Chapter 42 The Herbal Medicine Dealer

The two, who were talking about something, suddenly stopped.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at her.

"Are you going out?"

Old Qin frowned in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Luo Yin looked at Ani.

"It's alright, just take a quick look, don't go outside."

When Loin saw that Ani agreed, she could hardly contain her smile.

"Okay!"

Luo Yin left quickly, leaving them with only her cheerful silhouette.

Old Qin looked away and asked him, "Alright, the little guy's gone. Now tell me your idea!"

"I just want to buy some medicinal herbs from you!"

After leaving the courtyard, Luo Yin stood at the crossroads, looking around.

She walked and stopped frequently, and soon covered the entire main road she had come from. Then she noticed that there were indeed quite a few people in the shops on both sides.

There was a clanging and banging noise coming from inside, and I couldn't tell what was going on.

Being new to the place, she didn't dare to go in rashly.

Then he ran to the edge of the city and circled around it along the way he came, and then he roughly figured out the place.

The so-called "Tao Huo Cheng" (a shopping mall) is smaller than their town. Judging from its layout, it only has a few dozen small houses, probably about the size of a village.

However, it is indeed strange that a village could be built here so abruptly.

She also noticed that in this village-sized area, every house's facade looked like it had been regularly repaired, and she saw people coming out with tools.

At this time, she would stop and look.

Those who feel uncomfortable being stared at will glare back.

"What are you looking at? Whose girl are you?"

"Hehe, Uncle, I'm just passing by."

Luo Yin smiled and quickly made her escape.

After another long loop, Luo Yin was too tired to walk any further.

He randomly picked a seat, turned around, and plopped down.

She rubbed her calves, pounded her knees, and looked up at the sky. "Ugh, I should have taken out my homework and started doing it!"

Within her field of vision, she could see the entire street, and saw a large number of people suddenly appear, each busy carrying something.

Suppressing her surprise, she watched for a while before realizing that these people were sorting goods.

Yes, it's about sorting and organizing goods.

The nearest house to her had an open door that only allowed one person to pass at a time.

But every time they bring out a lot of shelves, they bring them out.

Luo Yin had seen this before; it seemed to be used by Chinese medicine shops to dry medicinal herbs.

Thinking of this, her eyes lit up.

They've come looking for me!

She jumped up with a "whoosh," patted her bottom, and wobbled up.

"Uncle, you're busy."

The middle-aged man who was called "uncle" turned his head and found that it was a young girl with a tender face.

His shrewd eyes looked up and down, then left and right.

It looked like they were looking at the people behind her.

"Who are you?"

"Uncle, I was brought here by my elders to broaden my horizons. I just came to see you were busy and came out of curiosity."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward his hand.

"Oh, then you can continue watching!"

Seeing that he didn't respond, Luo Yin said, "Ahem, Uncle, what are you busy with? Do you want me to lend a hand? I'm just sitting here doing nothing anyway."

She thought about rolling up her sleeves and going to help.

Yan Peng prides himself on his good interpersonal skills, but he never expected that young people these days would behave this way.

He hadn't even said anything, and people were already offering to lend a hand.

"No, no need, I can do it myself."

But before he could finish speaking, people were already getting to work, carrying things around and setting them up.

"It's alright, I'm used to helping with these things. Uncle, don't you have any help? I see they all have several people."

Yan Peng's already tense face became even more rigid.

"Yes, yes."

"Dad, should we bring out these two sacks of sand ginseng as well?"

A cheerful and clear female voice came from inside the house.

A young woman in her late teens, wearing a bright blue top and carrying a burlap sack in each hand, walked toward them.

"Hey, who are you?"

Yan Yuegui glanced at Luo Yin, then looked at her father.

"Hello, sister, I'm here to help."

"Sister, you're so beautiful, and the color of your dress is gorgeous too," Luo Yin said quickly as she approached, her voice filled with envy and sincerity.

Yan Yuegui was so flattered that her smile stretched from ear to ear.

Forgetting her original question, she said, "Hehe, right? This is a new dress I just made. But you're pretty too."

