Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

The speaker was Chen Shuisheng, Chen Junsheng's younger brother. This man rarely spoke during their escape from famine; he was as taciturn as a stone, sometimes not uttering a single word all day. At this moment, he stood a few steps away, nervously rubbing his hands together, but his eyes were resolute.

"Shuisheng, you can clean wells?" Shen Dehou was somewhat surprised.

Chen Shuisheng nodded, and unusually spoke a few more words: "Back in my hometown, I learned from my master. My master was a well digger, and I was his apprentice for two years. This well doesn't look too clogged; the outlet is probably just blocked by silt. We can just go down and scoop it out. I'll come and clean it tomorrow; it won't take half a day."

Shen Dehou and his third uncle exchanged a glance, their faces lighting up with joy. Shen Dehou patted Chen Shuisheng on the shoulder and laughed, "That's wonderful! With this well, we won't have to travel so far to fetch water anymore. Shuisheng, this job will be yours tomorrow, and I'll assist you."

Chen Shuisheng hummed in response, his lips twitching slightly as if he had already smiled.

With the well issue resolved, Jiang Xing felt a little relieved. She turned around, intending to check on the progress of dinner at the stove, but saw Dr. Gu standing alone on the west side of the courtyard, his hands behind his back, squinting at the mountain behind the house.

In the twilight, the mountain stood dark and imposing, its trees bare of leaves, revealing their jagged outlines. The mountain wasn't very high, but the forest was dense, and from the foot of the mountain, one could vaguely see several winding paths disappearing into the woods.

"Dr. Gu, what are you looking at?" Jiang Xing walked over and stood next to him.

Without turning around, Dr. Gu pointed to the mountain: "Look at this mountain. The grass and trees on it are all withered, but there are good things hidden among them. The medicinal herbs at this time of year are different from those in spring; some roots and stems are at their most potent in winter. I plan to go up the mountain tomorrow and collect some herbs."

He paused, then turned to look at Jiang Xing, his gaze thoughtful. "Girl, do you want to come up the mountain with me? We can dig up some medicinal herbs together, and I'll teach you how to process them. Processed herbs are different from raw herbs; they're worth several times more. If you process them properly, you can sell them at the town's pharmacy and make some money."

Jiang Xing's heart skipped a beat.

She had originally planned to go up the mountain tomorrow. The saying "those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, those who live near the water live off the water" applies everywhere. Although she wasn't an expert in pharmacology, she studied botany and knew the properties of many herbs. Besides, she had the system shop; if she found anything good on the mountain, she could exchange it for points.

"Okay, I'll go up the mountain with you tomorrow." Jiang Xing nodded, answering readily.

Dr. Gu stroked his beard with satisfaction: "Alright, then we'll start tomorrow morning..." Before he could finish, a shrill voice suddenly rang out from the stove: "Medicinal herbs can be sold for money?!"

Jiang Xing and Doctor Gu froze simultaneously, turning their heads to see Hu Shi clutching a half-cut piece of wild boar meat, forgetting to put down her knife, rushing over in a few strides. Her eyes were wide open, as if she had heard some incredible good news, and she didn't even bother to cook the meat, leaving only Shen Shi and Aunt Wang busy at the stove.

"Dr. Gu, what did you just say? We can sell the medicinal herbs for money?" Madam Hu's voice was loud and urgent, the kitchen knife in her hand waving in the twilight. "That's wonderful! My Sumei can go too! Sumei! Sumei, come here!"

Chen Sumei was sitting by the stove warming herself by the fire. She had lost a lot of weight during her escape from famine, but her desire to look good remained unchanged. Having just moved into the new house, she found a place where she could barely sit, pulling her clothes around her waist to try and avoid looking like a disheveled refugee. When she heard her mother suddenly call her, still telling her to come up the mountain, her face immediately fell.

"Mother, what are you saying?" Chen Sumei frowned and said without thinking, "I have a huge pile of clothes to wash tomorrow, how can I have time to go up the mountain?"

She spoke with a hint of impatience, without moving an inch, remaining firmly seated by the fire. Let alone climbing the mountain, just the thought of the mud, withered branches, and rotten leaves covering it made her feel uneasy all over.

Chen Xiaoxiao sat next to Su Mei, fiddling with the firewood sticks in her hands with her head down. When she heard Doctor Gu talking about going up the mountain to collect herbs, her eyes lit up. She secretly glanced at her sister, then at her mother, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

She bit her lip, silently lowered her head, and continued fiddling with the firewood stick in her hand.

Dr. Gu glanced at Chen Sumei, then looked away, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He had witnessed firsthand how lazy Chen Sumei was along the way; she complained of being tired when others were carrying things, of being cold when others were fetching water, and of being dirty when others were helping in the kitchen.

A girl who fled famine somehow developed the airs of a pampered young lady. They were both from humble backgrounds; who was she trying to impress with this affected manner?

Doctor Gu was inwardly unconvinced, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he suddenly put on a very serious expression and his tone became solemn: "Mrs. Hu, you can let Su Mei go up the mountain, but there's something I need to make clear to you beforehand."

He paused, lowered his voice, as if he were talking about something extremely important: "This mountain is not a peaceful place. There are the most poisonous snakes at this time of year, and they are completely hidden in the dry grass. If you are bitten by one without careful attention, the venom will take effect very quickly. Not only can an old man like me not save you, but even the best doctor in town would be helpless."

Chen Sumei's face paled slightly.

But Dr. Gu showed no sign of stopping and continued, his tone growing increasingly serious: "Also, the paths for gathering herbs on the mountain are all clinging to the cliff face, so narrow that even a sheep would find it cramped. A few years ago, when I was practicing medicine elsewhere, I saw someone fall down the mountain, their face hitting a rock right in the face, and the wound... tsk tsk. I've practiced medicine all my life and seen all kinds of injuries, but I really can't do anything about that face."

Chen Sumei's face turned completely pale, and the firewood stick in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.

"I...I'm not going!" She jumped to her feet, taking a step back as if afraid that Doctor Gu would tie her up and take her up the mountain. "I'm not going no matter what! Mother, don't force me. I don't want to be bitten to death by a poisonous snake, and I don't want to ruin my face!"

Madam Hu was also quite frightened by Doctor Gu's words, and her face turned pale. Although she was greedy for the money from the medicinal herbs, her daughter was still her heart and soul. What if there were poisonous snakes or cliffs? She shut her mouth awkwardly, looked at Doctor Gu, and then at her frightened daughter. In the end, she did not mention going up the mountain again.