After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 7

When Lin Sang arrived, there were already several people in the car, all of whom were familiar aunties and older women.

“Sang girl, going to town?”

“Hey, I’ll sell some herbs and buy some odds and ends while I’m at it,” Lin Sang replied with a smile, finding a seat on the side.

She was well-liked in the village. Although she had gone through the annulment of her engagement, most people were reasonable and knew that she was not at fault, which made them feel even more sympathetic towards her.

As soon as she sat down, she saw her aunt Song Jinhua leading Lin Jiao’er, who was dressed up in a flamboyant manner, across the street. Lin Jiao’er was wearing a new light red dress and had a light layer of powder on her face, clearly having dressed up carefully.

When the mother and daughter saw Lin Sang on the bus, their expressions became somewhat unnatural. Song Jinhua forced herself to greet Old Man Li and tried to squeeze onto the bus with her daughter, but there was only a little space left next to Lin Sang.

Lin Jiao’er hesitated to sit down, so Song Jinhua secretly pinched her and whispered, “Hurry up, or you’ll be late and won’t have any new clothes to wear!”

Lin Sang pretended not to see or hear anything, and calmly looked ahead.

Lin Jiao’er reluctantly sat down, and the atmosphere in the car became a little awkward. A straightforward aunt looked Lin Jiao’er up and down a few times and said, “Jiao’er, you look really bright today. Who are you going to see in town?”

Lin Jiao’er blushed, and before she could speak, Song Jinhua interrupted, “Who can she see? She can just go and buy some cloth. Her daughter is growing up, and she needs to have a few decent clothes.” She spoke without much confidence.

The auntie gave a meaningful “oh” and then fell silent, her disdain undisguised.

Lin Jiao’er felt uneasy under that gaze and couldn’t help but glance at Lin Sang. Seeing her in her worn but clean coarse cloth clothes and carrying a tattered basket, her sense of superiority resurfaced, and she muttered under her breath, “Some people are only fit to deal with mud and herbs.”

Lin Sang didn’t want to pay attention, but upon hearing this, she turned her head, looked at her with clear eyes, and said in a calm tone: “Yes, herbs may be covered in mud and dirt, but they can cure diseases and save lives. Earning money honestly is much better than some people who are all show and no substance but do things like poaching others and corrupting human ethics.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but everyone on the bus could hear her clearly, and several of the older women couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“You!” Lin Jiao’er’s face turned red with anger, but Song Jinhua held her down firmly. Song Jinhua had finally realized that her niece was very quick-witted and had the upper hand. If they continued to argue, they would only lose face even more.

“Say less!” Song Jinhua scolded her daughter in a low voice.

Lin Jiao’er’s eyes reddened with grievance, but she didn’t dare to speak again. The mother and daughter kept their mouths shut the whole way, and the car was unusually quiet.

Upon arriving in town, Lin Sang arranged to meet Old Man Li at the town gate at 3 PM. Without further delay, she carried her basket and went to her usual “Ji Ren Tang” pharmacy.

The old shopkeeper recognized her and knew that the herbs she delivered were always clean and of good quality.

This time, Lin Sang brought dried motherwort, plantain, dandelion, and some selfheal, all of which are common medicinal materials and not particularly valuable.

After carefully checking, the old shopkeeper adjusted the abacus: “Five catties of motherwort, twenty coins; three catties of plantain, twelve coins; four catties of dandelion, sixteen coins; two catties of prunella vulgaris, eight coins; the total is fifty-six coins.”

“Thank you, shopkeeper,” Lin Sang carefully accepted the small string of copper coins, feeling a little more at ease. Just as she put the money into her inner bag, she heard a series of anxious commotions coming from the backyard of the pharmacy.

A man who looked like a shop assistant helped a pale-faced middle-aged man who was clutching his stomach and groaning hurriedly into the room, followed by a well-dressed man who seemed to be in charge.

“Manager Wang! Quick! Come and see our boss! He just returned from collecting medicinal herbs in another region, and he suddenly developed acute abdominal pain on the way back!”

