I Own a Garden with One Hundred Herbs - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Bai Caoshi carried the small basket to the village entrance and sat on Old Man Jiang’s ox cart.

This time, her main goal was to sell the silkworm molting. The third girl still had some embroidery, so she asked her to sell it on her behalf. Because Bai Xiaoshu had chopped too much bamboo, her family could not finish it. Hence, Bai Caoshi thought of exchanging it for some money.

Bai Xiaoshu and Madam Bai Li came to see her off. Zhe Yu stood under the willow tree, looking as if he was going on a long journey.

“Sister, I’ll go with you. The bamboo is heavy. I’ll carry it for you.” Bai Xiaoshu refused to admit that he wanted to go out with his sister.

“There’s no need. You can build a heated brick bed at home. This is a mission for you.” Bai Caoshi rejected Xiaoshu. She had a secret about her, so she would try her best not to expose it.

“Then be careful on the road,” Madam Bai Li reminded.

her family members were reluctant to part with her, but Zhe Yu watched everything indifferently. Suddenly, he placed his index finger between his lips and blew the whistle. The wolf cub, Fu Bao, rushed out and jumped onto the ox cart at lightning speed. He pounced into Bai Caoshi’s arms and licked her hand.

The cow of the Jiang family shivered.

“Hey, what are you afraid of?” Old Jiang stroked the old bull’s fur.

“The Prescription of the Thousand Gold of Flame” fell out of Bai Caoshi’s arms. She had kept it to read on the road. She only wanted to study the knowledge of this world.

“Let General Fei Lu accompany you, so you have a companion.” His tone was unquestionable.

A smile appeared on her face. “I’ll listen to you.”

Beauty is the truth.

Along the way, Bai Caoshi boringly spent her time reading books.

It was for no other reason than the fact that this empty world was also involved in piracy. After a few days of learning, Bai Caoshi found many typos.

What a scam.

On the way, she saw a few bailiffs dressed up as if they were looking for someone.

When they arrived at the Changgou Town Market, Bai Caoshi set up bamboo tubes and embroidery and shouted. The wolf pup lay at her feet.

The silkworm molting was not for sale. It was intended to be sold to the Golden Elephant Medical Hall.

“Young lady, how much is the embroidery?”

The third girl’s embroidery was exquisite and many people asked about it.

“One hundred copper coins,” Bai Caoshi replied with a smile. It was ten times more than the third girl had expected.

She was happy to be the middleman.

Elder Jiang sighed. She was clearly a clever and eccentric widow. Why was she so black-hearted when doing business?

Many people rolled their eyes when they heard the price.

But there was no shortage of rich young ladies. “Do I look like a fool to you?”

Bai Caoshi waved her hand and smiled harmlessly. She showed the handkerchief in her palm. “No, no. I think you have good taste. Look at my embroidery. The stitching is fine, the pattern is generous, and it’s made of lotus. It’s the best craftsmanship. You can use this kind of embroidery for yourself. You have good taste. Give it to your lover. He will definitely praise you for having a pure heart. It’s only a hundred copper coins. It’s worth it.”

Upon hearing that she was giving her lover a gift, the lady’s expression softened and she said shyly, “I’ll buy a piece.”

“Alright.” Bai Caoshi folded the handkerchief squarely and handed it to the customer. “Miss, if you have a good friend, you can recommend her to buy it. I’ll give you another ten copper coins. The more you recommend, the more money you get.”

The lady was tempted. “Then I’ll buy another one myself. Is it 90 copper coins?”

Bai Caoshi: “…”

Perfect.

“That’s a must. Sure.”

“Are you selling your pet?” The girl reached out to touch it.

The wolf cub, Fu Bao, let out a howl. Its wolf eyes were like blades, scaring the girl into running.

Bai Caoshi laughed. “Fu Bao, my little darling, don’t scare my distinguished guest.”

Relying on her eloquent little mouth, she sold all the embroidery in the morning and got one tael of silver and eighty copper coins.

Old Man Jiang had a whole new level of respect for her.

However, Bamboo Tubes did not have such good luck. Very few people bought it. Poems thought that she might as well sell it to the medical hall together.