Her gaze shifted downwards, looking at the small face that was raised in front of her.

Her features are exquisite and elegant, especially her eyes and brows, which subtly convey a lively spirit.

Just by looking at her, you can tell this girl has a good personality.

"Hey, are you a herdsman's child?"

Laurel looked at her clothes and asked curiously.

"Yes, that's right. Where are you from, sisters?"

The strict father, who had given up saying anything, silently began to tidy up.

Yuegui exclaimed in surprise, "We're from Guanzhong, but you don't have much of an accent when you speak. I can understand everything you say."

Yan Yuegui's tone was full of joy; finally, she could talk to someone.

"That's great! I've been having trouble talking to anyone lately, so we can spend more time together these next few days."

"Just call me Sister Yuegui, this is my dad Yan Peng."

"Uncle Yan, Sister Yuegui, I am Luo Yin, you can just call me A Yin."

After exchanging names, Luo Yin offered her some dried meat and milk tablets, further strengthening their bond.

Laurel also shared her food, cookies and dried fruit.

"So, you took leave to come here. I'm so envious of you! Tell me more, what does your family usually eat? Do you eat meat every day?"

Luo Yin smiled and shook her head, having learned about their origins during their conversation.

According to Sister Yuegui, they came to help buy and sell medicinal herbs.

Once a year, they would travel thousands of miles back and forth, not only for a living but also to find authentic medicinal herbs.

"Oh, I see. Sister Yuegui, you just said that the lively time here hasn't arrived yet. Have you been here many times? I'm so envious. This is the first time I've been brought out."

She knows less than others have revealed.

Luo Yin's envy was practically overflowing.

Yuegui continued tidying up, "Hey, it's only my third time. This little town is really magical. Every year-end there's a lively period of about half a month, during which many drug dealers like us come from all over the country just to see the good stuff we have."

"That's amazing! But isn't anyone going to do anything about it?"

She had been curious about this for a long time.

Yan Yuegui shook her head, "I don't know, I've never heard of anyone taking care of it."

"So, these aren't all medicinal herbs, are they?"

Yan Peng shook his head speechlessly, seeing that the silly girl had almost run out of things to say.

"That's not necessarily true. It depends on the individual. Some people will sell other things. Anyway, it's just that these things are hard to sell on the market. You'll see in a couple of days."

"However, try not to go out at night, just stay in your room."

"Oh, why is that?" Is it unsafe?

Luo Yin's expression turned serious, and she looked around warily.

"No, it's just that there will definitely be more people coming over in the next few days, quite a few people in the early morning and late at night, and they'll always cause some noise."

Luo Yin indicated that she understood, and then pushed the small half-bag of dried meat to her.

"Sister Yuegui, you're so kind. If you hadn't told me this, I would have been completely lost and scared. These were made by my family. Feel free to eat a couple if you're free."

"No, no, this is too expensive, I can't accept it." She quickly waved her hand to refuse. She could skip the food from earlier, but she couldn't accept this.

"Sister, just take it. It's getting late. I'll come find you again tomorrow. I'm leaving now!"

"Hey, wait a minute."

Yuegui pulled her along, then quickly went into the house and came out again.

"Here, this is a new bag of dried fruit."

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony."

She caught a glimpse of Uncle Yan out of the corner of her eye, packed her things, and walked away into the distance.

"Still looking? Hurry up and help move things." The stern father's cold voice rang out.

"Dad, you know what, people who grow up on the grasslands eat so much better than us. Look at what they usually eat, and what we eat."

In my twenty years of life, I've never envied anyone, but today I see someone I do envy.

"What, you've been bribed with this little thing and you've blurted out all that information?"

Yan Yuegui stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding a piece of dried meat. "So what? The young lady didn't ask anything. It's not like I'm losing anything by asking around."

She had a smug look on her face, feeling like she had gotten a good deal.

Yan Peng's expression was complicated, but he shook his head and continued working.

Back in the courtyard, Luo Yin saw that no one was there, and her gaze swept to the house.

