Chapter 8: Selling Medicinal Herbs
The three of them immediately agreed.
“Then tomorrow, we’ll drop Datou off at your grandma’s and head into town,” Wen Xiuyi said.
Unexpectedly, Datou, who had been quietly playing with his clay figurine, suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around Wen Xiuyi’s neck and refused to let go.
Wen Xiuyi looked at his son and daughter in confusion.
“Is Datou afraid we’re going to abandon him?”
That question made things even worse—Datou clung even tighter. Wen Xiuyi understood immediately.
Such a small child naturally lacked a sense of security. He patiently coaxed Datou, explaining things to him for a long time, but the little one still refused to let go.
“Father, why don’t we just take Datou with us? You’ll be at the docks, and my brother and I will watch him. Nothing will happen,” Wen Yao suggested. They were two grown-ups—surely they could keep an eye on a child. Besides, seeing Datou like this, they really couldn’t bear to leave him behind.
Datou’s eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly. He immediately let go of Wen Xiuyi and grabbed Wen Yao’s hand, silently promising that he would behave and not run around.
Wen Xiuyi’s heart melted. “How is this child so well-behaved?”
After saying that, he mentally cursed Meng De again for being heartless.
Since they were going into town, they could also buy some necessities for the house. Wen Yao told Wen Xiuyi about Datou’s hidden stash of money. When they counted the coins in the pouch, they found over 300 wen.
Wen Xiuyi was surprised as he patted his youngest son’s head. “Well, well, we’ve got a little miser here.” He had no idea how Datou had managed to save this much. Perhaps it had been left by his ex-wife.
Datou assumed Wen Xiuyi was praising him and nuzzled against his palm, making Wen Xiuyi laugh and hug him tightly. “Good boy, my precious son.”
Their previous “precious son,” Wen Jun, got up and said, “I’ll go to the old house and let Grandma and Grandpa know. I’ll also ask Second and Third Uncle to come by tomorrow to fix the kitchen. Since we won’t be home, we’ll need them to keep an eye on things.”
They hadn’t managed to meet their uncles today, so the kitchen still hadn’t been repaired.
Wen Xiuyi nodded and turned to Wen Yao. “Yao Yao, give your brother fifty wen to take with him. Fixing the kitchen takes time, effort, and materials. Also, I haven’t properly shown respect to your grandparents all these years. This money is a lot for us right now, but I promise I’ll work hard in the future so you’ll never have to worry about it.”
“The money belongs to Datou—we should ask him first,” Wen Yao said, turning to the little boy. “Datou, is that okay?”
The tiny child firmly pressed the pouch into Wen Yao’s hands and nodded, as if saying, Take it, it’s all yours.
Only then did Wen Yao count out fifty wen for Wen Jun and pack some of the pine nuts and hickory nuts for him to take along.
Wen Jun returned not long after.
“Grandma and Grandpa accepted the money. They said Second and Third Uncle will come over tomorrow to fix the kitchen. They also asked if we wanted to leave Datou with them since we’re all going into town.”
Hearing this, Datou immediately buried himself in Wen Xiuyi’s arms.
Wen Xiuyi patted his back reassuringly. “No need. We already promised Datou we’d take him with us. You two must watch over your brother closely. If a child gets lost in this place, it won’t be easy to find him.”
The siblings promised they would take good care of him. The family then retired for the night, though Datou refused to let go of Wen Yao’s sleeve as he slept, afraid that they might disappear.
The next morning, before dawn, the family of four got up. Wen Yao used the last of the flour to steam some buns. Wen Jun carried a basket, Wen Xiuyi carried Datou on his back, and after locking up the house and stopping by the old house to say a few words, they set off on their first trip into town.
Datou, being so young, slept the entire way there. He only woke up when they reached the city gates, stirred by the noise around him. Seeing the massive gates and the bustling crowds, his big eyes darted around curiously, unable to take everything in at once.
Wen Xiuyi took them to a street lined with medicine shops before pointing them in the direction of the docks. He told them to find him there once they were done, patted his youngest son’s head, and then set off to earn money.
Wen Jun and Wen Yao were used to this kind of farewell—after all, they had seen Professor Wen off countless times before. Only Datou remained frozen, staring blankly in the direction Wen Xiuyi had left. He only lifted his head again when Wen Yao took his hand and led him into a medicine shop with Wen Jun.
It was still early, and there were no patients in the shop yet. A young apprentice was tidying herbs and cleaning when he noticed them. He put down his work and walked over.
“Are you here for a consultation or to buy medicine?” he asked politely.
Wen Yao, holding Datou’s hand, smiled and asked, “Big Brother, do you buy medicinal herbs here?”
Though Wen Yao was thin and dressed poorly, she had cleaned herself up before coming out today. She was still a child, but she had a sweet way of speaking.
The apprentice glanced at the three of them, noticed the basket on Wen Jun’s back, and understood immediately. He smiled and said, “We do. Please wait a moment, I’ll go get the shopkeeper.”
Wen Yao thanked him, and the young man, blushing slightly, quickly responded, “It’s no trouble at all,” before heading to the back.
Wen Yao glanced around and found the shop quite well-maintained. Everything was neatly arranged, and the floors and counters were spotless. Even the tools were meticulously organized, showing the dedication of those who ran it.
Regardless of anything else, as a “hospital,” cleanliness was already a great first impression.
Not long after, the apprentice returned with the shopkeeper, a middle-aged man in his forties. He studied the three of them before asking, “Are you the ones selling herbs?”
Wen Yao nudged Wen Jun forward. Wen Jun stepped up and bowed. “Good day, sir. Yes, we are.”
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. He had expected some rough countryside kids, but this young man was surprisingly well-mannered. His impression of them improved immediately. Rolling up his sleeves, he said, “Alright, show me what you have.”
Wen Jun set the basket down, revealing the cleaned Tianmendong inside.
The shopkeeper picked up a few pieces, examined them, then dug to the bottom of the basket for a closer look. After a moment, he nodded. “The quality is decent, but they aren’t very old. Our shop buys Tianmendong at thirty-five wen per jin. If that works for you, we’ll take it. Otherwise, you’re free to check with other shops and come back if you like.”
The apprentice, still standing beside Wen Yao, added with a smile, “Little sister, our shopkeeper is the most honest one on this street. Everyone around here knows that. You can trust us.”
Wen Yao had no reason to doubt them. A large medicine shop like this had no need to cheat small-time sellers like them—scamming a few jin of Tianmendong wouldn’t make them rich.
“Then we’ll trouble you to weigh it,” the siblings said.
Seeing that although they were dressed poorly, they were clean and well-mannered, the shopkeeper smiled and asked, “Does someone in your family study medicine?” After all, most people wouldn’t recognize Tianmendong unless they had medical knowledge.
Wen Jun, unfazed, bowed slightly and replied, “I learned a little from my elders.”
The shopkeeper studied him for a moment before nodding. “I see. If you collect any more herbs in the future, bring them here. But let me be clear—I won’t buy anything of poor quality.”
Wen Jun bowed again. “Of course. Thank you in advance, sir.”
Soon, the apprentice returned with the weighed herbs—twenty-two jin in total, amounting to 770 wen.
After receiving their payment and thanking the shopkeeper, the siblings were escorted out by the apprentice. Just as they were leaving, they heard him call out, “Doctor Jin, you’re here!” Wen Yao glanced back and saw an elderly doctor with graying whiskers being led into the shop.
