At dawn, Xiao Weidong, who had been too excited to sleep after learning about their city trip, was already awake. As soon as he saw the rice porridge ready on the table, he eagerly knocked on Shen Zhihuan’s door.

“Third Sister, the sun’s already shining on your back!”

Still drowsy, Shen Zhihuan glanced at the barely lit sky through her small wooden-framed window and sighed.

She had only just closed her eyes, and now it was already morning.

“Third Sister! Third Sister!” Xiao Weidong raised his voice when there was no response.

“I heard you! I’m getting up,” Shen Zhihuan muttered, rubbing her throbbing head before forcing herself out of bed.

After a quick breakfast, the family was ready to leave.

While Li Qiuhua went to the Wang family to drop off some peaches that Shen Zhihuan had taken from her “resort,” Xiao Weidong was busy changing into his only unpatched shirt. His careful handling of the garment made Shen Zhihuan’s heart ache.

“Third Sister, is the county town really big? Does it have the tall buildings that Little Fatty talked about?” Xiao Weidong’s excitement lit up his thin little face.

“It’s big, and yes, it has tall buildings,” Shen Zhihuan replied, gently pinching his cheeks.

Once they sold the ginseng and had more money, she would ensure this little guy was properly fed. At five years old, he looked no taller than a three-year-old.

“Will we take a four-wheeled car to the county town?” Xiao Weidong asked, his face alight with anticipation.

“Yes, we’ll ride a four-wheeled bus to the county town,” Shen Zhihuan answered with a smile.

“But how can a four-wheeled car run so fast without a cow pulling it?” Xiao Weidong scratched his head in confusion.

“It runs on gasoline, and connot be pulled by a cow,” she explained.

“Can Uncle Wang’s ox cart run on gasoline too?” Xiao weidong’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because gasoline-powered vehicles are made of iron. Is Uncle Wang’s ox cart made of iron?”

“So, if Uncle Wang makes his ox cart out of iron, it can run on gasoline, right?”

“….” Shen Zhihuan sighed, massaging her temples.
A cow-less ox cart running on gasoline wouldn’t even be an ox cart anymore.

It was a day off for the production team, so many people were headed to the town. Fortunately, Shen Zhihuan’s family left early. Otherwise, they would have had to walk like the latecomers.

Sitting on the bumpy ox cart heading to the bus stop, Xiao Weidong clung to Shen Zhihuan’s arm, his joy evident.

The bus stop was crowded, with more people than usual waiting for the bus. Thankfully, Shuangsha Town was the starting point for this route.

When the bus finally arrived, people swarmed toward it even before the passengers had finished getting off.

Li Qiuhua shielded her children as best as she could. She ensured that Shen Zhihuan and Xiao Weidong boarded safely before struggling through the pushing and shoving to climb on herself.

By the time all three were on, the bus had only two seats left near the back. Squeezing tightly, they barely managed to sit together.

Xiao Weidong, sitting by the window, kept touching the cool iron seat beneath him and the back of the chair in front, his grin stretching to his ears.

Li Qiuhua, on the other hand, looked pale with anxiety, her chest tight and her breath uneven.

Shen Zhihuan placed a comforting hand over Li Qiuhua’s trembling one. “Mom, I’m here.”

Li Qiuhua nodded faintly, biting her lip, but her heart continued to race.

The bus was packed to capacity, with people pressed shoulder to shoulder. As the vehicle bumped along the uneven road, passengers swayed and stumbled with every jolt.

Xiao Weidong tilted his head, watching with fascination as people swayed forward, backward, left, and right. He found the whole scene highly entertaining.

Even when they arrived at their stop, Xiao Weidong’s face was still full of excitement.

Li Qiuhua had only been to the county town twice in her life. The most recent visit was over 20 years ago when she and Shen Jianguo had come to buy her wedding dress with the 20 yuan and fabric coupons given by Butcher Li.

Two decades later, the changes in the county town were overwhelming.

“Third Sister, look at the tall buildings!” Xiao Weidong exclaimed, pointing at a six-story building in the distance.

As Li Qiuhua stared at the rising structures, her unease deepened.

Sensing this, Shen Zhihuan smiled and patted Xiao Weidong’s soft hair before wrapping an arm around Li Qiuhua’s trembling shoulders.

Initially, Shen Zhihuan had planned to take a stroll around the county to ease her mother’s nerves before heading to Baokang Pharmacy on East Street. But seeing Li Qiuhua’s current state, she decided to head there directly.

The pharmacy was bustling with activity, making Li Qiuhua’s slender frame shake like a leaf.

Massaging her temples, Shen Zhihuan gently guided her nervous mother and curious Xiao Weidong through the pharmacy doors.

Inside Baokang Pharmacy

Behind the counter, two or three young clerks were busy measuring and packing medicines. One of them noticed the trio entering and came forward.

“Comrade, are you here to buy medicine or see a doctor?”

“We’d like to speak with the manager,” Shen Zhihuan replied, tapping the fabric-wrapped bundle on her arm.

The clerk nodded, leading them to the pharmacy’s backyard.

In the yard, two workers squatted in the sun, drying herbs, while a middle-aged man in his fifties reclined in a chair under a tree, lazily fanning himself with a bamboo fan.

“Master, someone’s here to see you,” the clerk announced, bowing slightly.

The man half-opened his eyes, casting a scrutinizing glance at Shen Zhihuan and her family.

Without a word, Shen Zhihuan unwrapped the fabric bundle slightly, revealing a corner of what lay inside.

The man’s eyes lit up for a brief moment before he masked his expression. Rising from his chair, he gestured for them to enter a nearby room.

Once the door was closed, the man carefully unwrapped the moss covering the ginseng. When the roots were fully exposed, a glimmer of excitement flashed in his otherwise dull eyes.

“Name your price,” the man finally said, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.

“Two thousand,” Shen Zhihuan stated evenly, her soft yet firm tone showing no hesitation.

The man’s brows knitted, and his sharp eyes scanned the three before him.

One looked visibly anxious, the other childlike and innocent, and the last…

A tough negotiator.

Suppressing a cold sneer, he took a deep breath, already preparing his counteroffer.