TTLJDFL Chapter 11

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Ever since yesterday, when Li Jin successfully treated Li Zhuzi’s sprained ankle, his status in Li Zhuzi’s heart had skyrocketed.

If, in the past, Li Zhuzi thought of Li Jin as a hopeless mess, then now he believed in the saying "A prodigal son returning is worth more than gold."

It was just past seven in the morning. The roadsides were already bustling with women and elderly villagers carrying bamboo baskets or shoulder poles, heading to town to sell eggs or embroidered sachets.

Meanwhile, the able-bodied men were busy harvesting wheat from their fields.

Based on the heat, Li Jin had already estimated that it was likely June. Now, seeing the golden wheat fields and the villagers hard at work, he was even more certain—this was peak farming season.

Leaving the village, they followed a dirt road for about five minutes until they reached the river where the women had washed clothes the previous day.

Beyond the river, the road was flanked by golden wheat fields.

Li Jin noticed that nearly all the farmland was planted with wheat, but some fields stood out with particularly lush growth.

Each wheat grain was plump, growing taller than the wheat in the neighboring fields.

However, some fields had a lot of weeds growing in them, preventing the wheat from absorbing the nutrients in the soil, causing it to grow shorter.

It all depended on how diligent the farmers were. Those who regularly removed the weeds naturally had better wheat growth.

A little further ahead, Li Jin even saw a field where the weeds had grown more vigorously than the wheat itself.

Li Zhuzi pointed at that field and said, "…Hey, if you don’t take care of your land properly, you won’t even be able to pay the rent this year."

Li Jin: "…" So that was the land allocated to his family?

Seeing Li Jin’s expression, Li Zhuzi continued, "Even though we’re all from the same village, the village chief only takes a symbolic rent of one sack of flour.

But with how your land looks this year, you probably won’t even harvest enough for that one sack.

I know you’re a scholar and don’t work in the fields. In the past, your mother took care of the land, and last year, your husband took over.

But last September, your husband got pregnant. He managed to plant the wheatgrass, but this year, with his condition, he didn’t have the time or energy to weed, so the field ended up like this."

Looking at the overgrown field, Li Jin was already thinking about what vegetable seeds he should buy.

However, seeing that Li Jin remained silent, Li Zhuzi assumed he was blaming his husband.

Li Zhuzi quickly explained, "You can’t blame him for this. When it was time to weed the wheat, his belly was already big, and he couldn’t bend down anymore.

You also didn’t arrange for anyone to help, which is why the field became neglected."

Li Jin shifted his gaze to Li Zhuzi and said, "I won’t mistreat him anymore."

If Li Jin had said this in the past, Li Zhuzi wouldn’t have taken it seriously.

After all, weren’t all the weak, incompetent men in the village like this?

They’d get drunk and beat their wives, then wake up the next day, kneel before them, and tearfully promise never to do it again.

These types of men shared the same traits—they were useless. They couldn’t farm properly and looked down on housework like cooking and washing clothes.

To them, marrying a wife was like getting a free maid. She had to serve the entire family, give birth to children, and if she had any spare time, she had to sew and mend things to make a little extra money to help with household expenses.

Of course, most of the money she earned from sewing and mending would end up being spent on the man’s drinking.

Then, after getting drunk, the cycle of domestic abuse would repeat itself.

The old Li Jin had been one of those men.

So when he used to say things like "I won’t hit my husband anymore," Li Zhuzi never took it seriously.

But this time, Li Zhuzi felt something was different.

Although Li Jin’s expression wasn’t particularly sincere, and his promise seemed casually spoken,

A simple, calm statement—"I won’t mistreat him anymore."

Yet it was precisely this calm tone that made Li Zhuzi believe that this time, Li Jin was serious.

Li Jin didn’t continue with the topic and instead asked Li Zhuzi about the characteristics and prices of various crops.

Li Zhuzi didn’t find it suspicious, since he knew Li Jin was a man who truly never lifted a finger for farm work.

Rather than acting like a village farmer, he had been pampered by his family like a sheltered young lady.

Li Jin, of course, had no idea what was going through Li Zhuzi’s mind. He was simply trying to quickly understand this world and improve his family’s situation.

"After the busy farming season, the villagers plant seasonal vegetables such as rapeseed, chives, and green onions.

But these are usually just for their own consumption. Only the village chief’s family sells their vegetables in town."

Li Jin thought about it—ancient villages were usually formed by a few large households coming together.

The village chief had a lot of power, deciding how land was allocated, what crops the village would grow each year, and even monopolizing the vegetable trade with the town.

However, Li Jin wasn’t thinking about selling his crops.

His family only had three members, and the child wasn’t old enough to eat vegetables yet. But he needed a variety of vegetables, and if he planted them well, they wouldn’t have to worry about food anymore.

"Zhuzi-ge, how much do vegetable seeds cost?"

Li Zhuzi replied, "It depends on how much you need. Your land is only two mu. Generally, one mu needs one packet of seeds, which costs four pennies.

But prices change, and different vegetable seeds cost different amounts."

Li Jin nodded to show he understood.

He continued asking about the prices of other agricultural goods, but to avoid suspicion, he only asked about crops.

After all, the original owner of his body had never farmed before, so it was natural for him to be ignorant about these things. Li Zhuzi didn’t find it odd.

By the time they arrived in town, it was just past eight o’clock.

Li Zhuzi had to deliver some firewood to a wealthy household, so as they entered the town, he pointed Li Jin toward a medical clinic.

"I don’t know the name of that clinic, but it’s where all our villagers go for treatment. The doctor and shopkeeper there are good people—they never prescribe medicine just to make extra money."

