The next day, Qin Sang was awakened by the rooster in the yard. Judging by the sounds, someone was already sweeping the courtyard, their movements very light. Tian Sijin was no longer beside her; she didn't know when the little girl had gotten up.
Last night, she had pondered for half the night, at times worrying about being stuck in this backward village, and at other times overjoyed at having a magical system. Her emotions had been like a rollercoaster, and she only managed to fall asleep close to dawn. With many things to do today, Qin Sang got up.
There was no toothbrush or toothpaste. The Original Body didn't have the habit of brushing her teeth in the morning; at most, she would swish some water in her mouth and spit it out. Qin Sang couldn't do that.
She found a piece of scrap hemp cloth in the small sewing basket the Original Body used, wrapped it around her finger, and simply rinsed her mouth.
The Mall had everything, but she couldn't just take things out abruptly. She needed a suitable reason; at the very least, she couldn't casually display them in front of others for now.
Leaving the room, she saw Si Jin sweeping the yard, Eldest Brother's Wife busy in the kitchen, Eldest Girl tending the fire at the stove, and Third Sister-in-law sitting by the doorway holding a sewing basket. She had been holding a piece of cloth for who knows how long, and it was still a perfectly clean piece of cloth.
Upon asking, she learned that Eldest Brother had been working in the fields for two hours already. In this kind of weather, you could only take advantage of the cooler morning to get things done. Water poured then would be drunk more deeply by the crops. If you waited until the sun rose to water them, not only could the seedlings easily be scorched to death, but a ladle of water splashed on the ground would disappear in just a couple of breaths.
"What about Third Brother?"
Third Sister-in-law replied:
"He's gone to the fields too."
Tian Sijin added:
"Eldest Brother is responsible for carrying water up from the river to the edge of the field. Third Brother waits at the field's edge for Eldest Brother to bring the water and then waters the crops."
Zhao Huan's expression stiffened, and she laughed awkwardly:
"Fourth Sister, what kind of talk is that? It's not like anyone's forcing them. Besides, between the two brothers, Eldest Brother is four years older and stronger than San Gui, so naturally he should take on more of the physical labor."
Qin Sang knew that Third Brother and his Wife were not ones to suffer losses. They often used their younger age to make Eldest Brother's family do more work, the same with household chores. With constant talk about Zhou Dahua being the eldest sister-in-law and also pregnant, Third Sister-in-law stayed at home just like the Original Owner, this old shrew, keeping her hands clean and being pampered like a delicate young lady.
Qin Sang spoke up:
"If it doesn't rain, how much water can be carried by human strength? Go call your Eldest and Third Brothers back. I have other things for them to do."
The field wasn't far. Tian Dazhuang and Tian Sangui soon returned carrying a bucket of water. This bucket wasn't from the river; it was fetched from the village's Public Well for their own drinking and cooking water. Seeing the reddened, rubbed skin on Eldest Brother's shoulder and then looking at Third Brother's relaxed and carefree appearance, it was clear which brother had put in real effort and which had been slacking off.
Third Sister-in-law was puzzled:
"Mother, what do you plan for them to do?"
"You two go gather mugwort. Gather as much as you can. I'll carry half of what's left from yesterday to sell in town."
The whole family was surprised. Tian Sangui asked:
"Mother, this... this stuff is everywhere. Will anyone want it?"
Of course, the system wants it. It wants as much as it can get.
But she couldn't say that.
"Normally, if you just set it by the roadside to sell, no one would want it. But I plan to sell it to a Pharmacy. The Pharmacy workers won't go up the mountain to gather it themselves. Where do their medicinal herbs come from?
They rely on people gathering and delivering them. Of course, mugwort isn't expensive, so you two brothers need to go up the mountain to find it. And of course, you must be careful, don't go too deep. Just search around the foothills for now."
The family was half-convinced, half-doubtful by Qin Sang's persuasion. Mainly because no one in the family had ever sold herbs to a Pharmacy before, so they were all clueless about it.
Plus, after last night, the rooms and sheds that had been fumigated with mugwort sticks were truly, as Qin Sang had said, basically free of mosquitoes disturbing their sleep. This made them believe Qin Sang's words a bit more.
"Then, Mother, let me help you carry it to town. The town is so far from home, you'll tire yourself out alone." It was Third Brother who spoke. He always picked the easy tasks, but his mouth was sweet. If it were the Original Owner, hearing such filial piety, she would have agreed directly.
Tian Sangui also didn't want to risk going up the mountain to look for mugwort. Who knew if a snake might pop out somewhere? If he followed his Mother to town and actually got some money, maybe he could even coax her into buying some snacks and treats for his wife.
But now, standing before him was Qin Sang. In Qin Sang's eyes, everyone in this family was treated equally. She wouldn't show him favoritism just because he said a few nice words.
"No need. mugwort isn't expensive, so we need to gather a lot. And once this news gets out in the village, everyone will go for it. So you need to gather as much as possible, as early as possible. Then I can exchange it for money to buy rice and grain. Otherwise, relying on the little grain we have left at home and the half-dead crops in the fields, our family of several mouths will definitely be left drinking the northwest wind."
Qin Sang dispelled Tian Sangui's idea. Eldest Brother always obeyed his Mother's orders without any objection. On the contrary, knowing that this grass covering the mountains and fields could be exchanged for rice and grain made him very happy. He wished he could grab a chopping knife and go up the mountain immediately to gather loads of it.
Qin Sang told them to eat breakfast before going and had Eldest Brother's Wife prepare drinking water for them. Eldest Girl originally said she wanted to go with her father, but Qin Sang refused:
"You, your Mother, Si Jin, and Third Sister-in-law, if you have nothing else to do at home, sort the remaining mugwort leaves for Grandma. Sort the leaves, chop them up, and put them outside in the sun to dry. Then go pound the charcoal at home into powder and pack it up. Wait for me to come back to make it.
I plan to make some Mosquito-Repellent Incense to sell. The price should be higher than selling fresh mugwort. But to sell it, it definitely can't be as crude as what we make at home."
She also needed to find a way for the family to earn money. Otherwise, in the future, it wouldn't be easy to reasonably take things out from her Mall.
Hearing that they could also work and earn money while at home, Eldest Girl, Eldest Brother's Wife, and Si Jin all breathed a sigh of relief. Only Third Sister-in-law was somewhat unhappy:
"Mother, do I have to do it too? I'm carrying the Tian Family's golden grandson in my belly."
Qin Sang glanced at her, neither pleased nor angry, and said:
"As you wish. If you don't want to do it, just watch from the side."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan was delighted. It seemed the child in her belly was truly her lucky treasure. She just needed to rest and wait for meals every day. Who told her she was so capable?
Eldest Brother's Wife and Tian Sijin had no objections whatsoever, as if it were perfectly natural for this new bride to do nothing all day and just wait for meals.
Qin Sang didn't plan to intervene either. She packed the remaining mugwort from yesterday, which she had prepared, into a carrying basket.
Yesterday, she had secretly sold some, and last night they had used quite a bit. Now, taking half, it only amounted to about twenty-some catties.
In the countryside, there was only one main road, so there was no worry about getting lost.
It took two hours to walk to town. Qin Sang brought a bamboo tube of water. After leaving the village road, since it wasn't market day, there were very few people on the road. Everyone was busy in their own fields. Qin Sang then sold half of the mugwort in her basket to the Mall. With the remaining ten-plus catties, walking became much less strenuous.
After countless mental complaints about the inconvenient transportation in ancient times, Qin Sang finally arrived.
She spat several times and then gargled with a mouthful of water to clean the dust from her mouth. Qin Sang stepped into the town.