Chapter 7
The sky outside was just beginning to lighten, but Ye Qingzhi and the two children were already awake.
Habit truly is a terrifying thing. When she first transmigrated, Ye Qingzhi couldn’t get up in the morning at all. Now, at this hour, she couldn’t sleep even if she wanted to.
Of course, it also had to do with how early they went to bed. They were in bed by seven, told stories for a while, and were asleep between seven-forty and eight. By four-thirty in the morning, they had already slept for eight or nine hours.
With sufficient sleep, it was no wonder people in this era were so energetic and had so much hair.
After breakfast, Ye Qingzhi went up the mountain with the two children. When they came across Motherwort, she took the opportunity to teach them how to identify it, but she didn’t teach them about the others.
Both Rehmannia and Gastrodia had to be found deep in the mountains. Worried that the boys would sneak off to look for them if they learned how, she decided not to teach them.
“You two stay here and pick slowly. Mama is going to look for Gastrodia a little farther away. Don’t come up the mountain to find me. Mama will be back early,” Ye Qingzhi instructed them repeatedly, afraid they would come looking for her.
“We know, Mama. Don’t worry. I’ll watch my brother,” Wei Anmin promised, patting his chest.
After walking for another ten minutes or so, she could no longer see anyone. Ye Qingzhi hesitated for a moment but didn’t venture any deeper. She was also afraid of going too far.
She used a wooden stick to carefully search the ground. She didn’t find any Gastrodia, but she did dig up some Rehmannia.
Before she knew it, over an hour had passed. Ye Qingzhi finally found a Gastrodia plant. After digging it all up, it weighed about three catties. She had no idea how it would be graded.
She searched for another two hours and dug up some Pulsatilla. This herb was good for clearing heat and detoxifying, effective for common colds and internal heat. She also found some Doellingeria scabra, which could treat coughs.
She dug them up with the roots and soil intact to plant in her yard. They could be enjoyed as flowers and used as medicine when needed.
Seeing the sun begin to set in the west, Ye Qingzhi decided to head back. It wouldn’t be safe if it got late, and the two children would worry.
Her luck was truly unstoppable. She couldn’t find any before, but on her way back, she found two more Gastrodia plants. Including what she had dug up earlier, she had at least ten catties. Even at the second-grade price, that was fifty cents.
In this era, a strong laborer earned twenty cents for a full day’s work. She had only been digging for a little over half a day, and fifty cents was a significant amount.
She put the Gastrodia in her basket, covered it with the other herbs, and then dug up a lot of wild vegetables on the way down. This way, no one would know she had found Gastrodia.
It was best to make a fortune quietly. There wasn’t much Gastrodia on the mountain. If others found out, she would never be able to find any again.
She had finally found a way to make money and didn’t want it to end so soon. She still had two children to raise. She needed to save as much money as she could. She couldn’t pin all her hopes on getting married. If she didn’t find someone she truly liked, she wouldn’t marry.
“Mama!” Seeing Ye Qingzhi come down from the mountain, Wei Anmin ran towards her excitedly.
“Slow down! Did you two go home for lunch?” Seeing them shake their heads, Ye Qingzhi’s heart ached. “Why didn’t you go home to eat? Mama deliberately made extra this morning. You could have just heated it up.”
“We were waiting for you here,” Wei Anjie said, clutching the hem of her clothes. “Mama, let’s go home.”
Ye Qingzhi nodded and led the two children down the mountain, encountering many villagers digging for wild vegetables along the way.
“Qingzhi, where did you dig up these wild onions? They look so plump,” Auntie Li said, picking one up and pinching it.
“Over at Niutou Ridge,” Ye Qingzhi pointed in a direction.
Auntie Li glanced over and asked in surprise, “You went into the mountains? My husband said he saw a wild boar last time he was cutting firewood. Qingzhi, you shouldn’t go up the mountain alone. If you run into a wild boar, you won’t be able to get away.”
Beside her, Old Mrs. Li, Auntie Li’s mother-in-law, nodded in agreement, telling Ye Qingzhi not to go too deep.