Hearing Ani's voice inside, I felt relieved for a moment and went to see Big White.

"Big White, let me see if you've eaten enough?"

Seeing that the fodder was gone, she then began to serve water and food.

He also helped take care of Ani's horse, and then took out a grooming comb.

We pampered Big White and made it enjoy a comfortable time.

"How about it?"

She nodded. Indeed, it was a beautiful, glossy horse.

Big White and the horse next to it were competing in howling.

"Hua Hua, you're back?"

Ani heard the noise from inside the house and called out.

"Hey, Annie, I'm back."

"So, what are we having for dinner?"

Luo Yin looked at Ani, then at Old Man Qin, and asked, "How about we have some pancakes?"

She remembered she still had plenty of dry food; it would be good to eat it with some hot water.

Ani remained calm and collected, but Old Qin was not having it.

"What kind of lousy pancake is this? Can you even eat that stuff? It'll break my teeth. I'm not eating it."

"Hey, can't your girl cook? I have plenty of food in my room."

A suspicious and disdainful gaze swept over Luo Yin.

Luo Yin felt she didn't want to embarrass Annie.

"Yes, Grandpa Qin, I will."

"Just you wait and see!"

It took half an hour to get the fire going. Luo Yin wiped the sweat from her brow.

Pour the rice into the pot and cover it with the lid.

It'll be fine once it opens; it'll feel better after a while.

"Girl, are you done yet?"

"Wait a moment, it will be ready in a little while."

It was already dark outside, with stars scattered overhead.

Old Qin and Ani sat on small stools nearby, their eyes occasionally glancing over.

"Hmph, I see now. Waiting for the girl to eat will starve this old man to death." He could see clearly that the girl was obviously very unfamiliar with food.

"Hey, what does your girl do at home? This won't do. She'll starve if she goes out into the world."

He started rambling on and on, trying to replace the sound of his drumming belly with this.

"Grandpa Qin, I'm doing alright, I won't starve to death."

Ani nodded, looking at him with a hint of 'you're being too nosy'.

"Hey, you two are quite something."

He pursed his lips, then changed the subject and chatted with Ani.

Luo Yin overheard something every now and then, and it sounded like someone was reciting some kind of prescription.

Before she could even write it down, she got up and started stirring the pot with a spoon.

After several repetitions, when I estimated it was about time, I put the lid back on and spread the fire to both sides.

"That's about it, we can eat now!"

Luo Yin set the bowls down for the two of them, then turned and sat down beside them with her small bowl in hand.

On the small wooden table in front of them, besides the white porridge in front of each person, there was also a small dish of something else.

"Come and try this, it's some pickled vegetables I brought."

Old Qin greeted the two of them, but Luo Yin declined.

Ani shook his head, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet for a moment before being disturbed by voices.

After the meal, Luo Yin washed up and was then urged by Ani to go and rest.

She was tired too, and after tidying up, she nodded and went inside.

Soon he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep in no time.

I didn't hear a sound the whole time, and when I opened my eyes again it was already dawn.

Luo Yin rubbed her eyes and looked outside as she got up.

Hearing the commotion outside, I quickly dressed and went out.

Her hair was being tied up as she walked, quickly drawing attention.

Wow, there are so many people!

The courtyard gate was wide open, and people were standing at each of the gates from there onwards, some even standing on the main road.

"Where did all these people come from?!"

Luo Yin was both surprised and delighted, and quietly observed the crowd, noting that many of them were well-dressed.

In contrast to her drab gray robe, there were others wearing overcoats and suits.

"As expected, they're not simple at all."

Luo Yin felt she had made the right choice; this trip had been worthwhile.

"Hey, does that thing up ahead look familiar?"

Someone pointed at Luo Yin and asked.

"Hey, isn't that your child? Come over and take a look."

Luo Yin, who had also noticed this, quickly walked up to her.

"Ani, Grandpa Qin, what's going on here...?"

"Get up, this is your breakfast, eat it while it's hot." Old Qin handed her the food.

