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

On the way home, Ji Yongling told Ji Manchuan about the flood in the south and herbal medicine collection. Ji Manchuan frowned and hesitated, saying, "This is probably not feasible. If we want to collect herbs, other pharmacies can do it themselves. Why should it be our turn? Besides, look at this ditch, it's full of worthless herbs. How much money can we make from them?"

"Father, give it a try, maybe it will work," Ji Yongling said earnestly.

Ji Manchuan looked at his daughter's bright, hopeful eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "Alright, it won't take much effort to ask."

The father and daughter reached a consensus, and along the way, Ji Yongling picked up all the inconspicuous herbs she saw, such as mugwort, honeysuckle, patchouli, and coptis, and put them into the cage.

Ji Manchuan watched his daughter busily picking herbs, shook his head with a smile, and said, "You little rascal, you're so small but you worry so much. Be careful you don't grow too tall!"

Ji Yongling moved closer, stood next to Ji Manchuan, and gestured with her hand above her head, saying, "Dad, look, I'm already up to your shoulder, so I'm not short anymore."

Ji Manchuan raised his chin, a hint of smugness in his eyes, and said, "Who told you your dad to be so tall!"

Upon arriving home, Ji Yongling sorted and organized the herbs she had picked, then packed some dried mugwort stored at home, and together with Ji Manchuan, they drove a mule cart to the county.

Xu Shirong, the owner of Xu's Pharmacy, had a deep impression of Ji Manchuan and his daughter. When he saw them arrive, he assumed they had some high-quality astragalus and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Oh my, what treasure have you gotten this time? You two are so lucky!"

Ji Yongling bowed and said, "Boss Xu, we don't have any treasures this time. We're here to sell Chen Ai."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shirong leaned back, waved his hand, and said, "We have plenty of Chen Ai, we won't buy it." Every household has Chen Ai, and the Chen Ai in his pharmacy is all dried by his own family, so there's no need to buy it.

Upon hearing this, Ji Manchuan grabbed the basket of mugwort he was carrying, tugged at Ji Yongling's arm, and said, "See? I told you Xu Dongjia wouldn't accept it, right? Come on, let's go back." He then started to walk out.

Ji Yongling remained still, looking at Xu Shirong and said, "Master Xu, has the purchase volume of medicinal herbs by merchants from the south increased recently?"

Xu Shirong rolled his eyes, looked Ji Yongling up and down, and smiled: "Why are you asking this, little girl?"

"Master, I've heard there's been a flood in the south. After such a disaster, there's bound to be a major epidemic. Shouldn't the merchants from the south take more medicinal herbs back with them?"

“You’re quite something, young lady. There’s been a flood in the south, but it doesn’t necessarily mean there will be an epidemic. Besides, even if there is an epidemic, would it be necessary to bring medicine back from such a far place?”

Ji Yongling thought for a moment and said, "Master Xu, I heard that the flood in Songjiang Prefecture has affected a large area, and there may have been an epidemic. However, it is far from us, so the news may not reach us so quickly. Moreover, it is not yet the hottest period of summer, and the southern regions have not yet entered the flood season, so the flood situation in the south may still change."

Although she prayed that the floods in the south would end as soon as possible and not spread, based on her experience from her previous life, July and August were the main flood season in the south, a high-incidence season for floods in various places. Especially with the current backward water conservancy facilities, the Yangtze River basin would probably suffer from floods every year.

Xu Shirong raised an eyebrow and said with interest, "Little girl, you've got some knowledge. But even so, what does this have to do with Chen Ai?"

Ji Yongling glanced down at the mugwort in Ji Manchuan's arms. These earthy yellow mugwort leaves were clean and free of any impurities, with a rich and intense aroma that could be smelled even without looking down.

“Master Xu, the south is flooded and medicinal herbs are in short supply. Even in the central regions, the prices of medicinal herbs will definitely rise. But here, the best three-year-aged Artemisia argyi is cheap. Even if we transport it there, we will definitely make a profit.”

Xu Shirong didn't reply. After a few moments of contemplation, he said, "Even if we could earn it, we wouldn't be able to. We don't have a caravan or any bodyguards. Whether we can safely leave the Northwest and reach the South is another matter."

Upon hearing Xu Shirong's words, Ji Manchuan bowed and said, "We've troubled you, Master Xu. The child is quite sensible. He just saw that every household in the village has Chen Ai (a type of medicinal herb) and wanted to earn some money for his family and the villagers. Since you won't accept it, we'll take our leave. We've bothered you."

Xu Shirong was about to say something more when he was interrupted by a voice with a southern accent coming from the backyard: "It's rare to find a girl with such insight in this remote and impoverished place. How much is your Chen Ai? How many do you have?"

Following the voice, a middle-aged man dressed as a merchant from the south stepped over the threshold and walked in from the backyard.

Xu Shirong stood up and said with a smile to the middle-aged man, "Oh, Manager Ma, didn't you go to the county town? Why are you back already?"

The man, referred to as Manager Ma, waved his fan and said, "Nothing special. I'd better come back here and look around some more. And who are these two? I overheard half of their conversation at the door. Could you introduce them?"

"Sit down. This is the Ji family, father and daughter. They are from our county. The nine catties of yellow that you took away were dug up by this father and daughter."

Manager Ma folded his fan, sat down in the chair next to Xu Shirong, and said, "Oh? You and your daughter are quite lucky. I overheard you talking outside, about selling this aged artemisia to us southern medicine merchants?"

Ji Manchuan took the cage from his arms, held the edge of the cage with both hands, and held it slightly in front of Manager Ma. He smiled somewhat flatteringly and said, "Manager Ma, there is little rain in the Northwest, so this mugwort has a strong aroma and medicinal properties. This is three-year-aged mugwort that my family has dried. Please take a look."

Shopkeeper Ma reached into the cage and gently picked up a handful of mugwort leaves. He looked at them, smelled them, and put them back in the cage, saying, "The stuff is good. I think what your daughter said earlier makes some sense. Anyway, we're mainly buying medicinal herbs this time, so taking two cartloads of mugwort leaves back is just a side trip."

Upon hearing that there was hope, Ji Manchuan quickly put down the cage he was holding, cupped his hands and said to Manager Ma, "Manager Ma, you know your stuff. This mugwort is light and doesn't weigh much, so we can load quite a lot into one cart."

Shopkeeper Ma flicked open his folding fan with a "whoosh," gently shook it twice, and looked at Ji Yongling with a scrutinizing gaze, saying, "What's this about the southern epidemic you just mentioned?"

Ji Yongling, who was standing upright to the side, saw the shopkeeper asking him a question and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "There is a lot of rain and rivers in the south. As soon as summer arrives, many places will experience floods of varying degrees. When these floods pass through, countless people and livestock die, and the river and well waters become extremely polluted, which can easily lead to plagues or even highly contagious diseases."

Shopkeeper Ma waved his folding fan idly, nodded, and said, "That's right, it's true. There were indeed plagues during the floods in previous years, but..." He didn't finish his sentence, but pointed to the sky and stopped.

Xu Shirong nodded knowingly, while Ji Manchuan stared with bewildered eyes, expecting Manager Ma to continue.