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

Xu Shirong gave an awkward smile and said to the fair-skinned man, "Hehe, I have no prescription. Our place is poor, not as rich as the south, so there are many beggars here. I'm sorry to have spoiled your fun, sir."

The fair-skinned man smiled slightly, flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said, "It's alright! We are all working for His Highness Prince Huai. We've seen many refugees and beggars along the way from south to north. The places here are much more difficult than yours. Last year, there was a major flood in the south, and many places were flooded. The people suffered a lot."

"Sir, your kindness and compassion are a blessing to our medical profession!" Xu Shirong complimented.

The fair-skinned man smiled and said, "Some herbs from the Northwest are indeed quite good. The 'Nine-Jin Yellow' that Manager Ma brought back from here last year was very effective. After Prince Huai took it, his health improved for a while, and he kept praising it!"

So I've come here for two reasons. First, to visit my two uncles (brothers-in-law) and congratulate them on their birthdays. Second, to help His Highness Prince Huai find some more high-quality medicinal herbs from the Northwest.

Xu Shirong nodded hurriedly and said, "Sir, you've come with great kindness. Sir, we don't have this kind of herb here, but we have plenty in the loess soil. The herbs buried in this loess soil are different from the herbs that grow in the water in the south. As the saying goes, the soil and water of a place nurture its people, and the soil and water have a great relationship with the medicinal herbs."

Some of our medicinal herbs are buried in the yellow soil of the ditches, and they can't be found for years. Only when the wind blows the soil away can they be found. This market outside Ningping County is a big market; people from many surrounding villages come to watch it. Every now and then, farmers will find good, several-year-old medicinal herbs dug up from the ditches, but it's all about luck.”

The fair-skinned man nodded, spoke, and then turned back to look at the herb stall.

Just as the fair-skinned man was about to bend down to look at a bunch of codonopsis, he heard a sharp female scream behind him: "Oh no, my steamed buns! The white flour steamed buns I just bought!"

Then, a group of little beggars, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, darted out from all directions.

Without a second thought, they lifted their tattered clothes and bent down to pick up the steamed buns from the ground, shouting, "Oh dear, kind people are giving us steamed buns! Kind people are giving us steamed buns! Quick, pick them up!"

The passersby, unaware of what was happening, heard the shout and some quickly bent down to pick up their steamed buns.

"Don't push, don't push, let me pick up this steamed bun!"

"This steamed bun is mine!"

“It’s mine, I clearly saw it.”

"I picked it up first!"

"Half for each of us, half for each of us!"

"Who, who poked my crotch!"

"Who stepped on my hand! Ouch, my wrist is broken!"

……

The ground behind the fair-skinned man suddenly became chaotic, with dust flying everywhere and people jostling together.

There were beggars picking up steamed buns, and passersby watching the spectacle. Some were constantly gathering steamed buns, while others were fighting over a single bun...

The fair-skinned man smiled and shook his head, continuing to look down at the herbs on the stall.

There are some medicinal herbs in the Northwest that are not found in the South. He has already collected some in Qingzhou Prefecture, and he expects to have some more in Ningping County. It seems that this trip has been worthwhile.

What he didn't notice was that a little beggar was accidentally pushed to his feet, and he only felt a sharp pain in his calf. Just as he was about to turn around, the little beggar had already run away with a few steamed buns in his hand.

The shopkeeper asked the fair-skinned man worriedly, "Sir, are you alright? These little beggars are so unruly; they bumped into people without even saying a word!"

"It's alright, what rules do you expect from a beggar?" The fair-skinned man smiled and shook his head.

Aside from shouting that time, Ji Yongling had already taken advantage of the shoving crowd to hide behind a nearby fabric stall. She crouched down, staring intently at the feet of the fair-skinned man, unaware that her half-clenched fist was trembling.

She only felt a little relieved when she saw the boy, covered in dirt from head to toe, squatting down at the feet of the clean-looking man to pick up a steamed bun, pausing briefly, and then leaving the crowd.

She quickly left the crowd and went to the corner she and Guowa had agreed upon.

This is a passageway between the courtyards of two households, not far from the market, but hardly anyone passes by.

When Ji Yongling saw Guowa and Ji Yongning, all of whom were covered in dirt, she felt instantly at ease.

She handed the gourd filled with water to Ji Yongning and said, "You three, go over there and water the fields to wash your faces."

"Oh, isn't Guowa going to wash it?" Ji Yongning asked, taking the gourd.

Ji Yongling nodded and said, "Don't wash the pot yet!"

Ji Yongning shook his head in confusion, then put his arm around Ji Yongzhou and Shaowa's shoulders and went to the field, chatting and laughing.

Seeing Ji Yongning and the other two walk away, Ji Yongling looked at Guowa, waiting for his answer.

Guowa's face was covered in dirt, with only two shiny black eyes visible. His voice, whether from fear or excitement, was sharp and urgent: "Sister Yongling, I did as you said, I stuck the needle in, and it went into his calf! I was very careful, I covered it with my clothes, no one will see. I threw the syringe far away just now, so I didn't prick myself!"

Ji Yongling nodded and asked, "Are you sure? Even though it's hot today and you're wearing light clothes, don't go shirtless!"

Guowa shook his head with certainty and said, "No, I'm sure! Because in the chaos just now, I took the opportunity to rub my arm against his trouser leg. I'm sure it got stuck in his leg!"

Ji Yongling pursed her lips, reached out and ruffled Guowa's messy hair even more, saying, "Very good, you'll be safe from now on!"

"Is he definitely going to die?" Guowa asked, his eyes filled with light.

"Yes! He will definitely die!" Ji Yongling said with absolute certainty.

Ji Yongning and the others casually wet their clothes with water, wiped their faces, and walked back while munching on the steamed buns they had just picked up.

Ji Yongning said, "Sister Ling'er, how was it? We called out a lot of beggars just now, didn't we? Let me tell you, if you ever need anything in the future, just leave it to me. There won't be the slightest bit of trouble, and I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly! Also, sister, you've done a great deed this time!"

When Spoon Boy led us to look for some beggar children, they said they hadn't eaten for two or three days. "Sigh," they said, "when we were collecting steamed buns just now, a few beggars stuffed two buns into their mouths in one go and almost choked to death."

Ji Yongling nodded and said, "From now on, every time you have a ten-day holiday, we'll come to the county and give these beggar children some steamed buns."

"Mmm, Sister Ling'er, I knew it, you're the most soft-hearted!" Ji Yongning chuckled.

"You must have been sneaking a lot of honey today, right? You have the sweetest mouth of all!" Ji Yongling said, pretending to be disgusted.