Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

Lin Xiuer walked and looked around, heading in the direction of the pharmacy she remembered.

Jishetang was the largest pharmacy in town, with a spacious storefront, brass scales and mortars on the counter, and a strong, bitter aroma of herbs filling the air.

The senior doctor was taking a woman's pulse, while the waiter was dozing off behind the counter.

Lin Xiuer walked in, and the waiter lifted his eyelids to glance at her, his gaze sweeping over her plump figure and tattered clothes before lazily lowering his head again.

"See a doctor?" the waiter asked listlessly.

"Selling medicine." Lin Xiuer put her basket on the ground, took out the wrapped herbs, and opened them one by one. "Honeysuckle, plantain, they've all been dried. Please check their quality."

The shopkeeper slowly walked over, picked up a few honeysuckle flowers to examine them, and then pinched the plantain: "They're dried alright, but there's not enough. Honeysuckle is fifteen coins a pound, and plantain is eight coins. Yours... is only a little over two pounds in total, so I'll give you forty coins."

Lin Xiuer knew the price was low, but there was no need to go to a more distant county for these herbs, so she could only nod and say, "Okay."

The man counted forty copper coins and gave them to her.

Lin Xiuer took the money but didn't leave. She then took out the small cloth bag: "Young man, would you like this? Wild mint, it has a strong fragrance."

The shopkeeper opened the cloth bag, and a refreshing minty aroma wafted out, which invigorated him slightly. He then examined it closely.

"Hmm, this mint looks good. Is it wild? The aroma is authentic. This... is worth buying. Dried mint is ten coins a pound."

You have a little over a pound of this, and it's not completely dried yet. I'll charge you fifteen coins.

"Okay," Lin Xiuer readily agreed. She received another ten or so coins.

Clutching the fifty-odd copper coins she had just earned, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Young man, I'd like to buy some medicine for external injuries, like cuts and bruises, and also to reduce fever."

The waiter glanced at her and asked, "Is someone in your family injured? How badly are they injured?"

"Um... I fell, the wound is quite deep, and I also have a fever," Lin Xiuer mumbled.

"Then we'll have to use something better." The shop assistant turned around and took out several paper packets from the medicine cabinet behind him.

"This is a top-quality wound medicine; it stops bleeding and promotes tissue regeneration. This is Bupleurum and Scutellaria for reducing fever; take it home and decoct it in water to drink. Also, clean the wound with boiled and cooled water, and make sure the bandage is clean; it's best to boil and dry it first."

Lin Xiuer carefully wrote down: "How much are these in total?"

"The wound medicine costs 100 coins, and the Bupleurum and Scutellaria baicalensis medicine is for three doses, costing 50 coins, for a total of 150 coins."

Lin Xiuer's heart skipped a beat; it was really expensive. But she still counted out some money from her purse and handed it over. She also spent twenty coins to buy a bag of coarse salt, which she needed for cleaning her wounds and for daily use.

"Young man, I'd like to ask you something." She paused, her tone sincere. "I often travel in the mountains and would like to learn about some more valuable medicinal herbs. Would you be able to give me some pointers? Which ones are commonly collected in shops and might be found in the mountains?"

Seeing that she was humble and spoke in an organized manner, unlike the usual coarse village woman, and noticing that the shop was quiet at the moment, the waiter became more patient.

He turned around and pulled out a few sheets of scrap paper from under the counter, then picked up a charcoal pencil: "Okay, I'll tell you about a few common ones. You wouldn't remember more than that anyway."

As he sketched a simple diagram on the scrap paper, he explained, "Look, this is Panax notoginseng, also called Tianqi. The leaves are shaped like a palm, and it has small greenish-white flowers. The root tuber looks like ginger, but it has wart-like protrusions on the surface. It's a top-grade product for stopping bleeding, dispersing blood stasis, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. Those that are old are especially valuable."

"This is Solomon's Seal. The leaves are whorled, with four to six leaves per whorl. The flowers are small and pale green, and it produces black bean-like fruits. The rhizome grows horizontally, segmented. It nourishes qi and yin, strengthens the spleen and moistens the lungs; it's a good thing."

"And this one, Paris polyphylla. Its name reflects its appearance. Usually, seven leaves are whorled at the top of the stem, and in summer, a small yellowish-green flower emerges from the center of the leaves. The rhizome is used in medicine to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and relieve pain, and is remarkably effective in treating snake and insect bites."

Lin Xiuer listened intently, trying her best to memorize the features and descriptions of the images. These three medicinal herbs all sounded much more expensive than honeysuckle and plantain.

"Thank you so much for your guidance, sir!" she said sincerely, and paid for the herbs.

"If you find any good ones next time, just bring them over." The waiter pushed a sheet of paper towards her. "Take these pictures and learn to identify them. Next time, I'll teach you to recognize Gastrodia elata and Polygonum multiflorum."

After thanking her repeatedly, Lin Xiuer carefully put away the straw paper.

Leaving the pharmacy, she weighed her purse; she had a little over three taels of silver and several dozen copper coins left. She didn't know how much money she would need for future medical treatment and medicine; she'd have to pawn that knife.

Lin Xiuer's eyes darted around the street, searching for the pawnshop's sign.

Yu Feng Pawnshop's black signboard with gold lettering is neither new nor old, and the threshold is worn smooth, exuding the aura of time.

The shop was dimly lit, with the tall counter acting as a screen.

A middle-aged man in his fifties, dressed in a dark gray long gown, was slowly and meticulously wiping a white jade thumb ring with a soft cloth.

Hearing footsteps, he lazily lifted his eyelids, his gaze like a cold ruler, measuring Lin Xiuer's rough clothes and basket before returning to his thumb ring.

Lin Xiuer composed herself, walked to the counter, and gently placed the basket on her back. She didn't immediately take anything out, but spoke first, "Shopkeeper, I'd like to pawn a piece of ironware."

The clerk straightened up slightly, put down the ring, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and looked down at her across the counter: "What is this?"

Lin Xiuer took out the tightly wrapped cloth bag from the bottom of the basket and placed it on the clean, cold countertop. She then slowly and deliberately unwrapped it, layer by layer.

When the dark black waist knife was fully exposed in the dim light, Chao Feng's eyes, which had been half-closed, widened almost imperceptibly.

He leaned forward slightly, but did not touch it immediately. His gaze, like a brush, swept from the undecorated scabbard to the worn dark leather cord wrapped around the hilt, finally settling on the exceptionally clean and crisp lines where the scabbard and hilt joined.

"Take a look." He finally held out his hand.

Lin Xiuer gently pushed the knife over.

The clerk picked up the knife, and the first thing he felt was a sudden weight on his wrist.

This weight far surpasses that of ordinary swords. He gripped the hilt with his right hand, his left thumb pressing down on the matte guard, and slowly applied force. The blade was drawn from its sheath without a harsh scraping sound, only a low, smooth hum.

The dark, heavy blade was fully exposed, without the usual reflection of iron. Instead, it seemed to absorb the surrounding light, gleaming with a deep, restrained, cold, and hard luster.

The blade's edge, as thin as a cicada's wing, gleamed white, silently exuded a chilling aura. The entire knife was devoid of any ornamentation, its cleanliness bordering on coldness, yet it possessed a serene quality that could only be forged through countless forgings and honings.

The clerk seemed to hold his breath for a moment. He ran his fingertips along the spine of the blade with extreme care, feeling the even and delicate forging patterns.

He then turned the blade to the side, examining the grain of the steel in the dim light filtering through the doorway. His movements were slow and meticulous, his expression remaining as calm as still water, though a glint of shrewdness flashed deep within his eyes.