Loin looked at Ani and saw him nod and thank him with a smile.

"By the way, why are there so many more people in Annie all night? Are they here to buy things too?"

Ani withdrew his gaze from her and stepped into the yard.

"Yes, many of them came overnight."

"Here, take this."

Luo Yin took the small cloth bag that Ani handed her; it was very light.

"This is"

"Medicine to help your father recover."

"Oh, okay, then I'll keep it."

Luo Yin didn't ask any more questions, while Old Qin, who was watching the commotion, got bored.

Then he remembered something, "Oh right, girl, you're already a teenager, haven't you thought about finding your biological parents?"

"ah?"

Luo Yin, who was just about to put her things away, was dumbfounded!

I really didn't expect anyone to ask this question.

"What's wrong? Weren't you adopted? You're almost an adult now. Haven't you thought about it?" Old Qin glanced at his old friend with a teasing look.

He tried to see any other changes in the old herdsman's expression.

But it's clearly not as interesting as this girl's face-changing antics.

"No, I don't want to, I have absolutely no such thought." Luo Yin paused for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

“As you know, I am a child of the nation. Now that I have joined a new family, I am my parents’ child, Ani’s granddaughter, and my brother and sister-in-law’s sister.”

She spoke more and more fluently and solemnly expressed her stance.

"Grandpa Qin, please stop teasing me. I'm afraid Ani will misunderstand."

Moisig smiled slightly, his eyes sweeping over Old Man Qin indifferently.

Old Qin could have seen it, but he was a little stunned.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more."

"Okay, put your things down, I'll take you out in a bit."

Seeing that things were almost done, Ani began to give instructions to Loin.

Luo Yin nodded and quickly followed behind the two.

Compared to her clumsy actions yesterday, she is now full of confidence.

Not only did they sneak into several courtyards, but they also looked at a lot of things; just as Sister Yuegui had said, most of what they brought were medicinal herbs.

After this trip, she felt like she was covered in the smell of herbs.

The whole street was almost smoky!

"The spirit they possess must refer to that family."

Listening to what Grandpa Qin said, they had now reached the only three-story building in the small town.

"This place didn't belong to anyone before; I heard it was bought by someone not long ago."

Old Qin had a look on his face that said, "You don't know, do you? Ask me."

But Ani was clearly not a man of many words.

"Alright, give me that pill. I need to remake it with high-quality Cistanche deserticola. I heard the Li family has some."

"I just saw the Li brothers; I heard they're on South Street."

Let's go take a look!

Ani nodded, then paused when she caught a glimpse of Luo Yin out of the corner of her eye.

"Wait a minute, stay close to me."

"Okay, I understand."

The three of them turned left and right, and soon arrived at a place that Luo Yin had never seen before.

Unlike what I had seen before, here all the stalls were set up on the ground.

Loin found many familiar things lying around.

Luo Yin glanced at it a few times; it looked more like a market transaction.

"Hey, hey, just take a look, girl. There's nothing good in there, just scraps."

Seeing Luo Yin's reaction, Old Qin, who was leading the way, quickly reminded her.

She smiled and said, "I'll just take a look."

Soon, a group of well-dressed men who looked like big bosses came into view.

Not only were they all dressed in brand new clothes, but they also exuded a confident and bold aura.

Luo Yin's eyes were flashed several times; she was truly shocked!

"These are all trivial things!"

A voice with a distinctive accent rang out, and Luo Yin's gaze swept over it instantly.

A big boss from Guangdong Province!!!

Luo Yin almost glared at them with a wolfish glint in her eyes.

Black leather jacket, gold belt, leather shoes, and a diamond-studded watch—Luo Yin was incredibly envious!

"Rich people."

Sure enough, there are many rich people in the South these days. Tsk tsk tsk, look at how capable their bodyguards are, and they're dressed better than the women.

As she was feeling sentimental, she suddenly saw someone in the group turn back.

Then the group began to disperse and move around.

Standing in the very center of the crowd was a young man with a slicked-back hairstyle and striking features.

