I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

Ning's mother put down the wooden bucket and paid the money. After the constable counted the money, he handed her a wooden plaque with carved patterns and numbers. Seeing Ning's mother looking at it curiously, the constable patiently told her to return it when she packed up her stall.

Ning's mother carefully put away the wooden sign, and the group of people carried or lifted it together as they walked into the street.

They arrived late, and most of the good spots were already taken. Zhao Qi was fast and ran ahead for a while before finding a small spot to set up his stall between two other stalls.

Actually, it doesn't need to be a big space, just big enough for people to stand in. On the left is a woman selling pancakes, and on the right is a half-enclosed board, with a food stall at the other end of the board.

After exchanging greetings, Ning's mother put the things on the ground and took things out of the basket one by one.

Zhao Ningning took the opportunity to glance at the ice jelly in the wooden bucket; it had solidified just right.

None of them had eaten breakfast and were exhausted from walking, so Ning's mother simply sent Zhao Qi to buy two bowls of soup from another stall and four rolled pancakes from a nearby stall.

The rolled pancakes were made with a mixture of two types of dough and filled with shredded pickled vegetables. Zhao Ningning finished them in a few bites and then got half a bowl of sweet soup, which made her feel much more energetic.

After finishing her meal, Ning's mother asked Ning to scoop out a bowl of ice jelly in a clean bowl and take it to the nearby stall to inquire about it.

The woman declined a few times but eventually ate it, praising Ningning's ice jelly as delicious.

Seeing that they only carried a few buckets and had no stove, it seemed that they were in the cold food business and would not compete with their own business. The woman was very kind to Ning's mother, and whenever Ning's mother asked, she would tell her what she could.

The area around this street is mostly inhabited by relatively wealthy families from Fengning County. It is also close to the county government office, so people who come to and from the county government office like to buy food here.

The woman's name was Cao Fengchun. She lived in the northeast of the county town. Because she was good at cooking, she would set up a stall to sell rolled pancakes to supplement her family's income.

Ning's mom just bought the most basic rolled pancake from her stall. She sells a wide variety, with prices ranging from low to high. The most expensive rolled pancake costs 7 coins and is filled with meat.

Besides being close to the county government office, this place is also close to the county school. Sometimes the students would come out for lunch, so even if something was a few coins more expensive, there was no need to worry about selling it.

Ning's mother listened and nodded repeatedly.

When she got back, she told Ning's father, "It's a good thing we chose the East Market. There's a lot of foot traffic here, and the people coming and going are generally wealthier. The key thing is that the East Market has people from the county government watching over it, so there are no thugs or gangsters interfering."

Their whole family suffers from minor illnesses, and these are what they fear most.

"Xiao Qi, come with me to carry a bucket of water back," Ning's mother called out.

Their stall only has twenty bowls. They need clean water to wash the bowls after the stall is set up. While inquiring about the situation, Ning's mother also found out where to buy well water nearby.

"Oh dear, I forgot to buy a basin. I'll have to buy two basins for washing dishes later." Ning's mother hadn't taken two steps with the bucket when she slapped her thigh, went back to get some more change, and then walked away.

Once her figure was out of sight, Zhao Ningning returned to her stall, took out the only good stool in the house from the basket, and arranged for her father to sit down.

Unlike other foods, ice jelly doesn't have a strong aroma, and passersby don't usually linger. After calling out for a while and seeing no one stop, Zhao Ningning had an idea. She opened the bucket lid, scooped out a bowl, carefully sprinkled on the toppings, and poured concentrated brown sugar syrup in the middle.

A beautifully presented plate of ice jelly was ready. Zhao Ningning put the lid back on the bucket and placed the ice jelly on top.

"Young lady? What is this?"

As soon as the ice jelly was put out, someone inquired about it. Zhao Ningning looked up and saw a chubby young man. She smiled and said, "Hello, sir! This is called 'ice jelly'! It costs five coins a bowl. It's a dessert that cools you down. It's called ice jelly because it looks like it's made of ice."

