Mai Zi went to the small shed, spreading out the fresh tree branches she had placed inside earlier in the yard. She laid out the wild vegetables she and Xiaocao had gathered to dry in the sun. After spreading them out, she took out the wooden bucket and leisurely headed toward the village well.
From a distance, she could see Zhang Shi and her two sisters-in-law from the Li family by the well. Mai Zi wondered why they were fetching water at high noon.
When Zhang Shi and the others saw Mai Zi approaching, they hurriedly finished drawing water and left, afraid of being pestered for food.
Mai Zi thought to herself, They left so quickly. Good thing they’re gone—now I can use the Space to fetch water.
But when she reached the well, she noticed the water level had dropped significantly, and there was a lot of water spilled on the ground.
Mai Zi paid no mind and simply drew enough water for herself. She stopped when the water started turning yellowish.
This time, she had filled nearly seven or eight buckets’ worth of water in the Space. She stored the boiled water in one area and the unboiled water in another.
The sun was so glaring that Mai Zi could barely keep her eyes open. Dark spots swam in her vision, and her whole body began to feel weak again. She quickly took out the bean-meal rice wrapped in mulberry leaves from her sleeve and took a couple of bites to regain her senses. This body has been weak for years. Looks like I need to exercise more when I get back.
Back home, Mai Zi started cooking bean-meal rice again. This time, she added the dried plantain and goosefoot she had sunned outside, hoping to make the meal more nutritious.
Most people in this era were sallow and emaciated, so someone like Zhang Shi—sturdy and plump—was a rare sight. Because of this, Zhang Shi was considered one of the few beauties in Dajing Village, especially since she had given birth to four sons.
Mai Zi smiled bitterly, feeling helpless. After all, in this dynasty, a woman’s worth was measured by her ability to bear sons.
And so, Mai Zi sat at home, slowly cooking the bean-meal rice. The mulberry leaves by her doorstep were nearly stripped bare, so she ventured farther out, stealthily picking leaves from other mulberry trees.
By the time Lin Xiaocao came looking for her, Mai Zi had already used up half a bag of beans.
“Mai Zi, let’s go! We’ll go see Doctor Yu. We’ll say you’re sick and have no money. I’ll go find herbs for you, and you just act weak,” Xiaocao whispered as they plotted their strategy.
The two scrawny girls then headed toward Doctor Yu’s house at the edge of the village.
Doctor Yu had moved to Dajing Village years ago with his wife and wasn’t originally from the village. It was said that his grandfather, a traveling physician, had taught him some skills, and he had set up a small clinic to treat the villagers.
Mai Zi knocked on the outer gate. In this village, only the Village Head’s house and Doctor Yu’s house were built with packed earth.
The door was opened by a thin, frail-looking young woman with a slightly swollen belly—likely Doctor Yu’s daughter-in-law.
The woman saw the two “worthless girls” from the village and snapped, “What do you want?”
“We’re here to see Doctor Yu. Mai Zi is sick—she’s been dizzy and weak,” Xiaocao said pitifully.
“Dizzy? Who isn’t dizzy? Everyone in this village is dizzy! Pay for treatment or get lost.”
The young woman glared at the two wretched girls, her anger flaring. One’s an orphan, the other’s family doesn’t care for her. What money could they possibly have? Coming here to ruin my luck while I’m carrying a child—might even make me give birth to a daughter instead of a son.
With a loud bang, she slammed the door shut, leaving no view of the inside.
Mai Zi sighed, and Xiaocao followed with another sigh. The two of them sat by the doorway, lamenting their misfortune.
"Xiaocao, I'm really foolish. Of course, how could anyone get medical treatment without paying nowadays?" Mai Zi said, feeling a wave of defeat in her heart. She had read in novels how female protagonists knew all sorts of medicinal herbs, but she recognized nothing.
"Don't say that. If anyone's foolish, it's me. I should have thought of it earlier. Mai Ya is the clever one." Lin Xiaocao patted Mai Zi's head like a little adult, comforting her.
Suddenly, Mai Zi sat up. Seeing no one around, she whispered excitedly, "I have an idea. Let's go look at the herbs Doctor Yu is drying in the courtyard. We can pick ones that look the same and sell them in town."
The two little girls leaned against the wall, studying the herbs drying in the yard. There weren't many—just two types. As soon as Mai Zi saw them, she realized they didn't need to go to town after all. She recognized them.
The herbs drying there were dandelion and plantain, both used for clearing heat, detoxifying, and treating colds. These were Doctor Yu's all-purpose medicinal herbs.
"Mai Zi, how do you know these herbs?" Xiaocao happily grabbed Mai Zi's hand.
Hearing this, Mai Zi felt a bit embarrassed. She had thought she didn't know them either.
But when she saw them, her mind recalled her Chinese teacher casually mentioning the uses of plantain while explaining a poem's meaning.
This was the benefit of nine years of compulsory education. It seemed useless, but it came in handy more often than expected.
Later, when she was weeding at the agricultural base, there was a large patch of dandelions that needed to be removed.
A kind and pretty female college student told her that dandelions could be sold for money. Chen Mai finished the task and sold them to the local agricultural cooperative, earning a full 200 yuan.
The people at the agricultural cooperative also taught her to recognize some medicinal herbs, encouraging her to come back often to sell them. Plantain was among those herbs.
Mai Zi made up a story on the spot, "Don't you remember? When Doctor Yu prescribed medicine for Shuan Zi and the others, he used these two herbs. I was playing at your house back then and overheard Doctor Yu teaching his son about their uses."
Lin Xiaocao thought carefully. When Shuan Zi and the others were sick, that was when they were five or six years old. Mai Ya's memory was truly impressive. This time, Mai Ya taught me, so I must remember it well.