The original owner had already walked for a distance when the old man behind her caught up and said, "Silly girl, I'm leaving. My home is far away, and we may never meet again. Alas, I really can't take advantage of you, otherwise I will be unable to sleep or eat. Let me put it this way. My surname is Zhang." He took out a small wooden sign from his waist and stuffed it into Xu Lanyin's hand, and said, "Take this sign to the capital to find Manager Wan of Baicaotang. His boss owes me a favor, so he will pay for the blackroot grass on my behalf. You don't have to pay, but my favor cannot be bought with money. If your family has any difficulties, ask him to repay this favor."
The original owner looked at the wooden plaque, which had the word "Zhou" written on it in seal script. She sniffed it carefully, and it even had a distinctive medicinal aroma. She wondered how much a single jasmine plant could be worth. Even a pharmacy in the capital wouldn't be so gullible as to pay such a high price, especially since it was so far away. Even if a different type of jasmine plant could fetch two taels of silver, after such a long journey, plus the cost of accommodation and meals, the price of a tofu plate would be as high as the price of meat. But seeing the old man's sincerity, she reluctantly tucked the wooden plaque into her arms, feeling that it was far less attractive than the silver ingot.
Zhang Laozhang stuffed the small wooden box back into the original owner's hands and said, "This is the ointment for another blackroot grass. Use it to wipe your face or treat wounds. Don't ignore my words." He then instructed, "You are blessed to have dug up blackroot grass, and to have dug up two at once. This shows that you have great luck and great opportunities. If you are lucky enough to dig this thing again, don't sell it to other pharmacies. You don't know the value of it, and neither do they. They will just mistake it for jasmine. Sell it to the Baicaotang in the capital. Shopkeeper Wan will give you a good price."
The original owner always felt that this old man was incompetent and nagging, but he was generous and honest to the point of being a little silly. He nodded patiently and put the small wooden box into his arms with great courtesy.
The original owner said goodbye to the old man and happily ran to the Gu family. Since Gu Wangchen wasn't there, she handed the silver coins to Gu Po. Gu Po took the coins with disdain and then went on to complain about her poverty, explaining how much it would cost to stay in the provincial capital, how much it would cost to eat, how much it would cost to prepare gifts for the scholar, and how much it would cost to give gifts to the guarantor. She then repeatedly promised that regardless of whether Gu Wangchen passed the imperial examination or not, she would marry the original owner.
The original owner was even happier when she thought of her father-in-law's words about her great fortune and destiny. She felt certain she would become a successful candidate, and that Gu Wangchen would surely pass the imperial examination. She returned home, secretly found the land deed, and went to a pawnshop to sell six acres of land...
Xu Lanyin thought the old man's stubborn refusal to take advantage of the original owner was not only because the blackroot grass was worth some money, but also because he was a very good person. The wooden plaque and ointment he gave her might be of some use. She also knew that jasmine grass was a common wild vegetable or herb in this world, edible, especially the plump and tender roots, which were highly prized and had anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties. The old man's point was that the two jasmine grasses had mutated into blackroot grass, thus possessing greater medicinal properties.
She remembered that the book mentioned Baicaotang, where the heroine had sent people to buy medicine, but it didn't mention who owned the pharmacy. If the daughter of a marquis could buy medicine there, it must be a large business.
Also, the medicine powder we make is called "Luosan". My father-in-law even knows about such a rare medicine, so he must have some real skills.
The original owner had foolishly been focused on helping Gu Wangchen raise money, had sold the land, and had received several beatings, leaving the family in turmoil. Xu Lanyin racked her brains but couldn't remember where the original owner had misplaced those two items. She had to look carefully for them when she got home, making sure they weren't lost.
Thinking of the silly original owner, Xu Lanyin hated Gu Wangchen even more. How could he have the heart to hurt and betray such a love-struck and innocent girl like that?
At noon, Xu Lanyin washed her hands, ate two sweet potatoes, and gave one to Huazi. Seeing that Gouzi ate little and worked so hard, she felt very sorry for him. She said proudly, "When I make a lot of money, I'll buy you something delicious."
Xu Lanyin worked until the sun set and then hurried home.
She gathered a large basket of common herbs such as ramie, mint, and plantain, a small bag of wild wolfberries and a few bunches of wild grapes, three pheasant eggs, a small pile of mushrooms, and some ground fungus. In a patch of bushes, she dug up a Gastrodia elata plant, a Gastrodia elata plant with four fruits.
Although she was exhausted, she was overjoyed to have gained so much. She thought to herself that people are infinitely adaptable. She had never done such heavy work in her previous life, but now she not only did it to survive, but also exerted all her strength.
As Xu Lanyin walked onto the path behind the village, a young woman said to her, "Hey, Yin girl, why did you come back just now? Something big happened in your family."
Zhu's husband's family was from the Xu family, and she used to learn embroidery from Qin.
Xu Lanyin was startled and asked, "Sister-in-law Sanhe, what happened in my family?"
The Sanhe wife said, "This morning, your son Ting suddenly fell ill and was dying. Zhou took him to your grandparents, and they asked Dashi to borrow our donkey cart to take them to the county clinic. Luckily, they got him there in time, and the doctor gave him an acupuncture treatment and revived him. But the doctor also said that he had a weak constitution and that if he didn't take his medicine regularly and eat more healthy foods, he wouldn't live long. Zhou was so anxious and angry that he reportedly had a nosebleed all the way back..."
Xu Lanyin ran home without listening to her words.
Before she even entered the house, she heard the woman's curses from the yard, "...It's all because of that shameless girl. She's a traitor. She only wanted to support a man before she even got married. She foolishly squandered the family's wealth and didn't care about her brother's life or death. She hasn't come back yet. She must have gone to the Gu family to pay her respects again. Oh, my two poor grandsons, how can they live with such a shameless and wasteful sister..."
Xu Lanyin walked into the yard. The old lady who was cursing was the original owner's grandmother, Old Lady Xu.
The old lady was furious when she saw Xu Lanyin. She stopped cursing and rushed over to hit her with a broom. Xu Lanyin was so scared that she hugged her head and ran away. The courtyard was small, so no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't move. The old lady hit her several times, which hurt her body very much.
Xu Dashi and Xu Lanzhou watched coldly, without trying to stop the fight, and even stopped the screaming Huazi.
Xu Lanyin ran while saying, "Grandma, please stop hitting me. I know I was wrong. I had a fight with Mrs. Gu this morning and I don't want to be a daughter-in-law of the Gu family anymore. I came back late because I picked a lot of herbs. I will sell more tomorrow and bring back the pheasant eggs and mushrooms I picked for my mother and brother to nourish their bodies..."
The old lady stopped and asked fiercely, "What? You had a fight with that old woman, and now you don't want to be her daughter-in-law anymore?"
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