Actually, ice was supposed to be added, but ice was so expensive in ancient times that ordinary families couldn't even dream of it, so Zhao Ningning had already come up with other selling points.

Seeing that the first customer was still hesitant, Zhao Ningning hurriedly promoted the product: "Look, this is sprinkled with raisins, crushed peanuts, roasted sesame seeds, and crushed hawthorn, and drizzled with brown sugar syrup. It's a big bowl full of ingredients, refreshing and delicious, and it can even fill your stomach!"

The chubby young man wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded: "Okay! Give me a bowl."

Zhao Ningning set the sample ice jelly aside, deftly scooped a bowl of trembling ice jelly from the bucket with a wooden spoon, covered the bucket with the lid, added the toppings one by one, and finally poured a spoonful of brown sugar syrup on top. She then placed the bowl, spoon and all, in the bowl and handed it to the young man.

As the young man took the money, he handed the counted five coins to Zhao Ningning.

There was shade in front of the stall, so he stood there eating. As soon as he took a bite, he felt a sweetness and aroma spread through his mouth. He chewed it a couple of times and swallowed, the coolness going straight down his throat to his heart. After a few bites, the frown on his brow disappeared.

The bowl of ice jelly wasn't much, but he wolfed it down, letting out a satisfied sigh. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his mouth, then handed the empty bowl back to Zhao Ningning, praising it repeatedly: "Delicious! So refreshing! Will you come again tomorrow, young lady?"

"Come on! It's all packed!" Zhao Ningning shouted loudly on purpose, and passersby looked over in the direction of her voice. When they saw someone stopping at the stall, they all stopped.

Those who are not short of money and want to try something new will naturally stop and observe, while the more generous ones will simply open their wallets and buy a bowl to eat.

Some customers came to inquire about takeout, and Zhao Ningning answered their questions while busily serving up ice jelly, while her father greeted them and collected the money.

When Ning's mother returned, she saw several people gathered around the stall and thought she had gone to the wrong place. But when she looked closer, she saw Zhao Ningning serving ice jelly to customers and was relieved.

Carrying the water, Ning's mother squeezed in, put the bucket in the corner, and hurried over to help serve customers.

Ning's father stepped back, and Zhao Qi was pouring water into the wooden basin he had just bought. Seeing this, he quickly took it from his son and plopped down on the stool. "I'll do it, you go to the front and help them."

Zhao Qi helped collect the money, Zhao Ningning added the toppings, and Ning's mother served the ice jelly. In a short while, they sold about twenty bowls.

It was only a short while later, after the last person left, that another peak period arrived at noon – the students of the county school came out for lunch.

Seeing some fresh food that tasted pretty good, they bought the bowls along with the food, packed them up, and ate them at other stalls with tables. When they returned the bowls, Zhao Ningning would even refund them.

In the middle of the day, Ning's mother went to fetch a bucket of water and bought about ten bowls and chopsticks before she could take care of the business. It wasn't until 3 p.m. that Zhao Ningning's ice jelly was sold out.

"A total of eighty-three bowls were sold." Ning's mother stuffed all the coins into her money bag and tied it tightly. On the other side, Zhao Ningning and Zhao Qi were packing things into the basket.

After everything was packed, Ning's mother first asked Cao Niangzi, who sold rolled pancakes next door, to help watch over the things, and then took the children and Ning's father to find a clinic in the city.

Since there's a market for ice jelly, Ning's father should find a place to get his leg checked as soon as possible. Ning's mother inquired when she had some free time earlier and found out that Cao Niangzi's family lives in the county town, and there are two clinics that people in the county town frequent.

There is a long-established clinic in the east of the city that provides the most detailed and impartial diagnosis. However, the consultation and medicine are more expensive, so people in the county don't like to go there unless they have a serious illness.

There's another clinic in the south of the city that charges less for consultations. It's the one that most people from the county go to. The doctor there is quite skilled, and with more medicine, you'll gradually get better.