Just as he was about to leave, a little beggar came over with a bowl of rice. He was very thin and dirty. He looked no more than eleven or twelve years old.

“Sister, please, I’ve been hungry for a few days.” As he spoke, he was about to kneel down when he suddenly saw the wolf cub beside him and took a step back in fear.

This dog was so fierce!

“Don’t be afraid. Puppies don’t bite,” Bai Caoshi lied through her teeth.

Fu Bao raised his proud head and had the demeanor of a wolf king.

In the end, Bai Caoshi could not bear to see such a young child. She walked to the bun stall at the side and bought two hot meat buns. She spent four copper coins and gave the little beggar another two copper coins. “Take them.”

The little beggar carefully took the bun and took a big bite. “Thank you, Sister. Can I leave the rest for my sister?”

“You have a younger sister?” Bai Caoshi asked.

The little beggar pointed at the corner of the street. “She’s sick. She might… might not be able to recover. Kind sister, can you save her?” The little beggar cried.

A peaceful era was still a chaotic one. There would always be people who would starve and endure the torture of illness. Although the power of Bai Caoshi was small, the first lesson she learned was medical ethics.

“Bring me to take a look. Uncle Jiang, look for me at the Golden Elephant Medical Hall when you’re done selling.”

Carrying the small basket on her back, she and the wolf cub followed the little beggar toward the corner of the street.

This was a small alley, in contrast to the bustling market. It was especially quiet. There were shadows in the corner of the wall as if someone was there. The deeper they went, the more wrong it felt.

The little beggar suddenly ran away. “Sister, I’m sorry.”

Four burly men appeared in the alley and blocked the four directions. The leader had a muscular body and looked fierce. He was clearly a local gangster.

Bai Caoshi’s palms were sweating. She had actually been tricked by a brat. She forced herself to calm down and asked in a dry voice, “Who are you? I don’t know you at all!”

He cracked his knuckles, making a crisp sound. “You’re quite pretty. I’m lucky today. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You offended someone you shouldn’t have. But don’t worry, I’ll dote on you.”

Offend someone? Bai Caoshi quickly sorted out her thoughts. It was her first time in the alternate world, and other than the Xie family, she had not caused any trouble. The Xie family had chased her all the way here?

Oh, there was also the possibility that it was Ju Peng Tavern. The delicacies they offered were not liked by the nobles, so they wanted to take revenge on her?

Her thoughts only lasted for a moment. Her hand reached for the small basket behind her and grabbed a bamboo tube. She turned around and threw the bamboo tube at the person behind her. It accurately hit the person’s eye socket.

At the same time, the wolf cub transformed into General Fei Lu and jumped up, biting the hand of the person on the right. The second gangster was knocked down, but he also casually threw the wolf cub out.

There was a sudden cry of pain that broke the silence.

Bai Caoshi and the wolf cub rolled on the ground and quickly ran back the way they came.

The muscular man was indignant and spat. “Trash, hurry up and chase after him!”

Her body was too weak, and the wolf cub was too small. If the wolf cub could grow one more year or two, a few burly men would not be a problem. Now, they could only escape. They only hoped that they could rush back to the market. With someone around, they would not dare to be too impudent.

“Help, it’s a robbery!” Bai Caoshi shouted as she ran. There were poles and frames by the roadside, so she knocked them down.

Her life potential was stimulated, and Bai Caoshi ran back to the market. However, when the onlookers at the market saw the person behind her, no one was willing to stand up. They usually had to pay protection fees, and they could not afford to offend him.

Should she look for Uncle Jiang? He wasn’t strong either. She was afraid that she would implicate him!

In that case, she would go to Golden Elephant Medical Hall. She knew some people there.

Wait, her pupils constricted as she saw a familiar face from afar. It was the manager of Ju Peng Restaurant—Feng Zhenye.

He waved at Bai Caoshi, swinging his arm, afraid she couldn’t see. “Miss, I’ve finally found you.”

Behind Feng Zhenye was a person wearing black clothes with dark patterns.

It was a bad year, that she met a ghost when she went out!

“Miss, come with us.” A man suddenly appeared in front of her and grabbed her arm.