It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

The next day, at dawn, two girls, one big and one small, were walking hand in hand on the path out of the village.

A fish just turned over in the sky, and smoke curled up above the quiet village. From a distance, it looked like an ink painting with just the right amount of light and dark.

Song Zhi stopped at the village entrance and said to her younger sister who had accompanied her all the way, "Go back quickly! If my younger brother wakes up and doesn't see anyone, he'll start crying!"

Song Huan stopped and looked at his sister eagerly, looking reluctant to leave.

Song Zhi rubbed her head tenderly and said, "Be good at home. I'll bring you some candy when I get back."

Song Huan's eyes lit up instantly, "Sister, please be more careful on the road and come back early."

Song Zhi smiled and nodded, "Okay, sister, come back soon!"

Song Huan ran back a distance, but couldn't help looking back. She saw her sister waving at her, signaling her to go back quickly.

When she ran back home and looked back, her sister was still standing there looking at her.

Song Huan couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

This time she didn't hesitate and ran straight home.

She knew that her sister was watching her not far away.

In the past, her elder sister was strict and often taught her not to get close to her aunt.

The elder sister has changed now. She has become gentler and more reassuring, which makes her feel less concerned and less dependent on her.

Song Zhi stood at the entrance of the village and watched her younger sister disappear before she walked towards the official road.

Not long after walking, the sound of a cart was heard behind her. This time, Song Zhi did not hesitate and got on the ox cart directly.

After applying medicine to grandma last night, she stuffed two cents into her pocket, and her meaning was very clear, asking her to take the ox cart directly to the county town today.

Song Zhi didn't hesitate at all to spend a penny and save an hour's walk.

The ox cart swayed for half an hour before finally arriving at the county town.

Song Zhi jumped off the ox cart holding a backpack and walked straight to the city gate to queue up to enter the city.

There were quite a few people entering the city early in the morning, and by the time it was Song Zhi's turn, a cup of tea had already passed.

With the experience of entering the city the day before, after being checked upon entering the city, Song Zhi had a clear purpose. She did not linger in the crowded East Market for long, but turned directly into the West Market.

The West Market in the early morning is also full of life. From time to time, the streets are filled with the shouts of vendors and the bargaining of people carrying vegetable baskets.

During the trip, I passed by a small shop selling vinegar. I heard a lot of noise inside the shop, and there were people watching outside the shop.

Song Zhi didn't intend to join in the fun. She continued walking towards the clinic without looking around.

There were not many patients in the clinic in the early morning. Song Zhi walked into the clinic carrying a basket on her back and saw only a little medicine boy wiping the medicine cabinet.

The little medicine boy heard the noise and looked up and said without hesitation: "Master is out for a consultation. Please wait a moment!"

"I don't treat illnesses, I'm here to sell herbal medicine!" Song Zhi replied.

The little medicine boy also recognized Song Zhi. He smiled at her and said, "Madam, you are here to sell herbs again. You came at an unfortunate time. The master has just been asked by the vinegar seller to go out for a consultation!"

Song Zhi thought about what she had seen when she came here just now, and asked casually, "But it's the shop on the street."

Seeing that she knew about it and that no one was around, the little medicine boy started gossiping without restraint, lowering his voice and saying, "It's the Chen family vinegar shop. Their vinegar is of high quality and reasonably priced. It's the only one of its kind in the West Market."

"It's just that the Chen family shop has been in trouble this year. First, the city's restaurants returned their goods, and this morning someone accused them of having a vinegar bug. Boss Chen got so excited that he fainted. The old master was just invited over."

Song Zhi said casually, "How could such a coincidence happen in this world? I'm afraid someone is deliberately targeting me."

The little medicine boy looked at Song Zhi with an expression that said, "You've got the truth."

Song Zhi's heart moved slightly, as if she had thought of something. She continued to ask, "Brother, do you know who is targeting the Chen family?"

Seeing Song Zhi being so bold and straightforward, the little medicine boy looked outside and saw that no one else had heard the conversation between the two. He breathed a sigh of relief and reminded her,

"My dear, please don't be so blunt. If that person reports it to the Wang family, it won't be good for a nobody like you and me. You know, the Wang family is one of the most powerful families in Qishui County."

"The Wang family, which Wang family?"

The little medicine boy cried out "ouch" and quickly covered his mouth, saying, "Look at me, I'm not keeping my mouth shut again, my lady, just pretend you didn't hear anything."

How could Song Zhi let go of the opportunity to understand the power of Qishui County? She smiled apologetically.

"Don't panic, little brother. It's not that I don't know the interests involved, that's why I'm not afraid. Now that you've told me, I'll know to avoid it next time."

The little medicine boy was only a boy of thirteen or fourteen years old, and he thought what Song Zhi said made sense.

A fearless person has nothing to fear. I have already said something out of turn today, so I should tell her not to talk nonsense outside to avoid involving him.

So he talked about the Wang family's background in detail.

It turns out that the Wang family in Qishui County not only has money, but also owns land, shops, and prestige.

During the war a few years ago, the old man of the Wang family donated money and grain to resist foreign invasion.

Last year, when the Turks invaded the border, Wang Yan, the eldest son of the Wang family who was the county magistrate in Anning County, fought tenaciously and died of exhaustion in battle, but this delayed the arrival of reinforcements.

Normally, such a righteous family should not be so domineering, but the current leader of the Wang family is so short-sighted.

At this moment, Song Zhi's heart sank. She was still planning to make candy to sell!

Now the Chen family’s vinegar is just good quality and cheap, and people are jealous of it, so they are targeted like this.

Isn’t her method of making sugar even more precious?

How many powerful people are involved in this interest?

If someone were to take notice of her, she would be nothing but a peasant girl. If someone wanted to cause trouble for her, it would only take a word.

It seems that selling sugar directly still doesn’t work, so will selling it indirectly work?

These thoughts flashed through his mind in just a moment, and the little medicine boy saw that the other party was silent for a long while.

Thinking that the other party was just scared, he tried to comfort her: "This is just a casual remark. As long as my wife doesn't spread it outside, there will be no trouble."

After hearing this, Song Zhi quickly calmed down and repeatedly promised that she would not go out and tell nonsense.

Song Zhi waited in the clinic for another incense stick of time, and the owner of the clinic finally came back.

The shopkeeper naturally remembered Song Zhi. After exchanging a few words, he looked at the medicinal herbs in the backpack.

Seeing that the medicinal materials were cleaned up very neatly and sorted well, he readily asked the medicine boy to weigh them.

While the little medicine boy was weighing the herbs, Song Zhi asked about the price of the new Artemisia capillaris.

As Song Zhi expected, the shopkeeper was only willing to pay one penny per pound.

There was no way out. Although she knew that the price had been lowered, she had no choice but to accept it.

This also intensified Song Zhi's desire to quickly get rid of the idea of making money by selling herbal medicine at low prices.

In the end, Song Zhi left the pharmacy with the sixty-eight coins she had received.