After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Meanwhile, at the county town's annual market, a completely different scene unfolded. Father Chen, along with Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe, occupied the familiar spot from last time. Their stall was laden with goods: a batch of newly made small wooden carvings by Chen Dashan (adorable little horses, sheep, and chubby fish), several smoothly polished wooden combs and hairpins, various bamboo baskets, wicker baskets, and sewing boxes woven by Chen Xiaohe, and some high-quality dried mushrooms and wood ear fungus that had been sun-dried before the New Year.

The market was indeed different; people were shoulder to shoulder buying goods. These exquisite and practical handicrafts from the mountains were very popular with city dwellers and families from nearby towns who came to buy New Year's goods. Especially the small wooden carvings; many parents with children were happy to spend a few coins to buy one as a gift for their kids. Bamboo baskets and boxes, because they were sturdy and beautiful, also sold quite well.

The three men worked efficiently and calmly. Chen Dashan, composed and steady, was in charge of introducing the woodenware; Chen Xiaohe, quick-witted and charming, hawked the bamboo weaving; and their father, sitting in the center, collected money, watched over the stall, and managed the overall operation. By the end of the morning, they had sold almost all of their goods, and their purse was gradually bulging.

As the sun began to set and the crowds at the market started to thin out, Chen's father looked at the few remaining odds and ends and said to his two sons, "Dashan, Xiaohe, you two pack these up and get ready to close up shop. I'm going to take a look around and see if I can find any cheap New Year's goods. I'll also go to 'Jishetang' and ask the doctor Li that your mother told me to ask."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Dad, you go ahead, we'll take care of things here."

Mr. Chen carried an empty basket on his back and went to the butcher stall first. The butcher stall's business was nearing its end at the year-end, and the good stuff had long been snapped up. He spotted two clean pig's trotters in the corner, thinking that these were perfect for making soup to promote lactation and nourish the body. His two daughters-in-law had already eaten all four of their pig's trotters during their postpartum period, so he went over and bargained, buying them at a reasonable price. He then saw a live fish stall and picked out two plump grass carp, intending to add them to his meal. There wasn't anything else he particularly needed to buy, so he hurried towards "Jishetang" (a traditional Chinese medicine shop).

The air inside "Jishetang" was filled with the aroma of medicine. With the Lunar New Year approaching, there were quite a few people getting their prescriptions filled. Mr. Chen waited a while before it was Dr. Li's turn to be available. Dr. Li still remembered Mr. Chen; after all, the Chen family had unhesitatingly paid for medicine to help their daughter-in-law recover from a difficult childbirth, a rare occurrence in this rural area.

After hearing Mr. Chen's explanation of their purpose, Doctor Li stroked his beard and carefully inquired about Su Xiaoqing's recent health, diet, and sleep. Learning that she had been taking the medicine for nearly two months and that the new mother felt significantly better, Doctor Li said, "All medicines have some degree of toxicity. Since it has been effective, you can stop taking it. Your daughter-in-law is young and has a good constitution. Now that she has weaned, she is no longer depleting her own essence and blood to nourish the baby, so her qi and blood will recover faster. I will prescribe a mild and nourishing dietary formula. Go home and stew some red dates, longan, angelica, and astragalus with chicken or bones, and drink it daily to gradually regulate her condition. There is no need to take any more herbal decoctions."

Mr. Chen quickly wrote it down and thanked him repeatedly. Just as he was about to take his leave, he suddenly remembered the thing in his arms. He hesitated for a moment, then took it out. It was still the same old cloth bundle wrapped in layers. He carefully opened it, revealing the ginseng inside.

"Dr. Li, could you take another look at this? Is this... ginseng? We found it by chance in the mountains, and we don't know much about it. Could you please take a look?" Mr. Chen asked with some trepidation.

