When I got out of the forest, I went home, took most of the dirt off myself, and changed my clothes. The ones I used to work at the farm were not something I wanted to wear around the village.

I also wore shoes, since at home and in the mountains I usually went barefooted.

After that, I headed to the herbalist.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the store was the smell.

Taking a quick look around the store, I saw no plants of any kind. There was just enough space for a few people to line in front of the counter. There was a door that led to the back – probably where the herbal scents came.

"Good morning," I said when my gaze met the herbalist’s.

“Good morning, what can I help you with?” she said in a soft voice, with a smile.

Se wore some kind of dark-gray robe that covered everything from the neck down; it was baggy and didn't show anything. Her face looked plain, but she had two beautiful dark eyes; looking at her facial features gave me a strange feeling, like I wasn't seeing something right. Her black hair was made in a bun.

She looked to be at around twenty to twenty-five, which was an appearance that could easily be maintained in various ways, so I couldn't guess her actual age. My mother said she was rarely seen outside, and she didn't interact with others much, so others weren't aware either.

Strange woman...

"I wanted to sell an herb I found in the mountains. Would you be interested?" I asked the woman.

From what I heard from Uncle once, some people only bought from trusted sources, though I didn't think that would be the case here. It could also be that she didn't need the herb.

"I could be, depending on the herb and its condition. Do you have it on hand?" she said, looking at my backpack.

"Yes, I do," I said, bringing out the herb. I put it on the counter so she could examine it.

I dug up a good amount of soil with the roots, and I tied a cloth around it to transport it without making a mess everywhere.

"Mm, a Purple Bell-flower. It seems to be in good condition, and from how it looks, you picked it up this morning; strange to see one around here. You didn't need to haul around all that dirt, though," she said, giggling as she stared at the amount of earth still on the flower.

Then she pointed at the plant. “May I?”

I nodded, slightly embarrassed "Eh, I didn't want to damage the roots..."

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. It's better to be cautious to avoid damaging herbs," she said, apologetic. "While it's true the most valuable parts of this plant are the roots, it's just the main ones that dig downwards, that contains most of the medicinal properties. Even if you damage the smaller ones to the side, it doesn't matter very much."

"Also, you could have shaken off the soil and washed off the rest, unless you wanted to keep it alive for a prolonged time. It is a sturdy plant, so, with the right conditions, it could also be planted somewhere else," the herbalist explained as she opened the cloth and took the dirt off the plant.

"Oh, I see. Thanks for explaining. I read how to pick it from a book, and the only thing that I was warned about was to not damage the roots and the stem." I said.

"I see. Well, it's in good condition, so I can't say you did wrong. I can offer you two silvers for it," offered the herbalist.

I hesitated. It was a lot of money for my, admittedly small, standards, but I knew I should never accept the first offer.

“Um, I was hoping to make at least three silvers for this...” I tried.

I felt my cheeks get warmer, but I hoped that she didn't notice.

Fortunately, she was still cleaning the plant as we talked. "Two silver is the maximum I could give you. While this plant is rare around these parts, there are also other plants with similar properties native to these mountains, and they come cheaper, of course."

"I am offering you this much because I can sell it as an exotic product and nothing more. It is already quite a good price. I don't think you could get a better one even if you asked other buyers," she said, giving a seemingly reasonable explanation.

“Ok, two silvers then,” I acquiesced.

I am so bad at this, I thought, keeping my face as neutral as I could. I don’t think I succeeded in hiding my emotions – I have never been able to.

"Thanks for selling me your purple bell-flower," she said after we made the exchange, "and come by if you get any other herb. I'll give you a fair price."

“I will. Have a good day,” I said as I bowed.

She bowed back. “A good day to you too.”

As I walked home, I kept the coins firmly in my hand.

It was the first time I had so much money, and the fact that I earned them myself was even better. I was feeling euphoric.

It may be stupid, but that day I took the money around and looked at them from time to time when no one could see me.

I discovered that while I didn't get my wish, I had enjoyed the whole process of studying and practically applying that knowledge. The money also served as gratification for my effort. I really liked that.

Still, before dinner, I went to talk to my father when I saw he was alone.

“Dad...” I called.

“Yes?” he said as he closed the doors to the barn.

I held out the two silvers. “I wanted to give you this.”

He looked taken aback, then he carefully took the coins and examined them.

“Ah Xuan, where did you take these?” he asked slowly, in a mix between suspicious and perplexed. I think he was unsure if I had stolen or found them somewhere. I was a bit hurt by that.

"I got them by selling an herb at the herbalist’ shop," I said.

“An herb?” he repeated.

I nodded. "Yes. Last week when I was taking a stroll in the forest, I found a plant..."

