Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 657

Chapter 657: Chapter 657

Ye Tong’s words finally calmed down Yang Fan’s somewhat apprehensive little heart.

It seems like there really isn’t much of an issue.

In this regard, Ye Tong appeared much more magnanimous than Yang Fan had anticipated.

Zhang Yulan was quite composed, chatting eagerly with a customer when Yang Fan and Ye Tong finished their conversation and came out.

"Fanzi, come here, quick." Seeing Yang Fan come out, Zhang Yulan immediately waved and said, "This uncle wants to buy some... Uncle, what was it that you wanted to buy? I really can’t remember the name of the herb; I forgot it as soon as I heard it."

He seemed to be a vendor around forty years old, wearing a set of work clothes, with a small pouch tied around his waist. Most small stall vendors dress like this for the convenience of carrying loose change in the pouch.

This is less common in cities, but quite usual in rural areas.

Many older people don’t use QR code payments, so they usually carry cash in their pockets.

"Bupleurum and Mugwort," the uncle said to Yang Fan. "I figured your place might have genuine Mugwort, so I came to give it a try. If it’s convenient for you, sell me some; I don’t need a small amount either."

"We don’t have Bupleurum, but we do have Mugwort, and I can sell it in small quantities," Yang Fan replied.

Ever since Bai Cao Pavilion opened, people have been coming to look for herbs not just like this uncle, but quite frequently. There are many who recognize herbs, or who often use one or two particular herbs; they know what the herbs look like, and they remember their scent. If the medicine doesn’t look right in the pharmacy, they eventually find their way to places like Yang’s that collect herbs.

Medicinal herbs are often adulterated, and cases of Li Gui masquerading as Li Kui are endless and common.

Even the Mugwort from the pharmacies is relatively genuine.

But ready-made Mugwort Stick products are almost never correct; using Yin Chen to pass off as Mugwort is still considered somewhat conscionable, but who knows what other stuff some might put in there.

Yang Fan weighed out the Mugwort for the uncle.

Such business is not a daily occurrence, or else Yang Fan would actually quite enjoy it: it’s like direct buying and selling, with no middlemen to profit from the markup, earning pure profit for himself.

The uncle hoisted a big bag, weighing about ten pounds or so, and left.

"Fanzi, what’s he going to do with so much Mugwort?" Zhang Yulan asked curiously.

Yang Fan explained, "Mugwort has a wide range of uses, but it’s mainly for moxibustion. Many people in the countryside do moxibustion; whenever they feel unwell, they give themselves or their livestock a treatment. In fact, the usage is not small."

"Using moxibustion to treat livestock?" Zhang Yulan inquired.

"What’s so strange about that? It’s very normal. Livestock needs treatment when they are sick, and using moxibustion is much more economical than calling a veterinarian," said Yang Fan with a smile.

Zhang Yulan chuckled lightly and said, "Looks like I’ve been ignorant; I’ve really wasted my years living in the countryside."

After saying that, she quietly glanced over at the back door and asked Yang Fan in a low voice, "Was your sister-in-law interrogating you earlier?"

Yang Fan gave a thumbs up and nodded.

That scene, although it didn’t involve any physical torture, the pressure Yang Fan felt inside was indeed not any less intense than a real interrogation. His apprehensive heart kept jumping, at one moment it felt like it was up in his chest, and the next it seemed like it had dropped all the way to the bottom of his stomach.

"So... how did it turn out?" Zhang Yulan whispered.

"For now, it’s not too bad," said Yang Fan.

Zhang Yulan let out a long "oh", then suddenly chuckled and said, "Does that mean I can sleep with you tonight?"

Yang Fan was startled and hurriedly said in a low voice, "Definitely not, you have to keep calm about this, we shouldn’t mess around, it’s too easy for things to go wrong."

His nominal sister-in-law and Little Mother were actually both his women. If Zhang Yulan impulsively slept with him, both Little Mother and his sister-in-law would definitely tear him to pieces; this was a risk he absolutely couldn’t take.

"Why?" Zhang Yulan asked in confusion, "Your sister-in-law has no objections, which is as good as acknowledging that I’m your woman, right? What’s still not okay about that?"

"Sister Lan, have you forgotten? I also have a girlfriend," Yang Fan said somberly.

At this time, he had no choice but to bring up Wei Juan.

Zhang Yulan knew about Wei Juan, and she also knew that there were some issues between Wei Juan and Yang Fan.

Still, it was unclear whether she deliberately ignored this fact or simply forgot, as she did not mention it.

"Is Wei Juan living at your place now?" Zhang Yulan asked.

Yang Fan nodded.

Zhang Yulan immediately lost her enthusiasm, "Okay, this does need to be handled more discreetly."

"Fanzi, I have a tiny little question. Do you and your sister-in-law... also have something going on? Don’t worry, even if you tell me, I definitely won’t blab about it."

Yang Fan felt a headache coming on.

Could a woman’s intuition really be this frightening?

What should he say?

Yang Fan was caught in a dilemma for a moment.

In fact, taking this opportunity to clear things up with Zhang Yulan didn’t seem like a bad idea, but he still had some concerns that he hadn’t yet thought of. He didn’t know if coming clean would have other consequences.

Zhang Yulan leaned closer to Yang Fan, looked up at him, and suddenly smiled, "It seems I pretty much know the answer. Fanzi, you’re quite impressive. Under such circumstances, your sister-in-law didn’t even kick me out. You’re more capable than I thought."

"My sister-in-law spared my dog life," Yang Fan admitted honestly as Zhang Yulan seemed to have figured it out already.

Zhang Yulan asked softly, "Your sister-in-law hasn’t come out yet. Is she angry?"

"No, she’s on the phone," said Yang Fan.

Ye Tong was on the phone with Zhou Wenhui, discussing how to deal with the trouble that was Yang Fan.

"Don’t hide it from me; be clear with me. It’s only by pooling our wisdom that we can solve problems," said Zhang Yulan. "Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll talk to your sister-in-law. From her docile demeanor, she doesn’t seem like someone who resorts to fighting at the drop of a hat. If I approach her with a good attitude, she should be able to calm down."

"As for how to handle our relationship, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. If your sister-in-law is only superficially unbothered but actually harbors a lot of grievances, then maybe we’ll just have to wage a covert battle. Giving up is definitely out of the question, but finding another way could be feasible."

"Sister Lan, there’s really no need for that. I’m pretty sure my sister-in-law isn’t angry; she truly is on the phone," Yang Fan said hastily.

He was worried that Zhang Yulan would make things even more chaotic the more she talked.

The current situation was one where less was more.

"It’s fine, trust me. I have my ways of cheering up men, and I’m no slouch when it comes to women either," Zhang Yulan said decisively, waving her hand at Yang Fan before heading into the yard.

Yang Fan felt that he now needed to sort out his thoughts. He couldn’t afford to let a series of internal issues arise amidst such severe external conflicts.

As long as Zhang Yulan didn’t stir the pot further, the issue with his sister-in-law should be manageable.

But if his sister-in-law knew, it wouldn’t be long before Little Mother found out too...