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

The woman blushed even more, and after hearing what Dr. Xu said, she ran away as if her life depended on it.

The woman's husband stood up, looking at Dr. Xu with confusion: "This woman can't get pregnant, why should I have to take medicine too? I'm not the one who conceived or gave birth."

Doctor Ji flung his sleeves and angrily rebuked, "Ignorant! Can a woman conceive on her own? Conception doesn't require a man's seed! If you're not good enough, even the most fertile soil won't help; the seed won't sprout, and you still want a child? And what if the man is born castrated? If he can't conceive, is it all the woman's fault for being fertile?"

The people waiting for their appointments nearby all covered their faces and laughed.

The man blushed with embarrassment and turned to get his medicine from the counter.

Ji Yongling bowed deeply to Dr. Xu, saying, "Dr. Xu, you truly have the heart of a benevolent doctor."

Doctor Xu coughed twice and said, "Can you understand prescriptions, young lady?" He knew that Ji Yongling collected medicinal herbs and had given them a few prescriptions, so he assumed that she could understand the prescriptions he had just written.

Ji Yongling looked at Doctor Xu with a sly smile, but didn't answer. In truth, she only knew some medicinal herbs and could recite some prescriptions, but she couldn't write or interpret prescriptions.

She only noticed that the prescription the man had listed were for herbs like honeysuckle that clear heat and detoxify, rather than herbs like cynomorium, epimedium, or dodder that are used to treat infertility. That's why she bowed to Dr. Xu.

In this era, life is not easy for women. If they cannot conceive and give birth, they may be disliked and abandoned, and their lives may be very miserable. If the man also takes the medication, it will give both of them the impression that the inability to conceive is also a problem with their husbands, which can reduce the woman's psychological pressure. This can be considered a form of psychological intervention.

However, this action should not be underestimated. Sometimes psychological factors are very important for successful pregnancy, and doing so is also a form of protection for women.

Dr. Xu coughed twice, pretending not to know what Ji Yongling was laughing at, and continued to see the next patient.

The accountant had already calculated the money and handed it over. Ji Yongling had already silently calculated it in her mind when the weight was weighed, and now that she saw that the result was the same, she nodded and accepted it, thanking the accountant.

After finishing their business, the group bid farewell to Xu Shirong and got up to leave.

After leaving Xu's Pharmacy, Ji Yongling asked Ji Mantun and Shuanzhu to pull a cart back first. She still needed to buy a few bolts of cloth, and she also wanted to take some grain from the reserve warehouse under the pretext of buying grain. So she left Ji Yongbai and Ji Yonghua to help pull the cart and headed towards the cloth and grain shops.

When they arrived at the cloth yard, Ji Yongling took a few more bolts of cloth that he had bought last time.

Passing by a general store, she went in and bought some paper, writing brushes, and ink. Although it wasn't a store specializing in writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and the prices were relatively low, the paper was still ridiculously expensive. A ream of paper (500 sheets) cost 500 wen, which shocked Ji Yongling.

She finally understood why Ji Yongbo and Ji Yonghua had been so shocked when she suggested buying paper.

She silently calculated, using the price of wheat, how much grain could be bought with the paper and notebooks in the granary. Looking at the rough, yellowed paper in her hand, she shook her head and sighed inwardly, realizing that achieving toilet paper freedom was still a long way off.

If someone asks her what she uses to wipe her bottom now, she can only answer, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

At the grain shop, she bought various kinds of wheat, corn, and flour. Then, as she was putting the grain bags on the cart, she secretly took some from the storage warehouse and added it to the cart.

However, she could imagine that when Yang saw the grain, she would hide it while grumbling, "You really don't know how to manage money. Buying so much good grain. We farmers only need enough to fill our stomachs. We don't need such refined grain."

On the way home, Ji Yongling and the others were in good spirits. Ji Yonghua even sang a folk song: "I look up at the sky, I look down at the valley, the wild lilies are blooming, white clouds are floating, wild geese are flying by, listening to my song..."

Ji Yongling followed behind the car, looking at the two figures on the yellow earth ahead, and felt a surge of joy from the bottom of her heart.

While Ji Yongling was going to the county, Ji Manchuan and Ji Manqing also went to their second sister Ji Shuihua's house.

Unlike the cave dwelling where Lao Ji's family lived, the Tian family lived in two adjacent courtyards with blue bricks and tiles, clearly indicating a wealthy family, although the heavy courtyard gates were tightly closed.

Ji Manchuan raised his chin, gesturing for Ji Manqing to knock on the door, but Ji Manqing shook his head.

Ji Manchuan glared, but Ji Manqing still shook his head.

Ji Manchuan said helplessly, "Old Ha has the rules: whoever loses knocks on the door."

So the two got out of the car and started a fight in front of Ji Shuihua's house.

The two exchanged blows without speaking, only the whooshing sounds of their fists and feet filling the air. Ji Manchuan's punches were agile and powerful, each strike carrying an unstoppable momentum, while Ji Manqing was more nimble, skillfully dodging Ji Manchuan's attacks and occasionally counterattacking. Their figures constantly clashed in front of the courtyard with its blue bricks and tiles.

Just as the two were locked in a heated argument, the heavy courtyard gate on the west side creaked open, and Ji Shuihua, dressed in coarse linen clothes, stood expressionlessly inside, looking at her two young brothers.

"Second Sister—" Ji Manqing and Ji Manchuan quickly stopped and called out in unison.

"Come in." Ji Shuihua turned and walked into the courtyard.

Ji Manqing followed him in first, and Ji Manchuan went to remove the threshold and brought the car in.

Upon entering the main room, Ji Shuihua sat at the head of the table, gesturing with her chin for Ji Manchuan and the other man to take their seats, and asked, "What brings you here this time?"

Ji Manchuan spoke first: "Second sister, Father and Mother asked us to bring you some grain. Also, we've been helping a pharmacy in the city collect some medicinal herbs. See if you have any here?"

Ji Shuihua remained expressionless and said, "I don't have any medicinal herbs, but I don't lack food. Besides, I'm leaving an heir for Tian Lao Er, so they won't mistreat me. Take these back."

Ji Manqing looked at Ji Shuihua with the eagerness of a lapdog and said, "Second Sister, don't always look like this. We know you still care about the family. Can't we talk things out properly?"

Ji Shuihua sneered and said, "I've lived like a living dead for over ten years, and I've forgotten what it means to speak properly."

Ji Manqing lowered his head, unsure of what to say.

After a moment of silence in the room, Ji Manchuan said, "Second sister, I won't try to persuade you with words like 'what's past is past.' I just want to say that as long as you're alive, you should look forward; there's always hope."

Ji Shuihua scoffed, "Looking forward? I did look forward with hope with every step, and what was the result? Trapped in this courtyard, apart from not starving to death, what kind of person am I?"

"Second sister—" Ji Manchuan and his brother looked at Ji Shuihua together, their voices filled with a hint of heartache.

Ji Shuihua sighed and said, "I don't have any medicinal herbs. You should go back."

Ji Manchuan felt a little guilty. He picked up a bundle and said, "Second sister, Yongling has taken on some medicine pouch making work. Mother told me to bring some for you and eldest sister so you can earn some pocket money. I'll come and pick them up in a couple of days after you finish making them."

Ji Shuihua was silent for a while before saying, "Alright, I won't turn down money, after all, I really don't have a single copper coin."