Selling Herbal Medicine
Xu Xiangdong, suspecting nothing, casually replied, “Of course I’ll buy them. My father is too old to safely go up the mountain, so I’m the only one gathering herbs now. Sometimes I can’t even keep up with the demand.”
There were no herbal merchants in the village, so he had to go to town to purchase them, which was quite inconvenient.
“I’ve read a book about herbal medicine and know a bit about herbs. These are what I gathered from the mountain today. Can you take a look and see if they’re worth buying?” Yang Lan said, bringing over the basket from the corner.
Xu Xiangdong was a bit surprised. Like the other villagers, he had thought Yang Lan was just being reckless by going up the mountain. He hadn’t expected him to be gathering herbs.
Yang Lan was an amateur, but he had carefully explained the preservation methods for various herbs. As a result, even after several hours, the herbs in the basket were still fresh, barely wilted.
Xu Xiangdong hadn’t held much hope, but his expression changed immediately upon seeing the herbs.
He examined the veins on the leaves of several herbs, confirming they were correctly picked and free of weeds, muttering, “Yes, yes, this is indeed patchouli. And this senna is really fresh…”
Yang Lan didn’t interrupt him, observing his expression and feeling somewhat reassured.
When Xu Xiangdong finally tore his gaze away from the basket, Yang Lan smiled and asked, “Doctor Xu, would you like these herbs?”
“Yes, yes, yes, I’ll take them back now, weigh them, and pay you,” Xu Xiangdong said with joy, his hands trembling slightly, especially when he saw the cluster of dendrobium.
Yang Lan nodded in satisfaction.
Herbalists loved herbs, especially rare ones. Even if they couldn’t use them themselves, the Xu family had connections to trade them. Selling to Xu Xiangdong was much more convenient than carrying the basket to town to sell to a pharmacy.
“Lin Qiao, I’m going with Doctor Xu to deliver the herbs. Don’t be scared alone at home. I’ll be back soon,” Yang Lan softly instructed through the window.
Hearing Lin Qiao’s quiet response, he left with Xu Xiangdong.
At the Xu family home, he met Doctor Xu, an old man with white hair and beard, yet full of vigor. He resembled the village doctors from ancient dramas in Yang Lan’s memory.
The father and son murmured to each other for a while, and Yang Lan saw Doctor Xu take out the dendrobium, unable to put it down, repeatedly muttering “good, good, good.”
After a while, he finally looked at Yang Lan. “Ahem, Yang Tongsheng, this dendrobium isn’t very old, but it’s well-handled, with intact roots. I’ll give you ten taels of silver. What do you think?”
In the Great Li Dynasty, one tael of silver was equivalent to a thousand yuan, so ten taels were ten thousand. That cluster of dendrobium weighed about five pounds, and when dried, less than a pound. Ten thousand per pound was a fortune in modern times.
However, considering the underdeveloped cultivation techniques in ancient times, wild herbs were more expensive, so it seemed reasonable.
“I’m not familiar with the market, but I trust Doctor Xu,” Yang Lan said.
Hearing this, Doctor Xu laughed, “Good, then ten taels it is. As for the rest of these herbs, they total 20 pounds. At the market price of 10 wen per pound, I’ll give you 200 wen.”
Yang Lan nodded, “I’ll go up the mountain to gather herbs again tomorrow. Will Doctor Xu still be buying?”
There weren’t many patients in the village, and Yang Lan was worried he couldn’t handle 20 pounds of herbs every day.
But Doctor Xu replied without hesitation, “I’ll buy them!”
Seeing Yang Lan’s confusion, Xu Xiangdong explained, “Raw herbs aren’t directly usable, so they’re not valuable. But once my father processes them, he can sell them to the town’s pharmacies.”
“I see.” Yang Lan relaxed his brow, “Then I’ll come again tomorrow.”
With the heavy ten taels of silver in hand, Yang Lan carried the herb bundle home, feeling incredibly lighthearted.
“Lin Qiao, I’m back.”
The light in Zhang Shi’s room was still on. Yang Lan placed the herb bundle in the kitchen and went inside.
“Lin Qiao?”
As soon as he opened the door, his pupils contracted at the sight inside.
Lin Qiao was kneeling by the window, sobbing quietly, his thin back looking as fragile as paper.
Yang Lan quickly stepped forward, pulling Lin Qiao up from the floor, asking anxiously, “What happened?”
Lin Qiao didn’t move, and Yang Lan looked at him, “What’s wrong?”
“Husband, you shouldn’t have married me. I can’t do anything. I’ve just married in and already need money for medicine, and I can’t even have children… I’m really useless…”
Yang Lan was taken aback.
He looked at the person kneeling before him, realizing for the first time that he wasn’t from this world, so he couldn’t fully empathize with its people.
Lin Qiao was his husband, and barring any unforeseen events, they would spend their lives together, in whatever capacity.
He felt it was necessary to have a proper conversation.
“Lin Qiao, let’s talk outside.”
Yang Lan’s voice was somewhat cold, and Lin Qiao felt a tinge of sadness. He was truly disappointing. Marrying into the Yang family and meeting Zhang Shi and Yang Lan was his greatest fortune, but he couldn’t handle it.
Yang Lan noticed his ashen expression, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
The two walked into the bedroom, one after the other. As Lin Qiao was about to kneel again, Yang Lan pulled him into his arms.
Lin Qiao stiffened completely, unsure where to place his hands and feet.
