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Liu Qishuang had already discussed it with Wan Dongyang today: they would use the excuse of working at the Wan household to go forage for wild vegetables to sell. Wan Dongyang had agreed, but when the two arrived at the Wan residence, just as he was preparing to head into the mountains, Mother Wan advised him not to go today.

“Yesterday, you left so early and didn’t come back until so late. It’s almost the hour of Shen now—by the time you return, it’ll be pitch black. It’s far too dangerous for a young ger like you.” Mrs. Wan was deeply concerned. Outsiders only knew that the ger worked for her family; if anything were to happen, it would be impossible to explain. Besides, she was genuinely worried about his safety.

The boy wasn’t exactly a child anymore, and he was quite handsome. With several ruffians and ne’er-do-wells in the village, he needed to be extra careful when he went out.

Liu Qishuang hadn’t given Mother Wan’s concerns a second thought. He’d made a fortune today—cash he didn’t even have to hand over—and was currently brimming with excitement. There was no way a few words from others could dissuade him.

Liu Qishuang insisted on going into the mountains. Just as Mother Wan was at a loss for what to do, Wan Yong’an, the eldest son of the Wan family, came out carrying the tools he used to search for medicinal herbs.

“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll go with Brother Liu. Every year around March, April, and autumn, I always feel a bit under the weather. I’ll go gather some herbs to keep on hand.”

Since Wan Yong’an was going into the mountains too, Mother Wan naturally felt reassured. But she hadn’t expected Wan Dongyang to want to go as well. She scolded him for making a fuss over nothing, but Wan Dongyang had only one reply for her: “I’m just sitting around anyway.”

The three had been gone for perhaps a quarter of an hour when Wan Xiaohua returned from feeding the pigeons with her grandfather. Upon hearing that her eldest uncle and youngest uncle had gone into the mountains, she went to the courtyard gate with two tears hanging from her eyes. Sitting on the threshold, she gazed longingly toward the mountains and refused to go back inside for quite some time.

Liu Qishuang and the two Wan brothers set off up the mountain together, moving much faster than the day before. Without Wan Xiaohua—a little girl who had never been up the mountain—holding them back, and since Wan Yong’an knew the mountains surrounding their village like the back of his hand, they headed straight for their destination.

The three certainly didn’t travel in silence. Along the way, Wan Yong’an kept telling them amusing stories from his youth about gathering herbs in the mountains. When they spotted a few milk vetch blossoms on the path, Liu Qishuang couldn’t help but mention how much cash those flowers had fetched that day. After hearing this, Wan Yong’an merely glanced at Wan Dongyang before promptly offering Liu Qishuang a suggestion.

“If you come across these flowers today, feel free to pick them. Tomorrow, when you take them to town, don’t go to the market—head straight to the pharmacy or the street in the West District where the mansions of the wealthy stand side by side.

Once you get there, if you’re bold enough, just shout out in front of those grand courtyards—someone is sure to come out to buy them. Remember not to sell them cheaply; though they’re wild plants, they’re hard to find. Villagers don’t know their uses, and townspeople have nowhere to pick them. Besides, those who are willing to spend cash on them aren’t short on a few coins.

Use your hand as a scale—sell by the handful, and charge at least twenty wen per handful.”

Having explained how to run this flower business, Wan Yong’an went so far as to tell the man about a marshy area in the mountains where there was a vast patch of milk vetch, even giving him the exact location.

“Thank you, Brother Wan.” Liu Qishuang didn’t say much to strangers; after thanking him, he said no more, only watching Wan Yong’an’s retreating back with bright, sparkling eyes, thinking he was truly impressive.

“You youngster, how old are you anyway? You should call me Uncle.” Wan Yong’an was thirty-five this year, considerably older than Liu Qishuang; by age alone, he could easily be Liu Qishuang’s father.

Liu Qishuang didn’t argue with him either, simply saying that he called Wan Changqing “Uncle.”

Hearing this, Wan Yong’an chuckled. He reasoned that if that was the case, then the title was correct—he’d have to call Changqing “Uncle” too. Meanwhile, Wan Dongyang, standing nearby, cast several glances at the boy, thoroughly puzzled.

Wasn’t the Liu family planning to marry their son to his uncle? Was this Liu-ger daft? They weren’t even related—why on earth would he call him “Uncle”? That would make him a generation younger for no reason, and it would only complicate matters when it came time to discuss the marriage.

