Chapter 57: Everyone is mediocre, so why should she stand out?

"Lady Su, these..."

"Doctor, please just give whatever you think is fair! I know these are common medicinal herbs, but the ones at the bottom are extremely precious. I have no idea how much they are truly worth, so please decide on a fair price. If you need any specific herb, you can just take it. I can always go back to the mountains to gather more and bring them to you later..."

Luo Yunhe possessed the Piercing Golden Eyes!

She knew better than anyone which of the herbs she gathered were valuable and which could command a high price. Her refusal to boast was merely out of modesty.

The elderly doctor looked over the medicinal herbs she had brought back with immense satisfaction.

His abacus began to click and clatter rhythmically.

"Lady Su, I will purchase the common herbs at standard market rates. As for these rare herbs, I'll price them at one silver tael per stalk..."

As the elderly doctor spoke, he clicked the abacus beads, and a sum was calculated in no time at all.

"That comes to a total of two hundred and sixty silver taels."

Luo Yunhe was somewhat startled, not expecting them to be worth so much, though a pleasant surprise still showed on her face. "Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Doctor."

The elderly doctor smiled and said, "You are too kind, Lady Su. These herbs are indeed very precious, and I am offering this price partly in recognition of your hard work."

Luo Yunhe said gratefully, "Thank you, Doctor. If I find any more good herbs in the future, I will certainly bring them to you."

The elderly doctor nodded. "Very well, take care on your way back, Lady Su."

Luo Yunhe left the apothecary clutching the silver, thinking that this money would finally allow her family to live a comfortable life.

Luo Yunhe did not fully understand how much buying power a little over a hundred taels of silver held in this ancient era, but she was overjoyed to have made such a substantial profit and readily accepted it.

She dared not delay. Although she now had money in her hands, treating Su Jingxuan's legs would undoubtedly cost a fortune, meaning she could not afford to squander these funds on building a grand house just yet.

Even so, certain necessary steps still had to be taken.

Upon returning to the village, Luo Yunhe did not rush to claim the twenty carts of grain. After all, if those provisions were delivered right now, she would have nowhere to store them. It was wiser to temporarily set the matter aside and deal with it only after everything else was settled.

Knowing she lacked the necessary influence on her own, she went straight to find the village head.

When the village head heard the purpose of her visit, his brows furrowed tightly. "Child, I should think your top priority right now is to get Jingxuan's legs treated, rather than worrying about logs!"

"Village head, I understand what you mean, but we also need to secure a proper place to live. If a storm hits and we haven't built a shelter, we won't even have a roof over our heads. Please rest assured, I will find time to gather more herbs in the mountains to sell. I made quite a tidy sum today, you know!"

Looking at the impossibly beautiful young girl standing before him, so sincere and earnest as she planned their future livelihood, the village head finally relented.

Under his call, all the idle villagers in the community were summoned.

"Everyone, let Jingxuan's wife explain the purpose of gathering you all here today!"

Hearing that it was Su Jingxuan's wife who wanted to see them, the crowd could not help but cast curious glances at the astonishingly lovely young woman standing before them.

Though stared at by everyone, Luo Yunhe showed no timidity. Instead, she recounted her plans from start to finish.

Expectations were that she would ask the villagers for charity or other favors, but upon hearing that she intended to pay them to harvest timber from the mountains, a wave of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"Everyone, I promise you: ten copper coins for every log of this kind! Pay attention—such logs must be at least taller than a person, thicker than an arm, sturdy, and durable! I need a lot of them!"

The villagers looked at the piece of wood in her hand and heard that a single log was worth ten copper coins. If someone managed to cut down a hundred logs in a single day, wouldn't that amount to a full silver tael?

That was even higher than the daily wages earned from working outside the village.

"Is this for real? Su Jingxuan's legs are in that wretched state, yet you're spending money to have us chop wood? What on earth are you thinking?"

"That's right! What if we haul the timber back and you can't cough up the money? We certainly won't stand for that!"

"Little girl, I suggest you stop fussing over this timber business and focus on taking proper care of Su Jingxuan instead!"

These remarks came almost entirely from the village matrons.

After all, the young girl before them was simply too striking, and the men's lingering gazes caused a deep sense of irritation in their hearts.

They themselves were entirely ordinary in appearance, so why should she be blessed with such beauty?

Luo Yunhe offered a faint smile. "Please rest assured, everyone. Since I brought the village head along today, I am naturally able to afford these wages. As for my husband's injuries, I will take care of them as well. If you are willing to earn this pay, you may set off today. Mark the trees you cut down and keep track of them yourselves; I will settle accounts with you afterward! If any of you are unwilling, you are free to leave right now. I am forcing no one!"

Luo Yunhe's words and unwavering expression sparked another round of murmurs and discussions among the crowd.

After a long while, some of the women turned and stalked off in a huff, even trying to drag their husbands along, but the men stubbornly refused to leave.

With the assistance of the village head, the names of those willing to go up the mountain to harvest timber were quickly registered.

Once the registration was complete, the men dispersed to fetch their axes and hurried toward the mountains.

After thanking the village head, Luo Yunhe retrieved her own tools and headed straight into the forested hills.

Because the day was already late, her time was limited; she still had to return to the medical clinic by evening to look after Su Jingxuan.

Therefore, she had to unearth a large quantity of precious herbs within this narrow window.

Drawing upon yesterday's experience, she marched straight into the deep mountains, having already activated her Piercing Golden Eyes skill along the way.

Since the ability would only last for a single day, she had to make every single second count.

Once inside the deep forest, she threw herself into the work.

This busy toil continued until dusk, by which time her woven bamboo basket was filled to the brim with precious herbs and various unusual stones of different textures.

Hurrying down the mountain, she made a beeline for the town.

The strange stones she had collected in her bamboo basket yesterday had been wrapped in a cloth and left at Su Jingxuan's bedside.

Having found even more today, she intended to test the market tomorrow to see if these stones could be sold.

Upon reaching the town, Luo Yunhe spotted a wonton stall and ordered a bowl.

Having gone without food all day, she was utterly starved. After packing an extra portion to go, she hurried toward the medical clinic.