Just as mother and daughter were enjoying a tender moment together, Song Ziyang’s excited voice rang out:
“Mother! Look! Is this Sanqi (Notoginseng)?”
Lu Yao looked in the direction of his voice and saw a single Sanqi plant standing proudly in the breeze before him.
After securing Song Ziyu more firmly on her back, she quickly walked over and crouched beside him.
Taking a closer look, she smiled.
“That’s right. Our Ziyang is so smart—and lucky too. You found one this quickly. They’re not easy to spot in this season.”
Song Zixuan jogged over as well.
Looking at the green plant, he noticed it had three leaf stalks, with seven leaflets growing from each stalk.
After examining it for a moment, he asked,
“Mother, is it called Sanqi because each plant has three stalks and seven leaflets on each stalk?”
Lu Yao gave him an approving look.
As expected of a child who had received an education.
The boy’s mind was sharp.
She hadn’t even explained the origin of the name yet, and he had already figured it out himself.
Turning to Song Ziyang, she said,
“Your brother is correct. That’s exactly where the name comes from.”
“Sanqi is a perennial herb.”
“It flowers between July and August and bears fruit from August to October.”
“The flowers are bright red.”
“The one in front of us is already mature and can be harvested.”
As she spoke, Lu Yao picked up a sturdy stick from nearby.
One end was naturally pointed, making it suitable for digging.
She carefully loosened the soil around the plant while continuing her lesson.
“Sanqi is also known as False Ginseng because its root resembles ginseng.”
By the time she finished speaking, she had already unearthed the entire plant intact.
Song Ziyang excitedly took it into his hands.
After all, this was the medicinal herb he had discovered himself.
And Mother had praised him for it.
Although Song Zixuan didn’t think it was anything particularly worthy of boasting about, he also felt he shouldn’t discourage his younger brother’s enthusiasm.
So he reluctantly offered a few half-hearted words of praise.
Because they had stopped to dig up the herb, they had fallen quite far behind the group.
At this point, they could barely see the tail end of the refugee procession.
Lu Yao immediately grabbed one boy with each hand and hurried after the others.
Meanwhile, the patrol team had noticed that the mother and children had been missing for quite some time.
Song Hongsheng instructed everyone else to continue moving while he stayed behind to wait for them.
From a distance, Lu Yao spotted his anxious figure.
Unfortunately, the children were still too young to move much faster.
After hurrying along for some time, they finally reached him.
Seeing them safe and sound, Song Hongsheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they hadn’t yet entered the deepest parts of the forest, where large predators might lurk, anything was possible in the wilderness.
It never hurt to be cautious.
The moment they arrived, he asked with obvious concern,
“Sister-in-law, why did you fall so far behind?”
“Are the children tired?”
“Can they not walk anymore?”
Sweat glistened on Song Ziyang’s small face, but his eyes shone brightly.
Looking at Song Hongsheng, he excitedly declared,
“Uncle Hongsheng, Mother was teaching us about medicinal herbs!”
“Look! We just dug up this Sanqi!”
“It can stop bleeding, disperse blood stasis, detoxify poisons, and reduce swelling!”
His words stunned not only Song Hongsheng but also Lu Yao herself.
If she had merely been encouraging the child earlier, now she looked at him with genuine excitement.
This child was talented.
A natural talent.
She had finally found a successor.
Song Ziyang was only four years old.
Yet after hearing the medicinal effects only once, he could remember them perfectly and repeat them word for word.
Without a natural aptitude for medicine, such a feat would have been impossible.
Even Song Zixuan, despite being a child himself, felt impressed.
He could have repeated the information too, but that was because he had spent years studying and reading.
Song Ziyang, on the other hand, barely knew many characters.
The fact that he could remember everything using nothing but his little brain was genuinely remarkable.
Song Hongsheng, however, was shocked for a completely different reason.
Looking at Lu Yao, he exclaimed excitedly,
“Sister-in-law, you know medicine?”
Lu Yao: “…”
Was that really something to get this excited about?
She had been diagnosing illnesses and prescribing remedies since she was a child.
To her, it was as natural as drinking water.
Still, out of politeness, she answered modestly,
“I know a little medicine. If—”
Before she could finish, Song Hongsheng interrupted.
“Sister-in-law, you’re practically a gift from Heaven to Songyang Village!”
“Our village doesn’t even have a physician.”
“And now we’ve somehow gained one for free!”
“This journey is going to be so much easier!”
“I need to go tell my father this wonderful news right away!”
He was so excited that he immediately turned to run.
After taking a few steps, however, he suddenly remembered that Lu Yao was traveling with three children.
Turning back, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Sister-in-law, look at me—I got so excited I forgot everything.”
“How about I carry Ziyang for you?”
“He’s still little.”
“He must be exhausted after walking this far.”
Before either Lu Yao or Song Ziyang could respond, Song Hongsheng had already scooped the boy into his arms.
Song Ziyang: “…”
Lu Yao: “…”
Still, since someone was willing to help carry the child, Lu Yao certainly wasn’t going to object.
“Then thank you, Brother Hongsheng.”
“This child is very sensible.”
“He hasn’t complained about being tired once.”
“But he’s still young, and his health isn’t the strongest.”
“He was probably nearing his limit.”
Song Hongsheng grinned broadly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
He felt immensely pleased with himself.
After Song Ziyang was picked up, their pace improved noticeably.
About fifteen minutes later, they finally caught up with the main group.
After resting in someone’s arms for a while, Song Ziyang recovered much of his energy and began squirming to get down.
Seeing this, Lu Yao quickly said,
“Brother Hongsheng, thank you.”
“You can put him down now.”
“We’ll walk slowly with everyone else.”
“We can keep up.”
Only then did Song Hongsheng lower the boy to the ground.
He ruffled Song Ziyang’s hair and smiled.
“Be careful.”
“You absolutely can’t fall behind again.”
“The deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets.”
“You’re looking after three children.”
“If anything happens, shout loudly.”
“I’ll come help.”
After thanking him once more, Lu Yao watched him leave.
Then she immediately produced a water flask and handed it to the boys.
Although neither child knew where the flask had suddenly come from, they tacitly chose not to ask.
If Lu Yao gave them something, they simply accepted it.
After drinking, they obediently returned the flask.
They had barely caught their breath when a commotion broke out among the refugees from Dayang Village not far away.
Lu Yao wasn’t the sort of person who enjoyed gossip.
She paid no attention to whatever was happening over there.
Instead, she focused on leading the children forward.
Whenever they encountered medicinal plants along the way, she carefully explained their uses, effects, and processing methods to Song Ziyang.
The boy listened attentively.
Whenever he didn’t understand something, he would ask questions.
The pair became completely absorbed in their lesson.
Neither paid the slightest attention to the chaos elsewhere.
Only little Song Ziyu, nestled comfortably in Lu Yao’s arms, kept stretching her neck to watch the excitement.
No one knew what such a tiny little thing found so fascinating.