Chapter 56: The Hope of Banlangen

The dawn had fully broken, and dew still clung to the tips of the leaves as Su Yao carried her sickle toward the experimental field. Passing under the large pagoda tree, Widow Li and Auntie Wang were already sitting on stones sharpening their sickles, the blades gleaming in the morning light.

"Comrade Su Yao, our Isatis root is looking truly spirited, much better than what the supply and marketing cooperative sold last year. This quality is simply in a different league." Widow Li rubbed the blade with her thumb, a note of joy in her voice.

Su Yao squatted down and touched the leaves of the Isatis root. They were as thick as if coated with a layer of wax, a dark, vibrant green. Over the three months since sowing, this crop had given everyone plenty to worry about—when the seedlings first emerged, half a leaf had been chewed by insects, and Xingchen had anxiously stood guard in the field to catch them; later, when a rainstorm hit, Su Wan had hugged stones to block the corners of the greenhouse, her trouser legs covered in mud. Now, the time for harvest had finally arrived. Looking at the waist-high plants, she felt as warm inside as if she were holding a roasted sweet potato.

"Don't sharpen the sickles too finely; be careful not to hurt the roots," Su Yao cautioned, stepping into the field first. The sickles gently sliced through the stalks with a crisp snapping sound, and an astringent, herbal scent immediately drifted out, mingling with the earthy tang to create a remarkably refreshing aroma. She placed the harvested plants behind her, and Widow Li quickly picked them up, stripped away the withered old leaves, and tied them into small bundles.

"These roots are really sturdy!" Auntie Wang picked up a bunch, the roots dangling in her hand like a string of dark brown radishes, noticeably thicker than ordinary Isatis root. "Last year when my old man had a cough, the Isatis root we bought had roots as thin as chopsticks, and when we boiled them, the water had no taste at all."

Widow Li took them and weighed them in her hand. "With this weight, they're bound to tip the scales once dried."

Lu Xingchen ran over carrying a small bamboo basket lined with coarse cloth.

"Mom, Professor Zhang said we need to keep a few plants as samples." He squatted in the field, meticulously selecting the plants with the thickest stalks and greenest leaves, using a small trowel to dig closely along the roots for fear of snapping the fibrous tips. The freshly dug Isatis root was caked with damp mud, so he carefully wiped it with the cloth lining the basket, revealing the purplish-brown skin underneath.

"Xingchen's meticulous ways are just like his father's," Widow Li said with a delighted laugh, though her hands kept moving, the bundled Isatis root piling up like a small mountain behind her.

Su Yao straightened her back and massaged her aching shoulders, only to see a figure standing on the field ridge. It was Su Wan, carrying a bamboo basket. Su Wan had been coming quite frequently lately, never slacking off when it came to weeding or watering, though she remained reserved and always buried herself in hard work.

"Little Wan is here?" Su Yao greeted her with a smile.

Su Wan gave a soft hum of acknowledgment and set the basket on the ground. Inside were several freshly steamed corn buns. "My mother asked me to bring you some breakfast." With that, she picked up a sickle and began harvesting in Su Yao's manner, her movements much more fluid than when she had first arrived.

When the sun climbed to the top of the sky, the half-mu of Isatis root was nearly all harvested. Lu Zhanye drove an ox cart over to haul the load, the cart bed lined with plastic sheeting to prevent the mud on the roots from rubbing off.

"The military hospital has replied," he said, handing a letter to Su Yao while rubbing his calloused fingers along the edge of the paper. "They said they'll send a procurement officer this Friday, and he'll be bringing a lab technician along."

Su Yao unfolded the letter. The typing was formal and carried an air of solemnity, stating only that they would "bring testing equipment for on-site sampling" without mentioning a specific purchase price.

Her heart fluttered slightly with uncertainty, but she smiled and said, "They've come at just the right time. Let them see the quality of our Isatis root with their own eyes."

Widow Li leaned over to take a look, smacked her lips, and remarked, "People coming from the military always mean what they say."

The ox cart plodded slowly toward the medicine factory, the Isatis root swaying on the wooden bed, the herbal fragrance trailing all the way and drawing several households out to watch.

"Is this the space-bred Isatis root?" Third Aunt from next door asked, leaning against the side of the cart. "Can it really be more effective than the regular kind?"

Su Yao nodded with a smile. "We'll know once the test results come out."

Drying racks had long been set up in the courtyard of the medicine factory, pieced together by Lu Yuxuan using old bamboo poles with widely spaced grids for optimal ventilation. Everyone pitched in to hang the Isatis root, roots pointing down and leaves pointing up, draped in cascading rows like a curtain of green. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and scattered across the ground, dazzling the eyes.

"They need to be dried for a full seven days to bring the moisture content below thirty percent," Su Yao said as she hung the bundles, her fingertips stained with the brown juice from the Isatis stalks. "By then, the color will darken and the roots will become much firmer."

