, Sister-In-law, tomorrow you can also look to see if there are any of these herbs. They are more valuable than mugwort."
Eldest Sister-in-law Tian readily agreed. Da Hua's Mother hesitated for a moment before accepting:
"Okay, okay."
Da Hua's Mother hadn't found many medicinal herbs either; mugwort made up the majority. Qin Sang had three catties of rice weighed out for her.
Qin Sang wanted to invite the two to stay for a meal, but they declined, saying it wasn't necessary. They left with their grain, faster than rabbits.
Dusk was approaching. Those making mosquito coils indoors were also packing up. They could work at night, but there was no space in the courtyard to dry them.
The whole family came to move the medicinal herbs. They finished in no time, and then there was another knock at the door.
Qin Sang opened it to find Hunter Xu and his son, Xu Hu.
Both held bows and arrows, carried axes at their waists, and had rabbits and pheasants hanging. On their backs were large baskets, brimming with Millettia root.
Qin Sang hurriedly asked them to set them down:
"My, so much! How far did you carry this?"
Hunter Xu laughed:
"Although we were in the mountains for two days, we didn't carry it far. This is just from one mountain stream. We found two more spots, but we couldn't carry it all back. We'll have to go next time."
Tian Sijin ran over:
"Uncle Xu, Brother Huzi."
Qin Sang weighed the Millettia root while saying:
"Hunter Xu, I'll buy those pheasants and rabbits from you."
Hunter Xu nodded:
"Alright. I'll keep one pheasant for myself. Don't bother weighing this small one; it's all bones with little meat. It's a gift for you."
Qin Sang didn't stand on ceremony. She was now Hunter Xu's big customer. She patted Si Jin's hand:
"Go weigh out four catties of rice and twelve catties of Millet."
Hunters in the village had no farmland, at most digging a couple of vegetable plots for themselves. In good years, however, Hunters lived quite well in the village, not lacking meat, as pelts and game could also be exchanged for money.
But in years of famine, it was different. Besides wealthy families, who was willing to exchange life-saving grain for meat?
If they couldn't exchange for money, they had no money to buy grain. So, Hunter Xu had no plans to exchange for silver.
Thinking that few people went deep into the mountains and that the medicinal herbs there were lonely and neglected, Qin Sang found a few plant samples for Hunter Xu:
"These are all medicinal herbs. If you see any in the mountains, you can dig them up and sell them to me. The price won't be worse than cutting Millettia root."
Hunter Xu took the medicinal plants and examined them carefully:
"These are all medicinal herbs? Are you sure?"
Qin Sang nodded:
"Of course."
Xu Hu added from the side:
"Father and I have seen these before. We just never thought they were medicinal herbs."
Qin Sang smiled:
"It was the Xia family's Caoer who dug these up for fun while bored in the mountains with her mother. She said since medicinal herbs are all just Caoer anyway, she'd dig them up and ask me if I'd take them."
Hunter Xu tucked the plant samples into his clothes and laughed heartily:
"Then in the future, if I come across any Caoer I haven't seen before, I'll dig it up and bring it back for you to look at. Maybe I'll strike it rich."
Qin Sang smiled and agreed, then remembered something:
"Hunter Xu, could I ask you to help escort our family to town the day after tomorrow? I'll pay fifty copper coins."
Both Hunter Xu and his son were surprised: "Escort?"
Qin Sang explained:
"You might not know yet in the village, but there are more and more famine refugees fleeing to town.
When we went to town today, we felt like someone wanted to rob us.
The day after tomorrow, we need to deliver goods and also take the medicinal herbs. I'm afraid something might happen, so I think it's safer to hire a few people for escort.
Besides you, I also plan to ask Eldest Daughter-in-law's Father and You Di from the Village Chief's Family."
Hunter Xu had been worried that getting too close to Qin Sang, a widow, might invite gossip. Now, knowing others would be involved, his concern vanished:
"Alright, no problem."
Si Jin came out with the weighed grain:
"Brother Huzi, can your hand carry it? Has the wound from last time healed?"
Xu Hu took it with a grin:
"The medicine Aunt gave was especially good. It was just a minor injury, no problem."
Si Jin smiled, her lips curving:
"That's good."
After seeing off Hunter Xu and his son, Qin Sang told the eldest son to take the pheasant and go inform his Father-in-law about the trip the day after tomorrow.
The third son went to the village chief's house to invite his Uncle You Di.
They couldn't go empty-handed, so they took half a rabbit. Eldest Sister-in-law Tian and her two sisters-In-law had helped a lot today.
While everyone was busy cooking, Qin Sang went to feed the mule and horse.
The recovery ability of livestock was astonishing. With water to drink and food to eat, the two animals snorted repeatedly upon seeing Qin Sang appear.
Darkness fell. Qin Sang filled the trough with water, soaked beans in it, and added a few handfuls of Plantain and Prunella vulgaris.
Da Huang wasn't forgotten either. Qin Sang fed him dried meat and also exchanged for dog food from the Mall, storing it in the warehouse. It was very convenient to just scoop out a handful when feeding.
Petting Da Huang's fur, Qin Sang instructed:
"Da Huang, the safety of this family will rely on you from now on.
Remember, don't eat anything unfamiliar."