Chapter 73: Selling medicinal materials

Chapter 73 Selling medicinal materials

Although the county magistrate is only an assistant to the county magistrate, Da Chu has a nine-rank official system, and the county magistrate also has grades.

Common people are afraid of officials, let alone an eighth-grade assistant official, even a minor official in the yamen, they dare not offend him.

“The Lu family relies on this in-law relationship. Not only Mr. Lu is overbearing, but the entire Lu family is a bit domineering, especially Mr. Lu’s third son. Everyone in the village respectfully calls him Mr. Lu.”

Mr. Lu has three sons. One helps the county magistrate, and the other manages the shop in the county. These two do not come back often, and only the third son stays in the village.

“I’m telling you this today to let you know the situation in the village, so that you can have an idea of ​​what to do in case of trouble.”

After Mr. Qin finished talking about the He family and the Lu family, the third grandfather talked about going to the town to buy things tomorrow: "Tomorrow is the twenty-seventh, and it is the last big party of the year. Everyone has to go shopping. But you don’t need to go too many people. If you have more people, you won’t be able to help, and you’ll have trouble taking care of them. Just two adults from each family, and a half-year-old child to help get things. The others stayed and concentrated on me and Dashan. Home, if you have nothing to do, stay out of the hospital."

Mr. Qin said: "We don't have many things to add to our family. Sanlang can go alone. Erlang and I will stay here and watch here from time to time to protect everyone."

Several men were worried that something would happen to their families after they went to the town. When they heard this, they immediately felt relieved and thanked Mr. Qin: "You are still thoughtful and you and Erlang will look after the house, so we can feel at ease." too much."

 Qin Erlang was not gregarious. He hurriedly finished his dinner and left. He is not here.

 After talking about the matter, several families dispersed.

Mrs. Chen was thinking about the uneaten pheasant and wanted to take it away. Gu Dagui saw it and scolded her in a low voice: "You bitch, do you still want to be a thief?"

That was something that Brother Qin and Xiaoyu and the other kids found. How dare she take it?

Mr. Chen retracted her hand after being scolded and glanced at Gu Dexing with an unkind look. Sister Mei is a big girl, so it’s okay if she can’t go out, but Brother Xing also stays at home all day without going out, so he can’t learn from Brother Luo Wuqin and go into the mountains to find some food to supplement the family. ?

　　Gu Dexing knew that Chen was dissatisfied with him, so he lowered his head and went home quickly.

After the families left, Gu Jinli begged Third Grandpa and Gu Dashan: "Third Grandpa, Dad, let me go to the town with you tomorrow. I have saved a lot of medicinal materials and want to sell them in the town."

He also promised: "I am strong and can help pick things up. I won't follow you in vain."

The third grandpa thought for a while and said, "Okay, Xiaoyu will come with us tomorrow, and An Ge'er will stay behind to look after the house."

There are many women and children in their family, so if An Ge'er is left behind, if a bachelor with a short-sighted mind wants to visit, An Ge'er, a man, can stop him.

Gu Dashan respects Third Grandpa very much. As long as Third Grandpa agrees, he will usually not object.

“Thank you, Third Grandpa, thank you, dad, and thank you, brother.” Gu Jinli was very happy and ran to sort out the medicinal materials she had saved. She did not go to bed until the end of Xu Shi (9 p.m.).

Their family and the third grandfather’s family only have two old quilts, and these days men and women sleep separately.

The three of them, mother and daughter, slept in the same room with the third grandma, using an old quilt.

Gu Dashan and his son slept in another room with the third grandfather, using the remaining old quilt as a covering.

Although it was very cold, there was a fire burning in the room and it was covered with old quilts. It was already a hundred times better than when she fled the famine. Therefore, she was not too cold to sleep. In the middle of the family, I slept peacefully.

 The next day it was still dark, so the family got up.

Mrs. Cui went to the kitchen and fried a bowl of soybeans, boiled a pot of water, put some salt in it, drank a bowl each, and ate a handful of soybeans, which was considered breakfast.

The third grandma and Gu Jinxiu took out the thick straw sandals they made yesterday and asked the third grandpa, Gu Dashan and Gu Jinli to take them with them.

"You have to walk for two hours, so be sure to prepare an extra pair of straw sandals, otherwise you will be barefoot halfway through."

