Chapter 65: Going Down the Mountain to Buy Medicine
Even though Lin Sanniang had already been warned by Jian Xingxia that today’s guest was a bit “unique,” she was still profoundly shocked.
During her last few visits, she had thought the young mistress’s clothes were a bit strange, but she could still rationalize it positively. After all, narrow sleeves and narrow trousers were convenient for doing chores. But this noble guest of the young mistress—how could she come out wearing only a bellyband and a pair of undershorts that looked as if more than half of them had been cut off!
Lin Sanniang was utterly terrified in her heart.
Looking at the noble guest’s demeanor, she didn’t seem to have anything wrong with her, so why did she dress in such a frightening manner? Even the poorest families in the Daliang Dynasty, who had no clothes to wear and could only use rags, would still try their best to wrap themselves up. Except for chores like washing clothes or transplanting rice seedlings in the fields where one absolutely had to roll up their sleeves and trouser legs, rarely did anyone dress so boldly. No, it should be said that no one did.
Lin Sanniang looked toward Jian Xingxia for help.
From the way Lin Sanniang kept trying to look away from Liang Chengcheng but couldn’t help glancing back, Jian Xingxia finally realized what the problem was.
Because she had been working in the fields and heading into the mountains these past few days, she had been wearing long sleeves and long pants to prevent getting scratched by wild grass and branches or bitten by mosquitoes. Therefore, Lin Sanniang and the others thought her clothes were very different but found them acceptable and weren’t overly curious.
But Liang Chengcheng was different. She was here on vacation.
When doing chores, she would wear long sleeves and long pants for sun protection, but once the work was done, she would shower and change. This morning, right after they finished planting a plot of land, Liang Chengcheng took a quick shower. Since the weather was hot, she directly changed into a camisole tank top and denim shorts.
Jian Xingxia didn’t think there was any issue with it. But to Lin Sanniang, it was a massive shock.
Liang Chengcheng had already carried a dish outside and called out to Jian Xingxia, “Xiaxia, is Auntie eating with us?”
Jian Xingxia looked toward Lin Sanniang.
Lin Sanniang, completely scared out of her wits by Liang Chengcheng, waved her hands frantically. “I—I don’t, no…”
Jian Xingxia gave an embarrassed smile, first turning her head to shout to Liang Chengcheng, who was setting the table, “No need! Auntie has to leave right after she finishes cooking.”
“Alright!” Liang Chengcheng went to the small parlor to scoop the rice, completely unbothered.
Over on this side, Jian Xingxia quickly explained to Lin Sanniang, “This is just how people dress here. Everyone can wear whatever they like.”
Lin Sanniang’s mouth fell open, and for a long moment, she didn’t know what to say. This—this blessed mountain estate truly was… exceptionally unusual.
At this moment, another thought popped up in Lin Sanniang’s heart. She had previously said that this mountain estate didn’t have the slightest hint of strangeness and only existed to help and serve people. Now it seemed she had jumped to a conclusion far too early.
But no matter what, the young mistress was the absolute best person. Since the mistress said this was allowed, then it was allowed. Except this time, no matter what, she wouldn’t dare make clothes like this for Taoya or herself to wear for work.
Lin Sanniang didn’t dare eat at the same table as Liang Chengcheng, so Jian Xingxia set aside a portion of each dish and let Lin Sanniang eat by herself at the small table in the kitchen.
Jian Xingxia and Liang Chengcheng sat near the back door, catching the draft blowing through the hall as they ate and chatted slowly. Lin Sanniang ate quickly, and once she finished, she felt frightened the moment she caught sight of Liang Chengcheng.
After agonizing over it for a long time, she washed and tidied up all the pots, bowls, ladles, and pans in the kitchen, but she ultimately felt she couldn’t just stay here wasting time. That would be getting paid for doing nothing. The young mistress was so good to her; she couldn’t let her conscience be compromised like that.
Thus, Lin Sanniang picked up the vegetable basket by the kitchen door, blocked her face slightly to pluck up her courage, and stepped out of the kitchen.
Once outside, she didn’t dare look around much and only spoke to Jian Xingxia and Liang Chengcheng near the doorway: “Please take your time eating, young ladies. I shall go to work now.” After saying that, she quickly ran toward the outside of the backyard.
