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

After walking for about half an hour, the two returned to the cave along the same route, and it was already getting dark.

Several fires were burning brightly at the cave entrance, their light illuminating the watermarks on the cliff face. Several women were squatting by the fire, simmering wild vegetable soup. The soup was a deep green color, and the grains of rice were almost invisible.

Several children gathered around the fire, clutching empty bowls and staring longingly at the soup in the pot. When they saw Jiang Xing and Doctor Gu return, the women looked up to greet them before lowering their heads to continue simmering the soup.

Doctor Gu put down his basket and sorted out the herbs: *Clematis chinensis*, *Achyranthes bidentata*, and safflower. He then found a clean stone and used a stone mill to grind the herbs. As the herbs were crushed, the juice seeped out, filling the air with a cool, pungent aroma.

He applied the medicinal paste to Zhang's knees, wrapped them with cloth strips, and then applied the same to his third uncle. After the medicine was applied, Zhang's brows gradually relaxed, and the cool sensation finally relieved some of the throbbing pain in her knees that had been building up for days.

Zhang's complexion improved, and she leaned against the bedding, slowly drinking a bowl of warm medicinal soup.

"Grandma, I'm going to talk to Captain Ma about something," Jiang Xing said.

Ma Dadan was squatting next to a rock at the cave entrance, drawing lines on the ground with a twig in his hand, seemingly calculating something. When he saw Jiang Xing approaching, he threw the twig into the fire and dusted off his hands.

"Captain Ma, let's find another place to talk," Jiang Xing said in a low voice.

Ma Dadan glanced at her, stood up, and followed her to a sheltered rock wall outside the cave entrance.

Jiang Xing waved to Shen Dehou, who was tidying up a cart not far away. Shen Dehou put down the hemp rope in his hand, patted the grass clippings off his knees, and followed.

The three people squatted at the foot of the stone wall, and the light of the torch shone through the cave entrance, making the watermarks on the stone wall appear and disappear.

"There are wild yams in the dense forest to the south," Jiang Xing said bluntly. "There are quite a lot. Just from the area that Dr. Gu and I saw, we could dig up at least two thousand catties. And there's even more further in."

Ma Dadan's eyebrows twitched. He opened his mouth but didn't make a sound, his fingers unconsciously drawing two lines on the ground before he looked up at Shen Dehou.

Shen Dehou's expression also changed. He was stunned for a moment, then the stunned look slowly faded, and a deep sense of relief appeared in his eyes.

But Shen Dehou had been the village chief for over a decade. While he was relieved, he didn't rush to celebrate. Instead, he frowned and looked at Jiang Xing.

"I've heard of yams; they're sold as medicinal herbs in pharmacies, but I've never heard of them being eaten as food." Shen Dehou's voice was very low: "Are you sure this stuff can fill our stomachs? Everyone's starving right now; if we get an upset stomach from eating it, that's no small matter."

"Yes," Jiang Xing said. "Both Dr. Gu and I ate some. When roasted, it's soft, sweet, and filling. Dr. Gu also said that it's good for the spleen and stomach, and that food and medicine share the same origin."

Shen Dehou nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He believed her; not a single word she had said along the way was empty.

"But there's a problem," Jiang Xing continued. "Most people in the cave are still sick, and there aren't many able-bodied people. If we let some people dig and then divide it among everyone, those who do the work won't be happy, and those who don't work will get it for free, which isn't fair."

Ma Dadan spat the grass stem from his mouth onto the ground and nodded.

During his years working in the county government, he knew one thing best: injustice and unfairness are more likely to make people turn against you than hunger.

People from different villages in the team usually get along well, but once it comes to dividing things, whether it's a village that gets more or less, they can turn on each other in the blink of an eye.

"So what do you think?" Ma Dadan asked.

"Each village decides for itself how many people to send and how much to dig. The profits will be distributed among the villages. Whoever puts in the effort benefits, and no one should take advantage of anyone else." Jiang Xing's tone was very calm, as if he were talking about something very simple.

"The yams on the mountain don't belong to one family. Whoever has the skill to dig them up can take more. Let the village chiefs of each village discuss with their villagers. Those who are willing to provide labor can go up the mountain, and those who are unwilling can stay in the cave to recuperate."

Shen Dehou thought for a moment and nodded: "That's a good idea. Each family should mind its own business, and no one should be envious of anyone else."

