Qin Sang thought for a moment; those grass roots were medicine to her, but to those refugees, besides being an emergency stomach-filler, they wouldn't sell for a high price.
Since they had already sent them out of gratitude, Qin Sang decided to accept the gesture.
"We'll take the Medicinal Herbs that have already been sent. But tomorrow, Da Zhuang, San Gui, you two take some grain and stand guard there. If anyone brings more grass roots, handle it as we did before.
If they refuse to take the grain, tell them that what they sent previously has already covered their medical fees. I don't want people saying Qin Sang is a greedy person in the future."
"That money will go into the village's public accounts to establish a Medical Emergency Fund. If any family is in difficulty and cannot afford medical treatment, after a village meeting, some money can be allocated from the emergency fund for them.
Or if in the future there are outsiders, lonely or suffering people who need help, we can take from this money. We will do charity in the name of Tianjia Village, accumulating merit and doing good for everyone in the village. What do you think?"
No one expected Qin Sang to put all the money into the public accounts. The old village chief said with great relief:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, I have a premonition that under your leadership, our Tianjia Village will get better and better."
The other villagers also nodded one after another:
"Indeed, one can see that Da Zhuangs Mother has long-term plans; it's for the good of our entire Tianjia Village."
Qin Sang just smiled. She knew very well that the money had likely been scavenged from the bodies of those Rebel Soldiers. For one, she felt the money carried too much sin, and for another, she didn't want her family to seem too out of place in Tianjia Village.
Instead of taking it herself and having the villagers constantly dwell on her family's wealth, it was better to let everyone benefit. Progressing together would lead to unity.
Creating a harmonious environment similar to the modern era would also make her own life more comfortable.
Qin Sang planned to take a batch of those Medicinal Herbs out of the Cave tomorrow, otherwise there wouldn't be enough room at home. Upon hearing this, the villagers offered to help move them and bring back the money as well.
While the grass roots hadn't been brought back yet, Qin Sang and Er Fu ate a sumptuous meal.
Smoked meat and poached eggs, fried until glistening with oil. With one bite, the savory and salty flavors filled the mouth. Biting into the poached egg, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, there was the texture of a runny yolk bursting out. After drinking rice porridge for several days, Qin Sang and Tian Erfu narrowed their eyes in satisfaction.
Taking a bite of shredded potatoes perfectly cut through the oiliness, instantly restoring a refreshing taste. Then, a sip of dense, sweet Pumpkin porridge—this kind of life, even an immortal wouldn't trade it for anything.
Eating her fill to work better, Qin Sang and Er Fu began sorting the Medicinal Herbs.
"Ding! High-quality Rehmannia Root detected. One gram for twenty mall coins. Would you like to sell?"
Raw Rehmannia can clear heat and cool the blood, while Prepared Rehmannia can nourish the blood and yin. The most famous Chinese patent medicines of later generations, such as Liuwei Dihuang Pills, Wuji Baifeng Pills, and Ejiao Blood-Nourishing Oral Liquid, all contain this herb.
Qin Sang had Er Fu carefully identify the appearance of Rehmannia Root and explained the effects of this medicine.
Er Fu had a very good memory; she could distinguish the medicinal materials she had seen quite well. Before long, she had picked out quite a bit of Rehmannia Root.
"Ding! High-quality Asparagus Cochinchinensis detected. One gram for ten mall coins. Would you like to sell?"
Asparagus Cochinchinensis nourishes yin and moistens dryness, clears the lungs and promotes fluid production. It is a good medicine for treating coughs and can also treat diabetes; it's found in Honey-refined Chuanbei Loquat Syrup.
"Ding! High-quality Morinda Officinalis detected. One gram for thirty mall coins. Would you like to sell?"
Warming and tonifying the kidney-yang, filling the essence and benefiting the marrow—that's what this medicinal material is about. It's a charging station for men and a bay of happiness for women.
It is also a good medicine for dispelling rheumatism, can be soaked in wine, and can treat infertility.