He looked at me in silence for a few seconds after I finished explaining, maybe to decide if I was lying or not.

"I understand," he said in the end, "but we are not in dire need of money right now, so you can keep them if you want. These are the first money that you earned by yourself. Buy yourself something with them."

He was smiling while handing them back.

“No, I want to give them to you,” I said.

I didn’t think he’d hand them back, but while I was surprised – and happy – I couldn't accept. I brought him great trouble last year and, while I had my punishment, it couldn't completely cover what I did. I also wanted to do something nice for once.

Seeing me frowning, he took back his hand, then after thinking about it, he made a proposal. "How about I take just one then. I would feel bad taking it all from you. I can buy something nice for your mom with a silver coin, so just one is good enough for me. What do you say?"

After some thought, I decided to accept.

We made good money here and, compared to the costs of running a farm as big as ours, one or two silvers didn't make much of a difference.

"Hahaha, you're really growing up fast, already going out and making money by yourself!" said my father after giving me the coin.

He then ruffled my hair before walking to the house.

"En," I said as I followed him. He seemed to be in a good mood, and I was happy. I had disappointed him too much these years, and, while he never brought it up, I always felt bad inside.

I wanted my family to be proud of me.

Due to that feeling, and the discovering of a new passion, I kept going to the study of my uncle. I began memorizing the information of all the plants I could find, starting from those of the surrounding regions, then I started looking for them as I walked about in the forest. It took a lot of studying and effort before I found my first herb.

It was one of the common herbs of this region, so I didn't expect to make much out of them, but I still got excited, so after picking all the leaves, I left for the herbalist.

I could have kept searching since they didn't occupy much space, and they weren't heavy, but I wanted to know how much they were worth.

As I got inside the shop, I found that someone was already there. I waited for a few minutes until he completed the purchase of some containers filled with some kind of liquid.

It got me a bit curious.

“Good morning, you came back with another plant to sell?” she said after the other customer left.

I showed her the leaves. "Good morning. Yes, I have these leaves if you're interested."

After I put them on the counter and gave approval, she picked them up to take a look.

"Yes, I can buy them though I can't offer you much for these," she said after a few moments.

“And how much would that be?” I asked.

"Twenty- five coppers," she said after a moment of thought.

It really isn't much, I thought. But still better than nothing.

"Ok, thanks," I said.

I didn't know if I was actually being ripped off, but I didn't know who else to ask. Maybe if I tried to haggle, I would get a bit more, but since I didn't know the prices, the herbalist could say whatever she wanted. I also wasn’t capable of it.

I would have to ask a merchant when one passed by the village.

Now that I think about it, she is the only buyer here, so unless I could store them, I'd have to sell to her anyway. Hoping that she would need them, I thought while exchanging the leaves.

"Would you still buy more if I found them?" I asked.

"Yes, sure, while these are common herbs, there's enough demand, so I will buy all those you can find, unless you bring bundles of them every day," she said with a small laugh at the end.

"Oh, great. I'd have to throw away the excess if you said no, since I don't know how to preserve plants," I said smiling, which was followed by a giggle from the herbalist.

I raised an eyebrow, confused by her amusement.

She hid her smile behind her hand as she apologized. “Sorry, sorry, but, you know, you shouldn't tell a buyer that. They'd be able to give you any price then, and you wouldn’t be able to say anything.”

“Uh..” I said.

This really was not my thing.

"Don't worry, I won't cheat you. And if you want to preserve these, you just have to dry them. The properties inside the herb won't change too much, and they'll last much longer," she said smiling.

"Ok, thanks," I said.

I was moved by her honesty. I may also be a simple-minded idiot.

"Furthermore, from the leaves you brought, it seems you have picked all of them, thus killing the plant," she lectured, "this kind of herb is quite sturdy, so if you just left a few of the younger ones it would have recovered, and you could have picked more at a later date."

"Of course, you'd have fewer gains in the short term and, since the plant is not yours, someone else could pick it. It's your call there," said the herbalist.

She was good at giving advice. I suppose that's why masters exist – if everything could be learned from books, they wouldn't have been needed.

"Thank you very much," I said with a bow. She's a really great person. I'll still check with a merchant or two, just in case – better to always be cautious.

"You're welcome. After all, if I can help you find more, I would have more fresh herbs on hand. Sometimes, having to rely on wandering merchants is tough," she said.

"I am still grateful anyway. My name is Gongsun Xianyuan. If you need something, you can find me at the farm east of the village, most of the time," I said with another bow.

If she needed help, I would be glad to give her a hand, if it wasn’t something excessive.

She bowed back. "My name is Dong Qinglian, and likewise, if there is something you need, you only have to ask."

With that, I concluded my visit to the herbalist.