Chapter 19: Playing the Sympathy Card

“Shopkeeper, we have two hundred fifty-nine stalks of plantain and dandelions combined,” the clerk led Song Liangzuo and his grandmother into the front hall to settle the bill.

The shopkeeper stopped his work and turned to ask, “How do they look?”

“They’re just as good as the ones you saw earlier,” the clerk replied honestly, glancing sideways at the elderly woman and the young boy.

It was indeed rare! Not to mention the villagers, even the herb collectors sometimes brought herbs that he could discard for being subpar. But this pair—a grandfather and grandson duo—had brought in herbs that could all be used!

How strange!

Unaware of the clerk’s thoughts, Song Liangzuo would have boasted about his knowledge had he known.

The shopkeeper nodded in response, then turned to the duo and said, “We’ll take the herbs, and the price is one wen for two stalks, so with two hundred fifty-nine stalks, that’s one hundred twenty-nine wens. I’ll round it up for you—let’s say one hundred thirty wens.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, Shopkeeper!” The grandmother was so excited she could barely articulate her gratitude, just nodding her head repeatedly.

She never imagined that something she looked down upon in the fields could actually be sold in town for money.

They had eaten so many in the spring; how much might they have eaten away!

Oh, how heart-wrenching!

Immediately, the shopkeeper pulled out a string of coins from the drawer and counted out thirty copper coins to place on the counter. “Count them and see if it’s correct.”

Song Liangzuo stood on tiptoe, stretching his neck but still couldn’t see the coins on the counter, only hearing his grandmother panting with excitement and the clinking of coins.

Once his grandmother counted the coins and carefully wrapped them in a handkerchief to place in the bamboo basket, she thanked the shopkeeper again, nervously rubbing her hands as she asked, “Shopkeeper, can we bring some more over in a few days? Will you still buy them?”

“Of course! With the warm weather, these herbs are in high demand right now. As long as the quality is as good as today, I’ll buy as many as you can bring,” the shopkeeper replied.

“Thank you! We’ll make sure to bring more!” she exclaimed.

At that moment, Song Liangzuo, nearly overlooked, suddenly piped up, “Shopkeeper Grandpa, I know only a few herbs. Do you have any fresh herbs or pictures that I can see? This way, if I encounter them again in the future, I’ll know they are medicinal herbs. If our family can earn more, then Shopkeeper Grandpa can get some good medicine as well!”

“Hahaha, this little boy is interesting,” the shopkeeper said, stepping out from behind the counter to face Song Liangzuo. “Can you read?”

Song Liangzuo shook his head, and fearing he might be looked down upon, he quickly defended himself. “Shopkeeper Grandpa, I only have my grandma at home, my mom and two sisters. I can’t afford to attend school right now. I may not know how to read, but I have an excellent memory. I can recognize any plants I’ve seen before, but I don’t know which ones are herbs and which are weeds. I was hoping you might have some medicinal herbs here that could help me remember their names, so I can learn to identify them next time.”

After he finished speaking, he felt a pang of guilt. He didn’t want to play on their sympathies or appear pitiful, but he truly needed to acquire knowledge.

The shopkeeper took a serious look at the elderly woman and the child before him; from their clothing, it was easy to see that their family circumstances weren’t good.

Especially the little boy, who was slender and small—his family’s meals likely weren’t plentiful. Yet, in his distinct black and white eyes, there shone an unusual brilliance.

Feeling a moment of sympathy, the shopkeeper noted that there were no customers in the store, so he said to the boy, “I do have a book called ‘The Compendium of Medicinal Herbs,’ but since you can’t read, I can’t let you see it because you wouldn’t understand the descriptions accompanying the pictures. However, I do have a piece of soil poria with some vines attached. If you can remember it and find this soil poria later, next time I’ll teach you to recognize another medicinal plant.”

As he spoke, the shopkeeper waved his hand to the clerk nearby. The clerk hurried into the back courtyard and was back shortly with a piece of root-shaped herbal medicine and some green vines. “You’re in luck; this piece was brought in this morning along with some vines. If you come tomorrow, you definitely won’t find the vines anymore.”

When Song Liangzuo spotted the soil poria, an inexplicable joy rose within him. He was familiar with this herb; he had previously dug it up while following his parents in the mountains.

There are two types of poria: one is the flat poria, which is a fungus-based medicinal herb with no roots or leaves, primarily parasitic on the roots of pine trees. It is suitable for people with spleen deficiency and dampness and is commonly used for treating water retention and diarrhea caused by such conditions.

The other is soil poria—a creeping plant with smooth, thornless branches. Its leaves are thick and leathery, oval to narrow elliptical in shape, tapering to a point.

“This is soil poria—remember how the leaves look. Whether you can find it later depends on your luck,” the shopkeeper said just as the clerk handed the herb to Song Liangzuo.

Song Liangzuo took it with both hands, carefully examining what he held, then ran his fingers along the vine, softly mumbling to himself, “The vine’s bark has red and white speckled patterns. It feels smooth to the touch, with thick leaves that have uneven spots that are either white or a lighter green.”

He turned the leaves over to check the underside, then murmured, as if talking to himself, “The underside is white. The branches have a few fine rootlets wrapped around.”

Though he spoke softly, everyone present could hear him clearly.

He knew he was playing tricks on the adults again.

However, his earnestness and attention to detail about the soil poria vines caught the shopkeeper’s attention, who nodded in approval repeatedly.

Just from the fact that this boy noticed features about the vines and could articulate them almost perfectly, it was clear he was quite clever.

What a pity, though; his family’s circumstances seemed dire. From what he just said, it sounded like he was the only boy in the family, living a harsh life without the silver to afford schooling. Otherwise, if he studied for a couple of years, he could come here and work as a clerk.

Song Liangzuo had no idea what the shopkeeper was thinking. If he did, he might scold himself for playing the sympathy card and being cunning; now he was losing out on a chance at a possible job opportunity.

Meanwhile, the grandmother stood by, filled with joy as she watched her clever grandson. She could clearly see the vine and the mottled specks.

To her, it was just a vine, but now, with her grandson’s description, she felt as if everything he said made sense.

“It’s just as my grandson described,” she thought, pride swelling in her heart.