Chapter Forty: A Calculated Departure

"Wild lettuce, dandelion, and strongweed—you all know them, they're medicinal herbs." An Yi could not refuse the Xinliu sisters who followed her to gather herbs, but she could choose not to tell them the precautions. As for how to properly sort the herbs, she kept silent.

"Xier, what are you wearing on your hands? It looks so strange," Congliu asked.

"These are gloves," An Yi replied calmly, her lips curling into a faint smile. "It's getting late, let's dig for herbs."

The four of them dug on the hillside for over half an hour. The An siblings collected fewer herbs than the Zhu sisters.

An Jian grew anxious. "Sister, they've gathered more than us. What should we do?"

An Yi smiled serenely and said slowly, "Quality is more important than quantity."

"Huh?" An Jian didn't understand. "Sister, what did you say?"

"I said, intact herbs sell for a higher price. The amount doesn't matter," An Yi replied plainly.

An Jian's worries turned into delight. He leaned in close to An Yi and whispered, "Sister, you didn't tell them how to dig, did you?"

An Yi glanced at him sideways. "Are you planning to tell them?"

An Jian twisted his mouth to one side. "I'm not a fool."

"Of course you're not. My second brother is very clever," An Yi said with a smile, her eyes curved.

"That's right," An Jian said proudly, shaking his head.

Time passed swiftly, and before long, the end of April arrived. With the ox cart to travel by, An Yi brought two large bundles of strongweed and accompanied Madam Luo into town. Aunt Liu and her daughter came along as well, making Luo Chunli feel embarrassed to accept her single coin, since they brought so much and took up an extra seat.

Once in the city, Aunt Liu and her daughter stuck close behind Madam Luo and An Yi. An Yi knew their intentions, but with Madam Luo present, she had no way to send them away and was secretly annoyed.

When they reached Red Embroidery Workshop, the clerk blocked the two shabby-looking women, saying with a face full of disdain, "Out, out."

Aunt Liu pointed to Madam Luo. "We're with them."

An Yi's eyes flashed. She whispered, "Mother, they're running a business. It's not good to let so many people follow us inside."

Madam Luo had intended to ask the clerk to make an exception, but hearing An Yi's words, she saw reason. "Aunt, please wait outside for me. I'll be out soon."

Aunt Liu didn't dare force her way in. She pulled Xinliu to crouch by the wall outside.

As luck would have it, two other embroiderers arrived to deliver their goods, and Sister Zhen wanted to check theirs first. An Yi was delighted, pulled Madam Luo aside, and said, "Mother, after delivering the goods, we'll go to the pharmacy. It'll be late by then. I'll go ahead now and come back for you later."

"No," Madam Luo grabbed An Yi's arm. "I'll go with you. There are lots of people in the city, you'll get lost."

An Yi laughed. "Mother, Aunt Liu is an adult. She won't get lost."

Madam Luo chuckled, realizing she'd forgotten about Aunt Liu. "Alright. Go quickly and come back soon. Don't forget to keep your money safe."

"I know." An Yi slipped away, intending to ask the clerk if there was a back door, but worried Madam Luo might ask and blame her later, so she thought better of it. She went to the entrance, peered outside, and looked around.

"Xier, what are you looking at?" the clerk asked.

An Yi pouted. "I'm checking if those two have left. They're so annoying, always following us. Mother can't bring herself to drive them away, so they're stuck with us. It's driving me crazy."

"No need to worry, I'll help you chase them off a bit farther," the clerk said with a smile.

"Thank you, Sister Ping," An Yi replied sweetly.

Sister Ping grabbed a broom and headed outside. "Hey, hey, you two, don't squat here. Move farther away, don't get in the way of my business."

Aunt Liu glared at Sister Ping and pulled Xinliu away another ten paces. Sister Ping wasn't satisfied—they could still see the door—so she chased them farther.

"Hey, woman, don't go too far! We're already standing far enough away. How are we bothering your business?" Aunt Liu protested angrily.

"If I say you're in the way, you're in the way. What, you want to fight?" Sister Ping brandished her broom, her manner fierce.

This was Sister Ping's turf, so Aunt Liu could only swallow her anger and drag Xinliu even farther. Only then did Sister Ping, like a victorious general, return to her shop, satisfied.

"Thank you, Sister Ping. I'm off to buy some candy—I'll be back soon." An Yi picked up her two bundles of strongweed and dashed to Jihuai Hall.

An Yi ran all the way to Jihuai Hall, slightly out of breath. Uncle Chen looked at her curiously, glanced outside, and asked, "Girl, is someone chasing you?"

"No, I came to town late today and I'm worried if I delay any longer, I'll miss the ox cart home," An Yi said, gasping.

Uncle Chen laughed, taking the cloth bags. "Both bags are strongweed? Good, good. Come, let's weigh them."

After weighing, Uncle Chen asked, "Girl, where's your mother?"

"Mother is at Red Embroidery Workshop, delivering goods," An Yi replied.

Uncle Chen opened a drawer. "Girl, strongweed fetches a good price. These two bags are worth two hundred and fifty coins. That's a lot of copper, hard to carry. I'll give you silver instead."

"Thank you, Uncle Chen." An Yi had already asked An Jian to consult Doctor Lu about the herb prices; Uncle Chen's offer was fair. She took the four silver coins, tucked them into her purse, and hid them in her bosom.

"Girl, next time bring me some golden-hair ear grass, that's ground centipede. You know it?"

"I know." An Yi smiled. "See you next time, Uncle Chen."

Uncle Chen smiled, eyes narrowing, and nodded.

An Yi had just stepped out of Jihuai Hall when a young man in blue emerged from the back room, picked up the strongweed on the counter, squeezed it, and nodded slightly.

"Fourth Young Master, I saw the girl had sorted the herbs very cleanly, so I decided to purchase them. Please forgive me," Uncle Chen said with a smile.

"So young, yet knows how to dig herbs to help her family. That's not easy. Give her a good price from now on," Fourth Young Master replied warmly.

"Understood." Uncle Chen was delighted. With Fourth Young Master's approval, helping that clever little girl was above reproach.

An Yi had no idea what had happened at the pharmacy. On the way back to Red Embroidery Workshop, she spent fifteen small hemp coins to buy three sticks of malt candy. As she entered, she said with a smile, "Sister Ping, have some candy."

"Xier, you took so long buying candy—did you sneak off to play?" Sister Ping asked, taking a stick with a laugh.

An Yi smiled, candy in her mouth, and said nothing.

Just then Madam Luo finished delivering the goods and came out with her new assignment, nodded a greeting to Sister Ping, and led An Yi out of the shop. She looked left and right. "Hey, where are Aunt Liu and Xinliu?"

"I don't know. I didn't see them when I came out, so I went to the pharmacy, sold the herbs, and bought three sticks of malt candy. I wanted to give one to Xinliu, but when I got back, they weren't here. Maybe they waited too long and went ahead, afraid of missing the ox cart," An Yi said, glancing at Madam Luo.

Madam Luo frowned slightly, scanning the surroundings. "Where could they have gone?"

"Aunt Liu knows the way and how to leave the city. No need to worry," An Yi replied.

"Alright. Let's go eat noodles, then buy rice," Madam Luo said.

"I don't want noodles. I want buns. Let's go over there and buy some, okay?" An Yi tugged at the bundle in Madam Luo's hand, acting spoiled.

Madam Luo suspected nothing and took An Yi off in another direction.