The next day, Yan Qingqing got up as soon as she heard the rooster crow.
It seems her biological clock has set in; she now wakes up at this time every day.
Lying in bed is boring. The weather is just right now, neither too hot nor too cold, so I might as well get up and move around.
Since Li Xiangping wasn't home, the task of carrying water fell to Yuan Huiniang and Li Xinniang. Although they weren't as strong as Li Xiangping, they were still able to carry two buckets of water, being people who worked year-round.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was up early, Yuan Huiniang thought that something was wrong, so she quickly went over and asked, "Mother, why are you up so early today? If there's anything you need, just tell me and my younger siblings to do it."
Yan Qingqing suddenly felt a little embarrassed, realizing that it was abnormal for her to get up early once.
But who can blame her when she's the mother-in-law? She's at the top of the food chain now.
So he replied without changing his expression, "It's nothing serious, I just can't sleep. I'm just lying in bed anyway, so I might as well get up and move around."
Yuan Huiniang nodded, then looked at Yan Qingqing with a somewhat troubled expression.
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing asked, "Hui Niang, is something the matter?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huiniang quickly replied, "I heard from Silang that the things Mother brought back from the mountain yesterday are called Isatis indigotica, which is a medicinal herb. We don't know anything about these things, so we dare not touch them. Mother, we need you to decide how to deal with them."
Yan Qingqing nodded in agreement. The processing of Isatis root was relatively simple. All that was needed was to filter out the impurities, cut it into thick slices, and then dry it by baking or air-drying.
Of course, it can also be ground into powder, but Yan Qingqing still thinks the most traditional method is just right.
Moreover, she wasn't quite sure if she could sell them.
Whether it works or not, we have to try. Even if nobody wants them, we can keep them for our own use. These days, getting a headache or fever is perfectly normal.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing rolled up her sleeves and started working. Yuan Huiniang and the others would lend a hand as well. It took Yan Qingqing and the others a whole day to finish these things.
Li Sanniu, who was building a wall next door, kept craning his neck in this direction, thinking to himself that his second sister-in-law was having a hard time, and that she was even preparing to eat grass roots.
Yan Qingqing wasn't afraid of him seeing it. They had discovered this thing by chance, and there weren't many of them. Even if Li Sanniu learned how to use it, so what?
If he really had the brains, he'd go and sell medicinal herbs too. Yan Qingqing really thought highly of him.
Yan Qingqing was exhausted after a long day, with a sore back and aching waist. After dinner, she went to bed and went to sleep.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and nothing changed. The only saving grace was that Yan Qingqing's health had improved considerably, and she was no longer so weak.
When Yan Qingqing ate breakfast that day, she noticed that the porridge in her bowl was thinner than usual.
She glanced at Yuan Huiniang and the others' bowls; there were only a few scattered grains of rice, so shiny they were practically mirror-like.
Yan Qingqing sighed; she knew without asking that the family's food supplies were running low.
Fortunately, the woad had already dried, so she had to go to the city to try her luck.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing quickly finished the rice in her bowl, and then said to the children, "I need to go to the city. Who wants to come with me?"
Li Xiangkang quickly said, "Mother, I'll go! Please take me! I've never been to the city before!"
Niu Niu happily exclaimed, "Let's go! Let's go to town!"
Li Yueniang glanced at Yan Qingqing cautiously and said, "Mother, can I go? I've never been to the city before."
Even Yuan Huiniang and Li Xinniang, who were standing to the side, looked at Yan Qingqing with expectant expressions.
Looking at their pitiful eyes, Yan Qingqing suddenly felt immense pressure.
However, she was on official business this time, and someone needed to look after the house.
Yan Qingqing thought for a moment and explained, "I went to the city this time to take care of some business. We don't have much food left at home, so I was thinking of selling those cabbages to see if I could get some money."
There's been no news from my eldest son, second son, and third son lately. As their mother, I'm always worried about them and thinking of going to the city to inquire about them.
So this time, Xinniang and Yueniang will come with me. Huiniang, you stay home and look after Silang and Niuniu. I'll take you next time if there's a chance.”
Upon hearing Yan Qingqing's instructions, Yuan Huiniang readily agreed. Although Li Xiangkang was somewhat displeased, he knew his mother was going to the city on important business, so he sensibly nodded.
Actually, it was already quite late for Yuan Qingqing and the others to leave after breakfast, as transportation in ancient times was not as convenient as it is now.
Although there are oxcarts in Canghe Village, they cost two coins per ride, which Yan Qingqing cannot afford at the moment.
Besides, the oxcart set off early, leaving just as dawn was breaking. The driver's surname was He, and he was the third son in his family, so people called him He Laosan. He was very strong. Years ago, he injured his body while carrying heavy loads at the dock, so he used all his savings to buy an oxcart, which was enough to make a living.
Yan Qingqing looked at her legs, resignedly picked up the basket on her back, and had no time to sigh anymore, after all, it would still take two hours to walk to the city.
Fortunately, the woad in the basket wasn't too heavy after it dried, making it easier for Yan Qingqing to carry.
The mother and her two children hurried along, and finally arrived in the county town after two hours of walking.
The county where Yan Qingqing and her friends lived was called Chengyang County, which belonged to Xuanzhou Prefecture and had a relatively large population.
As soon as they arrived at the town gate, they could feel the liveliness of the county town, which was bustling with people.
There were also various hawking sounds and the sounds of bargaining.
Li Xinniang and Li Yueniang were both excited and nervous, especially Li Yueniang, who was still young and found everything fascinating. However, seeing Yan Qingqing's calm demeanor beside them, the two felt they had overreacted.
It wasn't that Yan Qingqing wasn't curious about ancient markets, but rather that she needed to quickly sell what she had in order to have money to go shopping.
Since she didn't know where the pharmacy was, Yan Qingqing had to ask around.
Finally, I learned that there were three pharmacies in the county: Changchuntang, Renhetang, and Renshantang.
The closest pharmacy to Yan Qingqing and her group was Changchuntang, which was also the largest pharmacy in Chengyang County.
Yan Qingqing decided to try her luck there first.
Yan Qingqing looked up at the magnificent and imposing pharmacy and thought to herself, "As expected of the largest pharmacy in Chengyang County, it is truly grand."
The business inside was quite good, with several people queuing to get medicine. Yan Qingqing waited until the last person came out before leading Li Xinniang and Li Yueniang inside.
The young shopkeeper inside, seeing that the mother and her two daughters were dressed in patched clothes and had no headdresses, said with some disdain, "If you want to beg for food, go somewhere else. This is a pharmacy; we don't have any food here."
Upon hearing this, Li Xinniang and Li Yueniang blushed instantly, and Li Yueniang nervously shrank her shoe, which was showing her toes.
They knew they were poor. But who in the village wasn't poor? Most people dressed like that, and no one laughed at them.
But the city people were different; they sensed it as soon as they arrived. Everyone there was dressed smartly and elegantly, and even if their clothes had patches, there were very few, making them appear even poorer.
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