People’s joys and sorrows don’t always match. While Ye Weiliang was overjoyed to have a master and a private space, the lazy, spoiled Ye family members were sulking, scheming to teach her a lesson.
Liu Pandie held her waist and groaned, “Old Ye, tell me, how did Er’ya figure out she isn’t our daughter?”
“How would I know? Did you accidentally let it slip one day?” Ye Tangsheng rubbed the sore spot from her beating, her eyes cold and ruthless.
“That brat, I’m going to make her regret her life!” Ye Jinbao gasped in pain. He was determined to make this little brat suffer more than death itself.
Though Ye Ying wasn’t particularly favored at home, she was far better off than Ye Weiliang—she didn’t have to cook or wash clothes.
But this little brat dared to steal her room—there was no way she’d let that slide.
The family spent a long time brainstorming two ideas: one, sell the brat for a high bride price; two, send her to the countryside, to the poorest, harshest part of the northwest.
Ye Tangsheng worked in a steel mill. Today, injured from a beating, she could only take leave—and she still had to find a buyer for the brat.
As for Liu Pandie, she was also a steel mill worker, a temporary employee, assigned by the military district’s Ye family.
Yet this brat had swapped the children and tormented their own—being called an ungrateful brat was an understatement.
While the four were whispering, planning what to do, Ye Weiliang opened the door and stepped out.
Ye Ying saw her in the newly bought clothes she had been saving and instantly flew into a rage. She hadn’t even worn them once, and the brat was already flaunting them.
“Ahhh! You little brat! How dare you wear my new clothes! Take them off right now!” Ye Ying lunged to tear the clothes off Ye Weiliang.
Ye Weiliang simply raised an arm and smacked Ye Ying on the behind. “Asking for another beating, are we?”
“You… you~~” Ye Ying wailed, crying in fury.
Ye Weiliang ignored them. Even when they had been whispering before, she had overheard everything.
She was still marveling at the power of the spiritual spring.
Ignoring them entirely, Ye Weiliang stepped outside.
She had never explored 1960s Kyoto.
The Ye family lived in the steel mill’s residential compound. It wasn’t clear how Ye Tangsheng had gotten a three-bedroom apartment. Apart from Ye Er’ya, everyone else had their own rooms.
Ye Weiliang strolled down the street, soaking in the strong cultural atmosphere of the era. Her heart was restless.
The slogans and propaganda posters were unique cultural symbols of the time, reflecting the social and political environment.
With only two hundred yuan in hand, she felt embarrassed. In an era where everything required ration tickets, her money was nearly useless.
She pulled a small ginseng from her space, planning to sell it at the largest pharmacy.
After asking around, she learned the biggest pharmacy in Kyoto was Heniantang. Many smaller pharmacies had closed for various reasons.
Heniantang survived because the owner offered free pulse diagnoses. Even the herbs were sold at cost.
Ye Weiliang put on some makeup and smudged herself with mud before entering Heniantang.
Inside, a middle-aged man with a goat beard was polishing the counter.
Seeing her enter, he asked immediately, “Young comrade, are you here for medicine? What are your symptoms?”
Ye Weiliang quietly said, “Uncle, do you buy medicinal herbs?”
The goat-beard man replied, “Yes, young comrade. What herbs do you have?”
“Uncle, I dug wild vegetables on the mountain today and found a ginseng. Can you buy it?”
Hearing ginseng, he didn’t react much—many rural girls mistake tree roots or shriveled radishes for ginseng, hoping to make a profit.
“Young comrade, can you show it to me first?” Even if he knew it was fake, he remained neutral. This earned Ye Weiliang some respect for the shop.
“Here, uncle, I dug this this morning. See how much it’s worth.”
Ye Weiliang placed the ginseng, wrapped in cloth, on the counter.
The goat-beard man put on his glasses to examine it carefully. The more he looked, the more shocked he became.
This… was really ginseng. Centuries-old ginseng.
“Young comrade, wait a moment. I’ll get the master to take a look.”
He rewrapped the ginseng, set it aside for Ye Weiliang, and hurried to the back.
Ye Weiliang’s respect for the shop increased. She wouldn’t overcharge; after all, the lady she had asked earlier spoke highly of Heniantang’s reputation.
Soon, an elderly man emerged, followed by the goat-beard man—likely the shop owner.
“Little girl, may I see your ginseng?” the elder said. “I am Jiang, the owner and physician of Heniantang. Don’t worry.”
“Of course,” Ye Weiliang said, moving the ginseng closer.
Seeing the rag, Jiang’s eyelids twitched. If this was really centuries-old ginseng, it was a crime to wrap it like this.
He unwrapped it. The earthy aroma mixed with ginseng filled the air.
“Little girl, may I ask where you got this?”
Ye Weiliang calmly said, “I dug wild vegetables on the mountain this morning. The leaves looked like ginseng, so I tried digging.” She implied she wasn’t entirely sure.
Jiang’s curiosity was piqued. “You’ve read medical books?”
Ye Weiliang nodded. “Yes. Chinese medicine is profound. I couldn’t find a teacher, so I learned from books myself.”
“But many now consider Chinese medicine outdated, a relic of the old society. Why study it? Do you think it will survive?” Jiang asked unexpectedly.
“Of course! It’s our ancestors’ legacy. Why would it disappear?” Ye Weiliang firmly believed in the endurance of Chinese medicine.
Jiang nodded approvingly. “Good girl. What’s your name? I’ll buy this ginseng for 30,000 yuan. Any herbs you find in the future, bring them here—I’ll pay the top price. Is that okay?”
Ye Weiliang smiled. “Thank you, Elder Jiang. Could you exchange 1,000 yuan into tickets for me?”
Jiang nodded. “What kind of tickets do you want?”
“Any kind. Doesn’t matter.”
“Oh? What do you need so many for?” Jiang asked, curious.
Ye Weiliang sighed softly. “My foster parents swapped me with another family’s child. They’ve tormented me all my life and now want to sell me to an old widower as a second wife. I wanted to find my real parents, but they’ve been sent away. I plan to go as a sent-down youth and buy them some things with these tickets.”
“What? They swapped children?” the goat-beard man exclaimed. Incredible.
“Probably because my real parents were well-off and wanted their child to enjoy life,” Ye Weiliang wiped a tear.
“Little girl, don’t worry. I’ll take care of them,” Jiang said angrily.
“No, it’s fine. I’m going to the countryside anyway, and I’ll cut ties with them,” Ye Weiliang said softly. Her wronged-but-quiet expression melted the hearts of the two elderly men.
They only had sons, no daughters.
Seeing a soft, sweet girl being bullied and unable to speak up, their protective instincts surged.
“Such child traffickers should be punished severely,” the goat-beard man said angrily.
Ye Weiliang shook her head, uninterested in arguing.
In the end, she didn’t reveal which family she belonged to. She didn’t want to implicate these kind people.
She would report it to the authorities later and let them handle it.
Holding thick stacks totaling 29,000 yuan, plus 1,000 yuan in tickets, her heart leapt.
Wow—she had never even saved 10,000 yuan in modern times. Now, tens of thousands could buy a courtyard house in Kyoto.
To become a future landlady, she had to work hard, earn money, and buy as many small courtyard houses as possible.