Chapter 6: The Poor Souls at the Market!

She wouldn’t let go of the matter of identifying the real daughter, Fang Lanlan, and had pushed Fang Shaocheng and his wife to the point of falling ill from anger — truly the textbook definition of a drama queen.

But since the original host had already fallen to her death, you could say she paid the price.

Thinking of this, Ning Wanwan casually grabbed some loose change and wheeled herself out the door.

Though the market wasn’t far from the family compound, it still took Ning Wanwan, with her mobility issues, over an hour to cover the mere two kilometers.

In the 1980s, the country had just started encouraging private businesses, so the marketplace was bustling with activity, and the vendors were selling all sorts of things.

Ning Wanwan’s appearance quickly drew the attention of many. After all, a pretty girl in a wheelchair out on her own was bound to attract curiosity.

Most of the looks were sympathetic, though some carried inquisitive undertones.

Pushing her wheelchair forward, Ning Wanwan looked at the dazzling array of goods around her, her large eyes full of curiosity.

As a 21st-century girl, it was her first time seeing with her own eyes the kind of goods common in the 1980s — the so-called “vintage items” she had only read about in books.

She stopped in front of a fabric stall.

The vendor, a slightly plump older woman, greeted her warmly. “Hey girl, looking for a particular color? I can recommend something nice.”

Ning Wanwan’s gaze landed on a piece of peach-pink silk in the middle of the stall. She raised her hand and pointed to it.

“Auntie, I want that one. Just two feet is enough. I’m making something small.”

The woman laughed cheerfully. “Good eye, girl! This fabric is imported from the south — real high-quality stuff!”

She immediately picked up her scissors and tape measure and skillfully cut the fabric.

After Ning Wanwan paid, the vendor even helped her pack the fabric in a bag and insisted on waiving the extra dime in change.

“Thank you, Auntie, but no need to waive it. I’ll definitely come back to you next time I need fabric.”

“Haha, then next time I’ll give you an even better deal!”

Ning Wanwan smiled and said goodbye to the vendor, moved by how kind and genuine people were in this era.

This kind of simple warmth was something you could rarely feel in the 21st century.

She moved forward again and finally reached a Chinese herbal medicine stall. In this era, few people were skilled in medicine, so the stall was a bit deserted.

The vendor, a middle-aged man, was watching the nearby butcher stall — busy as ever — and smacked his thigh in frustration.

“Just look at his business… and here I am, selling herbs. What was I thinking? I could work all day and still not sell a single root!”

Ning Wanwan smiled slightly at his frustrated look and then pointed at a box of Chishao (red peony root) near him.

“Comrade, could you help me check the quality of that Chishao? I’m not very mobile.”

Surprised and delighted, the man glanced up — and was momentarily stunned by Ning Wanwan’s delicate features.

He had never seen such a beautiful girl before. From her looks and clothing, she clearly wasn’t from an average family.

Snapping out of it, he quickly brought over the box of Chishao.

“S-Sure… let me bring it over for you to take a look.”

Ning Wanwan nodded with a smile. She picked up two slices, sniffed them, and examined the quality carefully.

The vendor could tell right away that this young lady was no novice when it came to medicinal herbs.

He asked, “Young lady, you know herbs? Are you a doctor?”

Ning Wanwan placed the pieces back and replied, “I just know a little.”

“Comrade, this Chishao is of good quality. I’ll take the whole box.”

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief. Thinking he’d heard wrong, he asked again, “The… the whole thing?!”

Ning Wanwan smiled and nodded seriously.

Normally, even just half a pound of Chishao would take him days to sell — no one appreciated good herbs anymore.

But today, she bought it all in one go. He was honestly a little overwhelmed.

Who would’ve thought that this paralyzed young girl would turn out to be a major customer?

Before he could spiral deeper into shock, Ning Wanwan pointed at more items and said, “Comrade, I also need three qian of mugwort, three qian of mint, and two qian of patchouli.”

The vendor’s excitement grew even more. He quickly began packing.

“Right away, miss! Don’t worry, I’ll wrap it all up for you!”

A few minutes later, he handed the herbs over.

“That’ll be three yuan and twenty cents. But since you’re buying so much, just three yuan is fine.”

Ning Wanwan carefully put the herbs into her cloth bag and still paid the full price out of courtesy.

After all, the vendor’s stall was hardly booming, and she was still technically a military dependent — she couldn’t take advantage of the common people. She knew better.

Leaving the herb stall, Ning Wanwan bought some vegetables, a dozen eggs, and two pounds of pork, all packed neatly into her small shoulder bag.

She had a spatial storage space anyway, so she could buy as much as she wanted — it wouldn’t spoil and she could take her time eating it.

Passing by a needlework stall, she also picked up some colorful threads and a pack of needles. Her cloth bag was now stuffed full, so she prepared to head home.

It hadn’t felt too far on the way there. Though her hands were already red from pushing the wheelchair, it was still bearable. But thinking about the long trek back, she worried her poor hands were going to suffer.

Sighing as she looked at her reddened palms, she was just about to head home when…

A commotion suddenly erupted in the distance, catching her attention. She slowly wheeled herself over to take a look.

After all, gossiping and watching drama was every woman’s instinct, right?

She wasn’t too far away, so when she arrived, the crowd was still thin. In front of her, a shabbily dressed mother and daughter were being shoved around by a middle-aged man dressed like a doctor.

The woman being pushed looked to be in pain, clutching her forehead and moaning. The little girl beside her kept bowing and pleading.

“Go, go, go! No money, no treatment! I’m a doctor, but I still need to eat! I’m not some living Buddha! If you don’t have money, just crawl home and wait to die!”

A small crowd had gathered by now, many pointing fingers at the male doctor.

The butcher — a simple, honest man — spoke up indignantly, “Come on, Doctor Zhou, these two look like they’ve had it rough. Show some compassion and take a look at her.”

“Yeah, poor things. At least check her out,” an elderly woman with graying hair added.

Zhou Hongchang’s face turned red with anger. He spat at the mother and daughter and shouted,
“Pah! I already checked her! It’s a terminal illness! If you all feel so sorry, why don’t you pay for her treatment? Hypocrites, the lot of you!”