"Come again next time, girls! Grandma Qin hasn't been this happy in a long time," Grandma Qin waved enthusiastically as the people walked away, as if she had met old friends with those women.
The women waved goodbye happily, feeling they had a very good chat today.
Grandma Qin put her hands on her hips and watched their retreating backs.
They had stolen half a day off during the busy farming season. If they weren't beaten by their husbands when they got back, they would at least be scolded. See if they dared to pester my granddaughter next time.
In the afternoon, Old Man Hou returned from Salt County and went to Chief Hao's house with Qin Father. Grandma Qin had Qin Father take a piece of cloth as a gift.
After registering at Chief Hao's, they were officially registered as residents of Poplar Village.
Three days passed in a flurry of activity.
During these three days, Qin Junyao confirmed the duration for which the spatial well water kept the soil moist, and her own plan could finally begin.
Sitting on the donkey cart heading to Salt County, Qin Junyao saw the poplar tree that gave Poplar Village its name for the first time. It was as thick as two people embracing, extremely tall, with red cloth strips wrapped around its trunk.
The trees in Poplar Village and the nearby mountains grew well. This northwestern region lacked water from the sky, with low rainfall and insufficient surface water.
However, groundwater was abundant.
Therefore, trees with deep roots could grow very well in the northwest, while shallow-rooted herbs struggled to survive.
The Qin and Hou families had spent three days enclosing their yards with branches and had also gathered a considerable amount of firewood, which was better than their previous dwelling.
Today, the Qin family went to Salt County to sell the rice Qin Junyao had taken out and a basket of dried yellow Solomon's Seal.
Qin Junyao also wanted to take this opportunity to sell some items from her space. She felt at ease only when she had her own money.
Grandma Qin had been to Salt County three times and was very familiar with the grain shops. She and Qin Da Niu sold the rice.
The dried yellow Solomon's Seal was to be inquired about at the pharmacy by Qin Sen and Qin Er Niu. Qin Junyao did not want to go with them and wanted to wander around by herself.
"By yourself?" Grandma Qin frowned when Qin Junyao said she wanted to go alone. After a moment of thought, she bought a cheap cosmetic stone from a street vendor.
She led Qin Junyao under the eaves of a grain shop and first used the stone to thicken and lengthen Qin Junyao's eyebrows, which immediately made Qin Junyao's features look uncoordinated. Su Dan Novel Network.
Then, Grandma Qin dotted Qin Junyao's face with many small black spots, densely packed.
"Grandma, you've made Big Sister too ugly," Qin Er Niu couldn't help but complain when he saw his sister, who had been fine, made ugly by his grandmother's casual drawing.
Grandma Qin stepped back to look at the overall effect of her drawing, ignored her grandson, and said to Qin Junyao, "Go. If the shopkeepers and bosses don't dislike you, you can go in. If they chase you away, you can move further away. There are plenty of shops in Salt County."
"You come back in an hour and a half. We'll meet at this grain shop," Grandma Qin said, then took out a bag from her embrace, took out twenty copper coins, and placed them in her granddaughter's hand. "Don't spend it carelessly."
"Okay."
Qin Junyao, hearing Qin Er Niu complain about Grandma not giving him money and being scolded, entered the crowd.
She first inquired and went to a carpentry shop. She wanted to exchange the donkey cart from her space for a handcart to facilitate her subsequent sale of medicinal herbs.
Qin Junyao removed two wooden planks from the donkey cart. The master carpenter at the shop saw that the axle and wheels were still good and did not haggle. He exchanged it for a handcart and a box.
Qin Junyao placed the box in the thatched hut within her space and pushed the cart of straw herself to find a pharmacy.
She was rejected by the shop assistants of two pharmacies, who looked at her with disdain. Helpless, Qin Junyao had to push her cart to find another one. She wondered what her Grandma Qin had drawn on her face to make her so unwelcome.
Qin Junyao pushed her cart further and further, the area becoming more and more remote, and she felt a little uneasy.
That auntie said there was a newly opened medical clinic in this direction. Why hadn't she seen it yet?
After turning a corner, a medical clinic with a very small storefront appeared in Qin Junyao's sight. The three large characters "Qu Bing Tang" on the signboard made Qin Junyao's pupils constrict.
Could it be the one?
A young apprentice came out of the medical clinic with a stool and sat by the door, looking at the few scattered passersby.
Qin Junyao had seen this medicine boy before. He was the child who knelt to report to Dr. Sheng when Dr. Sheng's family returned to the city. His name was Song Lan.
Qin Junyao thought for a moment. Seeing that no one was around, she put the straw back into her space and replaced it with two large vats filled with fresh yellow Solomon's Seal. The large vats were the ones abandoned by the Hou family.
She covered them with straw again and called out, "Song Lan, is Dr. Sheng here?"
Song Lan was initially surprised to hear someone call him. He stood up and looked at the person in the opposite alley, even more confused. Who was this person?
Although he didn't recognize the person calling him, Song Lan still turned to find his grand-disciple.
.
"Dr. Sheng, it's me. Why are you opening a medical clinic here? Is Yuanyuan here too?" Qin Junyao asked with concern, looking at Dr. Sheng's hair and beard, which had turned completely white in just a few days.
"Haha, I recognize you. Yuanyuan is still at home and will be here in a while. Your face?" Dr. Sheng stood opposite Qin Junyao and pointed to his face.
"My grandma drew it for me."
Dr. Sheng nodded. "It's well-drawn. How did you find this place?"
Qin Junyao patted the cart next to her. "I dug up some medicinal herbs and wandered around, but couldn't find a suitable clinic to sell them to."
Dr. Sheng stepped forward, lifted the straw covering, saw what was inside, and carefully covered it again. He instructed Song Lan, who was following him, "Go call two people to help push the cart to the backyard."
"Miss Qin, this is a big undertaking," Dr. Sheng said meaningfully, stroking his beard.
Qin Junyao smiled calmly. If she hadn't seen Song Lan, she wouldn't have dared to bring out all the medicinal herbs.
"Dr. Sheng, you can just call me by my name. I also need to ask Dr. Sheng to keep this a secret for me. Being called Miss Qin makes me feel like the secret can't be kept."
"Hahaha, then you can call me Grandpa Sheng. You play well with Yuanyuan, and my newly opened clinic will need your help to attract business."
Qin Junyao covered her mouth and chuckled. She had lived with her grandfather since she was young and was good at pleasing elders.
The reason she didn't actively approach Grandma Qin at home was simply because she wasn't an ordinary old lady.
She followed Dr. Sheng through the main entrance of the medical clinic into the backyard. While waiting for the cart to be brought over, Qin Junyao learned why Dr. Sheng had opened a medical clinic here.
The closure of medical clinics in the northwestern city did not stop the troublemakers.
In short, the "Qu Bing Tang" opened by the Sheng family had offended someone, and if they wanted to live in peace, they had to completely close the medical clinic.
Dr. Sheng had been operating in the northwestern city for a considerable time. He had asked many people for help but could not find out which powerful figure he had offended.
The shops in the city hung signs indicating they were for rent, and only then did things calm down.
The shops closed, and the apprentices inside needed a place to go. Dr. Sheng did not want to abandon his medical skills. Through a matchmaker, he found this struggling medical clinic, bought it at a high price, and opened it as quietly as possible.
Qin Junyao sighed with emotion after hearing this.
In this Qing Dynasty, where power was beyond the control of the law, it was truly difficult for ordinary people to live a peaceful and prosperous life.