Fleeing from famine? Not a chance; the divine healer's wife made her fortune.

New Business Exploration: The Difficult Path of Herbal Medicines

The news from the capital was like a pebble, stirring up ripples in Su Yunlan's calm heart.

The newly discovered precious medicinal herbs in the south are not just a business opportunity for her, but more like a magnet, attracting her to explore the unknown.

She could almost feel a surge of electric excitement coursing from her feet to the top of her head, her eyes sparkling with eager anticipation, like the brightest stars in the night sky.

Standing beside her, Xiao Yuhan felt the vibrant energy emanating from his wife. His deep gaze held both admiration and support, but also a hint of barely perceptible worry.

He knew Su Yunlan's intelligence and decisiveness, but he also understood that the medicinal herb market was complex and the hidden risks were not to be underestimated.

The surrounding air seemed to become more lively because of this sudden news, carrying a hint of new hope and challenge.

Even the laughter of children playing in the distance seemed to carry a hint of elation, foreshadowing a brand new chapter about to begin.

To gain a deeper understanding of the situation, Su Yunlan decided to personally visit the medicinal herb market to find out.

However, the scene before her eyes greatly disappointed her.

The market was bustling with activity, and the herbal medicine merchants were all eloquent, but most of them were exaggerating, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Prices have been driven up like wild horses, making them unpredictable and difficult to fathom.

Su Yunlan approached a herbal medicine merchant, picked up a seemingly ordinary herb, and examined it carefully.

"Madam, you have a good eye! This is a century-old Ganoderma lucidum, a cure-all that can prolong life..." the herbalist introduced, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

Su Yunlan calmly put down the herbs and asked casually, "Where does this Ganoderma lucidum come from?"

The herbal medicine merchant's eyes darted around, and he said vaguely, "This... naturally comes from deep in the mountains and forests, but as for the exact location, I don't know."

Su Yunlan inquired at several other places, and the answers she received were all similar.

Herbal medicine merchants are secretive about the origin of their herbs and exaggerate their efficacy, creating an atmosphere of chaos and distrust in the market.

Su Yunlan's brows furrowed more and more, a sense of unease welling up in her heart.

She looked around; the air was filled with the mingled scents of various herbs, making it somewhat suffocating.

The cacophony of hawking and haggling created a deafening din that seemed to shatter one's eardrums.

"Let's go." Su Yunlan's voice was low and firm.

Seeing her serious expression, Xiao Yuhan didn't ask any more questions and just silently followed behind her.

The two walked out of the medicinal herb market, and the noise gradually faded away.

Su Yunlan stopped and turned to look at Xiao Yuhan. "It seems that the medicinal herb business is much more complicated than we imagined."

Xiao Yuhan held her hand, offering her silent support.

Su Yunlan's gaze fell on the distant, undulating mountains, her eyes becoming deep and resolute...

“Perhaps,” she said slowly, “we should go there and take a look.”

Su Yunlan's departure was like a sudden breeze, scattering the hustle and bustle of the medicinal herb market.

Those herbal medicine merchants who had been talking eloquently suddenly stopped talking, as if they had been choked.

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Who is this lady?" A bald herbal medicine merchant broke the silence, rubbing his greasy head, his rough voice carrying a hint of uncertainty.

"Who knows? Judging by their clothes and appearance, they must be rich and powerful. Maybe they're just here to browse." A weasel-faced herbal medicine merchant next to him curled his lip.

The entire market seemed to have been put on pause. After a brief silence, whispers spread like the buzzing of mosquitoes.

Every herbal medicine merchant was speculating about Su Yunlan's intentions, and a strange unease rose in their hearts.

Meanwhile, Su Yunlan had already returned to the salt field.

Without any delay, she immediately summoned the salt workers.

Sunlight shines on the salt fields, reflecting a dazzling light and illuminating the dark, honest faces of the salt workers.

"Everyone, I know you're all often away from home and quite familiar with the mountains and forests." Su Yunlan stood before the crowd, her clear voice like a mountain stream, carrying a calming power. "I need some medicinal herbs. Does anyone here have any help in finding them?"

The salt workers looked at each other, and after a moment of silence, a burst of enthusiastic response erupted from the crowd.

"Madam, we've been working our way up and down in the mountains for so many years, finding medicinal herbs is a piece of cake for us!" A dark-skinned, burly salt worker patted his chest and said loudly.

"Yes, Madam, we'll go right away!" The other salt workers echoed, already impressed by Su Yunlan's courage and wisdom, and now filled with pride to serve her.

In just one day, the salt workers brought back piles of medicinal herbs, some dried and some freshly picked, filling the air with a faint aroma of herbs.

Looking at her harvest, Su Yunlan smiled with satisfaction. This was much more real and reliable than the false advertising and exorbitant prices she had seen in the medicinal herb market.

The herbal medicine merchants who had waited all day at the market still hadn't seen Su Yunlan reappear.

When they learned that Su Yunlan had led the salt workers to find a number of rare medicinal herbs, they were all stunned, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"How is that possible? How could those uncouth people possibly understand medicinal herbs?" a herbal medicine merchant exclaimed, his tone filled with disbelief.

"Could it be... that this lady already knew something?" Another herbal medicine merchant seemed to have realized something, and a look of panic appeared on his face.