Ma Dadan squatted down, picked up the grass stem from the ground, put it back in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then stood up and patted the mud off his knees.

"That's settled then." He turned and walked into the cave, then looked back at Jiang Xing after a couple of steps. "You'll come with me to talk to him. You're the one who found these yams, so your opinion is more effective than mine."

Jiang Xing did not refuse and followed him into the cave.

Ma Dadan ordered two of his constables to summon the village chiefs from each village.

Before long, Wang Laoshuan, the village chief of Wangjiagou, Zhou Dazhuang, the village chief of Zhoujiazhai, Wu Youtian, the village chief of Wujialing, and Chen Laoshi, the village chief of Chenjiagou, got up from their respective bunks, put on their cotton-padded coats, and gathered at the entrance of the cave.

The village chiefs all looked puzzled. It was already dark, and Ma Dadan had suddenly gathered people. Either something serious had happened, or there was bad news.

"Is everyone here?" Ma Dadan glanced around. "If everyone's here, sit down. I have something to discuss."

The village chiefs each found a rock and squatted or sat, forming a circle. The firelight shone obliquely from the cave entrance, illuminating half of their faces in light and half in shadow. Shen Dehou also came over and squatted down next to Jiang Xing.

Without wasting words, Ma Dadan pointed at Jiang Xing and said, "Miss Jiang found a batch of wild yams on Nanshan Mountain today. These wild yams are enough to fill your stomach, and there's quite a lot of them, at least two thousand catties. Doctor Gu also said that they are medicinal herbs and can be eaten, so there's no problem."

The village chiefs all reacted in the same way: first they were stunned, then their eyes lit up, and finally they exchanged glances.

Wang Laoshuan from Wangjiagou was the first to speak: "Yam? You mean the yam sold in the pharmacy?"

"Yes," Jiang Xing said. "They grow in the mountains, look good, and taste great when roasted."

Zhou Dazhuang, an impatient man, jumped up: "Then what are we waiting for? Get someone up the mountain to dig first thing tomorrow morning! Our Zhou Family Village has been without food for two days, and today's porridge was so thin you could see your reflection in it..."

"Sit down." Ma Dadan glared at him. "Let Miss Jiang finish what she has to say."

Zhou Dazhuang sat back down and rubbed his hands together on his knees.

Jiang Xing glanced at him and continued, "There are yams, but there's a problem. Most people in the cave are still sick, and there aren't many able-bodied people. If we let some people dig them up and distribute them to everyone, those who do the work won't be happy, and those who don't work will get them for free. This won't work."

The village chiefs fell silent. They knew the man was right. Every village has those who contribute more and those who contribute less. Why should those who contribute more give away the yams they dug for free to those who contribute less? Not to mention sharing across villages. Would the people of Jiangjia Village share the yams they dug with Zhoujiazhai? Who would be happy about that?

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Wu Youtian asked.

"Each village should manage its own affairs," Jiang Xing said. "Village chiefs should go back and discuss with their villagers. Those who are willing to contribute should go up the mountain tomorrow morning, and whatever they dig up will be distributed among the villages. Whoever contributes will benefit, and no one should take advantage of anyone else."

Old Chen listened silently for a long time before slowly saying, "We in Chenjiagou have no objections."

Wang Laoshuan from Wangjiagou nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll tell them when I get back. Those who can walk should go up the mountain, and those who can't should stay in the cave to recover. They can go dig again when they're better."

Shen Dehou added from the side, "There are more yams on the mountain than just the patch Jiang Yatou saw. If we go further in, there are even more. Everyone can take turns digging, and we'll be able to find enough to eat on the way."

Ma Dadan stood up, patted the dirt off his hands, and said, "It's settled then. Village chiefs, go back and discuss it now, and report the number of people going up the mountain tomorrow to me. Set off at dawn, don't dawdle."

Several village chiefs stood up and dispersed. After walking a few steps, Wang Laoshuan turned back and asked, "Should we call those people from Yongzhou?"

Ma Dadan paused for a moment. He looked at Jiang Xing, then at Shen Dehou, and remained silent for a second.

"Don't call them yet," he said. "The yams were discovered by Miss Jiang, and she's one of our people. The group from Yongzhou isn't with us, and they know that themselves. Our people will go up the mountain first tomorrow, and we'll talk about Yongzhou later."