Twins from the 1970s, if you disagree, I'll slap you.

Chapter 16 Unlocks access to the Spirit Spring!

In the end, Lu Ye selected 10 villagers who knew about herbs, distributed the 10 yuan he had, and gave each person a 1 yuan deposit, which was paid on the spot.

Everyone felt relieved after receiving the money.

The group went home to get small shovels, bamboo baskets and other tools, and set off in a grand procession toward the mountains behind the village.

As they approached the foot of the mountain, a scolding voice suddenly came from ahead, mixed with a girl's sobs.

As everyone approached, they discovered it was Wang Erya's family.

Zhou Xiaoqin, Wang Tiegang, and Wang Erya, who was wiping away tears with her head down.

At that moment, Zhou Xiaoqin stood with her hands on her hips, scolding Wang Erya harshly.

"You good-for-nothing! You went on a blind date yesterday and didn't even get a chance! What are you even good at?"

"You make such a fuss over shoveling! What good are you?"

"Tomorrow I will contact the family of the mentally challenged man in the next village. They have already said they would give 50 yuan as a bride price!"

"You might as well marry him and enjoy a life of luxury. You're useless at home anyway, you can't do any work!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Dachuan's anger flared instantly. Without saying a word, he strode over and slapped Zhou Xiaoqin hard across the face.

With a sharp "smack," Zhou Xiaoqin was spun around on the spot and stumbled before falling to the ground.

Before anyone could react, Chen Dachuan grabbed Wang Erya's hand and pulled her into the line.

Wang Erya's father, Wang Tiegang, stood aside, completely dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, but didn't dare to utter a single word.

The woman who usually makes the decisions in the Wang family is Zhou Xiaoqin, a shrew. She was stunned by the slap Chen Dachuan gave her and hasn't recovered yet.

By the time she realized what was happening, Wang Erya had already been pulled into the mountains.

Zhou Xiaoqin finally recovered, screamed in anger, got up from the ground, and kicked Wang Tiegang hard.

He then launched into a tirade of abuse: "You're a complete coward! Your own daughter was taken away, and you didn't dare utter a sound? Are you dead?"

Wang Tiegang shrank back, looking utterly humiliated, and stammered, "I... I was just stunned too..."

"Hmph! I know them! They're those two brats from Sun Yanhua's family, hiring people to go up the mountain to gather herbs! When they get back to the village, I'll go straight to Sun Yanhua's house and demand they come back!"

On the other side, as the group walked up the mountain, Wang Erya was pulled by Chen Dachuan and whispered, "Brother Dachuan, thank you."

Chen Dachuan slowed his pace, looked at her red eyes, and said indignantly, "Er Ya, how could your mother say such things about you? It's simply too much! It's as if you're not even her biological child!"

Wang Erya lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs: "My parents favor boys over girls. They only like my younger brother and don't like me. No matter what I do, they are never satisfied."

As she spoke, Er Ya's tears started falling again.

Seeing her downcast mood, Lu Ye secretly rolled his eyes at Chen Dachuan, rubbing salt in the wound!

He stepped forward and said gently to Wang Erya, "Erya, we've come up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs. Do you recognize any herbs?"

Wang Erya wiped away her tears, raised her head and said, "I know wild ginseng. I used to go up the mountain with my grandfather to pick it."

"Okay, then count you in. You'll help us gather herbs, and we'll give you 5 yuan for your work, just like everyone else!"

"Give me 5 yuan? Is that much?"

"Everyone has this; it's what you deserve, money you earned through your own hard work!"

Wang Erya was stunned, momentarily dazed: "I...I can earn money too? I can earn money on my own?"

Lu Ye gave Chen Dachuan a wink and said, "Of course! Our team came up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs. But let's make it clear, you have to find the herbs first."

Chen Dachuan chimed in, "Er Ya, you have to believe in yourself. You're not the worthless good-for-nothing your mother says you are. Once we finish gathering the herbs and get our wages, you can buy whatever you want!"

Wang Erya wiped away her tears: "Yes! I will definitely try my best to find the herbs, and I won't let you down!"

The group ventured into the back of the mountain and searched for medicinal herbs along the way, reaping a rich harvest.