None of them dwelled on the matter of titles. After they continued on their way, Liu Qishuang brought up the topic of elm samaras, and Wan Yong’an explained it to him in detail.

“Do you see that mountain peak over there? Right beneath that white cloud, there’s a tung tree grove on the mountainside. There’s an elm samara tree there, but it’s quite a distance away, and the mountain path is rough. You young ger shouldn’t even think about going after that.”

Liu Qishuang naturally understood the saying that “a mountain looks closer from afar than it is,” and since the place looked incredibly far away even to the eye, he naturally felt a bit daunted. But before his worries could fully take root, Wan Yong’an added, “Those elm samaras haven’t reached their blooming season yet; they likely won’t be ready until after mid-March.”

At first, Liu Qishuang was a bit confused by this timing. If they weren’t in bloom yet, how come he’d seen people selling them today? Wan Yong’an continued to explain, “The terrain and soil vary, so the blooming season differs slightly.”

“I see.” This principle was likely the same as with the various peaches in the village—people could enjoy them from early April all the way through August or September. The fruit’s seasonality was due to the variety, so it must be due to the terrain and soil conditions for these elm samaras.

It was a partly cloudy, partly sunny day. The group made good time, and they were all working up a light sweat. When they reached the spot where they’d picked the Chinese mahogany yesterday, Liu Qishuang glanced at the tree and told the Wan brothers that they would be parting ways, as their paths no longer converged.

“We each have our own objectives; it’s not convenient for us to travel together.” As soon as Liu Qishuang finished speaking, he headed toward the Chinese mahogany tree from yesterday, paying no heed to the two Wan brothers behind him.

Without a word, Wan Yong’an raised his hand and gave Wan Dongyang a sharp slap. “You’re the one who got us into this mess. Hurry up and catch up with him! I wouldn’t usually mind, but these past few days, with Liu-ger up in the mountains, you need to stick close to him.”

Wan Yong’an wasn’t the type to be overly friendly with just anyone, and the village doctor’s family was notoriously tight-lipped; he generally didn’t discuss medicinal herbs with the villagers.

The only reason he’d said so much to Liu-ger today was to make up for his younger brother’s shortcomings.

His mother was right—in the matter of the paddy fields, they had indeed bullied young Liu, causing him to suffer an unjust accusation for no reason.

Wan Yong’an bore a five or six out of ten resemblance to Wan Dongyang, though his complexion wasn’t as fair as his younger brother’s, and his face was marked by stubble and a few wrinkles. Yet, with his rare, towering height and sturdy build, coupled with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, his appearance was still quite striking.

The two brothers were a full thirteen years apart in age. As a child, his older brother disciplined him more strictly; Wan Dongyang feared no one more than his eldest brother, not even his own parents.

When he saw his older brother’s stern expression, he didn’t dare talk back, even if he was about to be beaten. After nodding once, he pretended to rub his head and followed after him. But after taking just a few steps, he rubbed his eyes in surprise, thinking he must have seen wrong.

Why on earth was Liu-ger kneeling before the Chinese mahogany tree?

Liu Qishuang seemed convinced that this was a blessed place where deities manifested. Today, he learned several ways to make cash from Wan Yong’an. Unable to offer any material reward, he could only pray to the divine being who had once manifested here to grant Wan Yong’an and his wife a child.

The couple was already in their late thirties, yet they had not a single child. The Wan family was good people; they shouldn’t be left childless and subject to the villagers’ ridicule.

Liu Qishuang sensed the movement as Wan Dongyang approached. After kneeling, he quickly made his wish; as soon as the words left his lips, he hurriedly stood up. He didn’t dare look at Wan Dongyang, but fortunately, Wan Dongyang didn’t acknowledge him either—he simply walked right past him toward a rocky slope nearby.

This was originally a wasteland—nothing but thickets of weeds and rocky slopes. In such a place, the soil couldn’t hold its ground, and naturally, it couldn’t retain moisture. Here, wild greens like shepherd’s purse were hard to find, but there was another valuable plant.

With a few swings of his hoe, Wan Dongyang dug up a wild plant and said to the man, as if showing off, “I know a lot of medicinal herbs too. This one is called ‘creeping rock-herb.’ It sells for a fortune at the pharmacy.”

He had read the herbal medicine books at home, and his knowledge of medicinal plants was no less than his older brother’s.

“So this is a medicinal herb? I’ve always just thought its flowers were pretty—I never imagined it was actually a medicinal plant.” Liu Qishuang didn’t notice the look on Wan Dongyang’s face at all. He took the plant from his hands and examined it closely, asking him in detail which part was valuable and how it should be prepared…and to find out the exact price at the pharmacy.

