Chapter 2 – Making a Living

The medicinal herb Huangqin (Baikal skullcap) had a well-developed root system, especially its thick main root, which resembled ginseng. A smaller plant could yield two or three liang of medicinal root, while larger ones could produce over half a jin. Moreover, Huangqin was quite valuable, and wild Huangqin was especially scarce and highly sought after.

Tong Layue walked over and examined the plants carefully. Then she crouched down and cautiously dug with her hand hoe.

Before long, she unearthed a root more than thirty centimeters long.

Having dug and used this herb many times in her previous life, she was thoroughly familiar with both its appearance and scent. She could say with complete certainty that every one of the purple-flowered plants growing here was Huangqin.

Judging by its size, the root she had just dug had probably been growing for four or five years. It weighed at least three or four liang.

If she sold it, it would be enough to solve her family’s food problem for the time being.

It was still early spring, well before the season when the villagers came to cut forage grass, so the entire patch of Huangqin had remained untouched.

Looking at the medicinal herbs covering the hillside, Tong Layue smiled.

It was the first genuine smile she had shown since being reborn.

Without wasting another moment, she picked up her hoe and dug one plant after another.

Two or three hours passed before she realized it.

By then, she had dug up more than twenty intact Huangqin roots.

She had accidentally broken a few roots because she had been digging too hastily, but speed was the priority right now, so she didn’t dwell on it.

Finally, after digging two more plants, her strength gave out completely.

She collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, unable to summon even a trace of strength in her hands.

After resting for a while, she recovered enough energy to continue.

She placed the Huangqin roots at the bottom of her basket, covered them with the wild vegetables she had gathered earlier, then scattered the stems and leaves of the Huangqin in several secluded spots.

Only after carefully hiding all traces did she carry the basket home.

She had barely stepped through the gate when an angry shout rang out behind her.

“Tong Layue! Stop right there!”

“I was wondering why our eggs have been disappearing every day lately. So it turns out your son has been stealing them!”

“Everyone, come and take a look! This little widow can’t even feed herself, so she’s encouraging her son to steal eggs from our family!”

Tong Layue turned around and frowned.

The speaker was none other than Old Madam Qian, Song Dalong’s mother.

Old Madam Qian was practically grinding her teeth.

Tong Layue’s refusal to marry her son that morning had already filled her with rage.

Then, earlier that day, she had seen Zhao Daniu sneaking past her house. Not long afterward, an egg laid by her old hen had disappeared.

In her mind, there was no doubt that Zhao Daniu had stolen it.

Her loud accusations quickly attracted a crowd of curious villagers.

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Daniu and his little sister also came running outside.

The moment Zhao Daniu saw Old Madam Qian, his face instantly turned bright red. Lowering his head, he hid behind Tong Layue without saying a word.

Tong Layue’s family had always been desperately poor. It wasn’t unusual for the children to go hungry.

Seeing Zhao Daniu’s guilty expression, the villagers thought they understood everything.

“Just look at Zhao Daniu. Doesn’t he look exactly like a child who’s been caught stealing eggs?”

“Honestly, Tong Layue has no shame. She actually encouraged her own son to steal.”

“That’s nothing. Haven’t you heard? She even steals men. A widow fooling around outside—what wouldn’t she steal?”

Those words infuriated Zhao Daniu.

Clenching his fists, he was about to charge at the crowd when Tong Layue grabbed him and pulled him behind her.

Having lived through another lifetime, Tong Layue felt nothing but disgust toward the woman who had once become her mother-in-law.

That vicious old hag…

The cruel woman who had destroyed both of her children’s lives…

How dare she accuse someone else?

Tong Layue looked at her coldly.

“Old Madam Qian, accusations require evidence.”

“They say that to catch a thief, you need the stolen goods.”

“You’re accusing my son of stealing your eggs. Where’s your proof?”

“By that same logic, I could also say that last autumn, on the thirteenth day of the eighth lunar month, you were fooling around with Accountant Xu inside the Earth God Temple on the east side of the village.”