Li Jingshuo exuded an air of nobility, and he shook his head dismissively with his arms crossed.

He looked like he had no interest in anything.

"Let's go, there's nothing good here!"

"Yes, young master."

He completely ignored the countless astonished and shocked gazes around him.

Luo Yin was stunned by this grand gesture, and then she heard Grandpa Qin point ahead and say...

"This is the one."

"Grandpa Qin, do you know this young master?"

Luo Yin felt a bit disjointed; what kind of era was this where people could be called "young master"? But looking at the scenes unfolding before her, she thought it wasn't impossible.

“How could I not recognize him? I heard he’s a big boss from Guangdong Province who came up north to collect medicine not long ago. Your mother is here to find some medicine for your father too.”

"So that's how it is. No wonder Ani reacted that way." Luo Yin finally understood Ani's plan.

"Shall we go over now?"

Thinking of my father, all other thoughts vanished.

"Don't rush, this young master seems to have quite a temper. Let's wait until we open for business before we go."

Luo Yin glanced at Grandpa Qin and understood when she saw that Ani hadn't spoken.

The three of them strolled around, stopping frequently, and especially after watching the young master of the Li family leave, they lost all interest in continuing their exploration.

Seeing that it was time to go back, Luo Yin said she wanted to stay a while longer.

After saying goodbye to Ani, she wandered off on her own.

Luo Yin stopped at this stall and then at that stall, not buying anything but just watching the excitement.

Sometimes I'd chat with the stall owner for a bit, or just watch others argue and talk.

In any case, Loin could always glean some information from it.

It was at this time that she learned about the origins of these people.

It turns out that it wasn't just what Sister Yuegui said; many of them were actually related to local procurement.

Don't ask her how she guessed it; it's actually quite simple.

You can tell from their speech and actions that they all have a certain something to say about them. Their accents and Mandarin are almost all different. And they seem to be taking on a lot of responsibilities, as if they're in charge of all the department's procurement. They must be doing a lot of work behind the scenes.

Looking at their clothes, they weren't flashy at all; instead, they were understated and simple.

Just like colleagues who go on business trips to make purchases.

"Hey, little girl, I've been watching you here for ages, have you figured it out yet?"

An old man in a tattered coat stood in the corner and beckoned to her, asking her a question.

"Oh, sir, what's wrong...?"

Luo Yin looked around before slowly squatting down in front of his stall.

"What...what are all these things?!"

Like a piece of junk!

"Ah, these are all my simple, worn-out things."

"You've come all this way to collect recyclables?" She looked at the old man, who nodded earnestly.

It's hard to say anything more.

"What, do you think I'm crazy?" The old man grinned slyly, his ordinary face suddenly becoming somewhat lewd.

Luo Yin was afraid of getting something on her, so she instinctively stepped back.

"Tsk tsk, just kidding, girl!"

Luo Yin looked at him more closely again. The old man was sitting on the side, huddled up in a ball, wearing a tattered hat and holding a string of beads in one hand.

"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

She forced a smile and said, "I just remembered I have something to do, so I'll be going now."

Without waiting for his response, she quickly walked forward.

Only the old man remained, watching that retreating figure, sighing deeply.

"You still want to fool her into thinking it's a grand opening!"

It's a pity, the old man's right hand habitually fiddles with the beads, making a clattering sound.

Many people around who witnessed it didn't say anything.

I could only silently condemn him with my eyes; this old man was lying again.

......

Upon stepping back into the capital city, Comrade Xia took a deep breath.

This tastes just as good as the original.

He dusted off his clothes and watched as Old Xia was taken away.

Then, as if remembering something, his expression changed and he hurriedly went to another private car.

"Comrade Xia, your mother is waiting for you at home."

"Uncle Chen, let's not go back yet, let's go to Red Oak first."

Upon hearing the name, Uncle Chen turned the steering wheel and quickly shifted the direction.

Xia Mingjiang leaned back, comfortably closed his eyes, and fell asleep immediately.

After the car stopped, it was Uncle Chen who woke him up.