Liang Chengcheng raised her head to look at the sky in some surprise. “It’s twelve o’clock noon under such a fierce sun, and she’s still heading out to work?”
Jian Xingxia grinned. “Well… cooking delayed her other chores, so she probably wants to make up for lost time.”
“Oh,” Liang Chengcheng felt a bit sympathetic. “It really is too difficult for farmers to earn money.” As she spoke, she remembered something, pulled out her phone, and transferred three hundred yuan to Jian Xingxia. “You won’t let me settle the account for the furniture and appliances, and I won’t settle the account for the bracelet with you, but I can’t eat and stay here for free. Let me pay for hiring Auntie.”
This time, Jian Xingxia didn’t decline. Between her and Liang Chengcheng, being too polite would instead create distance.
“Alright, then I’ll accept it.”
“Exactly, just accept it open and aboveboard,” Liang Chengcheng smiled brightly. “Your place has excellent mountains and water; it will definitely achieve great things in the future. I’ll definitely come back then.” With that, she brought up the dishes on the table. “The auntie you hired truly has excellent skills. How was this stuffed eggplant made? The meat filling feels exceptionally springy and carries a very unique fragrance.”
“And this chicken soup—it smells so good and is so rich! Is it because of the free-range chicken, or the mushrooms inside?”
“Is there a recipe for this lotus leaf steamed ribs?”
Lin Sanniang had given Jian Xingxia a general overview of her plan before cooking, so Jian Xingxia knew a little bit about it.
“The meat filling was mixed with wild mushroom water… Not shiitake mushrooms, but wild mushrooms from the mountain. A mix of various wild fungi, which is why the fragrance is so unique.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what’s in the chicken soup. But I don’t know the specific ratio of the mushrooms. I’ll ask later. Though maybe Lin San… Auntie Lin doesn’t know either; we might have to ask the villagers.”
The mixed wild mushrooms had been bought in the village yesterday.
Liang Chengcheng thought that made sense. “Then let’s head over to the village again this afternoon.”
Jian Xingxia agreed. “But it’ll have to be a bit later. I need to go to town first to buy some medicine.”
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Liang Chengcheng grew concerned.
“No,” Jian Xingxia laughed. “It’s just that it’s inconvenient for the elderly folks in the village to head down the mountain, so they occasionally ask me to buy things for them. After all, I frequently go to collect my online shopping packages anyway, so it’s convenient.”
“Then I’ll go along with you.”
“Sure.”
After finishing their meal, the two of them carried the dishes to the kitchen, covered the leftovers, put them in the refrigerator, and then rode the tricycle toward the outside of the mountains.
With Liang Chengcheng staying over these few days, Jian Xingxia had borrowed the tricycle from Grandma Hu Ming. Grandma Hu Ming had agreed immediately, telling Jian Xingxia she could use it for as long as she liked. It was just that Jian Xingxia felt bad herself, putting all her effort into making money so she could possess a tricycle of her own as soon as possible.
Once they reached the town, Jian Xingxia first collected her packages and then let Liang Chengcheng pick out items in the supermarket by herself. She, meanwhile, slipped into the pharmacy next to the supermarket.
Before coming, she had researched online: raw Chinese medicinal herbs were expensive because cultivating and processing them were currently scarce industries, and the costs of transportation, preservation, and retail were also high. Especially since the prescription Lin Sanniang brought included a few high-priced medicinal materials, buying them individually to brew at home would truly not be cheap.
Conversely, the traditional Chinese patent medicine, Motherwort Paste, was more cost-effective. Because it used a single type of herb, it primarily relied on modern purification technology to enhance its medicinal efficacy. Furthermore, once manufactured into patent medicine, it was far more convenient in terms of packaging, transport, storage, and sales. In the industrial era, handmade items grew increasingly expensive, while industrial products gradually dropped in price.
To be safe, Jian Xingxia still inquired about the raw Chinese medicinal herbs at the pharmacy first. Sure enough, not only was Chinese medicine expensive, but they also wouldn’t let her just pick them up haphazardly; a prescription was required. Jian Xingxia did have a prescription, but it certainly wasn’t the hospital prescription required by the pharmacy.
Therefore, she decisively turned her attention to the manufactured Motherwort Paste.