After getting answers to all his questions from Wan Dongyang, he cast a quick glance at the man. It was just a fleeting look, but—whether it was a mere illusion or not—he felt as though he’d caught sight of a proud rooster.

After that, the two made their way toward the depression Wan Yong’an had mentioned. Along the way, Liu Qishuang continued to search carefully for creeping rock-herbs, and he spotted quite a few, but he didn’t bother to dig them up.

Wan Dongyang told him that this wasn’t the right time; it was best to come in August or September. At that time, the creeping rock-herb roots would be fully matured, and after digging them up, washing them clean, and drying them for a few days, they could be sold.

While creeping rock-herb roots couldn’t be dug up, other wild vegetables could be picked. However, wild vegetables varied in price, and Liu Qishuang wasn’t looking to gather much today; he picked only those that would fetch good cash.

When they reached the hollow, his back basket contained no more than a dozen or so bunches of Chinese mahogany and a few bunches of ferns. Unfortunately, the ferns were the most common variety, but they still sold better than common wild greens like shepherd’s purse and purslane. The Chinese mahogany, however, was all the flavorful red variety; though few in number, they would fetch some cash.

It was only late February, and with a leap month this year, the mountain streams were still icy cold. The low-lying area, saturated by the stream water, was naturally freezing to the feet.

Wan Dongyang cast a quick glance at the person beside him, then immediately rolled up his sleeves and pant legs. He told him to wait on the ground nearby while he went to pick the flowers.

Wan Dongyang’s instructions were well-meaning, of course; he was worried the young man’s delicate frame might get chilled. But Liu Qishuang couldn’t be bothered with such concerns. In just a few moments, he had himself all set, explaining to the other as he bustled about. “I’m not cold.”

“Fine.” It wasn’t him who was freezing, and certainly not his fulang, so he didn’t care.

The soil in this hollow was fairly firm, though the ground was a bit damp. It wasn’t like those deadly swamps, so there was no need to worry about his own safety. In the blink of an eye, Liu Qishuang had grown accustomed to the chill beneath his feet and began working with nimble movements.

The stems of the milk vetch were thin, small, and tender; a gentle pinch or a quick flick was enough to strip the entire flower away. Both of them worked quickly, and in less than an hour, their back baskets were already full.

On the way down the mountain, Liu Qishuang hesitated for a moment before broaching the subject of dividing the cash the next day.

He felt they couldn’t split the cash the same way as before. Today they’d picked the flowers together, but tomorrow he’d be selling them on his own—though the sales route had come from the Wan family, so they should split the cash evenly.

At that moment, Liu Qishuang’s back basket was on Wan Dongyang’s back. Wan Dongyang agreed readily to Liu Qishuang’s proposal, but he had something else to say. “Let’s wait until your grandfather is better. Then you can give me a bigger share. I know a lot about herbs, and there’s cash to be made all year round.”

Liu Qishuang hesitated at Wan Dongyang’s words. Even though he knew the Wan family was compensating him for the paddy field incident, he still felt he was taking too much advantage of them. But when he thought of his grandfather, who coughed himself half to death every morning, he nodded in agreement.

As Mother Wan had predicted, it was already completely dark by the time Liu Qishuang arrived home. His mother scolded him for being late, but he pretended not to hear her. He simply asked his grandfather if the loquat leaf decoction had helped. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, his heart was filled with nothing but joy.

Early the next morning, Liu Qishuang listened intently for any sounds coming from his grandfather’s room and discovered that his grandfather was still coughing violently, his face contorted in pain. He had gone to bed last night feeling happy and reassured by his grandfather’s words, never expecting that his grandfather had been lying to him.

It seemed the loquat leaf decoction wasn’t working after all. He’d have to follow the shopkeeper’s advice: first visit the clinic, then get a prescription and buy the medicine.

With newfound motivation, Liu Qishuang set to work with great enthusiasm. The next day, he wandered the streets and alleys of the West District carrying a back basket full of milk vetch flowers on his back. He actually managed to sell every last one, earning a tidy sum of cash.

Unfortunately, such a lucrative opportunity was short-lived; when he returned the following day, he couldn’t sell everything. Still, the earnings were substantial—though he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep making this kind of cash.

Now, he no longer had an excuse to stay out all day; the time he had told his family he would be working at the Wan household had come to an end.