Uncle Liu looked awkward. "Ah Xiu..."
But Aunt Liu, unbothered by anything, simply grabbed Xiangli's hand and led her up onto the cart. "Don't worry, Xiangli, Auntie's here. The rule for this cart is clear—one copper coin per person. Who's to say this shabby cart has room for high and low distinctions? If someone's so precious that they're afraid to be touched or dirtied, they can get off. I'd be happy to free up space!"
Sure enough, not a single woman got off the cart. The reality was, there weren't many rides like this in the village. Though their expressions varied, they reluctantly stayed on.
Xiangli found it oddly satisfying. Maybe it was her naturally rebellious streak, but seeing these women, clearly upset yet forced to endure, gave her an inexplicable thrill.
Uncle Liu, clearly yielding to Aunt Liu, whipped the ox, and the cart trundled forward.
"Taking the kids to the market with you? That's not very convenient; it's bustling during market day. You don't want to lose them in the crowd," Aunt Liu said with concern.
"I'm leaving them with Aunt Chen when we pass by her place. It's too much to handle taking them into town."
"That makes sense," Aunt Liu replied. She didn't want Xiangli to feel awkward, so she kept chatting to keep the atmosphere light. "I hear you're good with herbs. That's quite impressive! Selling herbs again this time?"
"Yes, just making some money to get by, nothing special," Xiangli said with a grin.
Aunt Liu's straightforward nature warmed Xiangli's heart. It was rare at this time to meet someone so helpful and kind.
"Herbs? Better not mix them up and let the doctor prescribe the wrong thing and kill someone!" one of the women on the cart said snidely.
"No need to worry, Sister. Even if I'm blind, the doctors aren't. They know what's safe and what's not. But if you keep talking like this, people might think you're slandering the clinic. That could get you in trouble, and it wouldn't be easy to clean up that mess!"
In this era, doctors were highly respected. The physicians at the town clinic were all addressed with reverence.
The woman's face turned pale, and she sheepishly stopped talking.
Aunt Liu glanced at Xiangli with newfound curiosity. Xiangli had really changed. In the past, she would've swallowed such insults without a word. Where did all this sharpness come from?
When they passed by Aunt Chen's house, Xiangli dropped off the children there and continued alone to town.
Today was market day, and the west market was bustling with people selling goods from their farms. It was crowded and noisy.
The clinic, however, was in the east market, which catered to wealthier patrons and had a more refined atmosphere. No street vendors were allowed there. Carrying her bamboo basket, Xiangli made her way straight to the clinic.
The clinic's young assistant immediately recognized her and greeted her warmly. "You're here, Miss! The master told us to buy from you directly whenever you come."
Xiangli grinned. "Still, better inspect the herbs—just to be safe. And... I'm not a young girl. Call me Mrs. Li from now on."
The assistant gawked. "You're... married?"
"Yes," she replied casually, not wanting to dwell on the topic. "Is the master in today?"
"The master is out on a house call. If you don't mind waiting, he should be back soon."
Xiangli was a little pressed for time, though. "That's fine. Please let him know I said thank you. I'll come again another time."
With that, she quickly wrapped up her business, selling the herbs for one tael of silver. She carefully tucked the money into her pocket. While it was a decent sum, relying solely on selling herbs wasn't sustainable. It was exhausting work, and one tael wasn't enough to live comfortably.
In town, she headed to the bustling west market and bought carrots, cabbage, ginger, garlic, apples, pears, green peppers, chili powder, and wheat flour. Market days had the advantage of lower prices, so she managed to save quite a bit.
Finally, she stopped by the butcher's shop and bought 20 pounds of pork, a mix of lean and fat cuts, from the same friendly butcher as before.
"Mrs. Li, you sure buy a lot every time you come here," the butcher said with a hearty laugh.
"You'll have to give me a discount, then," she joked.
"Of course!"
"By the way, do you have any pork offal today? I won't even ask for a discount—just toss it in for free!"
The butcher was taken aback. "Mrs. Li, you don't seem like someone who can't afford meat. Why do you always go for the cheap stuff like offal?"
Xiangli smirked mischievously. "So, will you give it to me or not?"
"Haha, fine, take it! Who can say no to you after you've bought so much from me?"
Her basket was full to the brim, but she wasn't about to let people pry into her business. She discreetly transferred the meat and other valuable items into her magical storage space when no one was looking.
When she arrived at the meeting point, several women were already gathered there, chatting among themselves. The moment they saw her, they craned their necks to peek into her basket. Xiangli smirked coldly—she'd been expecting this.
"Ha! I thought she'd earned some big money, but all she bought was a bunch of cabbage and carrots. See? Just because she got lucky with a few herbs, she really thinks she's something. But it's just a few coins!"
The women's laughter, full of envy and bitterness, didn't bother Xiangli one bit.
Disclaimer:
I am not the original author of this work. This is a translated version of the original text, shared for reading and reference purposes only. All rights to the original content belong to the original author. I do not claim ownership of the original work or its characters. This translation is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.