Yu Qiu froze, uncharacteristically embarrassed, lowering her eyes as she rubbed the tip of her nose.
“Shopkeeper, please don’t make fun of me. I only brought herbs today—no ginseng this time.”
“Haha, alright then. Wait here while I finish preparing this prescription.” The shopkeeper, upon seeing this little girl again, felt his mood lighten. Even his work no longer seemed tedious.
Yu Qiu nodded obediently and stepped forward to watch him work.
The shopkeeper noticed her watching closely and teased, “What? Do you understand what you’re looking at?”
“Nutmeg, psoralea, schisandra, and evodia,” Yu Qiu replied, meeting his gaze with her almond-shaped eyes curved in a sly smile. “Looks like a prescription to warm the kidneys and spleen, astringe the intestines, and stop diarrhea. Judging by the dosage, it’s meant for a child around ten years old.”
She recognized the herbs because, in her previous life, she had seen mutated versions of these plants, not much different from the ones here.
The shopkeeper looked at her with some surprise, dropping his playful tone. “I underestimated you, girl. You even know the symptoms this formula treats.” Just then, he finished preparing the last prescription and turned his attention with curiosity to the herbs Yu Qiu carried in her basket.
Seeing him free, Yu Qiu set down her basket and began taking out the herbs one by one.
The shopkeeper’s brows lifted in surprise at the sight of the fresh herbs. When he saw the processed ones, he broke into a wide grin.
As he examined them, he praised, “These herbs are excellent quality. The processing may be simple, but this polygonatum, ophiopogon, and calamus are uniform in color and shape, fragrant, with little loss of potency. These wolfberries are of top grade, truly rare. And though honeysuckle is common, yours is exceptional—harvested in the early morning while still covered with dew, right?”
“Shopkeeper, your eye is sharp. They’re just common herbs. You can tell me what you need and name your price,” Yu Qiu said, reassured by the praise.
“My surname is Ming—Ming Jiuzhang. If you don’t mind, you can call me Uncle Ming.” Feeling a rare sense of kinship with the girl, he chuckled warmly and waved a large hand. “I’ll take them all. I won’t cheat you—fresh herbs are hard to find these days, but the price depends on demand. You don’t have a huge amount, but the quality is outstanding. I’ll give you two taels of silver. That’s a fair price.”
Yu Qiu considered for a moment and was about to agree when Ming Jiuzhang raised his hand to stop her.
“You being able to bring these fresh herbs here means someone in your family has the skill to enter the mountains. Even if it’s just the foothills or outskirts, that still takes some ability.” He paused, then added, “So I’ll be frank. If you’re not in a rush to sell, you can go to the back doors of the Song and Cen households. Knock, and a servant will open. They’ll pay more for your wolfberries—quite a bit more. At market rate, all I could offer is two hundred cash.”
The little girl’s almond eyes bent into a smile, softening anyone’s heart.
Noticing she kept glancing outside, he followed her gaze and spotted two children crouching by the roadside with a basket in front of them. It looked like they were selling something.
“Those two outside—are they your younger siblings?”
Yu Qiu came back to herself and answered apologetically, “Yes, they’re my younger brother and sister. They wanted to take advantage of the morning market and try selling some wild vegetables.”
At the mention of wild vegetables, Ming Jiuzhang immediately told her to call them in.
“My wife has just been craving wild greens. I was planning to finish this prescription quickly so I could buy some. What a coincidence.” Truly, he thought, fate had brought him together with this bold-talking little girl.
Yu Qiu, seeing his sincerity, smiled and said, “Alright then, Uncle Ming, wait here. I’ll bring them in.”
When she stepped outside, she happened to see someone asking about the vegetables. She didn’t interrupt, curious to see how the siblings would handle it.
“Auntie, these wild greens are very fresh. I dug them from the back mountain this morning and washed them clean in the stream. If you rinse them once more at home, they’re ready for the pot. Only two copper coins a bundle—would you like some?” Sanya’s slender phoenix eyes shone, her complexion rosier these days. Her patched clothes were well washed, and her crisp child’s voice made her even more endearing.
The woman chuckled, charmed. Smiling, she handed over four coins. “Alright, they do look fresh. Give me two bundles.”
Erhe said nothing, only smiling as he accepted the money.
Sanya handed over three bundles instead. “Auntie, you’re our first customer, so I’ll give you one extra.”
The woman laughed even harder. “Alright, alright. You little girl—you’re clever. You’ve got the knack for business.”
Watching from the side, Yu Qiu was astonished, but also agreed with the woman’s words. This girl mustn’t be held back.
Overjoyed at earning money, Sanya looked up and spotted her sister-in-law. Quickly, she grabbed the coins from her brother and ran to show them off.
“Sister-in-law, look! I made money! Just a few more coins and I’ll buy malt candy for you and mother to eat!” She held the coins in her palms, eyes sparkling, joy radiating from her whole being.
Yu Qiu praised her with a smile. “Sanya is amazing!” Warmth filled her heart. The little girl earned money and still thought of buying candy for her.
She waved to Erhe. “Bring the basket and come with me.”
Having sold the wild greens, Erhe was also pleased. Without asking questions, he slung the basket onto his back and followed her into the pharmacy.
Ming Jiuzhang had already witnessed the scene outside. He found this family fascinating. Even a little girl selling vegetables did it with such poise.
“These greens are indeed fresh. How much for all of them? I’ll buy the lot.”
Seeing how clean and vibrant they looked, he thought to send some to his father-in-law’s household too. One basket wasn’t much.
Sanya was stunned. “All of them?” Afraid he might change his mind, she quickly counted the bundles, figuring out how much money it would come to.
“There are six bundles. Brother, how much is that?” she asked softly, since she was slow at counting and thought her brother would be quicker.
Without hesitation, Erhe replied, “Two coins a bundle, five for three. Six bundles makes ten coins.”
Sanya beamed, raising both hands and waving them in the air. “Ten coins!”
Ming Jiuzhang looked from one to the other, marveling at the strengths each child showed.
But then he said, “Your price is too low. At the market, wild vegetables aren’t as fresh as these, yet they go for three coins a bundle—and not in this quantity, either.”
Even Yu Qiu was surprised. Could wild greens really be that expensive? After all, a piece of malt candy only cost five coins.
“In town, there’s no farmland, and outside the town walls it’s all ghost-needle grass. No one would go so far just for wild greens. So they’re considered a delicacy here. Farmers might dig some, but often not even enough for themselves. Only when they need money will they sell any.” Ming Jiuzhang patiently explained to the children.
Yu Qiu let Sanya decide, since she had dug the greens and carried them all the way to town.
Sanya didn’t know much, only that the vegetables could be sold for money. To her, two coins a bundle already seemed plenty. She answered honestly, “Thank you, Uncle. Then I’ll take just eight coins from you. Next time, I’ll make up the difference from someone else.”
Ming Jiuzhang blinked. “Why take two less?”
Sanya grinned. “Because you told me so many useful things. Thank you, Uncle.”
Ming Jiuzhang had met countless people in his life, but never had he encountered siblings as vivid, genuine, and sincere as these three. It felt like the first time in half his life.