Both clinics had their strengths and weaknesses. There were other clinics in the county town, specializing in a wider range of areas, some specializing in women's health, others in headaches... Remembering there was another clinic, Madam Cao quickly called out to the Zhao family who were about to leave, "Hey! Madam Zhou! Wait a minute!"

Hearing the sound, Ning's mother turned around. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot to tell you earlier, there's a small clinic in Fengning County that's quite skilled at treating leg injuries like this, but..." Madam Cao hesitated for a moment, thinking that telling you would give the Zhao family another option, so she told them the truth: "It's just that their treatment methods are quite painful, and many patients have fainted from the pain."

"Thank you, Madam Cao." Ning Ma was grateful. She turned around, grabbed Madam Cao's hand, and asked for the address before leading the group away.

Since they were in the east of the city, they decided to go there first.

The clinic in the east of the city was only two streets away from Renhetang. With Ning's father supporting Ning's mother, the group lost their sense of urgency about going to the market to do business and slowly walked along the street, looking around.

Wow, a proper ancient street! Zhao Ningning's eyes lit up. She used to love reading ancient time-travel novels, but she never expected that such a strange thing would happen to her own family.

However, unlike in the TV series, there are not many tall buildings here. Along the way, Zhao Ningning only saw two or three small buildings with more than three floors. Judging from the furnishings and plaques on the first floor, these buildings should be the top restaurants in Fengning County.

The grand restaurant exudes a sense of grandeur and antiquity. Apart from that, the other shops on the street each have their own unique features. Some umbrella vendors have set up a row of open umbrellas in front of their shops, while others sell fabrics with long strips of colorful cloth hanging down in front of their doors.

The ancients also had their own ingenuity. Amidst the dazzling array of sights, Zhao Ningning and her family stopped in front of a shop.

Fearing he might misread the words, Ning's father first stared at the signboard and read it aloud. After Zhao Qi nodded, the group walked into the store.

The aroma of mugwort wafts towards you as soon as you enter. Inside, several square tables are set up in the main hall, behind which are two doctors on duty. As soon as you enter, someone leads you to queue up.

Ning's father was helped forward. The old man behind the table saw his limp and, after a brief examination, told him to go downstairs to find Dr. Wang.

It turned out that this was just a triage desk. Zhao Ningning was surprised. The young apprentice in the shop led them to the back, past the front hall, and the back hall appeared before them.

The screen neatly divided a large area, where tables and chairs were placed. The doctor sat inside, and a row of patients sat on the benches in front of him. Next to each doctor, an apprentice was writing prescriptions with a brush.

The guide led the group to one of the houses, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked them to wait there.

Seeing that there were still empty seats on the benches, Ning's mother helped Ning's father sit down and rest.

After a short while, the patients ahead of him finished their appointments. When it was Ning's father's turn, the doctor asked him to extend his arm for a pulse diagnosis. After alternating between his left and right arms, the doctor asked him, "How did you hurt your leg?"

Recalling the scene from his memory, Ning's father truthfully stated, "This leg was hit by a rock."

The doctor got up, walked around from behind the table to the front, and asked Ning's father to lift up his clothes to expose the injured area.

A hideous scab stretched from his calf to his knee, the area around it slightly red, clearly still inflamed. These past two days, running around for various reasons, had left Ning's father's calf swollen as if it had been soaked in water.

Upon seeing the wound like this, apart from Ning's father, the other three immediately had tears in their eyes.

"It's been over ten days since the injury, and the internal bone fractures have begun to heal. If it's not treated promptly, it might stay like this after it's fully healed," the doctor said, shaking his head. "To fully recover, we need to open up the healed areas of the injured leg and re-fix them to allow them to heal completely."

The treatment was similar to what was expected. Ning's father put down his clothes, put on his shoes, and turned to ask the doctor, "Doctor, how much will it cost to cure him?"

The doctor pondered for a moment, then said, "Ten taels of silver."

Ten taels of silver! Ning's father's eyes widened in shock. No wonder Granny Qian refused to treat his leg! Even if he went to town for a cheaper treatment, it would still cost five or six taels of silver.

