Chapter 27: A Bright and Innocent Smile-O cotidiano da pequena esposa afortunada que assume as rédeas do lar(Descansar tranquilamente por muitos anos.)

Mother Song was taken aback. She glanced at her, then her gaze dropped to her back.

She couldn't tell what was in the bamboo basket, but it was brimming, dripping water and soaking through the girl’s clothes.

Seeing the large patches of wet stains, Mother Song hurried over to take the basket off Huan Ya’s back. "Where did you go so early in the morning? I thought you hadn't even left the house, and this..."

As she spoke, Mother Song lifted the blue floral cloth covering the basket, and her expression froze when she saw the variety of herbs inside.

"Did you go up the mountain?"

Huan Ya nodded with a smile. "Yes! The corn in the fields has all been harvested, and it was still early when I woke up, so I thought I’d go for a walk on the mountain."

She had woken up before dawn, and seeing that Mother Song and Song Tiancheng were both quiet, she decided to try her luck on the mountain. If she could actually find some medicinal herbs, she could sell them to help with the household expenses.

The Song family lived at the foot of the mountain, the closest among all the village households. From there, a trip halfway up the mountain and back took less than an hour. She just hadn't expected to actually find anything.

Huan Ya grinned. "I found a whole patch of perilla leaves that hadn't been picked yet, so I gathered them. If these are dried, they’ll fetch a few coins."

Watching her, Mother Song shook her head and said, "Next time you want to go up the mountain, you must tell me in advance. What if you run into a black bear or a wildcat?"

"Alright." Huan Ya nodded obediently, listening to Mother Song’s lecture.

Catching a glimpse of Song Tiancheng sitting on the kang, she lifted her eyes slightly. When she met the man’s gaze, she broke into a grin. Her expression was innocent, and her smile was radiant.

Song Tiancheng paused for a moment, nodded toward her, and then looked away.

Huan Ya blinked, assuming he was busy with his books, and didn't think much of it.

"I am talking to you!"

"Oh, oh." Huan Ya quickly turned back. "Auntie, I know. I’ll be sure to tell you next time!"

"What next time?" Mother Song said helplessly. "I’m asking you what you plan to do with these herbs. If you want to sell them fresh, you have to go to town now. Once the sun gets high, they’ll wilt."

Huan Ya understood and blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I’m not selling them fresh; I’ll dry them first and then take them over."

Her mother had told her that dried perilla leaves fetched a higher price. Of course, the process was more troublesome and the weight would decrease significantly, but the weather was perfect, so it would only take a few days to dry them.

She thought for a moment and added, "There are more on the mountain. I plan to go back tomorrow; I just didn't have enough room in the basket today."

To ensure the integrity and freshness of the leaves, she hadn't packed them too tightly, so while the basket looked full, it would likely yield only one or two jin once dried.

Mother Song caught her drift and asked, "Are you planning to take them to the pharmacy?"

Huan Ya shook her head. "The pharmacies don't buy from individual sellers; I have to sell them to a medicine dealer. If I process them well, he’ll give me a better price."

More importantly, it was now after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Perilla leaves were primarily used for heatstroke and secondarily for clearing heat and detoxifying. At this time of year, there weren't many people suffering from colds, so even if the quality was excellent, a pharmacy wouldn't take them.

"I see," Mother Song pondered for a moment. "As for the medicine dealer, you’ll probably have to wait a few days. He was just here the day before yesterday."

The day before yesterday was the day Mother Song had gone to the market in town.

Huan Ya counted on her fingers. The market days in Tianxiang Town were every six days. If he had just come the day before yesterday, she would have to wait several more days.

"That works out perfectly!" She grinned. "If the weather stays good these next few days, they’ll be dried in no time!"