Ye Zhinan seemed to have thought of something. After hesitating for a moment in her heart, she tentatively spoke up.
"Where should we sell the medicinal herbs once they're harvested?"
There were only a few medical clinics in the Northern Border. They probably wouldn't need that many medicinal herbs.
Since Sister Hong dared to expand production, it meant there must be a market for them.
Qin Yihuai was a smart man. He wouldn't let others do something without long - term benefits.
Sister Hong looked a bit embarrassed. Then, thinking of their relationship, she decided to tell everything.
"We sell them overseas."
She pulled Ye Zhinan aside. Making sure there was no one around, she then dared to speak.
"Inspector Qin came up with a plan for me. The Northern Border is a border area with many merchants coming and going. People in neighboring countries are few but wealthy. They don't have the time to grow medicinal herbs, so they mostly rely on imports."
Sister Hong stood up straight and pointed to a place not far away.
Ye Zhinan vaguely remembered that it should be the country of Jiang.
She didn't know much about other countries, but since there was a way to make money, she was naturally willing to give it a try.
"How large is the import volume?"
"It's quite large! Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you."
Sister Hong got a bit excited and started counting her harvest this year on her fingers.
Ye Zhinan did some calculations in her mind. It was indeed more profitable than what the villagers could earn from farming.
"Aren't the other villagers jealous that you're growing medicinal herbs?"
She saw Sister Hong's face change a bit, and then she lowered her voice again.
"Yes, but they all think it's too troublesome. Don't be fooled by how valuable these things are. They require a lot of care."
Sister Hong told her a lot of steps for growing medicinal herbs.
On average, one would have to work in the fields all year round.
There was no distinction between slack and busy farming seasons.
No wonder no one wanted to do it.
"Thank you for telling me all this."
Ye Zhinan smiled politely, hooked her arm with Sister Hong's, and walked home together.
Sister Hong saw her reaction and her face darkened slightly.
"I'm older than you anyway. There are some things I have to remind you of."
Ye Zhinan put away her smile and looked at her quietly, waiting for what was to come.
"I'm not afraid of them sharing my profits. I'm afraid it'll implicate Inspector Qin and you."
The business of selling medicinal herbs...
On the bright side, it was to show concern for the border people.
On the dark side, it was blatant smuggling!
If it were exposed, everyone would be in big trouble.
Sister Hong could keep her mouth shut and was almost one of their own.
But if it were the Wei family...
"Don't worry. Even if I'm tempted, I won't implicate anyone."
Sister Hong sighed deeply.
She and Qin Yihuai were both people who cared about the common people.
They were just trapped in the Northern Border, restricted and unable to show their full potential.
After seeing Sister Hong off, Ye Zhinan turned around and went to the Liu family's place.
Before she got close, she saw two people standing at the door.
"Brother Qin, what's wrong with me?"
Liu Ruonan's voice was very recognizable and loud.
Ye Zhinan could hear it from afar.
A smile flashed in her eyes. Like someone looking forward to a good show, she walked closer and stood not far away, quietly watching the drama.
"I've already given my heart to someone. Please respect yourself, Miss Liu."
Heart already taken?
The smile on Ye Zhinan's lips slowly froze. Looking at the back in front of her, she felt an infinite sense of desolation in her heart.
The budding feelings in her heart were crushed by a boulder before they could fully surface.
What a thing!
She took a moment to calm down, took a few deep breaths, and forced the tears in the corners of her eyes back.
Just as she was about to take a step and leave, she saw Qin Yihuai take something out of his bosom.
Suddenly, Ye Zhinan's mind was in a whirl.
She couldn't hear the conversation between the two. Her eyes were only fixed on the jade pendant in his hand.
"So it's him?"
Ye Zhinan murmured involuntarily.
Hearing the noise behind him, Qin Yihuai quickly put the jade pendant back.
He touched his nose nervously.
"Why are you here?"
Ye Zhinan suddenly came to her senses and tried to calm herself down.
There was a faint glint of tears in her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips.
"I just happened to pass by. I thought I'd come and check on Brother Liu's progress. Hearing you two talking, I didn't want to interrupt."
She seemed calm, but in fact, her hands hidden in her sleeves were shaking uncontrollably.
That jade pendant was something she had worn close to her body when she was a child.
She had only given it to a strange boy back then. She never thought he would still keep it to this day.
Liu Ruonan's eyes were slightly red. She tossed her sleeve and ran away.
On the big doorstep, only the two of them were left.
"Just now..."
"It's normal for a young girl to have a crush. Inspector Qin is a good match. It's natural for him to be pursued."
Her expression was calm, but inside she was secretly delighted.
It seemed to explain why Qin Yihuai had helped the Ye family so many times.
She took a step inside and warmly greeted Wang Zhilan.
Qin Yihuai was left standing there, not knowing what to do.
Did she see it or not...
Laughter came from inside the room. Qin Yihuai didn't have time to think more. He turned around and quickly walked in.
"It's going quite smoothly, but my neck hurts so much."
Liu Dongxing was walking back and forth in the yard, shaking his head.
He had sat in front of the loom for a whole day. When he stood up again, he found his neck was stiff and uncomfortable.
It seemed that his old problem had flared up.
"I'll give you a few acupuncture treatments. It can relieve the pain."
Ye Zhinan took out her acupuncture bag and helped Liu Dongxing sit down.
There were densely packed needles of different sizes inside, which made one's scalp tingle.
"Miss Ye, will this really work?"
Ye Zhinan had a faint smile on her lips and spoke softly.
"Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
She was quick - witted. Before Liu Dongxing could react, she inserted the needle into the back of his neck.
After the stinging pain, there was an infinite sense of relief.
"It really seems to be much better."
He tentatively shook his neck, and the stiffness disappeared.
Instead, he felt more relaxed.
"Miss Ye is really skillful. If you opened a medical clinic in the city, you could earn a lot of money."
Wang Zhilan also praised with a smile.
She had long heard that the Ye family's girl was capable, but she didn't know it was in medicine.
"It's okay. Next time I come, I'll bring you some plasters. They'll help relieve your back injury."
Surprise flashed in Wang Zhilan's eyes, and then she nodded repeatedly.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Her back injury was an old problem. It wasn't well - treated at that time, so it had been delayed.
Ordinary doctors couldn't diagnose it. Only Ye Zhinan could see the root cause at a glance.
She naturally trusted her.
"Don't be in a hurry with the weaving. We still have plenty of time."
Ye Zhinan smiled and comforted him, afraid that Liu Dongxing would overwork himself.
Building the greenhouse was a small matter. But if he got a chronic illness, it would be a great loss.
She chatted for a few more sentences and then turned to leave.
As she was leaving, Qin Yihuai followed behind her, neither too close nor too far, silently.
At first, she thought it was interesting and expected him to come up.
But when she was almost at her doorstep, he was still following behind.
"You're not going to kidnap me, are you?"
She was a bit annoyed. With her hands on her hips, she stared straight at him.
Qin Yihuai touched his nose and suddenly couldn't say a word.
His feelings seemed to be quite obvious, but he just didn't dare to say it.