“Father, you’re being mean—your beard is poking me!”
At once, Old Madam Su gave her third son a couple of sharp taps on the back.
“Stay away!”
Third Son Su felt utterly wronged. Great, everyone’s against him.
Meanwhile, Su Muyao ignored her father’s antics and continued,
“Grandpa, Grandma, my master taught me how to recognize medicinal herbs. I want to share this skill with the villagers so everyone can earn a little money.”
The first to object was Su Sanlang. “Fu Bao, this is a way to make money—it should be for our family first! If you tell everyone, they’ll just go dig it up, and we’ll get nothing!”
Su Muyao shook her head firmly. “But I have other skills too. The uncles, aunts, grandparents in the village are all kind to me, and most of them don’t have money.”
Old Master Su thought it over. If their family earned money bit by bit using Fu Bao’s abilities, they could send the children to school, build better houses, and live more comfortably. But if the villagers continued living in poverty, it could create resentment or even lead to them harming Fu Bao.
However, if Fu Bao helped everyone earn money together, the villagers would protect her instead.
“Alright, we’ll do as Fu Bao says,” Old Master Su decided. “The villagers are honest folk. It wouldn’t be fair if only our family got rich while others starve.”
Old Madam Su had no objections. Su Sanlang, seeing his parents in agreement, stopped arguing—after all, this was all his daughter’s doing anyway.
“Fu Bao, learning about these herbs—will it affect you in any way?”
“Grandma, don’t worry, it won’t.
I’ll use what I learn to earn more money for you and buy you big gold bracelets.”
Old Madam Su laughed with delight. After a lifetime of toil—raising three sons and all their children—this little granddaughter was the only one who truly understood filial piety. The others had been selfish, never even giving her a single candy despite everything she’d done for them.
The more she looked at Fu Bao, the more she adored her.
“Grandpa, can we use this gold to send a few of my older brothers to school?”
Old Master Su hesitated. While he wanted his grandsons to have opportunities, this gold had been gifted specifically to little Fu Bao by her master. It didn’t feel right to give it to anyone else.
“Fu Bao, you can teach your uncles and father about herbs. Once they earn money, we can use it to send your brothers to school. For now, Grandpa will keep this gold safe—it will become part of your dowry when you marry.”
“No, Grandpa! This is gold my master gave specifically for my brothers’ schooling.”
Even Old Master Su hadn’t realized that Fu Bao’s master had thought of their troublesome boys.
“Grandma, if we sell this ginseng and the other herbs, could we get a bigger house?”
Old Madam Su looked at their current home—crumbling and small—and felt Fu Bao’s disappointment. She nodded.
“Alright, when we sell the ginseng, we’ll get a bigger house. Fu Bao, you can choose whichever room you want.”
Fu Bao wiggled her little feet excitedly. “Yay! Big house! I want a big house!”
Once the adults had left the room, she let out a small sigh.
“Phew… pretending to be a little kid is exhausting.”
Old Madam Su and Old Master Su carried the ginseng and other herbs back to their room and locked them safely in a cabinet.
“Old man, tomorrow you and Sanlang take these to the county town. Let the herbal shops confirm whether this really is ginseng and Sanqi. And be careful not to get scammed.”
After hesitating for a moment, Old Master Su finally asked, “About the grain the village chief mentioned—shouldn’t we buy a bit more?”
Old Madam Su thought for a moment. “Yes, and buy extra. You take care of it.”
The two of them barely slept that night. With such a precious treasure in the house, how could they rest?
Early the next morning, Old Madam Su brought out several pieces of worn cloth and carefully wrapped the ginseng and Sanqi separately. She instructed Old Master Su and Sanlang to take them together.
“Sanlang, carry more grain back with your father. And whatever money you make from selling these, don’t spend it recklessly—buy what the family needs. Also, pick up some sweets and snacks for Fu Bao and the boys.”
Sanlang hoisted his bag and followed Old Master Su out the door.
Old Madam Su looked up at the clear, sunny sky. Somehow, ever since Fu Bao had arrived in their home, everything seemed to go smoothly. Rain came when it should, and the sun shone when it should. Their crops were growing reasonably well. If the court hadn’t suddenly demanded extra grain, they might have had enough food for the year.
She handed Fu Bao a piece of candy.
“Fu Bao, do you want to go up the mountain with me? We won’t go far—just around the outskirts.”
Fu Bao’s eager eyes betrayed her excitement. Old Madam Su, ever the little schemer, couldn’t help but hope they might stumble upon more herbs to bring home.
Over the past year, Fu Bao had fully understood the personalities of the Su family. Everyone was good-hearted but had been shaped by poverty, so they were extremely frugal. Only when it came to their own family did they allow themselves to be generous.
Fu Bao nodded. “I’ll go with Grandma and dig up lots of herbs to sell.”
Hearing this, her little eyes sparkled with delight. Old Madam Su laughed broadly, deepening the wrinkles on her face, imagining the gold already in their hands.
To prevent her granddaughter from tiring, she brought a small basket and placed Fu Bao inside, then hoisted her up and headed into the mountain.
Fu Bao bounced happily in the basket, her little legs kicking with joy.
Soon, the two of them reached the foot of the mountain. They didn’t venture deep into the woods. Old Madam Su knew the wolves wouldn’t harm Fu Bao, but the deeper mountains held other dangerous predators.
They found a flat clearing, and Old Madam Su set the basket down.
“Sweetie, stand steady—don’t fall. Tell Grandma which herbs you brought back yesterday, and I’ll try to find them.”
Old Madam Su was greedy for wealth, but not truly selfish. She knew valuable herbs like Sanqi and ginseng weren’t easy to come by. Today, her goal was the herbs her granddaughter could identify—those that could treat cold, headaches, and fevers.
Fu Bao took Old Madam Su’s hand and led her forward, carefully examining the plants on the ground.
“Grandma, here! This one’s it.”
Fu Bao pointed at a plant that looked like a common weed. Old Madam Su had to admit, every plant she looked at seemed like a weed to her.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a small shovel and began digging.
As she worked, she asked casually, “Sweetie, what kind of herb is this?”