Entering the city required an entry fee, now even if you entered with just the shirt on your back, you still had to pay one wen. Of course, small children like Datou were exempt from the fee.
But Zhou Dalang still felt the pinch.
He paid the fee, and because he had already spent several wen upon entering the city, he was very worried. So he didn't go anywhere else, just pulled his handcart directly to the medicinal herb shop.
In the county, there was only one medicinal herb shop, and that was Jishi Hall.
When the shop assistant saw Zhou Dalang, he said, "You've come to sell herbs, haven't you? Please wait a moment; our shopkeeper will be here shortly."
Zhou Dalang had been there twice before, once to check the price with fresh Ligustrum seeds, and another time to ask if sun-dried Ligustrum seeds were processed correctly, so the assistant remembered him.
