Chapter 7: Going into the Mountains to Gather Medicinal Herbs for Initial Capital Accumulation
After lunch, Lin Yao packed her things and said to Lin Cheng, "Brother, I want to go up the mountain to dig some wild vegetables."
Lin Cheng nodded: "Okay, we've run out of firewood at home. I'll go get some and we can go together."
Upon hearing this, Lin Song dropped the small stone he was holding and insisted on going along. Lin Yao and Lin Cheng couldn't persuade him otherwise, so they had no choice but to take him along.
The three of them walked towards the mountains. Lin Cheng walked in front, holding a wooden stick in his hand, occasionally tapping the grass by the roadside.
Lin Yao followed behind, thinking to herself that the money she earned from selling those few stacks of cakes at the dock was pitifully small. She needed to find more ways to make money. This trip into the mountains was also a chance to try her luck. Maybe she could find some precious herbs so that she could open a shop sooner.
As she walked along the mountain path, she drifted into her memories. Back when she was a food blogger, she had done a series on medicinal cuisine to cater to the health and wellness trend. During that time, she collected information on many common herbs, learning about their growth habits, effects, and cooking methods, hoping they would come in handy.
As she walked, Lin Yao's eyes suddenly lit up when she saw a familiar plant—a cinnamon tree.
Lin Yao felt a surge of excitement. Cinnamon, also known as cassia bark, has bark that can be used to make cinnamon powder, and branches that can be used in medicine, possessing effects such as inducing sweating and relieving muscle tension, warming and unblocking the meridians, assisting yang and promoting qi circulation, and calming and regulating qi. ①
Lin Yao exclaimed with feigned surprise, "Brother, look! This is cinnamon. It can be used as a seasoning or in medicine!"
Lin Cheng and Lin Song rushed over, looking at the cinnamon tree beside them, but couldn't see anything special about it: "Ayao, how do you know this?"
Lin Yao apologized in her heart, but still used the same excuse: "Brother, when I was unconscious, someone fed me this medicine. I was in a daze at the time, and I only remembered the taste and appearance, so I recognized it."
Upon hearing this, Lin Cheng's eyes immediately reddened. "It must be because Mother misses you." Lin Yao nodded gently as well.
Lin Cheng wiped away his tears and said with a smile, "Let's pick more osmanthus branches and sell them for money."
“If I peel off some more bark, I can make cinnamon powder,” Lin Yao quickly added.
The three of them had a clear division of labor and spent a long time working around a few trees, filling most of their baskets. Lin Yao couldn't help but sigh, "It's so nice to have a forest that hasn't been overdeveloped." Lin Cheng then gathered some more firewood and covered the three of their baskets with it.
Lin Yao wanted to search some more, but she couldn't find anything. She did manage to cut a few more clumps of wild chives, but as the sun got higher and higher, she knew she wouldn't make it to town to buy any more if she kept searching, so she had to give up her hopes.
Sure enough, not everyone can come across Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng; she should just stick to selling pancakes.
The three siblings hurried and finally arrived home before the end of the 11 PM.
As soon as she entered the house, Lin Yao put down her basket and said to Lin Cheng, "Brother, let's take these medicinal herbs to town to sell together."
Lin Cheng nodded. "Okay."
Lin Yao went to town not only to sell medicinal herbs, but more importantly, to conduct a thorough market survey.
Although selling food at the docks now allows her to make a living, it can't give her the life she desires. In her previous life, she lived for over twenty years, and if she had to pick any hobbies, she really didn't have any. Her favorite thing was making money. She had had enough of the hard life; making money was the only right path for her.
She was thinking about expanding her business to the town and the city in the future. Last time she went to the town to buy supplies, she was in a hurry and didn't have time to see what shops were there. This time she had to take a good look.
The three of them walked together toward the town.
Today is market day, and the villagers will bring their collected eggs and vegetables to town to sell, making the town much more lively than usual.
Lin Yao's eyes sparkled as she silently observed each shop, assessing the foot traffic. After walking for a while, she spotted the imposing Guangyuan Hall, and the three of them stepped into the clinic.
The shop assistant, seeing their shabby clothes, didn't chase them away, but casually asked, "Are you here for a medical checkup or to get medicine?"
Lin Yao stepped forward and said, "We're here to sell medicine."
The young apprentice was taken aback. He told them to wait there for a moment, then turned and went back to the back room to fetch the doctor.
Before long, a slightly plump doctor with rosy cheeks came out from the inner room.
Chen Qianyuan's gaze fell on the osmanthus branches in their baskets, and he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. Although osmanthus branches are common in the countryside, not many people recognize them. The osmanthus branches in the brother and sister's baskets looked fresh and of excellent quality.
Lin Yao was also worried. Although she knew the medicinal effects of cinnamon twigs, she didn't know their market price in ancient times, so she decided to take the initiative and ask, "Doctor, how much do you think these cinnamon twigs are worth?"
Chen Qianyuan stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before speaking: "One hundred and ten coins per catty."
Lin Cheng, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed, so excited he almost dropped the basket on his back. This was much more profitable than selling pancakes!
But Lin Yao's expression remained unchanged. "Doctor, this price is too low." With that, she reached for the basket in her elder brother's hand, as if to leave.
Seeing this, Chen Qianyuan quickly raised his hand to stop her: "Young lady, don't be in a hurry! I'll raise it to 120 wen per catty, which is already a fair price. The town's consumption of cinnamon twigs is limited. Fortunately, our Guangyuantang branch has many branches, so we can distribute them. Otherwise, we wouldn't dare to buy so much."
Lin Yao pretended to think for a moment before nodding, "Okay, then I'll do as you say."
After weighing and calculating, Lin Yao received a hefty sum of 680 coins.
