Return to the Village
Back at home, Yang Lan closed the door and emptied the coins from the money box onto the table.
A clattering sound filled the room as a small mountain of coins quickly piled up on the table.
Zhang Shi and Lin Qiao stared in disbelief, hardly able to believe this was the day’s earnings.
“Let’s count it together,” Yang Lan suggested with a smile.
They strung the coins into five strings of a hundred each, with several dozen loose coins left over.
Zhang Shi couldn’t stop smiling. “Goodness, we made five hundred and sixty coins in just this short time!”
Yang Lan looked at him. “Now Father won’t worry about us not making it in Town, right?”
Zhang Shi gave him a playful glare. “Nonsense! I never said that.”
Yang Lan chuckled and added, “Right now, we’re using flour, rice flour, and various ingredients from home, which is why we can earn so much.”
“Even if we had to spend money, the cost wouldn’t be more than a hundred coins. The remaining four hundred is more than enough!” Zhang Shi was easily satisfied.
Lin Qiao nodded. “Father’s right. We prepared too little today. If we had doubled it, we could have sold it all.”
On their first day, they had only prepared thirty portions of each item, which indeed was too little.
Yang Lan said, “Tomorrow, we’ll prepare fifty portions and see how it goes.”
Hearing this, Zhang Shi and Lin Qiao agreed.
Having spent their lives working the fields, they were cautious about their first venture into business, not daring to take too big a step.
The next day, the three of them rose early again.
Perhaps the customers from yesterday had spread the word, because as soon as they arrived, a few people gathered around, the most noticeable being the big spender from the previous day.
This time, he wanted even more.
“Hey there, you’re finally here!” the man called out loudly. “Give me twenty of each: cold noodles, pancakes, and egg pancakes. Make sure they’re all fully loaded.”
Yang Lan looked at him in surprise.
The man scratched his head. “I’m a bodyguard. The stuff I took back yesterday was gone in no time, and by the time I came back, you had already packed up.”
Zhang Shi and Lin Qiao swiftly began preparing the food, while Yang Lan collected money and chatted with the customers.
He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, sir. We’ve prepared more today, so I promise I’ll still be here when you come back for seconds.”
The man laughed heartily at this.
Today’s business was even better than yesterday’s. Yang Lan’s voice was nearly hoarse from shouting, with hardly any time to take a sip of water.
The fifty portions sold out in just half an hour longer than the day before.
Finally, after seeing off the last customer, the three of them let out a collective sigh of relief and then burst into laughter.
What a delightful exhaustion!
In the following days, their stall’s business steadily picked up, quickly gathering a loyal customer base, with new patrons arriving daily. They increased their daily preparation to a hundred portions of each item, keeping the three of them on their toes.
Fortunately, the busy period was short, and they could sell out in about two hours, usually making it home before lunch.
This left them with plenty of time to rest in the afternoon, preventing them from getting too worn out.
Yang Lan didn’t forget his promise to Xu Xiangdong, dedicating half an hour each day to copying medical texts.
Unfortunately, his drawing skills were quite lacking, and his attempts at illustrations were unrecognizable, so he focused solely on transcribing the text.
In three days, Yang Lan finished copying the entire herbal compendium and returned to Willow Leaf Village after closing the stall.
Doctor Xu was overjoyed to receive the book he brought.
“This book is excellent! It not only describes the appearance of herbs in detail but also includes basic usage and processing methods. It’s simply wonderful!”
Yang Lan smiled, thinking to himself that if he could draw, Doctor Xu would be even more impressed.
“I’m glad it can help you, Doctor Xu.”
Doctor Xu, beaming, patted Yang Lan on the shoulder. “You’ve been a great help. Stay for dinner tonight.”
Yang Lan was about to decline when Doctor Xu added, “After all, you’re the one who understands this best. There are some parts I still don’t get, and I need you to explain them.”
Yang Lan knew the book was simple and easy to understand, like a children’s book, and Doctor Xu was just trying to keep him for dinner.
But refusing again would seem overly polite.
“Alright, then I’ll accept your invitation. Thank you, Aunt Xu.”
Doctor Xu stroked his beard and laughed. “Good!”
Dinner included chicken, duck, and pork, all lavish dishes, and the flavors were delightful. Yang Lan ate to his heart’s content.
After the meal, Doctor Xu took him to the study. “Lan Xiaozi, I know you gave me this book out of kindness. Our family doesn’t have much money, so I can only give you twenty taels of silver for now. If you think it’s too little, I’ll give you more once that Dendrobium is sold.”
Yang Lan was taken aback.
The book wasn’t even his own work, and he had only agreed with Xu Xiangdong to be paid for his transcription. Twenty taels was far too much!
Doctor Xu’s family was kind-hearted, often treating villagers for just the cost of herbs, and sometimes even for free if the family was struggling. Saving up this much money wasn’t easy, and Yang Lan felt uncomfortable accepting it.
“Uncle Xu!” Yang Lan quickly pushed the money back. “You’re embarrassing me with such a large amount. It’s just a copy, not my original work. Why give me so much?”
Doctor Xu looked at him disapprovingly. “The skill of making medicine is precious. It’s a legacy you can pass down to your descendants. You’ve generously shared it with me, so I can’t take advantage of you for free.”
Yang Lan scratched his nose, knowing he had plenty of such resources in his system.
“Then I’ll just take five taels.” Yang Lan took a silver ingot and said earnestly, “Please use the rest to help the poor in the village with their medical needs.”
Doctor Xu wanted to say more, but Yang Lan quickly added, “Consider it my way of accumulating good deeds to ensure I pass the imperial examination soon.”
With that, Doctor Xu couldn’t refuse any longer and became even more amiable towards him.
After finishing up, Yang Lan prepared to head back.
Unfortunately, as he passed the large willow tree at the village entrance, he spotted Chen Yun sitting beneath it.
From a distance, he could hear Chen Yun’s loud voice, calling him a jinx and a bad omen.
Yang Lan sneered and walked straight over. “Isn’t this Uncle Chen? I heard you knelt at the ancestral hall for three days. Hasn’t that cured your foul mouth yet?”
At his words, the other uncles and aunts chatting with Chen Yun blushed and quietly distanced themselves from him.
Chen Yun’s face turned red and white in quick succession, glaring at Yang Lan with eyes that seemed to shoot fire, but he dared not utter another word.
Yang Lan swaggered past, clicking his tongue. “I must have been mistaken. Uncle Chen has improved. Look, he’s forgotten how to bark.”
With that, he ignored Chen Yun’s trembling rage, dusted off his sleeves, and walked away with a confident stride.