While the herbal merchants were filled with doubt and confusion, Su Yunlan was directing the salt workers to sort the freshly picked herbs. She looked up at the sky; the sun was already setting, its crimson glow painting half the sky red. She slowly rose and said to the young master Xiao beside her, "Some herbs require special treatment..."

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the salt field in a warm golden hue.

Su Yunlan bustled about, directing everyone to sort and dry the medicinal herbs, her forehead glistening with sweat.

Her focused expression was like that of a skilled craftsman carving a treasure in his hands.

Xiao Yuhan stood not far away, gazing tenderly at Su Yunlan.

He felt sorry for her being so tired, but he also understood the persistence and passion in her heart.

He secretly instructed someone to prepare a sumptuous dinner, all of which were Su Yunlan's favorite dishes, their aroma filling the air.

Night falls and the stars are shining.

When Su Yunlan returned home and saw the table laden with delicious food, a warm feeling immediately washed over her tired body.

She turned to look at Xiao Yuhan, her eyes filled with emotion, and said softly, "How did you know I wanted to eat these?"

Xiao Yuhan smiled gently and pulled her to sit down at the table. "You've worked hard."

The two sat facing each other, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

The flickering candlelight illuminated their happy smiles.

However, after a brief moment of warmth, Su Yunlan threw herself into new challenges.

Although the salt workers harvested a considerable amount of wild medicinal herbs, it was merely a drop in the ocean compared to the grand plan in her mind.

She needs a more stable supply of medicinal herbs.

Therefore, Su Yunlan began to contact some large medicinal herb suppliers, hoping to establish cooperative relationships with them.

However, reality gave her a heavy blow.

When the suppliers heard that she was a newcomer to the business, they looked down on her and wouldn't even give her a chance to meet. Their words were full of arrogance and contempt.

"Hmph, a woman who knows nothing wants to get involved in the medicinal herb business? She's really overestimating herself!" A fat, big-eared medicinal herb merchant sneered disdainfully and turned away the person sent by Su Yunlan.

The repeated setbacks did not discourage Su Yunlan; instead, they fueled her fighting spirit.

Her eyes gleamed with determination, and her tone was calm and forceful: "I refuse to believe that they are the only ones capable of running this medicinal herb business!"

She turned to Young Master Xiao and said, "Tenth Brother, go and find out for me what other forces are behind these suppliers?"

Young Master Xiao accepted the order and left, while Su Yunlan continued to study the herbal medicine chart in her hands. The room was so quiet that only the sound of turning pages could be heard.

It was late at night, and Young Master Xiao had still not returned.

Su Yunlan walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky, and felt a vague unease in her heart.

Suddenly, a rapid knock on the door broke the silence.

Su Yunlan's heart tightened, and she quickly walked to the door and opened it.

"Madam, something has happened..." a panting servant said anxiously from outside the door.

After gathering information, Young Master Xiao rushed back, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, I've heard some news! There's a small herbal medicine merchant named Manager Zhou who has a batch of top-quality herbs, but he's being squeezed out by the big suppliers and has no sales channels at all."

Su Yunlan's eyes lit up and she immediately said, "Take me to see him!"

Shopkeeper Zhou's shop is located in a secluded alley. The storefront is small, but it is clean and tidy.

He was thin and small, with a worried look on his face. Upon seeing Su Yunlan and Young Master Xiao,

Su Yunlan got straight to the point and explained the purpose of the visit. It turned out that Manager Zhou's ancestors had been collecting medicinal herbs for generations and were very particular about the quality of the herbs. However, because they were unwilling to collude with those big suppliers, they were ostracized and suppressed by them, and the business was almost on the verge of collapse.

Su Yunlan carefully examined the medicinal herbs sold by Manager Zhou and found that they were indeed of superior quality and reasonably priced.

She immediately decided to cooperate with Manager Zhou and promised to give him a fair price to help him open up sales channels.

Shopkeeper Zhou was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He never expected that someone would be willing to help him at this time.

He grasped Su Yunlan's hand tightly and said gratefully, "Madam, you are truly my great benefactor!"

When the news reached the ears of the major suppliers, they were furious, but there was nothing they could do.

They never expected that Su Yunlan would find such an inconspicuous small supplier, let alone that this small supplier would have such excellent medicinal materials.

"Hmph, what does a woman know about medicinal herbs? I think she'll suffer for it sooner or later!" a major supplier said through gritted teeth.

“That’s right, when she loses everything, she’ll know how powerful we are!” another supplier chimed in.

Su Yunlan paid no attention to these rumors; she was busy discussing cooperation details and formulating a sales plan with Manager Zhou.

With a stable supply of medicinal herbs, her plan could finally proceed smoothly.

However, the good times didn't last long. Just as Su Yunlan was able to breathe a sigh of relief about the supply of medicinal herbs, an undercurrent began to stir.

Rumors began to circulate in the market about the quality of her medicinal materials. Some people said that her medicinal materials were fake, and others said that her medicinal materials were poisonous, causing widespread panic.

"Have you heard? That new Madam Su is selling fake medicinal herbs!" one woman said mysteriously to another.

"Really? We'd better be careful, lest we buy fake medicine!" another woman said hurriedly.

Similar conversations continued to unfold in the market, and rumors spread rapidly like a virus, severely damaging Su Yunlan's reputation.

That day, Su Yunlan was busy in the shop when a shop assistant rushed in, his face pale, "Madam, something terrible has happened..."