Chapter Thirty: Entering the City for the First Time

When An Yi returned home, she handed the fallen tooth to Madam Luo.
“Was it one from the top or the bottom?” Madam Luo asked.
An Yi bared her teeth. “From the top.”
“All right, then throw it under the bed,” Madam Luo said with a smile.
An Yi did as she was told.

After lunch, An Yi busied herself at home sorting through some Gotu Kola.

Two days later, it was the third day of the third lunar month. As tradition dictated, they would cook shepherd’s purse with eggs. Early in the morning, Madam Luo said, “Xi’er, go up the hillside and bring back a few handfuls of shepherd’s purse.”

Shepherd’s purse, known scientifically as Capsella bursa-pastoris, is sweet and cool in nature—good for clearing heat, detoxifying, promoting urination, and cooling the blood. It is also used as a medicinal herb. An Yi, delighted, slung her little bamboo basket over her shoulder and went out, returning with more than half a basket full.

Madam Luo laughed, “Child, I only asked you to get a few handfuls, why did you bring back so much? You don’t even like shepherd’s purse dumplings.”
An Yi pulled out two handfuls and offered them. “This is medicine. We can sell it.”
Sighing, An Jian said, “Little sister, you’re obsessed with money now. Every wild plant you see, you say it’s medicine.”
An Yi turned away, ignoring him, and quietly set about sorting the herbs, spreading them out on a sieve. The sun had been bright these past days, perfect for drying them.

Heaven favored them with continued sunshine. Over the next few days, the Luo family worked in the fields for five days, planting all their rice seedlings. In contrast, the fields of the Xinliu family had only just been plowed. Remembering how Auntie Liu had saved An Yi, Luo Fugui sent his three sons to help. They spent most of the day planting all the seedlings. Luo Guangzong and his brothers, along with their sons and nephews, helped out other Luo families as well.

When the farm work was done, Madam Luo finished embroidering the screen and needed to go into town to deliver it, and also to see her eldest son, who hadn’t come back for over twenty days.

An Yi had been looking forward to this trip for some time. She packed the dried pennywort and Eclipta prostrata into clean cloth bags, preparing to try her luck at the town’s pharmacy. The thought of having to walk for an hour and a half made her a little apprehensive, but the prospect of selling herbs for money was enough to stiffen her resolve—even if her feet ached and blisters formed, she would still go.

Madam Luo saw the determined look on An Yi’s face and chuckled quietly. She picked up her bundle, bid farewell to the aunt across the way, and took An Yi toward the village entrance.

A cart drawn by an ox stood there. The young woman by the cart waved when she saw them. “Aunt Qiu, Xi’er.”
“Mother, are we riding the oxcart into town?” An Yi asked excitedly.
“Yes, Guangnian’s family is going to town for supplies. We can catch a ride,” Madam Luo replied with a smile.

Luo Guangnian ran a small grocery shop in the village and made a trip to town once a month. Sometimes villagers caught a ride with his oxcart, but it wasn’t every day one was so lucky. This time, An Yi’s luck held, and they didn’t have to endure the long walk.

At the cart, Madam Luo exchanged greetings with the Guangnian couple and lifted An Yi aboard. They were not the only passengers; there were also Sunflower and her mother, Luo Wuqi and his wife, Xinliu and her daughter, and two other women, each with goods to sell in town. The cart was crowded.

Feeling awkward crammed in with the women, Luo Wuqi squeezed in beside Luo Guangnian at the front. The oxcart set off, swaying gently. Xinliu noticed An Yi clutching two bulging cloth bags and asked, “Xi’er, what are you carrying? Is it heavy? Let me help.”

An Yi didn’t want to tell the truth, but neither could she lie in front of Madam Luo, so she simply shook her head with lips tightly pressed.

Madam Luo laughed, “She lost her front tooth and now she’s lisping. She hasn’t wanted to talk these past two days.”
An Yi nudged Madam Luo in protest.
“See? She’s embarrassed and doesn’t want me to say more,” Madam Luo said, chuckling.
“Xi’er, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In a few days, your new tooth will grow in,” said Madam Guangnian, smiling to comfort her.
An Yi nodded with a smile.

