Chapter Eighteen: The Wang Family Pharmacy

  Second watch

  "Even Father and Mother have to be kept in the dark?" asked Little Seven.

  Lian Wan'er thought for a moment and nodded. For the past two days, she had been watching coldly, and indeed Zhang Shi and Lian Shouxin didn't have a single penny in their hands, it seemed they never had the concept of private savings. If they found out about this matter and wanted to hand over the money to Zhou Shi, that would be troublesome.

  Lian Man'er and Lian Zhi'er, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi discussed and agreed on a plan before returning home. Madame Zhou saw the wild vegetables they had dug up were both good and plentiful, but didn't say anything. The three Lian brothers, Shouren, were still not back from town, so lunch at the Lian house was simple: millet porridge, wowo (a type of doughnut), and salted vegetables. Because they had something on their minds, the children quickly finished lunch and returned to the wing room.

  Autumn afternoons are very hot, and it's not yet harvest time. People in our village are accustomed to taking a nap at noon. Waiting for everyone to

  After a rest, several children got up. Wu Lang and Lian Zhi'er went to push the flatbed cart, while Lian Man'r and Xiao Qi prepared baskets and sacks.

  "What are you going to do?" Zhang didn't sleep and saw asking.

  "Daughter, let's go out and have some fun," said Lian Man Er.

  "It's scorching hot outside at noon, let's just stay home and rest." said Zhang.

  "We have a cool place, and Ge said he'll find me bird eggs to eat." Lian Man'er said.

  When they came back, they told Zhangshi about giving Lianmeng the roasted bird egg.

  "Daughter, let's push the flatcar away. Man'er and Xiao Qi are tired from walking, so let them sit on the flatcar." said Lian Wulang.

  "Go ahead, don't go too far, come back early, and be careful not to damage the car." Zhang reminded.

  Several children have always been reassuring, and even Cang's face was red and puffy, obviously having gone out for a trip, and their spirits were much better. Zhang's heart softened, and she couldn't bear to stop them.

  They pushed the cart out of the village, this time not heading towards the fields, but along a small path, heading west. Not far from there, they saw a low mountain range, lush and dense, with some tombstones faintly visible. Lian Wan'er guessed that it must be Nan Shan. From the foot of Nan Shan, they continued southward, and the surroundings became desolate. The flat land turned into rolling hills, and the fields decreased in number, while shrubs and short forests increased.

  Continue south from the small path in the dwarf forest, and the terrain rises ahead, with denser grass and trees.

  "It was when I came to pick up branches that I found it." said Renigorō as he walked.

  Lian Wan'er looked around and saw that most of the surrounding area was covered with low hills, interspersed with deep and shallow gullies, all overgrown with shrubs and weeds. Lian Wulang was clearly very familiar with this place, and after leading the cart in a few circles, they arrived at a low-lying flat area.

  "It's just this." said Tatsugorō, stopping his feet.

  A cluster of them, a tuft of them, all are bitter melon seedlings, on top of which are full of bitter melons, some have already turned red, and many are still green.

  "We only pick those that are red and ripe. The green ones can be picked again after a few days when they turn red." said Lian Wan'er.

  Lian Man Er, Lian Zhi Er, Lian Wu Lang and Xiao Qi put the cart aside, all carried baskets, and started picking cotton. When the baskets were full, they sent them out and loaded them into hemp sacks on the cart.

  There was no wind, the sun was scorching hot, and in a short while, Lian Miao's forehead was already beaded with sweat. The sweat trickled down her temples and into her neck, feeling very uncomfortable. But Lian Miao didn't want to complain at all, she was happy in her heart.

  Lian Zhi'er, Lian Wu Lang and Xiao Qi didn't need to be mentioned, they all worked very hard. The children were used to doing chores, so in just a little over an hour, they had picked all the nearby bitter melons that could be picked.

  Lian Man'er took a look, and they picked six big bags of bitter melon. The four of them had to work together to lift one bag, and it was quite strenuous. These six bags added up, estimated to be at least 400-500 catties.

  Lian Wulang tidied up the burlap sacks and covered them with a layer of straw mats. He and Lian Zhier pulled the cart in front, while Lian Man'er and Xiao Qi helped push from behind, circling out of the mountains without entering the village, directly onto the official road, heading straight to the town.

  At this time, there were not many pedestrians on the road. They walked close to the edge of the road, taking advantage of the shade of the big trees along the way. Now that it was a bit breezy, it wasn't particularly hard work. However, they were still young children after all, pushing something weighing four or five hundred catties, and walking very slowly. Lian Wu Lang and Lian Zhi Er were both sweating profusely as they walked, using all their might to avoid tiring out their younger brother and sister.

  They walked for about two quarters of an hour on the official road that was less than four miles away, and Qingyang Town was already in front of them.

  Lian Man'er thought of a question.

  "How do I get to Wang's pharmacy?"

  "It was just on Front Street, we went there when we were in a hurry to get to the market, didn't you forget, Man Er?" Lian Zhi'er said with a smile.

  Lian Man'er fell silent.

  Qingyang Town is very prosperous, and the Front Street is the most prosperous street in the town. The street surface is very wide, paved with bluestone, and both sides are various shops, with four or five two- to three-story wine houses. Even if it's not a market day, the streets are still bustling with people coming and going, very lively.

  "We're here." Little Seven called out.

  On the north side of the street, there is a large five-bay shopfront with three gilded characters "Jishengtang" on a crimson signboard, which looks very majestic and ancient. This Jishengtang is an ancestral property passed down through generations of the Wang family, with many branches in Jinyang County, and its reputation is very loud.

  Lian Wulang stopped the car in front of the pharmacy, and he and Lian Zhier looked at the car. Lian Man'er took Xiaogui into the pharmacy.

  As soon as Lian Wan'er stepped into the pharmacy, a young shop assistant immediately came up to greet her. Seeing that it was a little girl with no hairpins and no apron strings, and a small boy, his smile didn't change at all.

  "Are you two buying medicine?" The young shopkeeper asked, and then turned to Lian Mian'er since there were no adults following behind them.

  "I'm here to find someone, would you mind helping me pass on a message?" Lian Man'er said in a crisp tone, "We're from the 30th Li Camp, and we've already spoken with your Young Master San about delivering some goods."

  The boss of Jishengtang, Wang Dawang, was standing behind the counter and saw that Lian Man'er had a dignified attitude and spoke clearly, so he walked out from behind the counter.

  "It's Lian's family... third daughter, I think." said Wang Zhuangui, "All three young masters have told me. Where is the thing?"

  "This is our boss Wang." said the young shop assistant.

  "Master Wang is here," Lian Mian'er bowed slightly and pointed outside the door, "He's just outside."

  "In that case, please ask Third Sister to sit in the back, and I'll have someone bring the things in."

  Wang Zhanggui sent his apprentices to inform Wang Youheng while leading the people out, moving several sacks of bitter melon to the back.

  Lian Man'er followed Wang Zhanggui into the backyard, watching as the apprentices poured out the bitter girl's weight, and saw Wang Youheng hurrying over.

  "Man Er, I didn't expect you to come so soon."