Money can be earned, but the treatment of the child's father's leg cannot be delayed. Ning's mother pressed down on Ning's father's shoulder, who was trying to get up, and asked, "Doctor, will the treatment and medicine cost a total of ten taels of silver?"

The doctor nodded, stroking his beard discreetly. "The main problem is that some of the medicinal herbs are quite expensive, and his leg will require acupuncture for another half month."

Ning's mother asked, "We're short on money these days. Could you provide part of the payment for the treatment?"

The doctor shook his head, and the apprentice beside him said, "That won't do. Doctor Wang is underestimating the situation. We're doing this for the patient's own good. Otherwise, if someone runs away halfway through treating their family member, we're stuck with the problem of whether to keep them or not."

Most importantly, if you're going to treat someone, you should try your best to cure them. Otherwise, if the patient runs away halfway through the treatment and goes around saying that Renhetang's medical skills are bad, wouldn't that ruin your own reputation?

While Ning's mother was lost in thought, Ning's father helped Zhao Qi to his feet. "Thank you, Dr. Wang. We need to go home and think about it some more."

Doctor Wang didn't say anything, but went around to the table and sat down. He took a brush from the side, wrote down a prescription, and handed it over, instructing, "This medicine can reduce swelling."

Seeing that the family of four had large patches on their clothes, layer upon layer of small patches, it seemed that they wouldn't be able to raise the money in the short term. After writing it down, Doctor Wang waved his hand and told his apprentice to deliver it.

After paying the fifty-cent consultation fee, the family of four came out, and Zhao Ningning asked, "Should we go to another clinic?"

Ning's mother was a little worried. What could she do if she didn't have enough money? She had allowed Ning's father to come to the county town today because she hoped that he could get his illness cured directly.

"Your father's leg can't be delayed any longer, Ningning. You go with your father in the oxcart, and we'll go check out other shops." Ning's mother took a handful of copper coins from her purse and stuffed them into Zhao Ningning's hands, telling her to take Ning's father in the oxcart in the county town, while she took Zhao Qi with her to the second clinic in the south of the town.

When Ning's father and Zhao Ningning arrived in the oxcart, Ning's mother came out of the clinic with a grim expression. Seeing the oxcart about to stop there, she immediately stopped the driver and said to Ning's father, "Let's go to the third clinic."

There were other people in the car. The driver dropped them off one by one, and when he reached the end of the street, he stopped and said to Ning's father, "Young man, this is the last place I can take you."

Ning's father thanked him and got up, slowly being helped off the oxcart by his son. Ning's mother counted out the copper coins for the oxcart ride and paid them.

Once the oxcart was out of sight, Ning's father finally had a chance to ask Ning's mother, "Wife, what happened just now? Did they give you a hard time?"

Ning's mother shook her head, then nodded: "That family too... Sigh, never mind, we still need money."

As expected, it was because they didn't have enough money. Ning's father tightened his grip on Zhao Qi's hand. "It's alright. Anyway, our business will be doing well for a while. I won't come to the county town tomorrow. I'll just rest at home."

That's what they say, but it's always better to see a doctor sooner rather than later! Ning's mother helped Ning's father up by the arm, and the four of them slowly walked along the alley.

After passing through the alley, you will see a narrow street with shops on both sides that are much smaller in size. Zhao Ningning thought of the information she had learned on the oxcart and said to Ning's mother, "This street is the old street in the county, so it is narrow and looks dilapidated, but the shops on this street are all long-established businesses."

"That clinic is the same; it's said to be almost a century-old establishment."

In ancient times, when the average lifespan was less than fifty years, a shop that could be run for a century must have had some serious flaws in its medical skills.

Upon arriving at the shop, Ning's mother helped Ning's father inside. An apprentice greeted them at the door. Seeing them enter, the apprentice stopped grinding herbs, set the roller aside, dusted off the powder from his hands, and asked, "Are you here for a medical consultation?"

Ning's mother asked, "We don't have much money. Can we pay for the treatment while we continue?"

Just as the apprentice was about to politely decline, a young man strode in from behind.

"Let me check the wound."