Chapter 61 Procurement
The next day, Fan Xiaoxiao and Uncle Wang got up very early again. After having breakfast, they headed towards the market.
"Girl, where are we going?"
Fan Xiaoxiao, clearly familiar with the route, kept turning left and right. Without looking back, she continued walking: "Go buy medicine. The merchant ship will dock in two days, and the pharmacy must have all sorts of herbs. We need to prepare enough medicine before we leave... otherwise, if Xiaobao gets a fever again..."
Fan Xiaoxiao didn't say the rest, but Uncle Wang already understood. Fan Xiaoxiao had told him a couple of days ago that they were going to leave together, so he wasn't surprised.
The two walked into the pharmacy one after the other. The shopkeeper behind the counter saw that they were two people dressed in coarse, patched hemp clothes and greeted them in a somewhat lazy tone: "What kind of medicine would you like to get?"
"Shopkeeper, how much is a dose of your cold medicine?"
Hearing this question, the pharmacy owner looked Fan Xiaoxiao and Uncle Wang up and down again before letting out a sneer: "My cold medicine is ten coins a dose! But this is common medicine, you don't buy it one dose at a time. Look at you poor folks, do you have a prescription? If not, let our doctor take a look. Medicine isn't something you can just take blindly!"
Uncle Wang was a little angry; this person's words were too harsh.
“Girl, we…”
“We’ve seen a doctor, but my nephew spilled the prescription in the water and the writing is illegible. However, the doctor said that if we come here, he can prescribe medicine for a cold, and he’ll prescribe five doses.”
Uncle Wang was taken aback, realizing she was lying. They had never seen a doctor for their illness! But looking at Fan Xiaoxiao's confident little face, he was somewhat dazed; this girl could lie without batting an eye.
Just as Uncle Wang was worried that the shopkeeper wouldn't believe him, the shopkeeper paused for a moment, but didn't doubt Fan Xiaoxiao's words much. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Can you afford to pay?"
Fan Xiaoxiao reached into her pocket, and the pharmacy owner frowned, thinking that if the girl couldn't produce the money, he would kick her out. But clearly, Fan Xiaoxiao didn't give him that chance; exactly fifty coins were neatly placed on the shopkeeper's table.
The shopkeeper nodded, and after confirming the money was correct, he instructed someone to prepare five doses of medicine for her cold. Just then, Fan Xiaoxiao opened her mouth again: "Ah! Right! Grandpa also said we need to buy snake repellent! Otherwise, we'll see snakes coming into the yard again!"
After saying that, Fan Xiaoxiao sighed and looked at Uncle Wang, saying, "Hey, Uncle, look, you didn't remind me! We almost forgot about this!"
Uncle Wang was completely bewildered by the girl, but the shopkeeper nodded and said, "There are plenty of snakes, insects, and rodents in this weather! The realgar that repels snakes is cheaper, I'll give you seven coins."
Fan Xiaoxiao smiled and thanked the shopkeeper. After paying, she led Uncle Wang out of the pharmacy. Not far away, under a willow tree, Manager Ji was waiting for someone, carrying a bundle. Fan Xiaoxiao walked over and greeted him, "Manager Ji! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"No, no! Brother Wang, young lady, here are the things you wanted. It cost a total of three taels of silver. As you wish, this will be deducted from the payment later."
Fan Xiaoxiao opened the bundle slightly and looked inside. There were two small bottles and five doses of medicine. After confirming that everything was correct, she nodded: "Okay! Thank you for your help, Steward Ji! We have some other things to take care of at home, so we'll head back now."
Manager Ji cupped his hands in greeting and responded. Then, as if remembering something, he smiled mysteriously at Fan Xiaoxiao and said, "By the way, if you're not busy today, you can share some with us around the market when we pass by. I think you'd be interested in hearing about it."
His words seemed cryptic, and Fan Xiaoxiao and Uncle Wang exchanged a glance, making a mental note of them. Coincidentally, the two were going to the market later to buy some water pouches, and they also wanted to see what Steward Ji was really talking about.
"Water bags for sale! Water bags for sale!"
"Boss, four water bags."
The vendor, who was loudly hawking his wares, heard this voice and a delighted smile spread across his face: "Alright! One tael of silver in total!"
Uncle Wang frowned, looking at the water bag, and said, "So expensive?"
The vendor was a young man. When he heard that the other party thought his goods were too expensive, his face immediately turned red with anxiety, fearing that the other party would not buy his goods because of the price.
"Sir! These will last a long time! I only have ten! I'm really not selling them at a high price!"
Uncle Wang coughed awkwardly, and before Fan Xiaoxiao could, he took out some silver and handed it to the vendor, saying, "I didn't say I wouldn't buy it! You young man."
The vendor took the money and handed the four water bags to Uncle Wang with a smile. It was then that Fan Xiaoxiao noticed several people nearby chatting animatedly, seemingly saying something funny, and she could hear their hearty laughter.
The vendor followed Fan Xiaoxiao's gaze, realizing the woman was curious about their conversation and noticed Fan Xiaoxiao's hair was still styled in a young girl's bun. Without thinking much of it, he said, "Oh! My lady, you don't know, do you? Something strange happened at the dock this morning!"
Sure enough, Fan Xiaoxiao's attention was immediately drawn to him: "Oh? What's so strange?"
"Hehe! You guys don't know, do you? Yesterday, a strange old man came to the dock, saying that walnuts could be exchanged for silver."
Uncle Wang frowned. He hadn't been there yesterday and genuinely knew nothing about it. Fan Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was perfectly aware of the matter. A glint flashed in her eyes, signaling for him to continue.
"Oh dear! We all thought the old man was joking! But guess what? Those walnuts really could be exchanged for money! They say someone saw a chubby man, all bundled up, exchanging a carved walnut for a pile of gleaming silver in the morning mist! The person who saw it said the amount must have been over eighty taels!"
At this point, the vendor clicked his tongue twice, then sighed and continued to say to himself, "Ah, it's a pity that the old man left early this morning! Otherwise, everyone would have wanted to take their walnuts and try them out!"
Fan Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat, and she gave a cryptic smile: "Is that so? That is indeed a strange thing."
On the way back, Uncle Wang was still clearly confused. He frowned, pondering what the vendor had said, muttering to himself, "These carved walnuts... why do they sound so familiar?"
Fan Xiaoxiao chuckled: "Doesn't this sound a lot like the things we sent out before?"
"Yes! This..."
"ah!!!"
Just as Uncle Wang was about to say something, a woman's piercing scream interrupted him. Fan Xiaoxiao and Uncle Wang were both stunned, and when they heard the direction from which the scream came, their faces turned ashen.
The sound was clearly coming from the direction of Old Zhao's house!
(End of this chapter)
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