“I didn’t go very deep. Well, you all keep digging. We’re heading back. These two silly boys didn’t even eat lunch because they were waiting for me.” Ye Qingzhi subtly praised her two children for being filial and left with a smile.
Back at home, Wei Anmin went to start the fire. Ye Qingzhi planted the Pulsatilla and Doellingeria scabra. After eating, she began to clean the Gastrodia.
“Ma, what’s this?” Wei Anjie asked curiously, squatting beside her.
“Gastrodia. Doesn’t it look like a potato?” Ye Qingzhi gently washed off the dirt, afraid of scraping the skin and affecting its grade.
“Ma, I’ll help you,” Wei Anmin said, pulling over a chair.
“No need. You and Anjie go wash the wild onions. We’ll have scrambled eggs with wild onions for dinner tonight.” Seeing Wei Anmin’s reluctance, she knew he was feeling the pinch of using eggs. “Anmin, look at all this Gastrodia Mama dug up. Even at the second-grade price, it’s five cents a catty. There’s at least ten catties here, which means we can earn at least fifty cents. So, don’t worry about the eggs. Go wash the onions with your brother.”
Wei Anmin’s eyes widened. These things on the ground could sell for five cents a catty?
He calculated the time. His mother had gone up the mountain at seven in the morning and returned after two in the afternoon. She could earn fifty cents in just over half a day. Was their family about to strike it rich?
Knowing how valuable the Gastrodia was, the two boys would even walk around it to avoid accidentally stepping on it, which made Ye Qingzhi chuckle.
She placed the washed Gastrodia in a cool, shady place, planning to save up a bit more before selling it.
The next day, Ye Qingzhi climbed Niutou Ridge again. Her luck was incredible; she found three plants at once. She also gathered some more common herbs. Hearing the call of an unknown animal, she got a little scared and decided to head back early.
Halfway down the mountain, she began to see other villagers. The farther down she went, the more people there were, all picking wild vegetables or gathering firewood.
At the village entrance, Ye Qingzhi was chatting with another woman when she saw Auntie Lin running towards her, her eyes shining.
“Jiancheng’s wife! You still have time to stand here and chat? Your father-in-law and your stepmother-in-law are fighting!”
Ye Qingzhi was stunned for a moment, then realized. Wow, Fang Xiaomei works fast.
“Why are they fighting? Aren’t they usually as close as two peas in a pod?” Auntie Li piped up, pursing her lips. “Just the other day, I saw them holding hands on their way to do laundry. People with one foot in the grave, stickier than young couples. It hurt my eyes to watch.”
“Was it your eyes that hurt, or were you just envious? Why don’t you get your Chungen to hold your hand on the way to do laundry?” Auntie Wang joked with a laugh.
“My Chungen would never do that. When we first got married, he was afraid people would see us walking too close. He always made me walk in front while he followed behind,” Auntie Li said, looking Auntie Wang up and down. “Your Shouxi is the smooth one. He must hold your hand on the way to do laundry all the time, right?”
Seeing them getting sidetracked, Ye Qingzhi quickly pulled the conversation back. “Auntie Lin, you just said my father-in-law and Auntie Fang are fighting. Do you know why?”
Auntie Lin had been enjoying the drama. Hearing Ye Qingzhi’s question, she slapped her thigh in frustration. “Oh no, I forgot to ask!”
The group hurried towards Wei Youliang’s house. Don’t get the wrong idea—they weren’t going to break up the fight; they were going to watch the show.
There wasn’t much farm work to do recently, and everyone was bored. A fight between Wei Youliang and Fang Xiaomei was too interesting to miss. So, by the time Ye Qingzhi and the others arrived, a crowd had already gathered by the wall.
“Fang Xiaomei, have I not treated you well all these years? Have I not treated Haibo well? How could you find another man behind my back?” Wei Youliang’s finger, pointing at Fang Xiaomei, was trembling slightly.
“Wei Youliang, don’t you talk nonsense! When did I ever find another man behind your back?” Fang Xiaomei, of course, couldn’t admit it.
“Don’t deny it! Someone saw you hugging that wild man. And you’ve been packing your things these past two days. What, you want to leave me for him?” Wei Youliang’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at her.
