Chapter 16: Speaking Up for My Sisters

“It’s true, Grandma, I didn’t see wrong. When those people leave, I’ll go in to ask again; it won’t take much time. Okay, Grandma?” Song Liangzuo pulled on the grandmother’s hands, starting to sway them back and forth.

“You little brat, it really is my fault, go along then!”

Once he had received the go-ahead from his grandmother, it wasn’t long before he saw the old man coming out of the pharmacy. With his short legs moving quickly, he dashed back inside. Straining to see over the towering counter, he had to tiptoe and stretch his neck. “Shopkeeper Grandpa, may I ask if you buy dandelions and plantain?”

“Who?” The shopkeeper heard someone calling him, lifting his gaze around the hall and not seeing anyone. He frowned, muttering to himself in confusion, “Could I be hearing things?”

Both the shopkeeper and Song Liangzuo were having visibility issues; upon hearing that the shopkeeper was talking to himself, Song Liangzuo hurriedly called out again, “I’m here, Shopkeeper Grandpa!”

He then raised one hand, making sure it was higher than the counter, and waved it vigorously.

Soon, he saw a head pop up from above, followed by a relieved laugh, “Oh, it’s just you, little kid. What were you asking?”

“Shopkeeper Grandpa, do you buy dandelions and plantain?” Song Liangzuo aimed to be a polite child.

The shopkeeper, amused by the honorific address, chuckled, “Little one, do you know about medicinal herbs?”

Song Liangzuo nodded enthusiastically, then shook his head, finally mumbling, “My grandpa knows.”

“The kid came in with that old man you just saw,” the shop assistant chimed in.

Song Liangzuo grinned at the assistant, giving him an internal thumbs up for his timely help.

“I see! Then you can go back and tell your grandpa that these two items are collected, but they won’t fetch a high price. Dried and in good condition, they’re worth one wen for two pieces. If your family can dig up rarer ones like ginseng, Tianqi, or cassia, then they would be much more valuable.”

Maintaining his tiptoe stance, Song Liangzuo nodded vigorously while proclaiming, “Thank you, Shopkeeper! I’ll tell my grandpa right away!”

After a wave from the shopkeeper, Song Liangzuo quickly dashed back outside.

As soon as he spotted his grandmother, they clasped hands and walked forward, eagerly relaying the newly acquired information.

“Wow, are those wild vegetables really medicinal herbs?” The disbelief was written all over the grandmother’s face.

When dandelions emerged from the fields in spring, they had harvested so many to eat; how could they suddenly be deemed medicinal?

“Grandma, that’s what the shopkeeper said. If you don’t believe it, we can dig up a little and take it to the pharmacy. If they buy it, we can dig more later.”

Song Liangzuo wasn’t planning to head to the private school today; he intended to take advantage of the situation and sell a few medicinal herbs to earn some money first.

However, before he could elaborate further, he found himself pulled along quickly by his grandmother. “What are we waiting for? Let’s hurry home, gather those two good-for-nothings, and all go dig together. The sun has been shining well for the past few days, and I reckon we can dry the herbs in no time.”

He had heard the term “good-for-nothings” about his two sisters many times. He understood the reason behind it; after all, raising girls meant preparing for their marriages, which wasted resources.

To slowly change his grandmother’s viewpoint on his sisters, he feigned ignorance and asked, “Grandma, why are my sisters ‘good-for-nothings’? They take good care of me!”

“They’re supposed to take care of you; you’re their little brother now. If they don’t treat you well, and you face hardships in your future home, who will come to their aid?”

Mentioning their brotherly bond made Song Liangzuo feel a bit guilty; after all, it felt too fake!

Before he could respond, the grandmother continued, “They eat from the family and can’t help out much. Now that they’ve grown and can finally help around the home, it’s to someone else’s benefit. We have to provide a dowry—how could they not be ‘good-for-nothings’? I could raise a pig and sell it for over a tael of silver by the end of the year.” The grandmother spoke with dissatisfaction.

Song Liangzuo felt sorry for the women of this era; while their parents gave them life, they received little love in return.

“But my sisters help out at home too! They’ll bring dowries when they marry, right?”

The custom of paying a dowry has been present since ancient times; it generally implies that a woman leaving her family means she is no longer a labor source for her natal family. It serves as a form of financial compensation from the groom’s family for losing that laborer and future offspring.

“What help can they offer? Zhao and Song Chengyu are about the same age, and that little rascal can already help fetch water and irrigate the fields. Look at your eldest sister—she spills half a bucket of water every time. If it weren’t for the thought of that dowry, I would’ve abandoned them in the mountains to feed the wolves!”

Song Chengyu was the eldest son from the neighboring family, merely two months older than Song Zhao.

Song Liangzuo, looking upon the stubborn old woman with the eyes of an adult, decided to deliver a dose of reality.

In a tone that sounded both innocent and insightful, he said, “Grandma, my dad is gone, and it’s just me and my two sisters left. They are my kin; we should treat them well. They’ll take care of me at home, and when they marry, they’ll remember the kindness you showed them, just as you often remember your own grandmother’s goodness.”

“Remembering kindness…” The grandmother unconsciously echoed, but upon hearing the last part of his statement, she fell silent, lost in thought.

She had four older brothers and was the youngest in her family, yet she never felt valued at home. She had thought that getting married would improve her life, but it only got better in part; Song Laosan treated her very well, but since she had given birth to two daughters in a row, her mother-in-law began to treat her harshly, as if a mountain had fallen upon her.

It wasn’t until Wang Shan was born that her mother-in-law stopped glaring at her.

One day, the weight on her shoulders lifted, and she transitioned from being a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law herself.

Is what she did wrong if she followed the ways of her mother and mother-in-law?

“What is there to remember? You are their family; if they are relying on you, who would dare not remember your kindness?”

Song Liangzuo vowed that he had sensed a hint of softening from his grandmother when she first listened, but her subsequent response revealed she still held a firm stance.

This matter can’t be rushed; it takes time.

They hastily made their way back, with the grandmother leading the charge towards the market.