Just when Xiaolin burst into tears because of Erya's words, Qiao Qiao had already started to settle accounts with the little girls in front of him.

Most of the little girls were just there to make up the numbers. If you really traded one or two medicinal herbs, you might only be able to get two lollipops.

But Qiao Qiao didn't do that. Even though the money was not much, she calculated it very carefully for the little girls.

"Forsythia, 46 per kilogram. Your plant weighs 48 grams, so I'll give you 1.2 yuan."

"Dandelions, 30 per kilogram, 90 cents off your bill... Never mind, I don't have enough change, so you need to be frugal. I'll give you one yuan."

One by one, one gram by one gram, she said as she paid, without any hesitation.

The little girls were stunned.

Life is tough these days, and most of the young and middle-aged people in the village are working away from home. Their parents are among them.

In other words, they are all left-behind children who have lived with their grandparents in the village since childhood.

But grandparents are old, and they always think that it is good enough for children like these to have a stutter, so why would they give them pocket money?

This is the first time they have received money!

Your own money!

"Ahhh, there really is money! We can make money too!"

They screamed, laughed, and ran back, with only one thought in their minds: Find herbs! They must continue to look for herbs!

They ran happily, and the last little girl couldn't help but reveal a look of anticipation on her face.

She was the only one who didn't come to make up the numbers.

Qiao Qiao looked at her.

The little girl had two pigtails and was dressed neatly, but her clothes had turned white from being washed, and her cuffs and trouser legs had been patched up with strips of cloth.

Although the person who received the clothes was very attentive and had excellent craftsmanship, it was not difficult to see that the girl's living standard was not high.

The little girl took out a large black plastic bag, which was full of dried and yellow chrysanthemums.

"I-I have a lot."

The little girl felt Qiao Qiao's scrutiny and shrank back a little, but she didn't know what she was thinking, but she still mustered up the courage to put the plastic bag on the table, "Okay, it can be considered cheaper."

This silly girl actually thought that the fewer medicinal herbs there were, the better.

Qiao Qiao shook his head.

The light in the little girl's eyes suddenly dimmed.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry."

She lowered her head and was about to take the plastic bag off when she heard Qiao Qiao say seriously, "You have so many medicinal herbs and they're of such good quality, so of course they have to be more expensive."

Qiao Qiao carefully explained to the little girl, "You brought wild chrysanthemums, which are good for clearing away heat and relieving internal heat. One kilogram costs 120 yuan. You brought a total of four and a half kilograms, and the quality is good, so I'll charge you 600 yuan."

Six...six hundred?

The little girl looked up suddenly, her breathing quickened. On the way back, she was so surprised that she almost stumbled.

She had never received so much money since she was a child.

Never!

After she left, Erya, who had just made Xiaolin Chuang cry, also came back.

Erya was smart and even a gossip expert. Seeing the little girl leaving, she immediately introduced the little girl's situation to Qiao Qiao.

"Her name is Hongdou, and it's a much nicer name than mine."

"But she's quite pitiful. Her mother ran away and her father was arrested."

"Now I live with Grandma Li at the west end of the village."

"Grandma Li, do you know?"

"She's the most vicious old lady in our village, no, the most vicious old lady in our town. We're all scared of her!"

As Erya spoke, she told Qiao Qiao about Grandma Li's "evil" deeds:

Hongdou had no household registration and couldn't go to school, so she scolded the village chief and threw a tantrum at his house. Someone said Hongdou had no mother, so she pointed at her nose and stood at the door and scolded her for three days and three nights. Hongdou didn't listen well in class, so she hit her palms with a bamboo stick...

Each and every one of these incidents shocked the neighbors at the time!

Since there was no one around, Qiao Qiao actually found some of the conversation interesting. The child thought her grandmother was mean, but as a mature adult, she felt that Grandma Li had good intentions for her granddaughter.

"That's what Dad said."

After listening to Qiao Qiao's comments, Erya sighed like a little adult.

"But good people don't live long. I heard that Grandma Li is seriously ill this time. Everyone says that Hongdou may not have a grandma anymore soon..."

＊

"Grandma... Grandma... I have money!"

"We can go to the county town to see a doctor!"

Just as Erya was telling Qiao Qiao about Hongdou's family, Hongdou finally ran home breathlessly. She excitedly placed the six bright red banknotes in her arms in front of Grandma Li, revealing a bright smile.

This old woman, who was so skinny that she was a little hunched, was not happy at all. Instead, she couldn't help but turn pale. She forced herself to pick up the whip behind the door and whipped Erya with tears in her eyes.

"Where did you get so much money?"

"Tell me! Have you finally given up and started stealing other people's money like your father did?"

"No!"

"I don't!"

Hongdou was startled by the beating, and the smile on her face froze. She felt wronged and sad, and hurriedly explained.

"This is the money I made from selling medicine! The money I made from selling medicine!"

"What kind of medicine are you selling?"

"It's the bag of chrysanthemums you put under the window."

"nonsense!"

Grandma Li became even angrier, "How can those chrysanthemums be sold for so much money?"

"I think you're just being stubborn! You're so young, yet you've already learned to lie!"

She hit him harder.

Little Hongdou was speechless, feeling hurt and angry, and burst into tears.

"I didn't lie... I didn't lie..."

The grandfather and grandson had a big fight.

In the end, even the elderly neighbors nearby were alarmed.

"Oh, old lady Li, how can the baby bear it if you hit him like this..."

"That's because you don't know what she just did..."

"What did you do?"

"She took 600 yuan and said she was selling wild chrysanthemums! Tell me, here, in recent years, have drug dealers come to our village to collect herbs? Even if someone secretly collects them, it must be in winter?!"

"What?"

The neighbor originally came over to mediate, but after hearing this, he lost his composure, "People outside don't collect the herbs, but Li Quezi, there really is someone in Li Quezi's family who is collecting the herbs!"

"Hongdou girl, let me ask you, did you really get any money?"

They couldn't help but pull Hongdou over to ask her in detail.

After Hongdou finished speaking, who had the time to bother with the grandparents' affairs? They almost ran into the house, took out the medicinal herbs they had accumulated over the years, and ran directly to the place where Qiao Qiao collected the herbs.

We are all from the mountains, and living off the mountains is not just talk.

Isn’t it just wild chrysanthemum?

Who doesn’t have a few kilograms?!