Chapter 22 : Marrying a good wife can bring prosperity to three generations

Mother Xiao pinched her arm, feeling a sharp pain. She rubbed her eyes hard with her sleeve and looked again…sure enough, the basket really did contain ginseng and Ganoderma lucidum.

“Oh my goodness, I’m not dreaming! Suisui, you’re the lucky star of our family!”

Mother Xiao stared at Jiang Sui, completely overwhelmed and blushing with excitement.

This child really was their lucky star. She had only been back home for a few days, and yet she had already brought so much good fortune to the family.

Jiang Sui felt a little embarrassed hearing that. Her luck had indeed been unusually good lately, but calling her a “lucky star” felt a bit too much.

“Mom, let’s find a good medicine shop tomorrow and sell this Ganoderma and ginseng before any trouble comes our way. As for the damaged ginseng, we can keep it for making soup. Third sister-in-law is pregnant and needs to nourish her body, and second sister-in-law also needs to recover her strength. We shouldn’t waste it.”

Jiang Sui laid out her plan.

Mother Xiao nodded, touched by how thoughtful Jiang Sui was toward her two sisters-in-law. She felt this daughter-in-law truly had a kind heart. A proud, pleased smile spread across her face, and her fondness for Jiang Sui deepened.

“Alright, I’ll go with whatever you decide. You brought this back, so I’ll follow your lead. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the town pharmacy.”

When Jiang Sui heard that they were going to the town, she frowned slightly. She thought to herself, ‘This town isn’t that big. Most of the people here are just villagers coming to get medicine, and they’re usually reluctant to spend money. Who would be willing to buy expensive Ganoderma lucidum here?,

If they tried to sell in such a small place, they’d likely be forced to accept a low price. Outsiders were often taken advantage of, people would buy from them cheaply and then resell at high prices to wealthy landlords who didn’t know the market but had deep pockets.

Since it’s possible to earn more, why hand over the profits to someone else?

She definitely wanted to sell for the best possible price but the key was finding someone who understood the true value.

“Mom, how far are we from the county seat?” Jiang Sui asked, already thinking about taking their goods to a larger market.

“It’s not too far. If we take a carriage, it’s a one-day round trip. If we leave before dawn, we can be back before nightfall if we move quickly,” Mother Xiao answered honestly, even though she wasn’t sure what Jiang Sui had in mind.

“Suisui, are you thinking of something else?” she asked after a pause.

Jiang Sui nodded.

“Mom, these medicinal herbs are really high quality. If we sell them in a small-town pharmacy, we’ll definitely be underpaid. This is our first time dealing in medicinal herbs, and we’re starting with something as valuable as Ganoderma and ginseng. I’m afraid people will take advantage of us, knowing we’re new, and offer a low price only to resell them at a premium to rich landlords.”

“But if we go to the county, we’ll definitely be able to make more. There are more people there, and plenty of merchants coming and going. The bigger the market, the more likely we are to find buyers who know the value.”

“We can approach the largest pharmacies there. Those big stores don’t make their money off petty price differences. They focus on curing illnesses and saving lives, and they always want more quality stock in their warehouses. That way, we won’t be forced to lower our price in fact, we can raise it.”

“I took a good look, these Ganoderma are at least six or seven years old, and the ginseng is excellent too. We have to plan this carefully and not be afraid of a little extra effort. The more we can earn, the better, right?”

Jiang Sui carefully explained her ideas to Mother Xiao. Her thoughts were clear and well-organized. As she listened, Mother Xiao nodded again and again in agreement.

“You’re absolutely right. Those pharmacies in town only think about squeezing every coin out of people like us. They have no conscience. Every time we go to get medicine, they act like we’re taking their entire stock. They’re stingy and afraid of losing even a bit of money. All the good stuff they have, they save to curry favor with the landlords.”

“Suisui, you’re really clever much smarter than your old mother. We’ll do exactly as you say. Tomorrow, you and I will head to the county. I’ll go talk to Ermaizi and have him prepare the ox cart early in the morning. We’ll leave before dawn so we can catch the carriage to the county from town.”

Mother Xiao was genuinely happy. At last, there was someone in the family with real ideas. The five men in the house were all honest and simple, and whether it was a big issue or a small one, they always relied on her to make decisions.

As for the two older daughters-in-law, one just worked silently and never spoke much. The other one talked plenty, but few of her words were pleasant, and she always had her own little schemes, constantly looking for ways to take advantage of others, not someone who could be relied on.

Lanlan had her own thoughts and personality, but due to her difficult circumstances, she had never been able to hold her head high in the village. The constant gossip had made her life hard.

Now, Hechuan’s wife this new daughter-in-law was truly a gem: thoughtful, capable, and most importantly, sharp-minded but kind-hearted. At last, she had someone she could really talk to. How could she not be delighted?

They say marrying a good daughter-in-law can bring prosperity for three generations. Even that old immortal in her dream had said a koi fish bringing blessings had arrived at their home. Now, she fully believed that Jiang Sui was the lucky star of the family.

The two of them made plans to head for the county early the next morning. Before setting off, Mother Xiao specifically told Jiang Sui to keep the matter quiet and not to tell anyone else in the family. Everything would be discussed after they returned.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her family, but the Ganoderma and ginseng were found by Jiang Sui. Once they were sold, the money should be accounted for properly. She wasn’t the kind of person who would take it for herself.

The herbs were temporarily stored in Jiang Sui’s room. After she came out, Mother Xiao found Xiao Hechuan and gave him instructions not to let anything slip.

Xiao Hechuan had always been the most obedient child, so he immediately agreed and promised to keep quiet.

Then, Mother Xiao went to find Ermaizi and asked him to harness the ox cart and be ready before dawn to take them into town. The reason she gave was that she wanted to take her new daughter-in-law to the temple to worship and offer incense.

She told the same story to the rest of the family. When Zhou and Liu had newly married into the family, she had also taken them to the temple for blessings so when she used that excuse, no one questioned it. She didn’t even tell Father Xiao a word of the real plan.

That night, Jiang Sui and Xiao Hechuan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed). Xiao Hechuan tucked the quilt around her feet. In the dark, his eyes sparkled brightly.

Suddenly, he asked: “Wife, are you going to play in town with Mother tomorrow?”

Jiang Sui had just closed her eyes, ready to sleep early since they’d be leaving at dawn. When she heard his question, she opened them again.

She reached out and gently scratched the tip of his nose with a smile.

“Do you want to come too?” she asked, thinking he just wanted to tag along like a curious child.