"Comrade Xia, we've arrived!"

"Ah, okay, wait a moment while I go in and deliver a letter and I'll be right back."

After giving instructions to Uncle Chen, Xia rubbed her face and headed towards the sentry post.

"Hello, comrade!"

"Hello."

The soldier on guard gestured for him to stop, saying, "Please register your entry and exit information."

"Okay, no problem!"

The reason was written down and checked to ensure it was correct before the vehicle was successfully released.

Xia followed the green trees and ginkgo trees all the way to the innermost part.

As we were about to cross the golden avenue, we finally arrived at our destination.

He walked to a detached three-story building, "knock knock!"

Who is it?

Upon hearing the voice, Xia Mingjiang's tone became more cheerful.

"Aunt Chen, this is Xia Xia. I'm here to deliver a letter to Huo Sen."

"Ah, it's Comrade Xia! Please come in quickly." Aunt Chen invited him in with great surprise.

Xia glanced inside. "Commander Huo isn't here, is he?"

"He's not here. Are you looking for him?"

"No, no, I won't go in. You can give him the letter later. I'll go back now."

"Hey, come in and have some tea."

"No, I have someone waiting for me outside, so I'll be going now, Aunt Chen!"

Xia declined and quickly arrived at the door, then ran to her car.

"Let's go, Uncle Chen, let's go home."

They drove for a long time, and by the time he got out of the car, he was completely exhausted.

"Mom and Dad, your beloved son is back."

The Xia family lives in a villa area in the suburbs, where almost every household has a large house of several hundred square meters.

This was considered the place where the first batch of overseas Chinese returned to China and lived.

This was naturally nothing unusual for the young master Xia Mingjiang.

After two consecutive business trips, he, who was used to the dilapidated state of the north, found himself much more satisfied with the house in front of him.

It's always best to be yourself!

He strode across the garden and through the front hall, but no one came out to greet him.

"Hey, where is everyone?"

"Young master, the master and mistress have gone out."

"Oh, anything you like to eat is fine. I'm going upstairs to take a shower first."

Okay.

Xia rushed to her bedroom, used imported toiletries, lay down in the luxurious bathtub, and sighed contentedly.

This is the kind of comfortable life people should live!

"Hahahaha, I wonder where that kid is suffering now!"

Hossen, who was constantly complaining about his suffering, was indeed having a tough time.

They had just marched to the heart of the desert to retrieve what they had been entrusted with; soon after, they were transferred to the snow-capped mountains, with the clear indication that the researchers there needed support.

Before he could catch his breath, he led another twenty men on their way.

Upon arriving at their destination, they traveled day and night, managing to avoid delaying important matters.

During the rest break, I saw several comrades fall asleep with their dry rations in hand.

Hossen didn't have much of an appetite either; he just wanted to close his eyes if he didn't move.

He was clearly extremely tired.

"Everyone, rest in place for two hours."

"Wow, thank you, Captain Huo!"

"Thank you, Captain Huo."

Everyone was so excited that they all fell asleep within seconds of leaving the guards behind.

After a dozen or so people had fallen asleep, the majestic snow-capped mountains behind them faintly glowed with golden light.

They were clearly at the foot of a snow-capped mountain, surrounded by a world covered in silver.

There is still some greenery at the foot of the mountain and halfway up, but the temperature here is still not high.

Luo Yin wandered around with the crowd for half the morning, seeing a lot of excitement along the way.

After losing interest in the excavation, she turned to find Sister Laurel.

After chatting and laughing with her for a while, I waved goodbye.

Back home, I cooked, ate, and took a nap. In the late afternoon, the two of them dragged me out for a stroll.

This time, it was still Old Man Qin leading the way, along with several herbal medicine dealers he knew.

Loin noticed that Ani kept asking her questions.

He then took out his small bag and paid to buy it.

Seeing this, Luo Yin was only slightly surprised before following behind to help.

Fortunately, I never bought much each time, but seeing that Ani had spent a lot of money, I couldn't help but think that it was for my father's medical treatment, so I didn't say anything more.