Chen Qianyuan looked at the three siblings in front of him. Although they were dressed in rags, the young woman in charge of negotiating the price was eloquent and neither humble nor arrogant. He couldn't help but feel a bit curious and appreciative.
Lin Yao told Lin Cheng to keep the money safe. With the copper coins, she felt happy and her steps became lighter. She pulled the two brothers and plunged into the bustling market.
As she walked, Lin Yao spotted a sugar figurine stall not far away, the sugar figurines emitting an enticing sweet aroma in the sunlight.
Lin Yao sensed that Lin Song's pace had slowed down, so she slowed her pace as well.
Lin Yao recalled that the last time she came to the town, Lin Song had done the same thing, staring intently at the sugar figurine stall.
This happened just a few days ago. Back then, the family was struggling financially, and every penny had to go somewhere. Today, however, we are a little better off.
Although Lin Cheng looked simple-minded, he was actually quite perceptive. He noticed his younger siblings' unusual behavior and followed Lin Song's gaze, immediately understanding what was going on. In the past, he had been so focused on earning a living and supporting his younger siblings that he hadn't paid much attention to the children's feelings. Of course, the most important thing was that he didn't have any money.
Lin Cheng led Lin Yao and Lin Song toward the old man selling sugar figurines and said, "A Yao, Song'er, go and pick out a sugar figurine you like."
Lin Song was stunned at first, his eyes filled with disbelief. After he came to his senses, his face lit up with surprise.
Just as Lin Yao was about to decline, Lin Cheng said, "Ayao, you should buy some too. We've been so grateful to you these past few days."
Lin Yao thought for a moment. The original owner was twelve years old this year, still a child. Being a little greedy would be more in line with the original age, so she chose a sugar figurine shaped like a little pig.
Lin Song couldn't make a choice for a while. Standing in front of the stall, his eyes wide open, he looked left and right, his heart filled with joy and confusion.
The sugar figurines on the stall were incredibly lifelike. There was a majestic tiger with its mouth wide open, a colorful phoenix spreading its wings as if about to take flight, and an adorable chubby baby. He liked them all.
Lin Song clenched the hem of his clothes with his small hand, hesitated for a long time, and finally pointed to a tiger, making up his mind, "Brother, I want this one."
Lin Cheng paid eight coins and handed the sugar figurine to Lin Song. The little guy beamed and carefully licked it, making Lin Yao and Lin Cheng laugh.
Lin Yao also ate the sugar figurine in her hand. It tasted like ordinary sugar, but the sweetness slowly seeped into her heart.
In her past life, she was an orphan, growing up in the small world of an orphanage. Life there was hard and monotonous; the old houses, the few toys everyone shared, and the meager supplies. The constant sense of deprivation instilled in her a deep longing for money from a young age, as only earning money could bring her a sense of security. As she grew older, she ventured out on her own, achieving some success through trials and tribulations, but she died before she had earned enough money. Thinking of this, Lin Yao cursed the cruelty of fate.
In some ways, she envied the original owner of this body, who had an older brother who genuinely loved her and a lively and adorable younger brother—a warmth she had never experienced in her previous life. However, the original owner was simply too poor. Lin Yao was not one to endure hardship; she would work hard to earn money, both for her own sake and to repay the departed original owner.
The three continued strolling around the town. The streets were lined with shops selling all sorts of goods, their signs fluttering in the wind. Food stalls stood side by side, steaming hot.
A long queue had formed in front of a sesame seed cake stall. Lin Yao glanced at the signboard; this was the Qian family's sesame seed cake stall that Wu the镖头 (bodyguard) had mentioned. The freshly baked sesame seed cakes gleamed an enticing golden color, with sesame seeds firmly embedded, making them look plump and delicious.
The porridge shop next door was not to be outdone; the rice porridge in the large pot was bubbling and steaming, with the aroma of rice mixed with the sweet fragrance of red dates and longan wafting through the air.
Lin Yao was overwhelmed by the sights, her mind racing with calculations.
She pondered the pricing and ingredient costs of these dishes, wondering how she could create a unique selling point and attract customers if she opened her own shop. As she walked, a rather tidy-looking noodle shop came into view. Inside, many diners were slurping down their noodles, which looked delicious.
Lin Yao stepped into the store first, followed closely by Lin Cheng and Lin Song.
The waiter greeted them warmly: "What would you like to order, gentlemen?"
Lin Yao said crisply, "One bowl of noodles and two servings of wontons."
Upon hearing this, Lin Cheng instinctively wanted to pull Lin Yao outside. This would cost a lot of money, and earning money at home was not easy; every penny had to be spent sparingly.
Just as he was about to speak, Lin Yao seemed to read his mind, and with a smile, she grabbed Lin Cheng's arm and said, "Brother, we've made some money these past few days, let's have a good meal. I haven't eaten anything in town yet."
Lin Cheng paused slightly upon hearing this, then looked into his sister's bright eyes and ultimately swallowed his refusal. His sister had suffered so much alongside him for so long; she deserved a good meal once in a while. He gritted his teeth and told the waiter, "Bring it as my sister said."
Before long, the noodles and wontons were served. The noodle soup was clear, the noodles were chewy, and a few tender green scallions were placed on top; the wonton wrappers were thin and the fillings were generous, and you could vaguely see the pink meat filling inside, floating in the fragrant soup.
Lin Yao first took a bite of the wonton. The savory aroma of the meat filling spread on her tongue. Although the taste was not outstanding compared to the various delicacies of modern times, it had a unique sense of comfort in this small town.
"Boss, can you give me a discount? I bought thirty bowls of noodles this time, how about three hundred and fifty in total?" A slightly familiar male voice rang out in the noodle shop.
A note from the author:
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① Quoted from Baidu
Market day: a day for going to the market
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