The Ning family’s house was ancestral property, returned to them after the movements, so they had a standalone courtyard to themselves.
But not every household on this street was so fortunate in their living arrangements.
The Wang family, for example, though they lived directly across from the Ning residence, lived in a crowded mixed courtyard shared with three other families.
Last night, when Wang Jinying had come back carrying a bowl of water as if it were a precious treasure, everyone in the courtyard had noticed.
And early this morning, when she went out to get another canteen full, it naturally piqued everyone’s curiosity.
So as soon as she returned to the courtyard, the neighbors washing up by the spigot started asking curiously.
Wang Jinying wasn’t about to pass up such an opportunity. She sang the praises of the herbal tea as if it were a gift from heaven, unparalleled on earth.
Now, Wang Jinying was known on the street for her silver tongue. When she went on about something, people might take it with a grain of salt.
But then Master Liu came out of the house and immediately asked, “Did you get that herbal tea?”
That surprised the neighbors.
Master Liu was a man of few words. If you didn’t speak to him first, he could go a whole day without uttering a single syllable.
For him to ask about the herbal tea right away, clearly, it must be effective.
Moreover, Master Ning held a very high standing in the neighbors’ hearts.
Who didn’t know that he was a capable, intelligent, and farsighted man?
A poor country kid who, through his own abilities, had acquired such property in his twenties, wasn’t that proof of his talent?
And not only that, but his thinking was so clear-headed.
He had handed over his restaurant and managed to keep his family safe through that great movement. Without sharp wits and tremendous resolve, how many people could have done that?
So, when people spoke of Master Ning, aside from lamenting his ill fortune, they all acknowledged his judgment and ability.
Since this was a health-preserving formula that Master Ning had specifically sought out for his precious daughter, it was bound to be excellent.
Thus, without Ning Xin even knowing it, the news spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, until nearly the entire street had heard about it.
Thus, without Ning Xin even realizing it, the news spread like wildfire, and before long, almost the whole neighborhood knew about it.
A bowl of herbal tea cost five cents. Although that was nearly the price of a bottle of soda, most ordinary families could still afford it.
Those willing to give it a try came one after another.
When Old Madam Ning returned from buying groceries, she almost thought she had walked into the wrong house.
As soon as she turned past the screen wall, she saw several small stools placed under the grape arbor in their courtyard, surrounded by a crowd of adults and children.
Almost everyone was holding a bowl or a cup, containing their family’s herbal tea.
People were sipping their tea with great enjoyment, chatting with one another, while children played around them. It was as if some kind of tea party was going on.
Old Madam Ning was a bit bewildered, not sure of what was happening.
She quickened her pace, wanting to go over and see what was going on.
Then she saw her granddaughter walk out of the kitchen holding the large enamel mug.
The moment the girl saw her, she looked as if she had spotted a lifeline and called out urgently, “Grandma, you’re finally back!”
Her eyes were like those of a little animal seeing its kin.
Old Madam Ning quickly walked over and asked in a low voice, “Xiao Xin, what are you doing?”
Ning Xin didn’t have time to explain. She said quickly, “Grandma, please go to Auntie Wang’s house and pick some jasmine and mint leaves for me. I’ve stripped ours bare. I’ll tell you everything slowly when you get back.”
As she spoke, she hurried over to the long table set under the eaves of the main room and said apologetically to the few people waiting with empty bowls, “Sisters, sorry to keep you waiting. The water is a bit hot. Just leave your bowls on the table and let them cool down before drinking.”
With that, Ning Xin used a ladle to scoop water from the enamel mug into each of the bowls handed to her.
And those people, after receiving their bowls, very naturally took money from their pockets and placed it into a cardboard box on the table.
Some of them even made their own change from the box without Ning Xin having to lift a finger…
Old Madam Ning was utterly astonished!
In a daze, she walked out of the house, intending to go get the mint leaves.
But before she had taken more than a few steps, Wang Jinying came out of the courtyard across the street, carrying a basin full of freshly washed flowers and leaves.
They ran right into each other.
Seeing the old woman’s expression, Wang Jinying smiled knowingly.
She quickly came over and said, “Auntie, startled, aren’t you? Don’t worry, let me explain…”
After hearing Wang Jinying recount the morning’s events, the old woman finally understood what was going on at home.
Since her son had run a restaurant before, she wasn’t as averse to doing business as most people of this era.
But—
“Sister Wang, is it really safe for Xiao Xin to do this? Back then, her father handed over his restaurant and all the wealth he had accumulated. Now Xiao Xin is doing business again… My second son left behind only this one daughter. I can’t let anything happen to her!”
“Don’t worry, Auntie. Xiao Xin isn’t planning to do this permanently. It’s just temporary while she’s recovering at home. Besides, she’s just selling water. And if you think about it, she’s practically doing the neighbors a favor!
A bowl of plain tea on the street costs three cents. But Xiao Xin’s herbal tea contains expensive Chinese medicine, and she only sells it for five cents. Is she even making a profit? She’s just covering the cost.
