Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!-Chapter 121: An Herb Worth Its Weight in Gold
The commotion caused by the award certificate was just the beginning.
In just a week, Ping’an Farm had completely changed.
The corn stalks in the field had already grown to half a person’s height, with wide, thick leaves, a vibrant green.
The sweet potato vines were even more rampant, covering the ridges entirely, so no soil could be seen.
The villagers, with nothing better to do, loved to gather by the fields, pointing and exclaiming in awe at the sight.
"It’s only been a few days, and it’s grown better than a month’s worth at others’ homes!"
"These aren’t seeds, they’re golden nuggets!"
Tian Laosan’s wife, hiding behind the crowd, whispered sourly to her husband.
"Golden nuggets? I think it’s witchcraft, that woman is a fox spirit."
Tian Laosan tapped her arm with his tobacco pipe, hissing under his breath.
"Shut up! Do you want to die?"
He looked at the vibrant field, then at Lin Wan Yi, who was surrounded by villagers asking for advice, and he regretted it deeply.
That day, in the chief’s office, an elderly man with gray hair, yet full of energy, was massaging the chief’s lower back.
"Mr. Chen, you really have the touch, I feel much better now."
The chief said with a smile.
The old traditional Chinese medicine doctor, called Mr. Chen, withdrew his hand.
"Old ailment, needs nurturing. By the way, when I came in, I heard from the guard that there’s a top-notch farmer in our military district?"
The chief chuckled upon hearing this.
"More than just top-notch, it’s like Shennong himself! Gu Yanshen’s new wife, a capitalist’s daughter, turned a barren field into a treasure trove, even the Revolutionary Committee gave her an award!"
Mr. Chen became interested.
"Oh? Is it true? What did she plant?"
"She plants everything! I heard there are even rare medicinal seeds left by her mother. Come on, I’m curious too; let me take you for a look!"
When the chief’s jeep arrived at the farm, it caused quite a stir.
Lin Wan Yi and Gu Yanshen went up to greet them.
"Chief."
"Comrade Lin, no need for formalities." The chief waved his hand, pointing to the elder beside him, "This is Mr. Chen from our military district’s hospital, a national-level master of traditional Chinese medicine, here specifically out of curiosity about your precious seeds."
Mr. Chen was about to say a few polite words when he suddenly sniffed the air.
A look of confusion flashed across his face, then turned serious.
"There’s... a certain scent in the air."
Ignoring everyone else, he followed the faint aroma to its source.
Finally, he stopped at a small plot cordoned off with a fence in the corner of the farm.
Gu Yanshen discreetly moved to stand beside Lin Wan Yi.
Mr. Chen crouched down, his hand trembling slightly as he stroked the leaves of a plant.
"This leaf shape... this stem... it can’t be..."
He suddenly turned his head, his eyes burning, focusing on Lin Wan Yi.
"Comrade Lin, may I... may I see its root?"
Lin Wan Yi nodded.
"Of course, Mr. Chen, go ahead, just be careful."
Mr. Chen took a special small trowel from his medicine box, carefully scraping away the soil around the plant as if handling a priceless treasure.
A root that resembled a tiny human, with several hairy tendrils, was unearthed intact.
In the sunlight, the root’s skin was covered with clear red lines, resembling human blood vessels.
"Hiss—"
Mr. Chen drew a sharp breath, his hand shook, nearly dropping the plant. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
The chief leaned over to take a closer look.
"Old Chen, what’s wrong? Is it valuable?"
Mr. Chen’s voice trembled.
"Valuable? Chief, this is priceless!"
"It is the ’Blood Ginseng,’ recorded only in a few lines in ancient medicinal books! It can save lives! A holy medicine that can snatch people back from King Yan!"
"It’s been extinct! I thought I’d only ever see its illustration in books during my lifetime!"
His voice was high and urgent, ensuring that the surrounding villagers who were eavesdropping all heard him.
In an instant, everyone’s eyes were glued to the small root with red veins.
Blood Ginseng!
A life-saving holy medicine!
The news spread throughout Beijing as if it had wings, reaching everywhere within a day.
The next day, several cars were parked unprecedentedly along the farm’s ridges.
A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses squeezed through the crowd to stand before Lin Wan Yi.
"Comrade Lin! I’m from the city’s First People’s Hospital! We’ll pay five hundred for a Blood Ginseng!"
Before he could finish speaking, another person immediately shouted.
"Beijing Union Medical College Hospital offers eight hundred! No! A thousand! Our director needs it to save a life!"
"Twelve hundred! We’ll take as many as you have!"
The villagers were completely stunned.
A single herb was worth more than what a strong laborer earns in two or three years of work points!
Tian Laosan’s wife looked at the medicinal plot, her eyes turning red as she beat her chest, nearly fainting on the spot.
The representative sent by the military hospital was sweating profusely, deeply anxious.
"Comrade Lin, our funding..."
Lin Wan Yi raised her hand, and the noisy crowd quieted down.
She scanned over the bidding representatives.
"I appreciate everyone’s kindness."
"My husband is a soldier, and I’m a military wife."
"This farm can grow things securely because of the soldiers’ protection."
She paused, her voice ringing clear.
"If these herbs can truly save lives, the first ones to use them should be our most beloved and respected soldiers."
"Therefore, I have decided to sell all the Blood Ginseng to the military district hospital."
She turned to the military hospital representative, offering a gentle smile.
"As for the price, it will be calculated based on the state’s unified purchase price for rare herbs. I will not ask for a cent more."
There was a dead silence across the crowd.
The representatives who came to bid turned pale, unable to say a word.
The chief, standing not far away, watched Lin Wan Yi and nodded heavily.
The next day.
A black Volga car slowly stopped at the farm entrance.
The license plate number prompted those who saw it to draw a sharp breath.
The car door opened, and Gu Zhen Guo, in full military attire, stepped out with a serious expression.
No one in the village dared to make a sound.
Gu Zhen Guo didn’t look at anyone, striding along the field ridge.
He looked at the corn taller than a man, the glossy sweet potato leaves, the bountiful crops.
Eventually, his footsteps halted before the medicinal plot guarded by soldiers.
Lin Wan Yi and Gu Yanshen stood there, silent.
Gu Zhen Guo turned, his deep gaze falling on Lin Wan Yi.
"The chief called me."
He spoke, his voice revealing no emotion.
"He said your ideological awareness is high."
Gu Yanshen stepped forward, standing in front of Lin Wan Yi.
Gu Zhen Guo glanced at his son, then his gaze returned to Lin Wan Yi.
"From this day on, this farm is no longer your private property."
Lin Wan Yi’s heart sank slightly.
"It will be the military’s strategic supply base."
Gu Zhen Guo took a file from the attendant behind him.
"This is the ’supply permit’ approved at a military meeting overnight."
He personally handed the weighty file to Lin Wan Yi.
"With this, your farm becomes a key protected site, and no one will dare to cause trouble in the future."
