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

The man cupped his hands in apology, smiled apologetically, and quickly left.

Dr. Xu was giving acupuncture to another man who came to see him for a headache, so he heard everything the freckled woman and the vegetable cutter were saying.

He thought about how he had recently encountered a man with epilepsy who came to get medication, but the man hadn't mentioned taking deworming medicine, so it was probably not the same person.

Dr. Xu thought about it and shook his head.

After finishing the acupuncture, he got up, glanced outside the shop, and said to Xu Shirong, "Shirong, go and see if you can spot that old woman I mentioned last time."

Xu Shirong, who was fiddling with the abacus at the counter, stopped typing, looked up at the door, and said with a wry smile, "Second Uncle, although there's a market day today, with so many people, finding someone is like trying to get oil from snow. Where are we going to find that old woman?"

Dr. Xu twitched his beard and said unhappily, "I only let you go when there's a market day. If there's no market day, people might not even come!"

Xu Shirong said with a wronged expression, "Can't I go and look for him, Second Uncle?"

Xu Shirong stood at the shop entrance, staring blankly at the people coming and going. He couldn't find Hu Ji's sister-in-law, but instead saw Ji Yongling and his group panting for breath.

Originally, Ji Mantun pulled one cart of medicinal herbs, Ji Yongbai and Ji Yonghua pulled another cart of medicinal herbs, and Ji Yongling helped push the cart from the side.

As soon as they stepped out, they ran into Shuanzhu, who insisted on helping to pull a cart full of medicinal herbs. In the end, two adults pulled the cart while the three children took turns pushing it.

Seeing the group carrying a cart full of medicinal herbs, Xu Shirong happily stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Oh, Yongling is here! You're so efficient! Come in and rest."

Ji Yongling returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Thank you, Master Xu. These are my two uncles and two brothers." He then introduced Ji Mantun and the others one by one.

Apart from Ji Yonghua, who had previously visited Xu's Pharmacy and had dealings with Xu Shirong, the others were flattered to hear that Xu Shirong was the owner of Xu's Pharmacy and was bowing to them. They hurriedly returned the greeting with clasped hands.

Xu Shirong waved his hand dismissively and said to Ji Yongling, "Why are you still calling me 'Master'? That's too formal. I've already told you to call me Uncle Xu from now on."

Ji Yongling smiled and said, "Hello, Uncle Xu. Then I won't stand on ceremony from now on."

"No problem, no problem, come in quickly."

The group pushed the cart to the backyard and began unloading. Ji Yongling unpacked each sack of medicinal herbs, which Xu Shirong then inspected.

Seeing that the medicinal herbs were clean and tidy and of good quality, Xu Shirong had the herbalist weigh them while he and Ji Yongling talked on the side.

"Yesterday, Manager Wang sent someone to inquire about the medicinal herbs and medicine pouches. He said news came from the south that the flood area has expanded again, and many people have been displaced. Sigh—" Xu Shirong sighed.

Ji Yongling frowned. Every natural disaster could trigger social unrest, with refugees and bandits running rampant in the countryside, and even causing wars that threatened the government.

Although she didn't know what dynasty it was, it seemed similar to the history she had studied, yet different.

However, the changes of dynasties in ancient times were generally similar. Frequent natural disasters always dealt a devastating blow to a dynasty, and once war broke out, the people would suffer.

Although Ningping County, where she is now, has not experienced any major disasters in the past two years, people still rely on the weather for their livelihood, and minor disasters and droughts are common. In addition, given the low productivity of the time, once the political situation becomes turbulent, ordinary people will inevitably be caught up in it.

Seeing Ji Yongling deep in thought without speaking, Xu Shirong felt that although the child was young, he had a melancholy air about him and his country. So he comforted him, "Baby, you don't need to worry too much. The court has already sent people to provide disaster relief."

Ji Yongling chuckled inwardly. The saying goes, "Misfortunes never come singly, but blessings never come in pairs." Natural disasters often follow man-made ones. In this backward era, what good is disaster relief if there are people providing aid? Corrupt officials will still disregard the lives of ordinary people, only caring about how to exploit the poor. This is a "man-made disaster" that is even more terrifying than natural disasters.

Looking at the busy people in the courtyard, Ji Yongling sighed and asked, "Is Manager Wang planning to transport the medicinal herbs over in batches?"

Xu Shirong laughed and said, "You guessed it! A security escort agency from the south is going to escort a batch of goods back these two days, and Manager Wang has arranged for someone to go with them."

Ji Yongling nodded and said, "I will send over the medicinal herbs from home in the next couple of days. Please check them and see which herbs need to be added in larger quantities, and then I will go and collect them."

Xu Shirong gritted his teeth: "We don't know how long this flood will last. It might take two or three months to transport these medicinal herbs."

"There are still a month or two until the flood season. I hope the south can get through it safely," Ji Yongling said, though he didn't hold out much hope. The Yangtze River basin in the south experiences floods of varying degrees every year, causing casualties and property damage even in a more technologically advanced and powerful era.

After Xu Shirong saw that Ji Mantun had finished weighing the goods, he told the accountant to settle the money and then invited the Ji family to go to the shop in front to have tea and rest.

As they walked, Ji Yongling said, "Uncle Xu, why don't you talk to Manager Wang about making our Ningping and even Qingzhou medicinal herbs a well-known brand?"

Xu Shirong asked with great interest, "Oh? What is a well-known brand?"

"It's so that when people mention medicinal herbs, they think of Ningping or Qingzhou," Ji Yongling explained.

Xu Shirong smiled and shook his head: "It's definitely not as good as the South. The South has a humid climate, lush vegetation, and a wide variety of medicinal herbs. Although we have a lot of medicinal herbs here, the land is dry and there is little water, so the variety is incomparable to that of the South. Don't be fooled by our shipment of medicinal herbs to the South this time. It's only because of the floods. Otherwise, apart from some medicinal herbs that are special to our Northwest, we really couldn't ship many medicinal herbs to the South."

Ji Yongling thought for a moment and asked, "Does Jishi Pharmacy usually only ship its medicinal herbs to a few northern provinces?"

Xu Shirong nodded.

As they talked, they arrived at the shop. Ji Yongling immediately spotted Dr. Xu, who was sitting by the window treating patients. Seeing him examining someone, she walked over with interest, and Xu Shirong followed.

Seeing Ji Yongling and his wife approach, Dr. Xu raised his eyelids slightly and continued his examination of the young couple: "When did your last period start? Are your periods regular? How often do you have your period? How many days does your period usually last? How many times a month do you have intercourse...?"

The woman opposite blushed and answered Dr. Xu's questions in a soft, almost inaudible voice, while her husband sat idly to the side.

After asking the questions, Dr. Xu stroked his beard, quickly wrote two prescriptions, and said, "Getting pregnant is like farming. Your inability to conceive is a problem for both of you, not just you taking the medicine. Each of you should take one dose of this prescription. Go get the medicine first, and take it for half a month. Later, I will explain in detail when it is easier to conceive through intercourse."