It turned out there were three medical clinics in town, and the one Li Zhuzi pointed out was in a more remote area, off the main street, which made it cheaper.

After thanking Li Zhuzi, Li Jin parted ways with him.

Li Jin said, "Zhuzi-ge, after I sell my herbs, I’ll head back on my own, so we don’t have to travel together."

Li Zhuzi agreed, "Alright, I still have to use the ox cart to transport some other things later. You go ahead."

After they separated, Li Jin didn’t bother checking out the other two medical clinics. Instead, he walked straight toward the one Li Zhuzi had pointed out.

Li Zhuzi’s recommendation was based on experience, which was much better than blindly searching on his own.

Besides, any clinic situated on the main street was likely backed by powerful figures and probably didn’t lack his small supply of herbs.

A more remote clinic, like the one Li Zhuzi mentioned, might be more willing to buy his medicinal herbs.

At Xinglin Hall, an apprentice stood behind a deep red wooden counter, reciting Si Wu Tang (Four Substance Decoction). Since there were fewer patients in the morning, he had some spare time to practice reading and learn more medical knowledge.

By the time it reached the fourth quarter of the si hour (around 10 a.m.), more patients would start arriving. Then, he’d have to head to the back courtyard to decoct medicine, keeping an eye on the fire the entire time, leaving him no time to study.

This apprentice was named Zhou Gui. From his name, it was clear that his family hoped he would become a nobleman in the future.

Hearing footsteps approaching from outside, Zhou Gui thought to himself, Who in town has fallen ill and needs to see a doctor so early in the morning?

When he looked up, all he saw was an incomparably handsome face. The man was dressed in coarse cloth, and his hair was simply tied back with a silk ribbon.

However, this person was tall and carried himself with an air of refinement. His every movement exuded the elegance of a scholar.

Zhou Gui thought, This must be a scholar.

Then he wondered, How can a scholar be so good-looking?

He didn’t suspect that the person before him was an exceptionally beautiful ge’er (a man capable of bearing children). After all, this man was very tall. When he lifted the bamboo curtain at the entrance, he had to bend slightly to avoid it brushing against his head.

Moreover, there was no conspicuous red mole on his face—a mark unique to ge’er—so he was undoubtedly a man.

Zhou Gui was the first to speak. "Sir, may I ask your surname? Have you come to seek medical treatment? My master is in the back hall. I’ll call him for you right away."

The man replied, "My humble surname is Li. I’m not here for treatment, but to sell medicine. I wonder if your clinic has any need for it?"

Zhou Gui was taken aback. Their clinic had designated people who went up the mountains each year to gather medicinal herbs.

It wasn’t that they didn’t accept herbs from independent sellers, but many villagers couldn’t distinguish between medicinal plants and weeds. Worse, they didn’t know how to properly harvest them. As a result, most of the herbs they brought were unusable.

Zhou Gui hesitated. He had initially assumed this person came from a wealthy family. Though Li Jin’s clothing was plain, his entire demeanor radiated the grace of a nobleman.

He never expected that the man would be here to sell medicine.

Zhou Gui hesitated for a moment, but in the end, the man’s good looks won over his reason. He said, "Please take out the herbs and let me have a look. If they are properly sorted and undamaged, I’ll call my master to evaluate them."

Li Jin expressed his thanks, then removed the basket from his back and carefully took out bundles of neatly arranged herbs.

The herbs were fresh, with some still glistening with morning dew.

Zhou Gui was stunned.

Although there weren’t many types of herbs, each plant was meticulously processed. They were bundled together according to type, and when he untied the cotton strings, he found that not a single weed was mixed in.

"This is huangqin (Scutellaria baicalensis), shengma (Cimicifuga), and this..."

Li Jin supplied the name. "Schisandra (wuweizi)."

Zhou Gui thought to himself, Good thing I hesitated just now. This man may be selling medicine, but he clearly has real skill!

These herbs were handled far better than those processed by the workers their clinic hired.

For instance, the roots of huangqin were also medicinally valuable, yet every single plant before him had intact roots!

Moreover, they were uniform in size and of top quality.

Zhou Gui dared not delay. He straightened up and bowed slightly to Li Jin. "Sir, please wait a moment. I will call my master."

Li Jin nodded. "Thank you."

A short while later, someone lifted the curtain dividing the main hall from the inner courtyard and strode in.

When he saw the neatly arranged herbs on the table, he exclaimed, "You really have wuweizi!"

After examining the herbs, the middle-aged man finally turned his attention to Li Jin.

What a handsome young man, he thought.

"Did you gather all these herbs yourself?"

Li Jin nodded. "Yes."

"You intend to sell them all?"

"Yes."

The man, who appeared to be around forty, thought for a moment before introducing himself. "I am Doctor Wu, a physician of this clinic. I will purchase all of these herbs from you.

"According to the market price, they are worth 300 pennies. However, since your herbs are well-preserved and excellently sorted, I will add 10 pennies more."

Thus, the total came to 310 pennies.

Li Jin accepted the money, expressed his gratitude, and prepared to leave.

However, Doctor Wu stepped forward to stop him. "Mr. Li, will you be gathering herbs regularly in the future? If they are always of this quality, I can offer you an extra 10 pennies each time."

Li Jin paused, then discussed the frequency and quantity of his future herb deliveries with Doctor Wu.

The two reached an agreement: Li Jin would supply the clinic with herbs on the first day of each ten-day period every month.

This time, he had gathered fewer herbs due to time constraints. Next time, he planned to prepare more in advance.

When he left the clinic, his previously empty money pouch now contained 310 pennies.

He couldn’t help but sigh. No matter the era, knowledge is the most legitimate and fastest way to earn money.

Tl Notes:

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