Several bamboo baskets were filled with common wild herbs such as wild ginseng, earthworm, fleeceflower root, and peony.

In fact, Lu Ye's system task only required him to successfully plant wild herbs in the space, without limiting the types or quantities.

He deliberately selected several varieties, planning to cultivate and sell them in large quantities in the future, making a steady profit.

After descending the mountain, Lu Ye explained to everyone that he would first go to the county town to process the herbs and pay the wages, and then let Chen Dachuan lead the team back to the village first.

Watching the group walk away, Lu Ye picked up the herbs he had gathered, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he entered the dimensional space with a thought.

Soon.

He planted all kinds of freshly picked herbs on the 50-square-meter plot of land in the space.

He raised his hand and tapped the "Time Flow Adjustment" button. The next second, the herbs in the ground began to grow wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Some even produced seeds, which fell into the soil and sprouted tender green shoots in no time.

The most astonishing thing was that the original wild ginseng had hundreds of tiny bowl-shaped bumps on its rhizome.

You should know that one reed bowl represents one year, and these more than a hundred reed bowls are a hundred-year-old wild ginseng!

The value increased more than a hundredfold in an instant!

In addition, they have accumulated a considerable amount of wild ginseng that has been stored for decades, and have also harvested many other herbs. The entire space is filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.

Immediately afterwards, a system notification sounded in my mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the task of cultivating wild herbs!]

[Reward: Access to the 'Spiritual Spring' within the dimensional space!]

[Effects of the Spirit Spring: Taking it can quickly restore physical strength, heal injuries, strengthen the body, boost immunity, purify the body of impurities, and delay aging.]

Following the prompt, Lu Ye looked and indeed found a pool of clear spring water in the corner of the space.

He walked quickly over, squatted down, scooped up a handful of spring water with both hands, and brought it to his lips. The sweet and refreshing spring water slid down his throat, instantly soothing his soul.

"Indeed, it's incredibly sweet! No wonder it's a sacred spring!"

Lu Ye couldn't help but sigh after finishing his drink.

Moreover, he noticed some changes happening inside his body.

The fatigue from climbing the mountain to find medicine was completely gone, and I felt light and refreshed. Even my breathing became much easier.

"This is truly miraculous water!"

Lu Ye couldn't help but scoop up some spring water and drink a few more mouthfuls before exiting the space.

With the blessing of the spiritual spring, Lu Ye moved with light and swift steps, heading towards the county town.

He covered the ten-kilometer rugged mountain road in less than an hour.

It takes at least two hours for the average person, and up to three hours for some.

The effects of this spiritual spring are truly miraculous!

In those days, villages and towns below the county level had little demand for herbs, and only a few pharmaceutical factories and traditional Chinese medicine clinics would purchase them.

Lu Ye walked slowly along the main street of the county town. Before long, he saw a shop with a sign that read "Jishetang" hanging on the door. The antique-style doorway clearly indicated that it was an old traditional Chinese medicine clinic.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he took out some herbs from his spatial storage, pushed open the door, and walked into Jishetang.

The shop was furnished in a simple and rustic style, with a strong aroma of herbs. Behind the counter stood an elderly man with white hair and beard, who was sorting through herbs with his head down, his expression showing a hint of sadness that was hard to hide.

Seeing Lu Ye enter, the old man put down what he was doing, raised his eyes, and asked in a calm tone, "Young man, are you here for a medical consultation or to get medicine?"

"Sir, are you the owner of this shop?" Lu Ye asked.

The old man nodded, his tone still flat: "Yes, I own Jishetang."

"I'd like to do a business deal with you."

As Lu Ye spoke, he placed the herbs in his hand on the counter and spread them out neatly.

The old man glanced at the herbs on the counter, paused for a moment, and then guessed why he had come.

He then waved his hand, his tone somewhat apologetic: "Young man, my shop has no shortage of medicinal herbs."

"My son owns a pharmaceutical factory, and he usually brings me some over when he goes to buy supplies. You should try asking somewhere else..."

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze suddenly fell on the few wild ginseng plants in the pile of herbs, and his eyes lit up instantly.

The old man asked urgently, "Young man, how old is this wild ginseng?"