Doctor Li exclaimed "Eh!", took the ginseng, examined it carefully, even gently pinching the rhizome with his fingernail and looking at the texture against the light. After a long while, he said, "It is indeed wild ginseng without a doubt. Judging from the rhizome and the iron-wire patterns, it is probably around thirty years old. It's not the oldest, but it's still rare. However..." He shook his head with some regret, "It wasn't processed in time after being dug up, so much of its medicinal properties have been lost, and its appearance and efficacy have been compromised."

Mr. Chen's heart tightened: "Then...doctor, is this still worth anything?"

Doctor Li pondered for a moment and said, "If it had been properly processed when it was first dug up, a thirty-year-old wild ginseng like this could sell for fifteen or sixteen taels of silver. Now its medicinal properties are damaged, but fortunately it is still well-preserved and retains its shape. How about this, I'll give you a fair price based on the market rate, ten taels of silver, and I'll take it. What do you say?"

Ten taels! Father Chen's heart pounded. Although it was lower than the highest price he had expected, it was still a windfall! He had originally thought he would have been content with five or six taels. Suppressing his excitement, he nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes! Thank you so much, Doctor Li! You are truly a kind man!"

Doctor Li was pleased to see his straightforwardness. He had his shop assistant fetch ten taels of pure silver and handed it to Chen's father. Chen's father carefully hid the silver close to his body, feeling its weight in his arms, which brought him immense peace of mind.

The transaction was completed. Looking at Chen's father's simple and honest appearance, Doctor Li had a sudden thought. He carefully considered his words and said, "Brother Chen, I see that your family are all hardworking and honest people, often traveling in the mountains. My clinic also regularly buys some medicinal herbs. Some herbs are simple to process, just pick and dry them. Although they are not as expensive as ginseng, every little bit helps and can supplement the income."

He turned and took a thin, yellowed booklet from the counter, handing it to Mr. Chen: "This booklet contains illustrations of common medicinal herbs found in the mountains around here, herbs that pharmacies often buy. Next to them are their names and key points for harvesting and drying. If you go up the mountain during your off-season, keep an eye out for them. If you find any, process them according to the methods, and bring them to me. I'll buy them at market price. If you're lucky enough to find some slightly more valuable herbs that require more complex processing," he lowered his voice, "just bring them directly to me. Don't try to process them yourself, lest you waste good stuff. I'll process them, and you won't be shortchanged on the price."

Mr. Chen was overjoyed. He took the booklet with both hands, glanced through it, and sure enough, it contained simple line drawings of various plants with words beside them. Although he didn't recognize all the words, he could understand the general meaning from the pictures. He was so excited that he didn't know what to say, and could only bow repeatedly: "Dr. Li, you've really...you've really helped our family a lot! We'll definitely look carefully, and once we find it, we'll bring it to you first! You're a living saint!"

Doctor Li waved his hand, sighed, and said in a low voice, "Brother Chen, there's no need for that. To be honest, I've been working at 'Jishetang' for many years and got along very well with the old owner. Now that the old owner is getting old, he's handed the clinic over to his eldest son. This young owner... has many disagreements with me on how to do things. I've decided to leave 'Jishetang' after the spring and open my own small clinic. The shop is already set up. At that time, I'll need a reliable source of medicinal herbs. If you trust me, you can bring the herbs you collect directly to my new clinic."

Mr. Chen then realized what was happening, and felt even more sympathy and respect for Dr. Li. He quickly assured him, "Dr. Li, don't worry, we definitely trust you! We'll definitely come to congratulate you when your new clinic opens!"

Clutching the ten taels of silver and the precious herbal medicine catalog, Chen's father strode back to his sons' stall at the market. Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe had already packed up the remaining items and were waiting for him.

"Dad, how is it? What did Doctor Li say?" Chen Xiaohe asked impatiently.

Mr. Chen couldn't hide his joy. He first told them the good news that the medication had been stopped and only dietary supplements were needed, then, suppressing his excitement, he whispered, "Let's talk about it when we get home. There's good news!"

Without further delay, the father and his two sons loaded their belongings onto a cart and, braving the biting winter wind, embarked on their journey home.