Chapter 5: Town
The next day, Li Zheng prepared a meal for Bao Ge'er early in the morning and quickly called him to get up and eat. After eating, they had to quickly take the village chief's ox cart to the town. After all, it would take a long time to go back and forth, so they had to go early in the morning. After Bao Ge'er finished eating, she asked, "Bao Ge'er, did you remember what your sister said yesterday?"
"Remember, sister is going to town and will be back in the evening. Play with brother Goudan for the whole day. Be good and don't cry." Baoger didn't know whether he became smarter because he learned the characters or drank the spring water.
"Yes, I'll take you to Brother Goudan's house after you're done eating." Li Zheng had told Aunt He about her plans to go to town a couple of days ago, and Aunt He was willing to look after Bao Ge'er for a day. After all, with Goudan and the two of them getting along well, it wouldn't be a big deal; it would only take the time it takes to eat. Besides, Bao Ge'er was too young to take with him, and it would be a bit inconvenient to bring him along, since there would be so much stuff to buy.
After dinner, he carried the herbs he had collected and hurried with Bao Ge'er to Aunt He's house. The only family in the village that had an ox cart was the village chief's family. They usually went to the town by ox cart once every ten days. Of course, they could also borrow an ox cart from the village chief's family if they needed anything.
"Auntie, have you eaten?" Li Zheng walked to Aunt He's house and saw Aunt He washing clothes. At this time, almost no doors in the village were closed during the day.
"Miss Zheng is here, come quickly." When Aunt He saw Li Zheng coming, she quickly wiped her hands on her clothes twice, walked over and hugged Baoger.
"Auntie, have you eaten?"
"I ate it. I ate it."
"Baoge'er, you're here. Come on, I'll take you to see my toys." As he was speaking, Goudan ran over and wanted to take Baoge'er away.
"You kid, why didn't you call your sister Zheng first when you saw her?" Aunt He was very dissatisfied with her son's impolite behavior.
"I see. I'm glad to see Bao Ge'er is here! Hello, Sister Zheng." Goudan first complained to his mother, then politely greeted Li Zheng.
"It's okay, I'm so happy that Goudan likes Baoger!" This is also the truth. The He family members are all good people, which makes her feel at ease.
"Okay, take Bao Ge'er to your place and take a look. Don't bully Bao Ge'er!"
"I know, I know, let's go." Goudan was impatient and anxious to show off his treasure.
"Sister, I'm going. Please come back early." Baoger was a little excited. After all, it was his first time to go to a friend's house to play for a day, so he was still very excited.
"You little rascal!" Aunt He scolded with a smile. "Don't worry, little Zheng. Bao Ge'er is safe with me. Hurry up and take the bus. Don't be too late and you won't be able to get on. Remember, after you sell the herbs and buy oil and salt, go to the city gate and wait for the bus from our village. Don't eat anything offered to you. Don't pay attention to strangers who talk to you. And keep your money safe. Don't let anyone steal it." Aunt He was still muttering worriedly, but it was June, the busy farming season, and she couldn't spare the time to accompany Li Zheng.
"Auntie, don't worry, I will."
"Well, I won't keep you any longer. Go quickly before it's too late."
"Okay, I'm leaving." We really had to hurry up. Once the time came, we had to leave regardless of whether everyone was there or not.
When she reached the village entrance and saw several people already sitting on the oxcart, she said to them, "Hello, Uncle Wang, hello, aunties." Li Zheng didn't know how to address these aunties, and her faces were unfamiliar. She hurried to sit on the oxcart, then placed the bamboo basket of herbs on her lap and held it in her arms. There weren't many people on the cart, and they all seemed to be busy tending the crops. When the aunties saw Li Zheng get on, they exchanged glances. They hadn't seen this girl much lately.
"Now that Zheng is here, let's get it done. The time has come, so we won't wait any longer." Uncle Wang is the second son of the village chief. The village chief has four sons. The youngest son went to school for a few years, but he had no talent, so he went to work as an accountant in a store in the town. The other three sons are all in the village.
"Okay." Oh, why am I a socially anxious person? Why am I not a social butterfly? Otherwise, I always feel embarrassed.
"Zheng girl, why are you going to the town? By the way, you probably don't know who I am. I am the daughter-in-law of Li Hai's family who lives at the head of the village. You can just call me Sister Lian. This is the daughter-in-law of your Li Erzhu family, you can just call her Sister Hui. And the daughter-in-law of your Li Dahai family, you can just call her Sister He." Sister Lian looks cheerful, efficient and enthusiastic.
"Hey, Sister Lian, Sister Hui, Sister Hehua, hello."
"Hey, Zheng, your sisters-in-law and I are going to the town to buy some meat. Isn't this the busy farming season? Without meat, we won't have the strength. What do you want to buy?" Sister Lian asked Li Zheng directly.
"Sister-in-law, I'm going to buy some oil and salt. The ones at home are almost used up. I picked some herbs in the mountains and want to go to the pharmacy to ask if they will accept them." Li Zheng talked about selling herbs so that the villagers would know their source of income.
"Oh, go buy some herbs. Then sister-in-law has to tell you something. There are two pharmacies in our town. They are both similar. But the owner of Xinlin's pharmacy is a nice guy. Why don't you try his place? However, his pharmacy has a fixed quota for herbs, so I don't know if they will accept them. It's better to give it a try."
"Yes, let's go and try it. If Zheng wants to buy oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, she should go to the grocery store on the east side..."
…
I chatted with my sisters-in-law on the way, and I was also impressed by the kindness of the people in the village. I didn't feel the time was passing while I was talking. It took more than an hour to get to the town by car. When entering the town, you have to pay an entrance fee of one cent. After paying the money, Li Zheng separated from her sisters-in-law. After all, everyone was going to different places, so they just had to wait at the city gate at two quarters after noon.
As Li Zheng walked, she thought to herself, "Thanks to my sisters-in-law, otherwise I would have been completely clueless when I arrived in town. After all, my original self had only been there a few times, and that was when I was a child." Li Zheng looked at the ancient town. It didn't have the tall buildings she'd imagined. The only impressive feature was the sturdier city walls at the gates, the wider and smoother streets, and the shops taller and cleaner than the low-lying mud houses in the village. It seemed like TV dramas were misleading. It seemed that the level of development during this dynasty wasn't very high.
Li Zheng didn't think about it, but walked towards the east to the clinic. In her arms was the ginseng she had wrapped yesterday. However, she didn't choose the ones with a higher age, but chose one that was about thirty years old and one that was fifty years old. In addition, for fear of not knowing the market price, she also prepared some palm-sized Ganoderma lucidum and some other valuable medicinal materials. She prepared some more in case she couldn't sell them at a good price.
While I was thinking about it, I had already reached the door of the clinic.
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