If anyone dares to say a word about this, the neighbors will all come forward to testify for her!”
Her words finally put the old woman’s mind at ease.
After selling all the tea made with the jasmine and mint leaves that Wang Jinying had brought over, Ning Xin called it a morning.
Only after she and the old woman repeatedly promised to continue tomorrow did the neighbors waiting in the courtyard finally leave reluctantly.
To be honest, Ning Xin had prepared quite a lot today, after all, she had stripped their several pots of jasmine bare.
And probably stripped the Wang family’s plants too.
But the key thing was that the spiritual spring water had the most immediate effect the first time it was used.
Even though Ning Xin had already reduced the amount, the neighbors who drank it still immediately felt a difference in their bodies.
Especially the children. As long as they could speak, almost every one of them told their parents that their stomachs felt better and begged for a second cup.
As for those who had bought a cup to take home to an elderly family member, every single old person said after drinking it that their hearts felt lighter.
This meant that the neighbors who had originally come just out of curiosity to try a single cup ended up, almost every household, coming back with bowls and bottles, buying several cents’ worth at a time.
Even though they knew Ning Xin was busy, they would rather sit in the courtyard and wait in line than give up and go home.
Everyone understood in their hearts that the secret medicinal herbs of the Ning family had been purchased while Master Ning was still alive.
Now that Master Ning was gone, once these medicinal herbs were used up, it was uncertain whether Ning Xin would be able to find that old Chinese medicine doctor again, or whether this tea would even be available in the future.
So, naturally, people wanted to drink a few more cups while they still could.
After seeing off the last sister-in-law who came to buy tea, Ning Xin collapsed onto the bamboo lounger in the yard, sprawled out without a trace of elegance.
She was completely exhausted today. At that moment, she couldn’t even lift a finger.
There had been so many people that the house didn’t have enough stools. Even the bamboo lounger that Ning Xin’s father used to love to lie on had been dragged out and placed under the courtyard wall.
Although Ning Xin felt that lying like this wasn’t very dignified, she simply didn’t have the energy to move.
Seeing her granddaughter like this, Old Madam Ning’s heart ached terribly.
She reached out and patted Ning Xin comfortingly. “Rest for a while. I’ll go make lunch. If you want to sleep, go ahead and sleep. The trees are shading you, so it’s not too sunny.”
Ning Xin nodded and managed to mumble, “Grandma, just make something simple. Don’t go to any trouble. You’re tired too.”
Then she fell asleep and knew nothing more.
She woke again because she felt someone approaching. She jolted awake and opened her eyes.
Ning Yi was there, carefully draping a thin towel blanket over her.
“Brother, you’re back,” Ning Xin said, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
Seeing her like this, Ning Yi’s heart ached. “Did I wake you?”
“No,” Ning Xin smiled and rubbed her stomach. “I’m hungry.”
She had gotten up at five in the morning, eaten only a bowl of porridge, and then been busy until noon.
Now that even Ning Yi was home, it had to be at least twelve o’clock. Of course she was hungry.
“Then hurry up and eat! Grandma made hand-pulled noodles. She even made a tomato and egg sauce specifically for you, your favorite since you were little,” Ning Yi said quickly.
Seeing Ning Xin come in, the old woman immediately served her a large bowl of the noodles that had been soaking in cold water and spooned a generous amount of the egg sauce on top.
Maybe it was because she was so hungry, but this time, Ning Xin didn’t mind at all that her grandmother was stingy with the oil. She only found it incredibly delicious.
Seeing her granddaughter finish the entire bowl of noodles, the old woman showed a look of satisfaction.
Because the old woman was particularly particular about the principle of “using the noodle water to help digest the noodles,” Ning Xin first drank the small bowl of noodle broth that had been set aside for her before finally asking, “Grandma, where’s the money we collected today?”
“I put it in your room. Xiao Yi, go get the cardboard box from your sister’s desk.”
Ning Yi had heard about his sister selling herbal tea as soon as he got home today, and he was very curious about how much money she had made.
Hearing his grandmother’s instruction, he agreed and ran off quickly. Within a few minutes, he brought back the cardboard box.
In this era, the denominations of paper currency were small, and there were many one-cent and two-cent coins.
So, even though each bowl of herbal tea was only sold for five cents, when the money from the box was poured onto the table, the sight was still impressive.
Especially that pile of paper bills, it looked like a small mountain.
Both Ning Yi and Old Madam Ning stared wide-eyed.
“This… is what you sold this morning?” Ning Yi’s voice wavered, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.
The old woman was too astonished to speak.
Ning Xin actually had a rough idea of how much money she had collected, after all, she had ladled out each cup herself.
Instead of answering her brother, she gathered the coins together and pushed them toward him. “Don’t just stand there. Hurry up and count how much it is.”
“Oh, okay!”
At the mention of counting money, Ning Yi perked up immediately, his eyes lighting up.
The old woman also snapped out of her daze, pulled up a stool, and sat down between her grandchildren.