The little dumpling is five and a half years old, which made his father so angry that his head split

"Brother Shen, is that you?"

Old Shen squinted at the old man speaking across from him.

The old man was dressed in coarse cloth clothing of an unknown ethnic group; he was thin and vigorous.

Old Shen couldn't remember who this person was for a moment.

He did come here twice when he was young, and he got to know some local herbalists and doctors.

All their energy was focused on the medication, which ironically made their memory of the person rather vague.

Moreover, after so many years, I dare not recognize it.

But since we know his surname, we must be old acquaintances.

Old Shen smiled and extended his right hand.

"I am Shen Zhonglin, fellow villager. Forgive my poor eyesight, I didn't recognize you."

The old man warmly grasped both hands.

"Brother, it's me, Wang Shi. After thirty years, I'm so glad to see you again in my old age."

Upon hearing the name, Mr. Shen became visibly excited and reached out to hug Wang Shi's arms.

This was a friend he met on his first visit here, who had coincidentally saved Wang Shi's life.

Wang Shi also accompanied him on his journey through the mountains for nearly a month.

However, communication became too inconvenient later on, so contact was lost.

The two elderly people, whose combined age is over one hundred, burst into tears as they reunited after a long separation.

They basically don't have another thirty years left in their lives.

Wang Shi patted Shen Lao's arm.

"Let's go home and talk."

Old Shen thought Wang Shi was also there to go to the market, as he remembered that Wang Shi's home was in the mountains.

"Your family moved here?"

Wang Shi chuckled and said, "Yes, my son is quite successful; he's moved out quite a few years ago."

Mr. Shen quickly introduced the people around him.

I don't know if it's convenient to bring these people to someone's home.

Wang Shi could roughly understand what was going on just by looking at these people and their clothes.

"Old Shen, are you taking the kids into the mountains?"

"Yes, while we can still walk, let's bring the children here to identify the medicines."

Wang Shi nodded.

"When are you planning to go into the mountains? Where have you settled in?"

There's nothing to hide.

"We arrived yesterday and stayed at the guesthouse. We'll rest today and head into the mountains tomorrow."

Wang Shi nodded again.

"Since there are many of you, it's more convenient for you to stay at the guesthouse, but you must eat both meals at my house today. If you need anything for the trip into the mountains, just bring it from home."

Old Shen also wanted to catch up with old friends, and he didn't stand on ceremony with them.

He turned around, pulled Liu Wei aside, and said a few words.

Tell Liu Wei to go back and tell the waiter not to prepare the meal, and to bring along twenty jin of national grain coupons.

He didn't prepare any gifts for his old friend; food coupons were a necessity, useful everywhere.

Liu Wei jogged back to the guesthouse.

Old Shen remembered that there was wine for sale earlier, so he asked Shen Yi to take the money and buy two more jars.

There are several people involved; how can you just bring your mouth to the door?

Wang Shi was unaware of Elder Shen's arrangements, and when he saw the wine jar Shen Yi was carrying, he looked displeased.

Old Shen smiled broadly; after decades, he was still the same straightforward Little Stone.

"Little Stone, I'm just craving a drink, won't you join me for one?"

Wang Shi snorted.

"We have everything at home, but you still insist on wasting money."

Liu Wei arrived at this moment as well.

Wang Shi asked Mr. Shen about his plans.

"Do you want to look around some more?"

Old Shen shook his head.

"I'm not going sightseeing anymore. We're going into the mountains tomorrow, and we can't bring anything except supplies."

The two old men walked ahead, talking in hushed tones, mostly reminiscing about their youth.

That was a period in their lives when their paths crossed and it remains unforgettable.

Li Tian and the others followed, chatting and laughing.

At that carefree age, everything is new and interesting to them.

Leaving the bustling street, there is a residential area on the left, and on the right, an endless expanse of farmland.

After walking for about ten more minutes, Wang Shi led them into his home.

The moment I entered, I smelled the fragrance of herbs.

There were many bamboo baskets of various sizes in the courtyard, with various herbs drying on them.

Old Shen went over to take a look.

"Little Stone, your medical skills have improved quite a bit, haven't they?"

Wang Shi smiled and waved his hand.

"I don't have that skill, but I learned a lot about herbs from you back then, and gradually I learned how to process medicinal materials. I supported my whole family with this skill."

Mr. Shen was quite pleased.

Even if you have a treasure trove bestowed by God, not everyone can make a living from it.

"The quality of your medicinal herbs is much better than what you buy on the street."

Wang Shi was delighted to receive such sincere praise from his old friend.

"You have good taste. I'll just focus on the preparation now. These were all gathered by my son from the mountains, and they're quite old."

Wang Shi casually grabbed a handful.

"Look at this Bletilla striata, it's been five or six years, so its medicinal effects are at their best."

Li Tian had heard of Bletilla striata.

It wasn't that they understood its medicinal effects, but rather that they knew that in later generations, wild Bletilla striata was listed as a national second-class protected plant.

Those that were harvested are all endangered.

Of course, that's thirty years from now.

"Grandpa, is this Bletilla striata easy to find? Is it plentiful? Will it ever be completely dug up?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Li Tian.

Wang Shi explained with a smile.

"Those of us who truly understand and love medicine will never dig it all up when we're collecting it."

"There is plenty of wild Bletilla striata, and the dosage is not large. It has been used for generations, and it should be able to continue to be used in the future."

Li Tian nodded, indicating that the value of Bletilla striata had not yet been fully realized.

If everyone knew this thing was valuable, they would all rush to mine it without restraint.

After all, when there's profit to be made, nothing can be ignored.

"Grandpa Shen, the name 'Baiji' sounds nice, does it have skincare benefits?"

Mr. Shen hadn't researched it, but Bletilla striata is indeed used in some beauty-enhancing formulas.

"Yes, but not many people use them."

Now that we've come this far, Li Tian naturally wants to say a few more words.

"If people's living conditions improve in the future and they need a lot of medicinal herbs to make skincare products, will there still be enough wild Bletilla striata?"

Who could possibly know?

Neither Mr. Shen nor Wang Shi immediately said anything.

When Wang Shi saw his wife come out, he introduced her to everyone and told her to take her daughter-in-law to prepare lunch.

The group entered the house and took their seats.

Wang Shi pried open the tea leaves and added boiling water to the glass.

"Try some of the Pu'er tea I've stored. Leave me your address later, and I'll send you a few cakes."

Old Shen had plenty of tea, but he still smiled and thanked him.

"You kids should drink less of this tea, but it's smooth, sweet, and not bitter at all."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Li Tian and the others accepted the gifts and expressed their gratitude.

Wang Shi looked at Li Tian.

"Little sister (a term of address for the young girl), what were you thinking when you said those things just now?"

Li Tian swallowed the tea in his mouth, and indeed, it had a lingering sweet aftertaste.

"Grandpa, I'm just a little worried that the Bletilla striata will be dug up. In fact, it's not just Bletilla striata; other precious wild herbs may also be in danger."

"It was fine for many years, but because the transportation was too inconvenient, it wasn't widely used."

"With the development of economy and technology, once the medicinal value is fully explored, everyone will rush to collect it, and the consequences will be unpredictable."

"If there's gold lying on the mountain, who wouldn't pick it up?"

Wang Shi frowned.

"People don't have many ways to make money. Many mountain people still rely on potatoes to survive. If medicinal herbs are valuable, that would be a good thing."