Seeing more and more people gathering outside, Fang Xiaomei grew anxious. “Youliang, let’s talk about this inside. It’s so embarrassing if people hear.”
“You’re not afraid of having an affair, but you’re afraid of people talking? Fang Xiaomei, you’re a loose woman, you know that?” Wei Youliang had never imagined that Fang Xiaomei would find someone else.
Auntie Lin happened to hear the word “affair” and tugged on Ye Qingzhi’s arm, whispering in her ear, “Fang Xiaomei is having an affair? Did you know?”
“How would Qingzhi know? They don’t live together,” Auntie Li said, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look. She then tapped Auntie Wang beside her and pointed. “They’re blocking the view. Let’s move over there.”
The four of them shifted their position and got a clear view of Wei Youliang and Fang Xiaomei.
“I knew Fang Xiaomei was no good. Look at her, having an affair at her age,” Auntie Wang said, watching the fight with great interest.
“Is it a real affair? Who’s the other man? Do you know?” Auntie Lin was so curious she was practically scratching her head.
“I don’t know. Hey, hey, they’re going inside. No way, Fang Xiaomei had an affair, and Wei Youliang is going to forgive her?” Auntie Ye had appeared beside them at some point.
“What else can he do? Jiancheng is dead. Can Wei Youliang shamelessly ask Qingzhi to support him in his old age? He definitely won’t let Fang Xiaomei and Wei Haibo leave now. Otherwise, he’ll be all alone,” Auntie Lin said with a pout.
With the show over, the crowd dispersed in twos and threes. Auntie Ye lived next to Ye Qingzhi, so they walked in the same direction.
When it was just the two of them, Auntie Ye said in a low voice, “Qingzhi, you need to hurry up with your remarriage. If Fang Xiaomei really leaves, I’m afraid Wei Youliang will latch onto you in the future.”
Ye Qingzhi hadn’t thought of that. She nodded. “I’ll consider it if I find a suitable person.”
Because the last match she had introduced had fallen through, Auntie Ye had felt she owed Ye Qingzhi an apology. In the following days, she put in a great deal of effort to find a match for her.
One evening, Ye Qingzhi was blanching wild vegetables. She would soak them overnight to remove the bitterness, and then she could dry them for storage.
“Qingzhi! Qingzhi…” Auntie Ye came in excitedly. “Qingzhi, let me tell you, I’ve found an excellent match for you.”
Ye Qingzhi poured Auntie Ye a bowl of honeysuckle tea and asked with a smile, “How excellent? Sit down and rest first.”
Auntie Ye took two sips of tea, waved her hand, and said excitedly, “The man is from Dayang Village. Not the last one. This one is a soldier. They say he’s been promoted to an officer. He’s good-looking too—thick eyebrows, big eyes, tall with long legs. He got divorced a year ago. I made sure to ask; it was the woman’s fault. He has two sons, just like you. Oh, and he’s four years older than you, twenty-nine this year. Your zodiac signs are highly compatible.”
It sounded very good, but a military officer… willing to marry a widow with two children?
It wasn’t that Ye Qingzhi was putting herself down, but the status of soldiers was indeed high in this era. With his qualifications, he would have no problem marrying a young, unmarried woman.
“What are his requirements?” Ye Qingzhi asked.
Auntie Ye knew what Ye Qingzhi was worried about and said with a smile, “I’ve asked clearly. He just wants to find a wife who can live a steady life with him. Most importantly, she has to be good to his children. Of course, if the woman has children of her own, he will treat them all the same.”
So, he didn’t mind if the woman had children. As for the rest, if she agreed to marry, it would be with the intention of living a good life, and she certainly wouldn’t mistreat the children.
“What do you think, Qingzhi? These are really good conditions. If I weren’t friends with his aunt, I wouldn’t have even known about this. The day after tomorrow is market day. I’ll take you to have a look. Then you two can chat. If it works out, you and Anmin and the others will have someone to rely on for the rest of your lives,” Auntie Ye said earnestly.
Meeting him wouldn’t hurt. Ye Qingzhi nodded in agreement.
“Alright. Let’s meet the day after tomorrow.”