After the Yu Family had quietly divided their household, they shared a reunion dinner that evening. Early the next morning, Yu Silang left home once again.
Yu Hongdou, who always ate later than everyone else and received special treatment with meals delivered to her room by her mother, only learned upon waking that the village chief had called a meeting for all villagers that day.
“Mmph~ I wanna go too~” Yu Hongdou stuffed the egg her mother had peeled into her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a little hamster’s. She chewed vigorously and forced it down, startling Xu Shi into quickly offering a bowl of water for her to take two gulps.
“Alright, I’ll take you. No need to hurry—I’ll wait for you.” Xu Shi looked at her daughter with a mix of exasperation and amusement, patting her chest to soothe her. Since her daughter’s recovery from illness, she had become much more lively, allowing Xu Shi to finally breathe a sigh of relief without the constant fear of her child dying young.
Yu Sanlang had initially lagged behind his father and brothers to wait for his wife, never expecting their little troublemaker of a daughter would delay her. Chuckling, he tapped his daughter’s small nose, took her from his wife’s arms, and carried her toward the village gathering spot.
“Dad, why did the village chief call everyone together?” Yu Hongdou was burning with curiosity—there had been no mention of this yesterday.
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you, you little rascal.” Yu Sanlang didn’t elaborate. Since the village chief would explain soon anyway, and the path was crowded with people, he thought it better not to spill the news early and risk getting surrounded.
“Hmph~” Yu Hongdou pretended to pout in anger, then sheepishly pressed her lips together. Ever since realizing how intensely her family doted on and cherished her, she truly seemed to have become more childlike.
“Is our Hongdou angry? Dad was planning to take you up the mountain to catch rabbits this afternoon, but I guess that’s off now.” Yu Sanlang chuckled, deliberately teasing his daughter.
“I’ll go! I want to go~ Dad, I’m not angry.” The little beauty knew how to bend without breaking. Though aware her father was teasing, Yu Hongdou still rubbed her small hands together ingratiatingly, thinking that if he refused, she wouldn’t hesitate to shamelessly smother her dear father with affectionate cuddles.
Watching his daughter tilt her head and rub her hands like a fly, Yu Sanlang burst into hearty laughter. This child was simply too amusing!
The harmonious family of three arrived at the village gathering spot by the spring in the northern part of the village, where almost everyone had already assembled.
“Quiet, everyone! Settle down and listen!” The village chief stood on a stone platform near the spring, signaling for silence.
The village chief was usually highly respected, and everyone knew he wouldn’t summon the entire village without good reason, so silence fell quickly.
“I’ve gathered everyone here today to announce some good news.” The village chief scanned the sea of heads before him, his gaze lingering on the Yu Family members with a sense of awe and admiration.
His grandfather had said on his deathbed that Yu Panshi, once a beggar, had truly become someone remarkable to achieve what he had today. He had urged his father and himself to foster closer ties with the Yu family. Initially, they only saw Yu Panshi as sociable and his four sons as diligent and filial, but now it seemed their greatest blessings were yet to come.
“Village Chief, what’s the good news? Are we getting tax exemption again?” For common folks, nothing brought more joy than bountiful harvests and lighter taxes—other windfalls were beyond their wildest dreams.
“No, it’s Yu Family’s third and fourth sons who’ve secured a way to make money for our village.” The village chief didn’t beat around the bush and announced it outright.
“What money-making method? Third Brother, did you manage to get us tax-free land?” Upon hearing the village chief’s words, the crowd erupted in commotion. Soon, someone spotted the Yu Family members and, seeing Yu Sanlang standing at a distance, loudly pressed for answers.
“You’re always dreaming big! There aren’t that many tax-free lands available—those are reserved for villages with official backing,” someone retorted to the first speaker, then turned and asked, “Yu Sanlang, tell us, what exactly is this money-making method?”
Yu Sanlang sighed helplessly and gestured toward the village chief, as if to say, “Look over there.”
The noisy few followed his gesture and, upon seeing the stern-faced village chief, grew somewhat embarrassed.
“Third Brother and Fourth Brother, through their connections with influential people, have secured our village the qualification to trial-plant medicinal herbs.” The village chief’s words silenced the crowd briefly before they erupted into chatter again.
“What? Planting medicinal herbs? Can those things even survive?”
“They probably can, but if we plant herbs, what will we eat?”
“If growing herbs makes money, we can just buy grain!”
“I’ve never bought a single grain in my life—I wonder if grain from the shops tastes the same as what we grow ourselves?”
“Stop arguing! Listen to the village chief! Would he ever lead us astray?”
This last remark effectively quieted the crowd, and everyone’s attention returned to the village chief—except for Yu Hongdou, who was nestled in Yu Sanlang’s arms.
She was staring wondrously at her father, Yu Sanlang, her mind wildly speculating whether he had been “replaced by a transmigrator.”
She was certain this segment didn’t exist in the original plot. Even if her survival as a “little butterfly” had altered some events, both her memories and her current judgment firmly told her that Yu Sanlang had never intended to stay in the village and farm.
Growing medicinal herbs was equally unlikely—none of their family of four was any good at manual labor.
Why was Yu Laoyezi so wealthy yet owned only eighteen mu of farmland and half a mountain?
First, the land near the village was heavily monopolized by a few village heads. Second, the Yu Family had few capable farmhands.
Despite having four sons: Yu Dalang was a habitual slacker—he looked busy but accomplished little. Yu Erlang was diligent, but his wife, fearing he’d work himself to death, often pulled him away to rest. Yu Sanlang had been clever since childhood, doing the least work but compensating by finding resources for the family, so no one could fault him. As for Yu Silang… he ran off before any work could be assigned.
Thus, over the years, Yu Laoyezi saved money but saw little growth in their farmland.
“It’s not for each family to plant individually. We’ll farm collectively as a village. After harvest, officials will purchase the herbs, and the profits will be shared. The Magistrate has specially allocated the wasteland north of Butterfly Mountain to our village for growing medicinal herbs.” The village chief knew what mattered most to the villagers and succinctly highlighted the key points.
The villagers buzzed with excitement again—some schemed to profit individually, others hoped to slack off, but most felt a thrill. Though unsure what herbs to plant, the idea of not using their own fields while gaining extra land and mountains hinted at potential new income.
“Dad, what herbs are we planting? The ones Grandpa gathers?” Yu Hongdou blinked, wondering if her father had just secured a “teaching” role for her grandfather.
“We’re growing medicinal herbs that are both delicious and beneficial for health,” Yu Sanlang replied to his daughter with a hint of pride. Speaking of this matter, it truly was all his doing—Old Fourth only played a minor role.
If not for his sharp eyes, during his investigation in the mountains, he wouldn’t have discovered that Old Fourth’s life-saving benefactor had secretly planted something there. Having learned to identify medicinal herbs since childhood, he had no idea that those two precious herbs could be cultivated in large patches.
So, what were they? A big question mark was drawn on Yu Hongdou’s little face.
Soon, the village chief gave her and everyone the answer: “It’s ginger and pepper.”