Early the next morning, the whole family got up early.
Gu Qishan went to work in the fields. Li Xingyue and Gu Wan’er would go to town to sell medicinal herbs, while Zhou Shi(Madam Zhou) stayed home to take care of little Yan’er.
Going to the market meant they needed money. Following the original owner’s memory, Li Xingyue searched through the box for her private savings.
After a long time, she finally found a small money pouch at the bottom. When she opened it, there were only thirty-two copper coins inside.
They were truly poor.
Only then did Li Xingyue remember that the original owner had actually been a “brother-supporting fanatic”—to be precise, she favored her elder brother.
Over the years, most of the private money Gu Mingxiao secretly gave her had been sent back to her natal family.
Gu Mingxiao likely knew this too, so he never gave her much at a time—usually only around a hundred coins.
But the original owner had been unwilling to spend money on herself or her child, let alone on the household.
Li Xingyue shook her head helplessly and put the pouch into her sleeve.
In the courtyard, Zhou Shi and Gu Wan’er were arguing about whether to sell the rabbit in town.
Wan’er said,“Big sister-in-law said we should keep it to eat.”
Zhou Shi replied,“Sell it and buy half a jin of pork. It’s the same.”
Wan’er argued,“Let’s eat the rabbit. If we sell the herbs successfully, we can buy pork too.”
Zhou Shi shook her head.“How is that the same? Eating the rabbit is a waste. A live rabbit can sell for dozens of coins.”
Since they could not reach a conclusion, Li Xingyue made the final decision: sell the rabbit in town and buy pork to eat.
She also wanted to check the market. Having no money made her feel insecure.
She had to make money. As for how, she still had no clear plan.
But thinking about the vegetables, chickens, and rabbits in her space, she could sell some of them.
No matter what she wanted to do in the future, she would need startup capital.
After deciding, Li Xingyue and Gu Wan’er each carried a basket covered with old hemp cloth.
With the little teddy dog, they headed toward the village entrance.
At the entrance, the ox cart was already waiting. But to their surprise, Wu Rong and Gu Shaoning were already seated.
Li Xingyue sighed inwardly. Enemies truly met on narrow roads.
However, she had no intention of seeking revenge yet.
The incident had passed, and there were no witnesses. If the two denied it, she could do nothing.
But revenge could wait. One day, she would deal with them.
She and Wan’er sat quietly.
Wu Rong greeted them warmly,“Sister-in-law, Wan’er, going to the market today?”
Her eyes lingered on their baskets.
Li Xingyue only nodded slightly.
The ox cart soon departed.
Many people walked to the market, as it took over an hour on foot. The ox cart cost two coins per person, and most people chose to save money.
Money was too hard to earn.
Wu Rong wanted to ask about their baskets but held back.
Gu Shaoning snorted but was stopped by Wu Rong.
After half an hour, they reached Xinghua Town.
Li Xingyue paid five coins—four for the ride and one extra for the baskets.
The driver smiled.
He reminded them the cart would return at midday.
They first went to Huichun Hall, the largest and most reputable pharmacy in Xinghua Town.
There were many patients. An elderly doctor with white hair was seeing patients, while two young apprentices handled prescriptions.
Li Xingyue asked politely,“Do you buy medicinal herbs?”
The apprentice replied,“Yes. What herbs do you have?”
“Astragalus and polygonatum. All freshly dug yesterday.”
The apprentice checked the basket and was surprised.
After consulting the doctor, he returned.
“My master said we will buy them. Astragalus at thirty coins per jin, and polygonatum at seventy. Is that acceptable?”
Wan’er nearly laughed with excitement.
Li Xingyue agreed.
They sold:
Astragalus: 5 jin 8 liang = 174 coins
Polygonatum: 9.5 jin = 665 coins
Total: 839 coins.
The apprentice told them they could sell more in the future.
After leaving, Wan’er hugged Li Xingyue’s arm excitedly.“We earned over eight hundred coins in one day. It feels like a dream!”
Li Xingyue smiled.“That was luck. It won’t happen every day.”
They still needed to sell the rabbit.
Since there was a market, Li Xingyue told Wan’er to sell it for sixty coins, or fifty if bargaining.
Wan’er hesitated.“You’re not coming with me?”
Li Xingyue reassured her,“Go ahead. I’ll buy some things first.”
She also told the little dog to follow Wan’er.
In truth, she wanted to be alone so she could do her own tasks.
Wan’er left for the market with the dog.