Madam Zhao had seen her husband learning yesterday too, but he mainly taught the old man, his sons, and grandsons. As for the women, they mostly helped out on the side. To be honest, she had been envious. This was a real skill, after all.

As soon as Madam Zhao finished speaking, the women who had been helping sweep the floors, tidy up the stove, and wash the wooden trays all stopped what they were doing.

Madam Zhao was already being bold. Most of the women in the room had only heard about bark stripping. They had no clue how it was actually done.

This was a skill—a real craft. Learning even just a little would help them stand taller at home. They could even pass it on to their daughters. Once married, their girls wouldn’t have to worry about being looked down on by their in-laws.

“Sure, why not,” Li Xiaohan replied cheerfully. “Auntie, help me grab that chopping knife over there.”

“Alright!” Madam Zhao responded loudly and clearly. Her voice trembled slightly from excitement, and her smile reached the corners of her eyes, smoothing out her wrinkles.

She really hadn’t expected Li Xiaohan to agree so readily. Learning a skill was never easy, especially for women like them who spent their days circling the stove, thinking about three meals a day and trivial matters. They weren’t proud of it. They just didn’t have any other choice.

Now, to have the chance to learn something that could earn them money, Madam Zhao felt she might be too greedy. Still, she couldn’t suppress the joy in her heart.

But that joy was quickly followed by guilt.

She hadn’t been blind to the rumors the villagers had spread about Li Xiandong’s family. But since they were distant relatives, she had always kept her distance, thinking it was better to avoid trouble. Looking back now, she realized how cold she had been.

From now on, if she ever heard anyone saying even a word of rumor about this family, she swore she’d go up and tear their mouths apart.

Hearing Li Xiaohan’s response, the women who had been sweeping and scrubbing immediately got moving again.

“Wait for me, let me just finish what I’m doing! We’re really lucky today—thanks to Xiaohan!”

“No need to be polite. My family’s short on hands. These eucommia trees we were saving to make furniture—now this sudden windfall is just sitting here, and no one’s even stripping the bark.”

Li Xiaohan smiled as she spoke.

She wasn’t just saying that to be nice. People right now didn’t see labor as a form of wealth. They didn’t realize that labor could be exchanged for time and freedom—that was a kind of wealth too.

To put it another way: the sooner the bark was stripped, the sooner they could sell it.

But everyone else thought she was just trying to comfort them. After all, the woods weren’t going anywhere. To trade a bit of physical effort for a whole new skill? That only happened in dreams.

“Come on, let’s move that wood over here. Good, right there,” Li Xiaohan directed.

“Aunties, watch closely. First, you cut a ring around the bark, horizontally, top and bottom. Make sure the pressure is steady and precise—cut down just to the wood. Then, follow the grain and make a vertical cut.”

She explained while demonstrating with the blade. “Next, gently pry up the bark along that vertical cut. Use the knife to push it little by little, while your other hand helps pull it away.”

“There you go—one whole piece of bark, cleanly removed.”

Her movements were quick and steady as she removed a full strip of bark.

“A square, neat piece like this is the most popular when sold fresh. And when it’s dried into medicinal bark, it’s easier to cut into proper sizes.”

“Doctor Zhang at Renhetang is a very particular person. He likes the bark to be evenly sized, square, and tidy. Different-quality bark sells at different prices. I figured it could differ by several wen.”

“Wow, look at that! It’s perfectly square, and not a single tear inside. So smooth. This is craftsmanship. If I were the buyer, I’d like it too,” Aunt Zhao exclaimed.

“Right? Xiaohan, show us again—let us see it one more time.”

“Alright.”

Getting the chance to learn a real skill, the group of women lit up with excitement once more.

…

When Li Xiandong and Madam Wang returned home with a group of people from the mountain, everyone who had come to learn had already finished and gone. The house was quiet again.

If there had been more material, the village aunties probably would’ve stayed until Li Xiandong returned.

Hearing a knock at the door, Li Xiaohan went to open it. “Father, you’re back. What’s all this?”

Seeing her confusion as she looked at the tree trunks and branches being carried in, Li Xiandong smiled and explained, “Well, to process the dried eucommia bark, we’ll need firewood. Since we had enough people, we brought back these eucommia branches and trunks to use as firewood.”

Li Xiaohan looked at the leafy branch dragging behind them and thought of something. But in the end, she just pursed her lips and said nothing.

“Come in,” Li Xiandong said as he opened the gate, not paying much attention to Li Xiaohan’s dazed expression. “Silly child, why are you standing in the doorway?”

“Xiandong, we’ve already stored the firewood in the woodshed,” one of the men called. As they walked past the bark drying under the eaves, a flicker of envy appeared in their eyes.

Li Xiandong placed the bark they’d collected that day on the floor in the main room and said, “Thanks for all your help today.”

“Brother Xiandong, what are you talking about? We haven’t even thanked you for showing us how to make money. We’ll head back now and go up the mountain first thing tomorrow.”

“Ah.” Li Xiandong waved his hand a little. He wasn’t used to this much attention—he had received more respect today than in the first half of his life. He still couldn’t speak yet, but at least his posture looked a bit more natural.

Once everyone dropped off their things, they went their separate ways.

Li Xiaohan came back to her senses and said with a smile, “Father, Mother, have some water and take a break. I’ve already cooked the rice and prepared the dishes. I just need to heat them up.”

“Alright,” Li Xiandong and Madam Wang took the water and drank it in big gulps. Then, seeing the pile of wood in the woodshed, some already peeled, he asked, “Did you strip the bark from our own eucommia trees today too?”

