It was a pity that this kind of work didn't bring immediate profit, so no one wanted to do it.
Cheng You had mentioned it to Cheng Tianhua before, but it was rejected.
When she brought it up again, it was still rejected by everyone.
"Growing medicinal herbs takes time, doesn't it? At least a year?"
"More than that, some take two or three years."
"That won't do. How long will it take to make money, and what if we lose money?"
At the dinner table, everyone started discussing.
They all thought Cheng You's suggestion was unreliable.
Cheng You didn't argue; she had said what she needed to say.
Instead, Cheng Tao asked, "If we grow medicinal herbs, where do we get the seeds?"
The medicinal effects of Cheng You's herbs were surprisingly good. If it weren't for the insufficient yield, they might have already made a name for themselves in the country.
With pharmaceutical factories willing to buy the herbs, there was no need to worry about sales.
Cheng Tao thought it wasn't impossible.
Besides, Wang Hongxia was idle at home, and it wouldn't hurt to keep her occupied.
Cheng You said, "I'll provide the seeds, but I won't participate in the cultivation. I'll take a twenty percent profit."
"You might as well rob a bank!" Cheng Tao exclaimed in shock.
Twenty percent profit, plus what went to the government, left only fifty percent.
After working for a year, they would only get fifty percent profit. Who would be willing?
Cheng You smiled and said, "Because the seeds I provide are different, the survival rate is high, and the quality is good. The pharmaceutical factories will naturally pay a higher price for them."
Of course, the pharmaceutical factories wouldn't do business at a loss. The medicines they produced would be priced accordingly higher.
Cheng You felt that taking twenty percent profit was not unreasonable.
Cheng Tao scoffed, her face full of disdain.
They were all medicinal herbs; what could be different?
Not only did she not believe it, but others didn't either, though they didn't show it as obviously as Cheng Tao.
"Eat your vegetables, everyone eat your vegetables."
The meaning was clear.
Cheng You pouted and said nothing more.
In a while, the pharmaceutical factories would come to collect the medicinal herbs, and then everyone would know if this batch was profitable.
After finishing the drinks at Zhao Jianguo's place, Cheng You returned home slightly tipsy.
She usually didn't drink much, but this time she had half a cup and felt a little dizzy.
Qi Chengyan had left early, so she was returning home alone.
On the way, she encountered Zhao Yunlin. She lazily yawned, intending to treat him as a stranger.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yunlin stopped her.
"Cheng You, you've changed so much."
He clearly felt that Cheng You had become worse, and now he looked heartbroken.
Cheng You hummed, "Is there anything else?"
"Do you have to talk to me like this? You used to..."
Cheng You interrupted him, "How did I used to be? My attitude towards you has been consistent; I've always disliked you intensely, and it has never changed."
In the past, Zhao Yunlin used to chase after her. Cheng You didn't like him and was always stern with him.
Where had the change come from now?
Zhao Yunlin said painedly, "Do you have to be like this? You know very well that I..."
"Are you talking to me here? Does Cheng Tao know?"
Zhao Yunlin seemed to understand, "I get it, you care about Cheng Tao. But I..."
"Zhao Yunlin! Stop saying such disgusting things in front of me. Do you see that pile of dog feces on the ground? To me, you're no different."
Cheng You walked past him towards home.
It was so cold outside; of course, it was most comfortable in her man's arms.
Cheng You, slightly drunk, became exceptionally clingy. As soon as she entered the house, she hugged Qi Chengyan and snuggled into his embrace, acting like a spoiled child.
She nuzzled him and mumbled, "I need to be disinfected."
Qi Chengyan wrapped his coat around her, lifted her by her bottom, and carried her inside.
"Disinfected with what?"
Cheng You buried her slightly warm face in his neck.
"I ran into Zhao Yunlin just now. He said some strange things that made me feel sick."
Qi Chengyan wanted to put her on the bed, but Cheng You clung to him like an octopus, refusing to let go.
"No, it's more comfortable being held."
"I'll make you some hangover soup."
Cheng You pecked him on the cheek, "I'm not drunk. Smell me, there's no alcohol on me."
She hadn't drunk much, but there was a strong scent of alcohol on her, which she couldn't smell herself.
If she couldn't smell it, it didn't exist.
Qi Chengyan didn't argue with the little drunkard and carried her to the kitchen.
While cooking the hangover soup, he listened to her chatter and her requests for him to tell stories.
Qi Chengyan thought for a long time and told her about his missions. Unexpectedly, Cheng You whined and complained, "Too bloody, too violent."
She was truly hard to please.
Since the stories wouldn't work, she wanted him to sing.
His head was spinning.
Qi Chengyan wasn't incapable of singing, but he was tone-deaf. For every ten words, nine were off-key.
Fortunately, it was at home, so he wouldn't be embarrassed.
Cheng You swayed her legs, sitting obediently on the edge of the stove.
She looked as if she was ready.
However, when Qi Chengyan opened his mouth, she was stunned.
Was this how the song was sung?
She bit her finger and tried to recall, but found she could no longer grasp the original melody.
Heaven was indeed fair.
She had thought Qi Chengyan was perfect and could do anything.
Seeing her look of disdain, Qi Chengyan immediately shut up and reverted to his usual cold, imposing demeanor.
He stared at Cheng You with a profound gaze.
Cheng You blinked innocently, "I didn't say you sang badly."
"Not badly, just not pleasantly," he said, a slight curl of his lip.
Cheng You decided to change the subject and reached out to him.
"Hug."
Qi Chengyan resignedly put her down.
What else could he do? He had to indulge her.
He fed Cheng You the hangover soup and tucked her into bed.
Outside, it started to drizzle again, pattering on the eaves. A cold wind picked up, and inside, the air was filled with warmth and fragrance.
...
The weather finally cleared up, and it was time to harvest the medicinal herbs in Qili Village.
Before planting, they had divided the areas according to Cheng You's suggestions and separated them by harvesting time.
Herbs like motherwort, Angelica dahurica, and Smilax glabra, which could be harvested once a year, had larger planting areas.
Back then, everyone was ignorant. Later, when Zhao Jisheng and Zhou Qi visited, they gave Old Master Jiang a notebook.
It detailed the characteristics of each herb, whether it preferred shade or sun, the best months for sowing, or which herb was more suitable for their soil.
In exchange, they transplanted a ginseng root.
In Old Master Jiang's words, they needed to cultivate scientifically.
Cheng You knew nothing about this; she couldn't even distinguish between different types of fertilizers.
It wasn't surprising that the herbs were harvested.
What shocked everyone was the extremely high yield per mu of medicinal herbs in Qili Village.
The yield of Smilax glabra alone was nearly four thousand jin per mu.
The price of medicinal herbs ranged from a few mao to one yuan per jin. As previously agreed, their high-quality herbs would be purchased at a higher price.
By the end of May, Jiang Dingcheng had delivered the account book.
Most of the harvestable medicinal herbs had been collected.
"The herbs you wanted, Uncle has saved for you. Take a look at this account book."
Cheng You skimmed through it, her gaze finally settling on the total amount.
Over thirty thousand yuan.
It was slightly more than she had expected.
And this wasn't the full amount; out of the dozens of mu of land, the annual herbs only accounted for sixteen mu.
There would be more next year.
"Your twenty percent profit, Uncle has brought it for you. Do you want to count it?"
It looked quite substantial, bulging in the bag.
Cheng You shook her head without opening it, "I trust you, Uncle."