Xingchen held a small notebook, jotting things down: "Harvest date: August 12th. Drying temperature: approximately 28°C. Expected completion date: August 19th."

Su Wan squatted beneath the rack, picking up fallen leaves and putting them into her bamboo basket. "Don't throw these broken leaves away," she said, looking up with a voice a bit louder than before. "My mother says when they're dried, you can steep them in water to clear internal heat."

Looking at the leaves in Su Wan's hands, Su Yao suddenly recalled how evasive the young woman had been back when they first exchanged the seeds. Seeing her now, she felt a great sense of ease in her heart.

In the afternoon, Old Zhou came over with a hoe. The corn in his field needed top-dressing, and he had made a special detour to check out the medicine factory on his way. Touching the roots of the Isatis plant, he asked with brimming curiosity, "Once these are properly dried, how much can they sell for per pound?"

Su Yao shook her head. "I don't know yet. It depends on the test results."

"I reckon they've got to be at least half as expensive as the regular kind," Old Zhou mused, smacking his lips. "The supply and marketing cooperative paid eighty cents last year, so this space-bred stuff has got to be at least a dollar twenty."

Widow Li chimed in, "If they can fetch a dollar fifty, our whole village will plant this next year. It's way better than growing corn."

Su Yao didn't answer, simply gazing at the Isatis root hanging on the drying racks. What she cared about most wasn't the price—it was the test results. Professor Zhang had said that space breeding could not only increase yields but also potentially boost the concentration of active medicinal components. If it truly met the standards and the military hospital established a long-term procurement contract, the medicine factory would achieve stable operations and provide an extra source of income for the village.

At dusk, as work wrapped up for the day, Xingchen suddenly pointed at the drying rack and shouted, "Mom, look!"

The leaves of several bunches of Isatis root had begun to wilt slightly, their edges curling inward to reveal the sturdier leaf veins beneath.

"They're drying pretty fast," Su Yao said, walking over to touch them. Though soft, the leaves possessed a resilient toughness. "If the wind picks up tonight, they'll lose another layer of moisture by tomorrow."

Lu Zhanye brought back good news from the military camp: the hospital procurement officer was named Liu, who had previously served in logistics and knew him, which would allow them to put in a few good words. "Section Chief Liu is a straightforward man. As long as the goods are good, he won't haggle too harshly over the price." He squatted by the stove opening to feed the firewood, the firelight flickering across his face. "I've already told the mess hall to slaughter a chicken that day and treat them to a proper meal."

Su Yao was in the midst of checking Xingchen's record book, which featured a hand-drawn sketch of an Isatis root with every single rootlet clearly labeled. "Don't be too extravagant; just a home-cooked meal will do." She flipped to the last page and saw the words written by Xingchen: "Looking forward to good results." The handwriting was clumsy and crooked, yet brimming with earnestness, bringing a smile to her lips.

A wind picked up during the night, making the drying racks creak softly. Su Yao draped a coat over her shoulders to check on them. The Isatis root swayed gently on the racks, the faint medicinal fragrance mingling with the wind and carrying far away. She thought of when she had first crossed over, unable to even secure a full meal—she would never have dared to dream of growing space-bred medicinal herbs or dealing with a military hospital.

Early the next morning, Xingchen was the first to dash into the courtyard, crying out in pleasant surprise, "Mom, the leaves have withered a lot more!"

Su Yao walked over and saw that the color of the roots had deepened and they felt firmer to the touch. Widow Li and Auntie Wang arrived shortly after, carrying baskets filled with fresh vegetables just picked from the fields.

"Let's finish up early today and give the medicine factory another thorough sweep so we don't become the laughingstock of the comrades coming from the military," Auntie Wang said.

Everyone worked while cleaning, with Su Wan using a rag to wipe the dust off the medicine cabinets, her movements as meticulous as if she were polishing precious treasures. Watching Su Wan's retreating figure, Su Yao suddenly said, "Once the Isatis root is sold, we'll put a bigger share into the mutual aid fund and buy Grandpa Li a new cotton quilt before the cold weather sets in."

Widow Li nodded repeatedly. "That's a wonderful idea. Grandpa Li's quilt is nothing but layer upon layer of patches."

Xingchen leaned against the medicine cabinet, using a pencil to draw a large smiley face on a piece of paper, with the word "Jiayou" (Keep going) written right beside it.

Sunlight streamed through the lattice window, casting a golden glow over the handwriting. The Isatis root in the courtyard continued to dry quietly, its roots dangling like strings of medals awaiting inspection, swaying gently in the wind as if whispering that everything would turn out fine.

There were still two days left until Friday, but the medicine factory already felt as festive as Chinese New Year. Smiles graced everyone's faces, yet an undercurrent of nervous anticipation hung in the air. In her dreams that night, Su Yao kept seeing Section Chief Liu holding the test report—sometimes wearing a smile, sometimes furrowing his brow. She knew that whether this space-bred Isatis root succeeded or failed hinged entirely upon this single test.