 The cloth shoes they brought from their hometown had long since fallen on the road, and they had not bought new shoes. Now they can only wear thick straw sandals. But straw sandals are easy to rot. If you are in a hurry, they will rot in a few hours, so you must prepare an extra pair.

Gu Jinli took the straw sandals, strung them with a rope, tied them to her body, tied a bamboo tube with hot water, put on her dagger, and used a wooden stick to carry the half-sack of snakes, as well as the medicinal materials accumulated on the road, waiting to set off. .

Third Grandpa and Gu Dashan were also ready. After giving Third Grandma a few words, they went out carrying empty baskets.

Qin Sanlang was already waiting in front of the courtyard gate. When he saw them, he smiled shyly: "Grandpa Third, Uncle Gu, Xiaoyu, morning." "Good morning, little brother Qin." Gu Jinli smiled and greeted Qin Sanlang.

Grandpa San and Gu Dashan liked Qin Sanlang very much. After saying hello, they asked him if he was cold and had he had breakfast? He looks like he cares about his children.

Qin Sanlang was not bothered and answered them all.

They waited in front of the courtyard gate for a while. After the Luo family father and son, Tian Shu father and son, brothers Gu Damu, Gu Dafu, and Chen arrived, a group of people rushed towards Qingfu Town.

 Walking all the way for two hours, we arrived at Qingfu Town only at chen.

Today is the last big market day of the year. Qingfu Town is very lively and full of people who come to the town to buy new year’s goods.

In the market, there are a few sellers of steamed buns, steamed buns and pancakes, and their business is very good. However, they are poor and reluctant to buy and eat them. They can only walk past these fragrant breakfast stalls while swallowing their saliva.

 Behind the breakfast stall, there are stalls selling agricultural products. The ground is full of things grown, cooked and raised by the farmers themselves. The most common ones are live chickens and eggs, as well as baskets.

 There are also many people selling blessing characters and spring couplets.

The tables with red Spring Festival couplets and the Chinese characters "Fu" were added to these stalls, forming a chaotic but vivid market scene.

Go past these stalls and then walk through a long, one-foot-wide road, which is the main street of Qingfu Town.

The main street is a rare green brick road. On both sides of the street are restaurants, inns, **** shops, grocery stores, grain stores, pastry shops, cloth shops, etc...

At the end of the main street, there was a medicine shop. There was still some distance away from the medicine shop, and Gu Jinli smelled a faint scent of medicine.

She craned her neck to watch, which amused Third Grandpa, and said to several families: "Every family should disperse first. After shopping, gather at the grain store."

He also told several family members: "The New Year is chaotic, so be careful of the money you have and don't let others steal it."

 “Hey.” Several men responded and scattered around to buy things they needed.

After several families left, the third grandfather said: "Let's go to the drug store first."

Gu Jinli was very happy. She picked up her medicinal materials and was the first to go to the drug store at the end of the street to prepare them.

Three grandpas, Gu Dashan, and Qin Sanlang followed behind her carrying baskets.

 After a while, they arrived at the door of the medicine shop.

The name of the medicine shop is quite special. It is not called Tangtang, but Xuanhufang. It is a large medicine shop with three doors. There is a doctor inside who is treating patients.

There is a medicine cabinet covering the whole wall. A medical apprentice is singing the prescription, while the medicine boy listens to the name and weight of the medicine, steps on a high stool, and takes medicine from the medicine cabinet.

This drug store looks good.

 Gu Jinli, Third Grandpa, Gu Dashan, and Qin Sanlang walked into the drug store. A drug boy immediately came up to them and asked them: "Are you going to get medicine or see a doctor? To get medicine, go to the left and wait, and to see a doctor, wait in line on the right."

The third grandfather said: "This little brother, we don't see a doctor or get any medicine. We are here to sell medicinal materials."

"Selling medicinal materials?" The medicine boy frowned, looked at their dressing, and asked: "You are very unfamiliar, are you not locals, are you fleeing from the wilderness?"

 Those who open the door for business, even the drug boys in drug stores, have developed a pair of sharp eyes. Seeing that they are abnormally dark and thin, they can identify their identities at a glance.

The third grandfather did not hide anything, nodded and said: "We fled from the northwest, but we have changed our household registration in the Yamen, and now we are villagers in Dafeng Village."

After hearing this, the medicine boy shook his head and said, "Old man, please forgive me, but we cannot accept your medicinal materials."

 (End of this chapter)