Chapter 14: Going to the Town

The next day, as the sky was still dim, Lin Nuo woke up. As usual, she made wild vegetable porridge for breakfast.

After eating, Lin Lei went off to school, and Lin Nuo headed to the village entrance to wait for the ox cart to the town. Taohua Village wasn’t far from the town, and the cart ride only took about half an hour.

By the time she reached the village entrance, the ox cart already had a few people on it, chatting loudly among themselves.

As Lin Nuo arrived, many of the women’s eyes turned to her. In the countryside, most people were dark-skinned and weathered from working in the fields, with skin that was often rough and yellowish. Even young girls, around sixteen or seventeen, worked in the fields, so their skin wouldn’t be particularly delicate. The clothes were mostly coarse cloth, with some people wearing patched-up clothes or cotton garments.

But Lin Nuo stood out, her beauty drawing attention. Her skin was fair and smooth, like jade, her eyebrows delicate like silken threads, her hair dark as a waterfall, and her eyes sparkled like stars. Her lips were rosy and full, and her figure was graceful, like a poem, like a painting, like a sweet tune from the south of the river. Even though her clothes weren’t extravagant, just plain cotton, they looked luxurious on her, making her seem uncommonly elegant.

Lin Nuo smiled gently at everyone, nodded, and climbed onto the cart.

Among the women was a widow named Li, notorious for being sharp-tongued and difficult. Her husband had died years ago, and she now lived with her daughter, Li Xiuxiu.

Xiuxiu looked at Lin Nuo and spoke up. “Miss, you’re the one who came to our village a while ago, fleeing the famine and seeking refuge with the village head’s niece, right? You’re Lin Nuo, aren’t you?”

She then pulled another woman over, sat beside Lin Nuo, and continued talking.

Lin Nuo looked at Xiuxiu. Her face was sunken, her hair was dry and yellow, her skin rough and speckled with freckles, and her eyes were sharp. The bright red lipstick she wore made her appearance somewhat comical.

“Yes, I’m Lin Nuo. Hello, everyone,” Lin Nuo replied, smiling and greeting the group. Since someone had spoken to her, she didn’t want to appear too distant or aloof.

Xiuxiu, eyeing Lin Nuo closely, asked, “Miss, you’re not too young now, have you thought about marriage?”

She then added, “I have a nephew, a scholar. He’s eighteen now and studying at the Qing Shan Academy in the town. When he returns, I’ll bring him to meet you, and maybe you two can consider each other.”

She even reached out to grab Lin Nuo’s hand, which made Lin Nuo instinctively lean back.

A woman sitting nearby, who didn’t get along with Xiuxiu, noticed Lin Nuo’s discomfort and spoke up.

“Xiuxiu, you should mind your own business. And your nephew’s already eighteen and still hasn’t even passed the elementary exams—stop embarrassing him.”

“Look at this young lady, with such good looks and conditions. Do you really think she’d look at your nephew, a little frog in a well?” she added with a sly grin, throwing a satisfied glance at Xiuxiu.

The others in the cart stifled their laughter, shaking with suppressed giggles.

Xiuxiu’s face turned red with embarrassment, clearly upset, and she angrily moved to one side.

At this moment, the village head’s wife, Li Pozi, arrived.

Lin Nuo almost felt as if she had seen a savior. She quickly pulled Li Pozi onto the cart.

“Auntie, are you also going to the town today? If I had known, I would have waited to ride with you,” Lin Nuo said with a bright smile.

“I’m going to sell a few eggs and also exchange some salt on the way back,” Li Pozi replied.

“Is everyone here? Let’s go!” The old man who was driving the cart shouted.

The cart set off, and after a bumpy half-hour ride, they arrived at the town. Everyone scattered, and the old man announced that they would regroup in two hours for the return journey.

Lin Nuo walked alongside Li Pozi. This was only her second time coming to the town; the last time was when she went to Taohua Village to buy supplies.

They first sold the eggs and exchanged the salt. Lin Nuo was planning to sell ginseng and needed someone to vouch for her, so she asked Li Pozi to accompany her to the largest pharmacy in town to sell her medicinal herbs.

From the eastern market, they made their way to the western market and arrived at the “Huichuntang” pharmacy.

There weren’t many people in the shop at the moment, and as soon as they entered, the pharmacy assistant enthusiastically greeted them.

Although Lin Nuo’s clothes were plain, her beauty was hard to conceal.

“Are you two here for consultation or to buy medicine?” the assistant asked.

“Hello, do you buy medicinal herbs here?” Lin Nuo asked.

The assistant, seeing this young lady was not only beautiful but also knowledgeable about herbs, became even more polite.

“Yes, we do buy herbs. May I ask what kind of herbs you want to sell? You can show them to me first, and when my master returns, I’ll have him take a look as well.”

Lin Nuo then took out a piece of red cloth from her sleeve and unwrapped it to reveal the ginseng.

The assistant gasped, “Oh my, this is ginseng, and from the looks of it, it’s quite old.”

He quickly ushered them to the back.

“Please, wait here. I’ll go get my master right away.”

He hurried off.

Li Pozi, still in shock, pulled Lin Nuo aside and asked, “Child, was that ginseng you just took out?”

At this moment, she too was a little startled. While she had never eaten ginseng, she knew it was very expensive.

“Yes, Auntie,” Lin Nuo replied. “I found it a few days ago when I went to the mountains to collect wild vegetables. I also learned about herbs from a doctor in our village.” This wasn’t entirely a lie, but just a way to cover things up for now.