The shopkeeper’s eyes were full of doubt.

But that young madam, upon hearing the mention of children, had already instinctively turned to look over.

“It’s not unusual to have children in the mountains. Mountain kids run all over the place,” the shopkeeper said casually.

Lu Qingqing shook her head forcefully, deliberately putting on the demeanor of a naive village girl.

“No, no—it wasn’t like that. It sounded like toddlers, two- or three-year-olds, and more than one!”

“How is that possible? What kind of irresponsible parents would bring toddlers into the mountains? What if they ran into a wild beast—there wouldn’t even be time to cry!” the young madam couldn’t help but interject, her tone filled with concern.

Lu Yun didn’t really understand what Lu Qingqing was getting at, but he was great at playing along.

“It’s true! I was right there with her!”

Lu Qingqing continued, excited: “So my brother and I followed the voices, and what do you think we saw? We saw six little naked babies!”

The shopkeeper and young madam stared at her in shock.

“They looked exactly the same—so beautiful! Just wearing little red bellybands, round and chubby, just like those porcelain dolls they sell during New Year. But the strange thing was—they didn’t have any hair on their heads, just a single little green leaf growing on top.”

“Ginseng babies?” the shopkeeper blurted out.

“Exactly!” Lu Qingqing nodded vigorously, her face full of excitement. “As soon as we showed up, the six of them got scared and disappeared! So my brother and I searched and searched—and found a thirty-year-old ginseng root! And then another small ginseng sprout nearby!”

As soon as she finished the tale, the shrewd shopkeeper immediately understood her real purpose—and his face darkened.

“Five more taels. Thirty total. Take it or leave it. Leave the ginseng or walk away.”

Lu Qingqing smiled, not angry at all.

“Then I’ll leave. My ginseng has spirit—it’s not something ordinary roots can compare with. It won’t be hard to sell. Besides, I have a few little ginseng sprouts at home that need caring for. No time to waste.”

“You dug up ginseng sprouts too?! Once wild ginseng leaves the mountains, it’s no longer wild!”

“Mine are different. They’ve got spirit,” Lu Qingqing replied firmly, holding her ground.

Then she left with Lu Yun without hesitation.

The shopkeeper called after them: “Thirty-five! Thirty-five taels! Final offer! Once you leave the village, you won’t get this price again!”

But Lu Qingqing and Lu Yun didn’t even look back.

Just as they stepped out of the clinic, the young madam hurried to catch up with them.

“Miss, what you said just now—was it true? You really saw ginseng babies?”

“Of course it’s true. But when I tell people, they all say I was seeing things.”

“Spiritual beings like that don’t reveal themselves clearly—it always happens in a flash,” the madam said knowingly.

She had been buying ginseng at this clinic for her husband’s health.

And since she was buying it anyway—why not get one with spiritual energy?

Maybe, just maybe… after eating it, she could have her own chubby little baby too!

The image of those bellyband-wearing baby dolls stuck vividly in her mind—refusing to fade.

“Where do you live? I want to see those ginseng sprouts. If what you said is true, I’ll buy both the old root and the sprouts.”

“That won’t work,” Lu Qingqing shook her head.

“Actually, what the shopkeeper said was right—ginseng that leaves the mountains loses value. Even if you raise it yourself, it’s no good.”

“You’re not lying about having the ginseng sprouts, are you?”

“I’m not lying. You can buy the old root, but the sprouts aren’t for sale. At home, I can change out mountain soil for them often. You couldn’t do that. If you’re worried I’m lying, you can come home with us and see for yourself. But you’ll have to wait—I still have herbs to sell.”

They hadn’t managed to sell many herbs yet. Some clinics didn’t buy from outsiders; others only bought what they were short on.

This kind of door-to-door sales was proving inefficient.

Lu Qingqing realized her initial plan had been too optimistic.

The madam looked at the overflowing basket.

“Where are you going to sell them?”

“We don’t know yet. Do you know any clinics that buy from outside sources?”

“Why go to clinics? You should sell to herb wholesalers. Come, I know one. I’ll take you. But whether he buys or not depends on the quality of your herbs.”

That was an unexpected blessing.

Lu Qingqing had a sudden epiphany: she’d been thinking too small—should’ve gone to wholesale from the start, not retail!

Lu Yun realized it too. He’d once worked as a cloth store assistant, but it was a self-produced-and-sold business.

He didn’t have real trade experience either.

Now, both of them finally got it.

The young madam’s name was Li Moran.

Her husband’s family did porcelain business, so she knew many merchants.

The wholesaler she introduced was named Tian Leshan.

He supplied not only all of Ming’an County’s clinics but also had trade connections in nearby cities.

He bought all kinds of goods—herbs, animal hides, dried wild produce, ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, you name it.

Lu Qingqing’s herbs were processed neatly and cleanly.

Tian Leshan was straightforward—he took them all.

A full basket had 25 types, weighing fifteen jin (approx. 7.5 kg), nothing too rare, and he paid 2 taels of silver.

Had Li Moran not reserved the ginseng, he would’ve bought that too.

They even agreed: from now on, bring all herbs here.

“Word is the north is becoming unstable again,” Tian Leshan said. “Lots of traders are collecting herbs—especially things like sanqi (pseudoginseng) and zhulan for blood-staunching. However much you have, they’ll take.”

“Is war coming?” Lu Yun asked.

“Maybe.” Tian Leshan lowered his voice. “Taxes are rising in some areas already… I heard the former Crown Prince was against it before, but, well…”

But that Crown Prince was dead now.

Tian Leshan sighed.

“Anyway, just dig more blood-staunching herbs.”

“What if I prepare ready-made wound medicine?” Lu Qingqing asked.

“You know how to make that too?”

“I can try.”

Tian Leshan wasn’t surprised.

Herb gatherers, even if not doctors, often knew how to use what they collected.

“If it works, bring it over. I’ll take it.”

And of course—Lu Qingqing’s would work.

Now that they had a stable source of income, the person most deserving of thanks was Li Moran, the one who brought them here.

Lu Qingqing sincerely thanked her.

A few heartfelt words, and Li Moran’s fondness grew immensely.

She couldn’t wait to see the ginseng sprouts and called over her family’s carriage.

Lu Yun rode on Cui Shitou’s donkey cart, while Lu Qingqing rode with Li Moran, chatting along the way.

Li Moran had been married for three years without a child.

Though it was her husband’s issue, the world blamed women.

She’d suffered many grievances and had no close friends.

After learning that Lu Qingqing understood herbal medicine, and hearing from Tian Leshan that their herbs were good, she immediately believed they were sincere people.

She couldn’t help opening up about her hardships.

Lu Qingqing told her several herbal formulas for boosting male vitality and enriching the blood.

She even taught her some acupressure points for massage.

Her husband’s condition wasn’t serious—just early depletion from youthful overindulgence, leading to premature weakness.

With proper care, he could recover.

By the time they reached home, Li Moran was already calling Lu Qingqing “little sister.”

As for Lu Yun—he was in complete awe.

His little sister had boldly told someone…

“My mother used the first formula to give birth to my two older brothers. Later, she wanted a daughter, so she used the second formula—and then she had me!”