Chapter 26: You Don’t Need to Come Tomorrow

“But Huzi-ge, Sister Su said the candy was our payment,” a little girl, unable to resist her craving, said with a choked-up voice.

“You said it yourself, it’s payment. But we haven’t done the task Sister Su asked us to do yet. What if we fail? Then we’ll have to give the candy back,” Huzi replied seriously.

Among the village kids, they all listened to either Goudan or Huzi. Now that Goudan wasn’t around, Huzi was their leader.

Hearing what he said, the others fell silent.

“Huzi-ge, what do you think Sister Su wants our help with?” Everyone was eager for time to pass quickly so they could run to the medicine hall and ask Su Miaomiao.

That way, they could finish the task and eat the candy.

“I don’t know either,” Huzi shook his head. “Alright, let’s go back to digging loaches and eels. Goudan is still waiting for us at the hospital.”

“Yeah, let’s get more!” At the mention of Goudan, everyone temporarily forgot the temptation of candy and sprinted off again.

---

Meanwhile, Su Miaomiao had already returned to the medicine hall.

Old Zhao was drying the herbs she had gathered that morning.

“You’re back! Looks like you had a good haul today.” Old Zhao smiled so wide his eyes disappeared as he saw her basket full of herbs.

“Just some common medicinal herbs,” Su Miaomiao said, handing the basket over.

“The common ones are the ones we use the most.” Old Zhao chuckled.

As they were talking, Cheng Haoqiang and Deng Siyue finally returned.

But when Old Zhao saw how little was in their baskets, his smile froze.

“Sorry, Grandpa Zhao, we were a bit slow today,” Cheng Haoqiang apologized.

Old Zhao came back to his senses and was just about to say “It’s fine.”

After all, even he might not gather much more than Cheng Haoqiang if he went into the mountains.

It was just the huge difference in their harvests that caught him off guard.

But before he could speak, Deng Siyue blurted out:

“It wasn’t because we were slow! It’s because she left us behind and went to a spot with more herbs to pick them all for herself!” She raised her hand and pointed at Su Miaomiao.

“Comrade Deng, don’t speak nonsense,” Cheng Haoqiang quickly scolded.

Old Zhao’s face darkened instantly.

“I’m not lying! She abandoned us just to show off! She refused to tell us where the good herbs were. She did it on purpose!” Deng Siyue said through gritted teeth.

Su Miaomiao gave a cold laugh and was about to speak, but Old Zhao beat her to it.

“Utter nonsense! I’ve been to the back mountain many times and there’s no such place where herbs grow in clusters.”

“Besides, the types of herbs Miaomiao collected today are diverse—many of them don’t grow together in one place. She obviously found them one by one.”

“That’s impossible! How could she dig up so much in just one morning?!” Deng Siyue was stunned.

“Just because you think it’s impossible doesn’t mean others can’t do it. Instead of questioning your own ability, you choose to slander others. And you call yourself an educated youth? You’re a disgrace to scholars.” Old Zhao’s words were sharp and direct.

Deng Siyue’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

But Old Zhao wasn’t done. He took her basket and dumped out all the herbs.

There weren’t many to begin with, and more than half were just weeds.

Among the usable ones, most were picked incorrectly.

She brought back only the stems and leaves when it was the roots that were needed.

She discarded the seeds when they were the most important part.

Old Zhao’s brows furrowed tightly:
“Barely any of these herbs are usable. Didn’t you tell the village chief you knew medicinal herbs?”

“I…” Deng Siyue couldn’t say a word.

Of course, she had lied to the chief—she thought gathering herbs in the mountains would be easier than field work. She never imagined she’d end up humiliated like this.

Old Zhao snorted coldly.
“You don’t need to come back this afternoon. I’ll tell the village chief myself.”

“Why should I? You haven’t even looked inside her basket yet. It’s packed so full—who knows if it’s just all weeds!” Deng Siyue nearly fainted with anger, shifting all the blame onto Su Miaomiao.

“You’re in no position to question Miaomiao’s abilities,” Old Zhao snapped. “Before you even arrived, she had already collected herbs several times, and every time she returned with a full load—no mistakes whatsoever! Now get out. You’re not welcome here.”

Old Zhao was known for being stubborn. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone so long without finding a proper assistant.

“You…” Deng Siyue’s eyes turned red from the scolding, and she ran off without another word.

Cheng Haoqiang stood awkwardly in place, glancing at the unfazed Su Miaomiao, then at Deng Siyue’s departing figure. He glanced at his own basket—though it looked full, much of it was likely unusable.

Afraid that Old Zhao might kick him out too, he quickly said:

“Grandpa Zhao, I’ll go check on Comrade Deng, in case she does something impulsive.”

Without waiting for a response, Cheng Haoqiang hurried after her.

The medicine hall was suddenly quiet, with only Su Miaomiao and Old Zhao remaining.

“A bunch of useless good-for-nothings,” Old Zhao muttered darkly.

“Expected as much,” Su Miaomiao said calmly.

If Cheng Haoqiang had real skills, Old Zhao would have already taken him under his wing.

Su Miaomiao walked over to check the contents of Cheng Haoqiang’s basket.

It wasn’t much better than Deng Siyue’s—barely any usable herbs.

“Leave it. I’ll sort this out,” said Old Zhao, heart aching for Su Miaomiao and waving her aside to rest.

Su Miaomiao didn’t argue and plopped down on the nearby steps.

Her gaze flickered thoughtfully, then she suddenly spoke:

“Grandpa Zhao, the village kids… they don’t have to work in the fields, right?”

“They’re too young to do much in the fields anyway,” Old Zhao replied while sorting the herbs.

“They don’t go to school either?” she asked again.

“Nope. Our village doesn’t have a school. The nearest one is in the Anyang Brigade—it’s over two hours on foot. In times like these, most folks don’t bother sending their kids. They can barely feed themselves as it is.”

Su Miaomiao nodded.

People could barely eat, so how could they spare the time and energy for a two-hour walk to school?

“Then… can I bring those kids with me to collect herbs in the mountains?” Su Miaomiao finally got to the point.

“You want to take them herb-picking?” Old Zhao was surprised. He turned to look at her. “But they don’t know anything about herbs.”

“They can learn. Kids pick up fast. I’ve seen them a few times—they’re smart and obedient,” Su Miaomiao said. If she had to bring helpers, she’d rather take those little ones.

At least they were willing and respectful.

“That’s not a problem,” Old Zhao agreed. “They don’t go to school or work anyway, they’re just wandering around all day. But let me warn you—our village kids aren’t like the ones you’ve seen in Beijing. Every household here is illiterate. These kids have never even touched a book. If they don’t learn fast, don’t get yourself all worked up.”

Old Zhao was setting expectations early.