“Mother!”
Lin Chaonan spotted two blurry figures standing at the village entrance and quickened his pace into a run. When he got closer, he realized the shorter figure was actually his mother. Overcome with excitement, he rushed forward to hug her.
But she dodged him?
“Mother~”
Lin Chaonan called out, his voice dripping with grievance, his tone twisting through eighteen different inflections.
“Alright, alright. Now that you’re back, hurry home.”
Yue Jiuyue couldn’t stand being all sappy with such a grown son. She had no motherly softness to spare—and any she did have would have been put on as an act, forced by her persona.
“Third Brother, why are you so late? What did the doctor say? Are those weeds really medicinal herbs? Will the clinic take them?”
Lin Chaobei didn’t mind at all that his brother had ignored him. What he cared about most right now was whether all his hard work that afternoon could be turned into copper coins.
“Yeah. Doctor Li at Li’s Clinic in town told me himself. All those plants Mother told us to dig up are really medicinal herbs. But Doctor Li said the clinic isn’t short on most herbs, so they’ll only take a few kinds. They’re called things like Polygala and Pinellia—I can’t remember all the names. I’ll take them out and show you when we get home.”
Lin Chaonan was a true farm boy, having grown up with dirt clods his whole life. He knew all the weeds in and around the fields like the back of his hand—and yet there were still many he didn’t recognize. If his mother hadn’t thought of selling herbs, he might never have realized that.
“Really?! Those weeds Mother told us to dig—they’re really medicinal herbs? And we can sell them for money?”
Lin Chaobei was so excited he could barely contain himself. If this was true, then his afternoon hadn’t been wasted at all!
At that moment, he even felt a twinge of regret. Because he’d been resistant to the idea, he hadn’t worked hard that afternoon. Otherwise, he could have dug up even more herbs—and that would mean even more copper coins.
“Why would I lie to you?”
Lin Chaonan raised his chin proudly.
“Then… how much money can the herbs sell for?”
Lin Chaobei’s question stumped Lin Chaonan.
Come to think of it, he really had forgotten to ask.
“Uh… I forgot to ask. I was too busy being happy, hehe.”
“Huh? You didn’t ask…”
Lin Chaobei was a little disappointed. He’d been hoping to find out the prices so he could focus on digging the most valuable herbs.
“Tomorrow. Doctor Li said to bring the herbs to the clinic tomorrow. He’s going to teach his apprentices how to process them. He said I could come and learn too. Don’t worry, Fourth Brother—I’ll definitely remember to ask tomorrow.”
Lin Chaonan thumped his chest in assurance.
Chatting and answering questions along the way, the three of them soon arrived home—located in the middle of the village, near the southern river. Only now, the riverbed had long since cracked dry.
“Mother! You’re back! Chaonan, how did it go? What did the doctor say?”
Lin Chaodong heard the noise, rushed out to open the door, and welcomed the three inside. Once the gate was shut, he immediately went over to Lin Chaonan to ask.
“Yeah.”
“Big Brother, Third Brother said the doctor will take the herbs. And he’s going to teach Third Brother how to process them!”
Before Lin Chaonan could answer, Lin Chaobei, who already knew, jumped in eagerly.
Yue Jiuyue hummed in acknowledgment. Seeing the three brothers chattering away happily, she didn’t disturb them and went back to her room.
Her balance had gone up again!
Even though she’d only earned two thousand copper coins that afternoon—two taels of silver—she still grinned like an idiot at the growing number.
“Mother, come out for a moment. I have something to say!”