While heating up the food, Li Xiaohan replied, “Yes, I stripped them with the aunties. I thought since the bark is worth money, we shouldn’t just leave the trees sitting there.”

If she hadn’t saved a few eucommia trees to demonstrate the peeling technique to those coming tomorrow, the younger aunties and older married women wouldn’t have been willing to leave at all.

“Exactly. This is all money,” Madam Wang said, nodding repeatedly after taking another sip. Since Xiaohan could now strip bark alongside the others, she must be getting along well with the village aunties.

Madam Wang had seen it before she left earlier. The ones who came were all daughters-in-law who were often praised in the village. Although she herself didn’t have the best reputation, it was clear that her daughter was well-liked. That meant she would surely be able to secure a good marriage in the future. 

“I’ll go help in the kitchen,” Madam Wang said after finishing her bowl of water. Without resting, she went to take over for Li Xiaohan. After all, being a girl was the only time in a woman’s life when she could live a little more freely. If they hadn’t been so busy lately, Madam Wang wouldn’t have let her daughter work so hard.

Li Xiaohan didn’t know that Madam Wang was already thinking about her marriage. While helping stoke the fire, she was still thinking about the eucommia leaves.

Things needed to be done step by step. Their family didn’t have solid footing yet, and in a feudal society like this, they were still too weak. They needed to first make money by processing traditional medicine materials.

The firelight flickered, reflecting in Li Xiaohan’s dark, lively eyes, making it look as though two flames were burning fiercely in them.

…

The next morning, even more villagers and clan members gathered in front of the Li family home than yesterday.

News of how to make money really did spread fast.

Seeing the growing crowd, Madam Wang and Li Xiandong discussed it and decided that Madam Wang should stay home with Xiaohan.

Yesterday’s visitors were mostly close family like Madam Zhao. But today, many weren’t so familiar, even including distant relatives from different surnames. Leaving Xiaohan alone at home didn’t feel safe.

Also, with more people going up the mountain with Li Xiandong, there wasn’t much use for Madam Wang there. Bark stripping didn’t require great skill. If a few people pitched in, they wouldn’t miss her.

Li Xiaohan had no objections to the decision. With more people involved, it did make more sense for Madam Wang to stay home. Their family was starting to build a bit of wealth now.

In just two days, starting with the Li clan in Pingshan Village, word quickly spread that the “false silkworm tree”—also known as the eucommia tree—had valuable bark that could bring in big money.

On the third day of teaching how to process eucommia bark, something unusual happened.

That evening, after coming back, Li Xiandong seemed a bit restless. He tried to hide it, but he wasn’t very good at pretending.

The deep mountains were dangerous at night, so those harvesting bark would always make sure to return before sunset. But the women learning from Li Xiaohan weren’t the same. They wanted to stay just a bit longer, even to help clean up—they were more than willing.

“Aunties, that’s all for today. You all did great. Try making a small batch at home first. It should be fine.”

The women looked reluctant to leave. Each of them had been carefully chosen by their families. If they couldn’t learn it properly, not only would they risk ruining a batch and losing money, but they might also be scolded at home. So, everyone who came to learn from Xiaohan was especially focused and treasured every moment.

But since she had spoken, they all said goodbye.

“Xiaohan, we’re heading off now. You’ve worked hard today.”

Their hearts were both nervous and burning with anticipation.

After sending off the aunties and locking the gate, Li Xiaohan finally asked, “Father, what’s wrong?”

By now it was already the third day. The eucommia shouldn’t have caused any problems.

Li Xiandong looked around to make sure only their family was present, then he lowered his voice. “Xiaohan, I found two more Sanqi today.”

He recalled that earlier that afternoon, after he had finished harvesting bark from a eucommia tree with the group, he went to find a secluded spot to relieve himself. When he looked down, he saw two Sanqi growing from the ground.

He had been so shocked that he forgot what he was about to do. At first, he started doubting his eyes and rubbed them over and over, worried that his aging vision might be playing tricks on him.

“I looked closely. They look exactly like the ones we sold last time. I’m ninety percent sure. One has four of those compound leaves you mentioned, and the other has three. Both have bright red fruit. But there were too many people around, so I didn’t dare dig them up. I came straight home.”

He rushed to finish speaking, then looked at Li Xiaohan hopefully. “Should we find a chance to go dig them up?”

Those plants were literally money growing out of the ground.

Selling Sanqi was how they got through the hardest time after the family division, how they earned money to build their home and to pay for medical treatment.

Seventy-six taels of silver, to be exact!

Li Xiandong still remembered how he felt at the time. Things had been so tough back then. He had even considered ending his life, or risking it all by venturing deeper into the mountains.

But in the end, he didn’t. He stayed alive. Found hope. That Sanqi had felt like a lifesaver sent by the heavens.

“Yes, yes, we need to hurry. There are too many people on the mountain now,” Madam Wang said urgently, rubbing her hands together in worry.

“Father, Mother, let me think for a bit.”

Think? About what?

Li Xiandong and Madam Wang looked at her in confusion.

But Li Xiaohan’s expression was full of seriousness and deep thought. In that moment, they almost forgot she was still a child. They watched her closely, waiting for her to make a decision.

After more than half a cup of tea’s time, Li Xiaohan finally spoke solemnly. “Father, Mother, I think there are two ways we can handle those two Sanqi plants. I’d like to hear what you think first.”