Chapter 15: A Bit Painful

Without waiting to see the expression on the wealthy Master Li's face when he returned to eat the wontons, Zhu Ping'an and the others headed out to set up their stall after finishing their meal.

By the time they emerged from their breakfast stall, the sun was already halfway up the sky. The marketplace was gradually filling with people, and the sounds of street cries, calls to children, and laughter rose and fell in waves. Having enjoyed long periods of peace, the population was flourishing; even in a small town like this, it was quite bustling. Zhu Ping'an felt a sense of longing for the prosperity of the county seat, or even the capital at the Emperor's feet.

Father Zhu unhitched the ox cart, tied the ox to one side, and placed the basket of fodder nearby for the animal to graze leisurely.

Zhu Ping'an followed his older brother, Zhu Pingchuan, helping to separate the bamboo weaves from the brought mountain delicacies and wild game to arrange them. Before long, a simple street stall was set up. Once the stall was ready, Zhu Ping'an, thinking of his basket full of honeysuckle, told his father he was going to sell flowers.

Looking at Zhu Ping'an, whose chubby face was flushed with excitement, Father Zhu found he couldn't bring himself to say anything discouraging. *This silly son of mine actually thinks wild flowers can be sold for money. Fine, fine, let him go bump his head against a wall; then he won't harbor such absurd ideas in the future. A boy needs to experience some hardships.*

"Dachuan, take your brother for a stroll. If he can't sell anything, just bring him back," Zhu Shouyi decided, nodding in agreement. To be safe, he had Zhu Pingchuan lead the way.

Zhu Ping'an could clearly see his father's lack of faith. Recalling his mother Chen's teasing words from this morning, he thought to himself: *Just wait until I make some money; I'll see the look on your faces then.*

Following his father's instructions, Zhu Pingchuan slung the basket of honeysuckle over his shoulder, took Zhu Ping'an by the hand, and walked into the marketplace.

Shortly after Zhu Ping'an left, the scheming little girl and the stout, wealthy Master Li emerged from the nearby snack shop. Master Li was drenched in sweat, his nose red; clearly, he had been victimized by the extra "special ingredients" the little girl had added to his wontons.

"Exactly. Wasting food is bad. It's only right that Daddy eats it all," the little girl muttered, waddling along on her short legs.

Master Li wore a forced smile, nodding repeatedly, though the muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably.

As the little girl passed Father Zhu's stall, her large eyes brightened, and she paused to look. Finding that the little brat she was looking for wasn't there, she felt a slight sense of disappointment. *How dare he call me an ugly girl! I'll definitely show him!*

Master Li had no idea what his clever little daughter was thinking. Seeing her stop in front of Father Zhu's stall, he assumed she had taken a liking to some of the bamboo weaves.

"Shu'er, tell Daddy what you like, and Daddy will buy it for you." Master Li was a man of great wealth and was even more extravagant with his daughter, let alone for something as inexpensive as bamboo weaves.

The little girl, still in a low mood, casually pointed at a few items.

"Alright, I'll buy them, buy them all!" Master Li coaxed his daughter, patting his belly, before asking Father Zhu nonchalantly, "How much?"

Father Zhu noticed that the items the girl pointed at were the small bamboo crafts Zhu Ping'an had insisted he weave for fun a couple of days ago: a small bamboo flower basket, a tiny bamboo teapot, and a matching set of two bamboo cups. He hadn't expected to make any money from them, but since they were finished, he had brought them along.

"They are just trifles, not worth much. The small basket, teapot, and cups together make two sets... ten wen," Father Zhu said, feeling a bit awkward after a moment's thought.

Without a second thought, Master Li pulled twenty wen from his money pouch and handed it to Father Zhu. He placed the teapot and cups into the bamboo basket, presented them to his daughter like a treasure, and led the little girl away with great fanfare.

Father Zhu's face turned a shade of dark red. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but Master Li had already walked too far away to hear him.

Watching Master Li's retreating figure, Father Zhu felt a bit exasperated. *I said ten wen for both sets. Besides, I was only starting the price, waiting for you to haggle! After all, the bamboo was free from the mountains; I only spent a little time. The time it took to make those two sets wasn't even as much as it takes to weave a single basket.*

Though Father Zhu was a simple man, he wasn't narrow-minded. Since Master Li was clearly not short on money, he decided to treat it as returning a favor.

As people came and went on the streets, Zhu Pingchuan led Zhu Ping'an on a aimless wander.

Of course, it was only aimless for Zhu Pingchuan. Zhu Ping'an had a purpose, his bright, small eyes scanning the shops along the street.

A teahouse? No.

A tavern? No.

A rouge and yarn shop? No.

Fragrant silks and laughter in the willow-lined streets... ah, a brothel. Definitely not that either.

Though the town was small, it was well-equipped with a variety of shops, but what he was looking for was a pharmacy, not these places.

"Little Pig, where are we going? I think Mother and the others were right; no one is going to buy wild flowers, especially dried ones," Zhu Pingchuan said, trying to persuade his brother to head back.

"I heard pharmacies collect things like roots and bark. Maybe they'll want these," Zhu Ping'an suggested, tugging at his brother's sleeve with his chubby hand. "Let's go to a pharmacy."

"They collect medicinal herbs, not flowers," Zhu Pingchuan corrected.

"Maybe these wild flowers are medicinal herbs too..." Zhu Ping'an blinked, thinking to himself, *If they weren't, I wouldn't have picked them in the first place.*

"Can wild flowers be medicinal herbs?" Zhu Pingchuan said skeptically. He picked up a sprig of honeysuckle, sniffed it, and said firmly, "No, they can't."

Despite his skepticism, Zhu Pingchuan still led Zhu Ping'an to a nearby pharmacy. He had been here once or twice with his father, so he knew the way.

Although there were many shops on both sides of the street, the pharmacy was immediately recognizable to Zhu Ping'an. It stood out among the many businesses because it had several plaques displayed at the entrance with inscriptions like "Miraculous Healing" and "Dispensing Medicine to Save the World."

This was a high-traffic area. The pharmacy was located on the north side of the street, with its entrance facing south. The establishment had two courtyards; the front section served as the storefront and a space for resting and processing herbs. From the outside, the pharmacy looked clean, efficient, and well-organized.

The pharmacy was named "Jimin Tang" (The People's Relief Hall). A pair of wooden couplets hung on either side of the door. The left side read, "May people always be healthy," and the right side read, "How can I be the only one in poverty?" The couplets possessed a grand air, truly embodying the spirit of a healer serving the world.

Inside the pharmacy, a woman dressed in fine clothing was holding a child and consulting an old physician. A maid stood by to serve them. Behind them was a row of exquisitely carved rosewood medicine cabinets, where two young apprentices were busy reading prescriptions and dispensing herbs. Overall, the pharmacy was clean and orderly.

As Zhu Ping'an entered, he happened to hear the old physician delivering a diagnosis. While writing the prescription, the doctor gave the woman medical instructions: "The late summer heat has not yet dissipated, and damp-heat is invading the body. Madam, do not worry about the young master. Use three *qian* of honeysuckle, and one *qian* and two *fen* each of wild chrysanthemum, dandelion, purslane, and purple bellflower. Use two bowls of water, decoct until only eight parts remain, add half a bowl of unashy wine, and administer while hot once it reaches a second or third boil. Decoct again in the same manner; ensure he sweats through the process. He will surely recover within three days."

The noble lady thanked him repeatedly, while her maid busily memorized the instructions to ensure the medicine could be prepared correctly at home.