“Oh, and you were even wearing a pair of red underpants that day.”

“Bullshit!” Old Madam Qian exploded. “Tong Layue! You’re twisting the truth, spreading lies, and making things up out of thin air!”

Tong Layue merely sneered.

“Everyone here has eyes.”

“Does Song Dalong look more like his father, Song Jinping…”

“…or does he look more like Accountant Xu?”

“The answer is obvious.”

“So do I really need to explain whether you had an affair with Accountant Xu?”

Song Dalong was short and stocky.

His supposed father, Song Jinping, on the other hand, was tall and thin.

Accountant Xu just happened to be short and stocky as well.

Even more coincidentally…

Song Dalong had a mole slightly to the left of the center of his forehead.

And Accountant Xu had an identical mole in exactly the same spot.

The gathered villagers collectively gasped.

It was as though they had just uncovered a shocking secret.

Expressions immediately turned strange as everyone stared at Old Madam Qian.

At this point, who still cared whether Zhao Daniu had stolen an egg?

Old Madam Qian’s face flushed the color of pig’s liver.

She stammered incoherently, her trembling voice repeating nothing but, “Nonsense… Lies… Tong Layue, you’ll get what’s coming to you…”

Unable to withstand the crowd’s gazes, she fled in utter embarrassment.

The excitement over, the villagers gradually dispersed.

Still, after today’s spectacle, they would undoubtedly spend many meals whispering about one thing—

Who was Song Dalong’s real father?

Tong Layue spat coldly in the direction Old Madam Qian had fled before closing the courtyard gate and leading her two children back inside.

After resting for a short while, Tong Layue took out the two copper bracelets she had received as part of her dowry and went to her neighbor Mrs. Ni’s house, hoping to exchange them for some grain.

Mrs. Ni had always been on good terms with Tong Layue and refused to accept the bracelets no matter what.

In the end, she simply lent Tong Layue twenty jin of cornmeal, telling her to return it whenever she had grain again in the future.

With food finally in the house, Tong Layue no longer felt so anxious.

She lit the stove with wheat straw, then went outside to wash the sow thistle in cold water.

After removing the tough stems and chopping the leaves, she mixed them with the cornmeal and made a pot of wild vegetable corn cakes.

She set the table, brought the freshly cooked cakes over, and also served the homemade pickled shepherd’s purse she had prepared earlier.

Only then did she climb onto the heated brick bed.

“Go ahead and eat,” she said. “I’m starving too.”

Only after hearing their mother’s words did Zhao Daniu and Zhao Da’e begin devouring the corn cakes.

Tong Layue herself was equally hungry and quietly ate alongside them.

Before long, the entire pot of vegetable cakes had disappeared.

Licking the crumbs left on her palm, Zhao Da’e couldn’t help but sigh.

“Mom… it would be so nice if we had some meat…”

The moment Zhao Daniu heard that, he shot his little sister a sharp glare.

Startled, Zhao Da’e immediately fell silent.

Tong Layue simply smiled.

“Da’e is still growing. It’s perfectly normal for her to crave meat.”

“Tomorrow, Mom will get some meat for both of you.”

“And from now on, I’ll make sure our family has meat with every meal.”

She never would have imagined that cornmeal—something that, in later years, was mostly fed to pigs—could make her family so satisfied.

As a mother, she felt deeply ashamed.

Fortunately, she had gathered medicinal herbs that afternoon.

If she could sell them tomorrow, she’d finally have some money.

She could buy flour…

…and make dumplings for her son and daughter.

Besides, the Taihang Mountains stretched endlessly.

The mountains were filled with countless medicinal herbs.

Thanks to all the knowledge she had gained in her previous life from years of treating her own illnesses, identifying those herbs would not be difficult.

And now that the country had entered the era of Reform and Opening Up, the markets were thriving.

As long as she was willing to work hard…

She was determined to give her children a good life.