Manager Wang hurriedly stepped forward to take the pulse, his brows furrowed.

The manager was pacing anxiously, muttering, “What should we do? Among the medicinal herbs we received this time were several excellent old ginseng roots, which we wanted to put into storage as soon as possible… Alas!”

Old ginseng?

Lin Sang’s heart stirred. She took a few steps closer without making a sound, her gaze sweeping over the open satchel at the steward’s feet. Sure enough, there were several long wooden boxes inside. The lid of one of the boxes was slightly slid open, revealing a ginseng body with densely packed reeds and clearly defined fibrous roots.

She suddenly remembered hearing an old herbalist in the village mention that some acute abdominal pains are caused by cold stagnation or obstructed qi flow. If it is indeed caused by a weak and cold constitution, fresh ginger juice may provide relief and buy precious time for treatment.

While ginseng is nourishing, if it is not used for the right condition, it may worsen the illness.

She didn’t want to cause trouble, but seeing the owner sweating profusely from the pain, and with Manager Wang seemingly at a loss for what to do, she mustered her courage, stepped forward, and said clearly to the manager, “Uncle, if I may be so bold, acute abdominal pain has complex causes. Ginseng is a powerful tonic and might not be the right treatment. If you caught a chill on the way, you might be able to use hot ginger juice for temporary relief, but it would be safer to seek medical help for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.”

The steward and Manager Wang looked at her in surprise. How could a country girl like her say such a thing?

Manager Wang stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and nodded to the steward: “What this girl said makes sense. Ginger juice is pungent and warm, dispelling cold. Even if it doesn’t cure the illness, it’s not a big problem for now. Quickly, go to the kitchen and get a bowl of strong ginger juice!”

The waiter hurriedly ran over, and the manager also gave Lin Sang a deep look, his eyes filled with inquiry.

Seeing that they had taken his advice to heart, Lin Sang did not linger any longer and quietly left the pharmacy while everyone was busy.

After leaving the pharmacy, Lin Sang went to the general store first and spent two coins to buy a pair of bright red hair ties for her younger sister, Lin Miao.

Clutching the remaining fifty-four coins, she mentally calculated the household expenses. The salt was almost gone, and the lamp oil was running low… Just then, she seemed to see her younger brother Lin Song’s bright eyes as he clamored for a wooden sword.

Her heart softened, and she walked to a stall selling bamboo and wooden toys, picked out a small wooden sword that was reasonably well-made, and spent three coins on it.

Having bought the two most important things, Lin Sang was about to buy salt when, as she walked through a relatively quiet alley, she heard a suppressed sobbing and pleading sound coming from ahead.

She looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old woman with gray hair pleading with a tall man: “Young man Zhou, please, give me a few more days. I’ll sell those chickens and use the money to pay for your medicine…”

The tall figure with his back to Lin Sang, with broad shoulders and a sleeveless short jacket, revealing smooth muscle lines in his arms, could only be Zhou Han.

He seemed to be holding several medicine packets in his hand. Faced with the old man’s plea, he did not scold him impatiently as rumored, nor did he coerce him fiercely. He just stood there silently, his figure appearing somewhat stiff.

After a while, he spoke somewhat stiffly, his voice much lower and slower than usual: “…Take the medicine first, the money…is not urgent.”

After saying that, he gently stuffed the medicine packet back into the old woman’s hand, then turned around and strode away without looking back, his back view somewhat resembling that of someone fleeing in panic.

The old woman stood there, holding the medicine packet, stunned. Then she bowed repeatedly in the direction he had left, tears streaming down her face.

Lin Sang stood at the alley entrance, taking in the entire scene.

She recalled Aunt Zhou’s tearful eyes, the unpleasant rumors circulating in the village, and then looked at the completely opposite scene before her. It felt as if something had gently struck her heart.

It turns out that beneath his so-called “fierceness” lay such clumsy kindness.

What kind of person is he, really?