Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

The next morning, the shopkeeper arrived with the wealthy woman and her son.

Upon seeing Huang Daopo, the wealthy woman hurriedly said, "I heard you can cure my child's illness?"

Huang Daopo looked at the wealthy woman in front of her, whose eyes were bright and whose nostrils were flaring as she breathed heavily, and nodded slightly, signaling the wealthy woman to let her son come forward.

The wealthy woman hurriedly urged her son to step forward.

After carefully examining the child's complexion and tongue coating, and inquiring about the illness, Huang Daopo nodded and said, "It's the same illness as the shopkeeper's child; it can be cured."

Upon hearing this, the wealthy woman exclaimed with delight, "Then please, nun, quickly pour some 'divine water' for my child!"

Huang Daopo smiled slightly and said, "No rush. The magic water for the baby is a bit special and needs to be prepared fresh. You take your baby to the room next door and wait. I will bring it over when I have prepared the medicine."

Upon hearing this, the wealthy woman glared and wanted to argue, but the shopkeeper pulled her back, and she reluctantly nodded in agreement.

After the wealthy woman and her son left, Huang Daopo went to Yin Qiuju's house.

When Yin Qiuju saw Huang Daopo coming over, she quickly jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and asked, "Master, where did that rich woman go?"

Granny Huang shook her head slightly and said, "I need to confirm something with you. You've been in disguise when you've been gathering information in the city lately, haven't you?"

Yin Qiuju knelt on the kang and said, "Master, don't worry about that. I'm very thorough in my work. Even someone who spoke to me yesterday might not recognize me if they were standing in front of me now. I have that much skill."

Huang Daopo said, "Alright, then you should set off immediately. From now on, we'll proceed as agreed beforehand. Is the crow ready?"

Yin Qiuju nodded hurriedly, and then took out a face cream box from under her pillow and handed it to Huang Daopo, saying, "Master, this is a 'white face cream' that I obtained by chance yesterday. It is said that after using it for less than a month, one's skin will be as white as snow. All the wives of officials are scrambling to buy it."

Huang Daopo took the face cream box, opened it, sniffed it a few times, and looked up at Yin Qiuju, saying, "Don't steal other people's things in the future, or you'll be caught and thrown into jail, and I won't be able to save you."

Yin Qiuju smiled shrewdly: "Master, don't worry. When I say I'm washing my hands of this business, I really mean it. This is the only time. I think we might be able to seize some opportunities from this, since this stuff costs five taels of silver a box and isn't easy to buy."

She knew that her master had some skills in recognizing and making medicine. In her eyes, this "White Face Cream" was a great opportunity to make money. If it could be replicated, it would be worth at least several months of their hard work.

Huang Daopo nodded thoughtfully, put away the face cream box, took the golden lotus flower, brought a bowl of medicine, and went to the room where the rich man's wife was.

As soon as the wealthy woman saw Huang Daopo enter, she immediately stepped forward and asked, "Daoist nun, is the 'divine water' ready?"

Granny Huang nodded slightly, handed the medicine bowl in her hand to the wealthy woman, and said, "This is the 'miracle potion' I've prepared for your child. You should let him drink it."

Upon hearing this, the wealthy woman immediately took the medicine bowl, handed it to her son, and said quickly, "Egg boy, drink this medicine quickly, and you'll get better."

Upon hearing that it was medicine again, the child immediately frowned, shook his head, and said, "Mom, the medicine is so bitter, I don't want to drink it anymore."

Upon hearing this, the wealthy woman immediately put on a stern face, glared at him, and said, "Good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease. Drink it quickly! After drinking this medicine, you will be cured, and you will never need to take medicine again."

Upon hearing that he would no longer need to take medicine, the child reluctantly took the bowl, frowned, closed his eyes, and drank the medicine in one gulp.

The wealthy woman watched her son finish the medicine before she felt relieved and asked, "Nun, now that you've finished the medicine, how long will it take for my child to get better?"

Granny Huang flicked her duster and said, "Just like the shopkeeper's doll, two doses of medicine will do."

Upon hearing this, the wealthy woman immediately beamed with joy, took out a silver ingot from her sleeve, and said, "Nun, please take this ten taels of silver first, and I will bring the child over tomorrow."

Huang Daopo smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I'll accept it." She turned to leave, but after taking only two steps, she stopped and looked back at the rich woman, hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, the wealthy woman asked anxiously, "Is there anything else, nun?"

Huang Daopo sighed, "I shouldn't have said more, but—"

"Speak freely—"

Huang Daopo turned around, her face solemn, and said in a mysterious voice, "Judging from your appearance, there will be some troubles in the family recently, and things will not be peaceful. Moreover, you are also experiencing some health problems."

The rich woman smiled contemptuously and said, "Everyone on the street knows that my old man is going to take a concubine. This is what you mean by 'not peaceful,' isn't it? Besides, I'm in very good health. I can eat three or four steamed buns in one meal. You just need to take good care of my child."

Huang Daopo sneered inwardly, "That damned woman, her eyes are as wide as a cow's, and she talks as fast as popping beans. She's either already sick or about to get sick, but unfortunately, this ignorant woman doesn't take it seriously at all."

Although she thought this in her heart, she still smiled kindly and said, "Now that we've said this, please take good care of yourself, Madam."

On the way back, the rich woman sat on the oxcart, reflecting on what Huang Daopo had said. She realized that she had indeed had difficulty falling asleep and had been irritable for the past six months, and she began to believe what Huang Daopo had said.

But she quickly added with a sneer, "That damned old woman must have just happened to cure my child's illness. Now that she sees I have money, she's trying to swindle me out of my money. I've seen this kind of trick before. She's more likely to fool a ghost!"

As soon as she returned home, a servant came up to her carrying a black bird and said, "Madam, an old bird just flew into your room."

The rich woman glared and said angrily, "Just grab it and throw it out, why keep it for me to watch? Are you planning to make me eat it?"

The servant's shoulders trembled slightly as he bowed his head and replied, "Madam, this old man is injured. I'm afraid it's a bad omen."

After all, "magpies bring good news, while crows bring bad news."

The wealthy woman was about to get angry, but upon hearing this, a wave of doubt washed over her, and she calmed down a bit, saying, "Then just wrap it up and let it fly away."

"Yes--"

"Wait a minute—" The rich woman thought for a moment, then stopped her servant and said, "Go and invite 'Master Yuan' from the street corner over to cast a divination."

Soon, Yuan Banxian, dressed in a gray cloth robe, wearing a tattered straw hat, and with a mysterious smile on his face, hurried over. He bowed to the rich woman and then sat down on the stool next to her.

The wealthy woman sat down in the carved chair and told Yuan the fortune teller about the injured old man, asking him to divine and offer some solutions.

Yuan Banxian nodded, fiddling with the already yellowed copper coin in his hand.