With the topic deftly changed, Xinliu didn’t pursue her question further.

The ox plodded along at a leisurely pace. The scenery was familiar—nothing new to see. Bored, the two village women, Sunflower, Aunt Liu, and Madam Guangnian began gossiping about village matters.

The bumpy mountain road lulled An Yi into drowsiness. She stifled a yawn. Seeing this, Madam Luo shifted her bundle and drew An Yi close. “Got up early, didn’t you? Sleepy? Come, rest in mother’s arms for a while.”

Sunflower clicked her tongue. “Zhuzi’s mother, you’re raising your girl so delicately—it’ll be hard for her in the future.”
Madam Luo patted An Yi gently, ignoring the comment.
Madam Guangnian shot Sunflower a sidelong glance. “What’s so hard about it? When my Zhuzi becomes a great official, plenty of families will be lining up to marry Xi’er.”
One of the village women added, “That’s right. My sister married into Liuliqiao Village, and someone from their village became an official. His two sisters had so many suitors; on her wedding day, the bridal procession stretched for miles.”
Sunflower pursed her lips in disagreement but dared not say more. The Luo family was united and fiercely protective of their own.

The conversation shifted to officials—how impressive they were, how enviable. They praised Madam Luo for having a son destined for high office and envied her good fortune.

An Yi noticed Xinliu and her daughter looking proud and couldn’t help but find it irritating. She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking, “Out of sight, out of mind.”

After an hour, the city gate came into view in the distance. Madam Luo gently woke An Yi. “Wake up, darling, we’re here.”
An Yi hadn’t really slept—she just didn’t want to see Xinliu and her daughter—so she sat up and peered out. High above the gate were the characters for Yongzhou.

An Yi’s knowledge of geography wasn’t great, but she knew Yongzhou was in Hunan province, also known as Bamboo City, a place of poetic renown.

The cart stopped at the city gate. Before they could earn money, they had to spend it: the entrance fee was three copper coins per adult, five for the oxcart, and nothing for children.

Each paid their own fee. Luo Guangnian guided the cart through the gate, turned left, and after about a hundred meters stopped by a roadside teahouse. “Aunt Qiu, ladies, Wuqi, if you want a ride back, come here at the start of the Shen hour.”
“All right,” everyone agreed, disembarking to find places to sell their wares.

Madam Luo led An Yi to deliver the embroidery. The Red Embroidery House was one of the largest private embroidery shops in town. Because of her skill, Madam Luo could get work here. Luo Xiamei and Luo Hongmei, being less skilled, had to settle for smaller shops with less pay.

As the mother and daughter entered, the shop clerk greeted them, “Sister-in-law An, you’re here! Is the embroidery finished? Sister Zhen has already asked twice. Go find her inside.”
“Thank you.” Madam Luo took An Yi to the back in search of Sister Zhen.

Sister Zhen, an embroiderer herself, was busy with a hoop. Seeing them, she set her work aside and stood. “Sister-in-law An, you’re here. And little Xi’er came to town too!”
An Yi smiled with her lips pressed together.
“Sister Zhen, please take a look at the work.” Madam Luo untied her bundle and produced the screen.
Sister Zhen helped unfold the screen, laying it out carefully on the inspection table. She ran her hand gently over the surface, examined the front closely, then flipped it over to check that the thread ends were properly concealed.

—Author’s Note—
Note: Lingling and Yongzhou are two important historical place names. Before the Sui dynasty, Yongzhou was called Lingling. After the Sui dynasty, Yongzhou and Lingling became two names for the same place.
In this novel, Xianxue uses real city names, place names, and some passed-down customs to honor her late great-grandmother and grandmother, who lived here all their lives. Ouyang Xiu once wrote, “I once saw the pictures of Lingling County; only today do I know the pictures do not compare.” Sadly, the mountains and rivers have been overdeveloped and destroyed; green waters have turned black, and lush hills have become barren, making it almost impossible to recall the past scenery. For this reason, the descriptions of scenery are not strictly realistic.