“Husband…”
Yang Lan spoke softly, “Don’t speak yet, just listen to me.”
Hearing this, Lin Qiao nodded, truly remaining silent.
Yang Lan’s lips curled slightly, finding it a bit endearing.
“Do you know why my father wanted us to marry? It wasn’t to have children, but to bring good fortune. I’m not lying, I was on the brink of death back then, one foot already in the grave. But I vaguely saw the figure of a Ge’er, sitting by my bedside, softly encouraging me to get better.”
Yang Lan chuckled, “It was that voice that brought me back.”
Lin Qiao was stunned, “Did you hear what I said, husband?”
Of course, Yang Lan hadn’t heard it. At that time, he was in a semi-conscious state, his mind a blur, only catching that one sentence. But there was no need for Lin Qiao to know that.
“I heard it all. So, it’s because of you that I woke up again. You’re my husband, the hero of our family. Without you, there wouldn’t be me. Do you still think you’re useless now?”
Lin Qiao opened his mouth.
Yang Lan chuckled, tapping his forehead, “You can speak now.”
“How can you say that, husband? It has nothing to do with me…” Lin Qiao was incredulous.
Yang Lan deliberately raised his voice, “Didn’t you say you’d listen? Are you not listening to me now?”
“No…”
Yang Lan nodded, “That’s good. Besides, having children isn’t something you can do alone. Have you forgotten? I’m not well enough to consummate the marriage. How do you plan to have children?”
Lin Qiao’s face flushed instantly, stammering, “Husband will get better soon…”
“I won’t.” Yang Lan calmly self-deprecated, “The doctor said I can’t engage in marital activities for a year.”
Lin Qiao was immediately worried, “Is it that serious? Why haven’t I seen you taking medicine? No, we must go to town tomorrow to see a doctor.”
Yang Lan held him back, “It’s a chronic illness. I need to rest. Medicine only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.”
“This…”
Yang Lan smiled, “Don’t worry. The doctors in town have all seen me. As long as I take care of myself, I’ll recover.”
Lin Qiao furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment, then earnestly said, “Then you must rest well in the future, husband. Let me know if there’s anything you need done. I’m strong.”
“Alright.” Yang Lan replied with a smile.
Lin Qiao, feeling embarrassed under his gaze, lowered his head, “We should go to Father’s room. If he wakes up alone, it won’t be good.”
“Okay.”
Watching Lin Qiao’s retreating back, Yang Lan’s lips curled. A little cat should act like a little cat. It wasn’t enough yet. Only when it showed its claws would it be truly adorable.
The two sat in Zhang Shi’s room for half the night. When Lin Qiao wiped his face for the third time, Zhang Shi finally opened his eyes.
“Father!” Lin Qiao exclaimed excitedly.
Yang Lan, who had been dozing off to the side, quickly stood up upon hearing the voice, walking to the bedside and holding Zhang Shi’s hand, “Father, you’re finally awake. You scared us.”
Seeing him, Zhang Shi’s eyes welled up with tears, “Lan’er, are you alright? Why did you go to Liu Mountain?”
Yang Lan’s nose tingled, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone up the mountain without telling you. I was wrong.”
Lin Qiao wiped his eyes and said softly, “Husband, you talk with Father for a while. I’ll go to the kitchen to steam some eggs.”
“Make a couple more bowls. We’ll eat together,” Yang Lan said.
Coming down from the mountain, he had been tense, and now that he was relaxed, he realized how hungry he was.
Lin Qiao was taken aback, “Husband hasn’t had dinner yet. How could I forget that!”
Muttering to himself, he hurried to the kitchen.
Yang Lan shook his head with a smile, helping Zhang Shi sit up and briefly recounting what had happened after he fainted.
Hearing that he had gone to gather herbs, Zhang Shi angrily hit his arm, “We have money at home. There’s no need for you to risk your life on the mountain. Are you trying to stab a knife into your father’s heart?”
“But I don’t want to,” Yang Lan calmly met his gaze, “I’m an adult now, and since I’ve married, it’s natural for me to take on the responsibility of supporting the family.”
Zhang Shi was taken aback, “But you’re still studying…”
“Studying and supporting a family aren’t mutually exclusive. Isn’t Scholar Qi from the neighboring Old Guan Village earning money while studying? And he passed the exams early?”
The original Yang Lan had always disliked Scholar Qi because, unlike his own early fame, Qi Renli had been unremarkable in his youth, only passing the exams on his third attempt. But last year, Qi Renli had passed the scholar exams.
Since then, their names had often been mentioned by the villagers, one as a positive example, the other as a negative one.
“Alright.” Zhang Shi quickly relented, “But you must prioritize your studies. You mustn’t neglect them for the sake of earning money.”
Yang Lan smiled slightly, “I understand. Thank you, Father.”
They then talked about Lin Qiao, and Yang Lan naturally didn’t mention Wang Mazi’s incident, telling the same story he had told Xu Xiangdong.
He had tripped and been frightened by livestock.
Zhang Shi’s face showed a look of lingering fear, “Lin Qiao is a good child. Marrying into our family saved your life, and he’s so sincere to you. You mustn’t let him down.”
Yang Lan earnestly promised, “I know.”
“Oh, and the day after tomorrow is the day to return to his family. Don’t forget to go with him and prepare some gifts, so his family won’t look down on him,” Zhang Shi suddenly remembered.