When Qin Sang was introducing the medicinal effects to Er Fu, she thought Er Fu would be shy and blush, but she noticed the girl's face turned somewhat pale, as if she had remembered something unpleasant.
Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat. Er Fu had lived with Butcher Hu for half a year. Given Butcher Hu's tyrannical temper, it went without saying that the child likely had a psychological shadow regarding matters between men and women.
Qin Sang hurriedly threw away the Morinda Officinalis in her hand and began introducing another medicinal material:
"This, this is Stemona. It can moisten the lungs and stop coughing, and it can also kill insects and treat ringworm..."
This sorting kept them busy until the middle of the night. Fortunately, having slept for two days, they didn't feel tired.
Qin Sang kept half and sold half. With a flick of her wrist, the Medicinal Herbs in her hand disappeared. The mall coins in her mind kept increasing. Not only were all the recent expenses covered, but she also made a huge profit of over a hundred thousand, making her even less sleepy.
Overtime, overtime! This overtime was so invigorating!
Early the next morning, Da Zhuang and San Gui took Er Fu and followed a twenty-person squad to exchange Medicinal Herbs, while Qin Sang took a ten-person squad and prepared to leave the mountains.
The old village chief asked with some concern:
"Are ten people enough? We don't know what the situation is like outside. In my opinion, it would be safer if you took more people with you."
Qin Sang smiled and shook her head:
"No need for too many people. This area should be temporarily safe. If we take too many people and are mistaken for Rebel Soldiers by the Government Soldiers and wiped out, it would be a problem."
The people Qin Sang took included Hunter Xu, Hei Zi, Tian Youdi, Carpenter Zhao's eldest son, A Shui, and others. Each carried a basket of medicinal materials on their back. In addition, everyone brought weapons and food before setting off.
The leather boots Qin Sang had bought before entering the mountains came in handy. Otherwise, on the current mountain roads, a pair of cloth shoes would be ruined in less than half a day. The others wore straw sandals, mainly for slip resistance.
The mountain roads were truly difficult to traverse after the rain, especially with the rushing water in the valleys turning into rivers. Qin Sang told everyone to pay more attention to their safety, so they moved slowly. It took two days to reach the back of the mountain.
However, looking at the scene of the village below, everyone froze on the spot.
"This... what is going on?"
Tian Yougen said blankly.
Qin Sang's heart sank to the bottom:
"I'm afraid that half-month of heavy rain caused a flood, and the flood only receded in the last two days."
Qin Sang pulled out her Binoculars and saw more clearly.
Many adobe houses in Tianjia Village had collapsed. Firewood, debris, and dead trees were everywhere, along with thatch and corpses scattered about. A nauseating smell of decay could be detected by the nose.
There were rats and birds on the ground pecking at those rotting corpses. Qin Sang saw signs of post-mortem bloat, and a wave of nausea rose from her heart.
The eyes of the men beside her turned red one by one. This was their home, and it was just gone, destroyed.
Where were they to go from here?
Qin Sang put away the Binoculars and turned to look at them:
"Everyone, don't lose heart. We are all fine. If the houses are gone, we'll build them again. Everyone's wives and children are safe; we can start a new home anywhere."
Tian Youdi wiped away a tear and nodded heavily:
"Right, Da Zhuangs Mother is right. As long as the green mountains remain, there's no fear of lacking firewood. Those corpses belong to the Rebel Soldiers, not our relatives or friends. That is our greatest wealth.
If the houses are gone, we'll build them again. If the land is gone, we'll dig it again.
We could live in wooden huts in the mountains; are we afraid we can't build new houses?"
The others were encouraged and clenched their fists one after another:
"Right! Now that the rain has stopped and the flood has receded, as soon as we're sure we can leave the mountains, we can rebuild our homes."
After everyone finished speaking, Qin Sang spoke slowly:
"Then everyone wait here. Hei Zi and I will go to the Town first to see the situation."