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

Upon hearing this, Ji Yongning and Ji Yongzhou immediately sat down with smiles and continued slurping their dumpling soup.

Grandpa Ji frowned and pondered for a moment, his forehead wrinkles deepening, before asking, "If we make money, paying wages is fine, but what if we don't?"

Ji Yongling calmly said, "Sir, as long as the quality of the medicinal herbs is up to standard and there are no other unexpected events, we will definitely make money this time, it's just a matter of how much. Besides, whether we make money or not doesn't conflict with paying wages. Whether we make money or lose money, these jobs still need to be done, and we'll only know if we make money or not after we've done them. If we don't make money, we'll just lose some of our capital. If we lose money this time, we can make it back from other sources next time."

Grandpa Ji pursed his lips: "It's good that you have a plan in mind. Since you found this job, you must be more capable than any of us. Let's do it your way!"

"Father, Father, I'm here to help, I really can't take any wages. Yongbai and Yonghua definitely can't take any wages either, they can't do anything!" Ji Mantun said anxiously.

Ji Manchuan tugged at Ji Mantun's arm and said, "Second brother, Dad has agreed. Hurry up and eat, the villagers will be here soon."

"Let's eat. After you finish eating, get back to work. Today is the first day, so we won't pay you." Old Master Ji made the final decision.

After the meal, more villagers came to visit.

Seeing that Ji Yongbai's account book was accurate, Ji Yongling told Ji Manchuan that he was going to the county to deliver samples of medicine bags.

Upon hearing this, Ji Manchuan hurriedly went to drive the mule cart to send Ji Yongling away.

However, Ji Yongling refused: "Dad, there are many people delivering medicinal herbs today. If you leave, my grandfather and fourth uncle will be too busy. If I hadn't agreed with Manager Wang yesterday, I wouldn't have gone. Besides, I have a secret weapon, have you forgotten?" As she spoke, she gestured the shape of a telescopic baton in the air and mouthed the word "baton".

Ji Manchuan immediately understood.

He thought about it and figured that his daughter already knew how to use a stick, and with the help of the telescopic stick in the "Heavenly Granary," dealing with one or two long-haired hooligans would be a piece of cake, so he nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing that Ji Manchuan had agreed to let Ji Yongling drive the mule cart to the county alone, Yang scolded Ji Manchuan: "How can you be such a father! The child is so young, and she's still a girl. Although she's tall, she's still very young. How dare you let her drive the mule cart to the county alone! Do you think the Yellow River is just a line? How big of a heart do you have?"

Ji Manchuan looked aggrieved and muttered, "Don't be afraid, Mother. Besides, we really don't have enough manpower."

Yang glared at Ji Manchuan, then turned to Ji Yongling and said, "It's definitely not feasible for you to drive the mule cart to the county alone. Even if there aren't any hooligans on the road, what if that mule gets angry and kicks you?"

Ji Yongling tried to persuade her, saying, "Grandma, we agreed to deliver samples to Manager Wang today. We can't go back on our word, otherwise, how can people trust us with future business?"

After gritting her teeth and thinking for a moment, Yang said, "Let Yonghua go with you!" Then she turned and left angrily.

.........

Inside Xu's Pharmacy, the old doctor Xu was holding a teacup and muttering to himself, "Can worms really grow in a person's stomach? Although the Inner Canon of Medicine says, 'The symptoms of a stomach cough are coughing and vomiting, and if the vomiting is severe, worms will come out,' few people have actually seen it. Alas, I wonder if that old woman's grandson is feeling any better."

Xu Shirong walked over and asked, "Second Uncle, what are you muttering about?"

Dr. Xu put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the window, looked outside, and said, "A while ago, an old woman said that a girl in the next village was giving out deworming medicine and even curing people. I suspect it's all a scam. But do you think people can really have worms in their stomachs? If they do, can't they just crawl out of their intestines?"

Xu Shirong also stood at the window, looking outside, and said, "Second Uncle, if a person can have lice, they should also be able to have worms, just like wheat that's been stored for a long time will have worms. Although the *Shanghan Laisu Ji* says, 'Roundworms are calmed by sourness, subdued by pungentness, and subdued by bitterness,' many experienced doctors have never actually seen them. Besides, there are plenty of swindlers in this world, and many of them claim to cure diseases and save lives!"

Before he could finish speaking, Dr. Xu nimbly dashed out of the shop like a gust of wind.

"Second Uncle, Second Uncle—" Xu Shirong called out as he chased after him.

When Xu Shirong reached the street, he saw his second uncle calling out to the back of an old woman, "Hey old woman, wait a minute, wait a minute—"

The old woman in front was Hu Jipo's sister-in-law. She was rushing to her family under the scorching sun to tell them about the Ji family's purchase of medicinal herbs. So she was focused on getting there and didn't hear the old doctor Xu calling from behind.

Seeing that the old woman had walked away and seemed not to have heard his second uncle's shouts, Xu Shirong asked, "Second Uncle, who was that old woman?"

Dr. Xu shook his head and said, "It's that old woman I just mentioned. She brought her grandson to see us a while ago. Her grandson always had stomach aches, diarrhea, and sometimes he would vomit. I prescribed three doses of medicine, but he didn't get better. I told her to take the child to the prefectural city to see a doctor, and she asked me if the child might have worms in his stomach."

Xu Shirong smiled and said, "Oh—so that's why you've been so worried about whether you have worms in your stomach lately, Uncle."

Dr. Xu stroked his beard and said, "I don't really believe it, but this old woman said that the girls in their village are administering medicine, which is specifically for killing worms in the stomach, and some people even benefit from it. I just want to find out the truth."

"Sigh, that must have been a lucky break. This kid dispensing medicine must have been sent by an adult to try and swindle some money by using his reputation as a traveling doctor." Xu Shirong shook his head and prepared to walk towards the shop.

Doctor Xu turned and walked toward the shop, saying, "I want to ask that old woman if her grandson's stomachache is better. Also, I want to find out if anything happened to the person who drank the deworming medicine. If anything happened, we have to report it to the authorities. We can't let that swindler harm people."

Upon entering the shop, Dr. Xu saw a group of patients arrive and sat back down to see them.

Although there is no market today, Xu's Pharmacy has a good reputation, so even on days without a market, many people still come for treatment.

As Dr. Xu carefully took the woman's pulse, he could hear the voices of several people nearby.

One of the middle-aged women said, "You still don't believe me! That person is from my hometown village. He said he went to ask for medicine for his child, but the adult fell ill. He was convulsing so badly that he didn't know anything. After taking a bowl of medicine, he came back to life."

Another elderly woman with gray hair patted the middle-aged woman's arm: "They may not believe it, but I do. People from our village have gone to beg for medicine for the child!"

Dr. Xu shook his head, thinking to himself, "These ignorant women only know how to spread rumors and exaggerate. They've probably been fooled by charlatans again."

Wang Defu walked in at the pharmacy counter, cupped his hands in greeting to Xu Shirong, and said, "Boss Xu, have you checked all the medicinal herbs I brought over?"

Xu Shirong returned the greeting and said, "Manager Wang is very capable, there's definitely no problem with his work."

Wang Defu sat down and watched the busy pharmacists at the counter preparing and packing medicine. He then said to Xu Shirong, "Boss Xu, let's make those prescriptions first. Make as many medicine packs as you can. Our boss will arrange for someone to come over in the next couple of days and send them directly to the south from here."