The Blessed Farm Girl Has a Spatial Storage
Chapter 64: Searching for Cousin

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Searching for Cousin

The shop assistant spoke as he took the back-basket from Zhao Zhitong’s hand, "Let me see... Hmm, a beginner, and just a little child too. The processing is quite good; you have a real talent."

Upon receiving the praise, Zhao Zhitong grinned at him, revealing her two small canine teeth. Paired with her tiny dimples, she was utterly adorable.

"Big Brother, I’m very capable, you know. I gathered all of these from the mountain and processed them myself."

The two shop assistants couldn’t help but smile. No one could resist smiling at such a cute and well-behaved child.

"Let me see how much they’re worth then."

The shop assistant said, taking the herbs out of the back-basket type by type. After weighing them, he announced clearly, "Ge Gen slices, two mace; Chai Hu, one mace; One-point Red, one mace..."

Zhao Zhitong stood beside him, her round eyes wide as she watched intently.

Just as the assistant finished listing all the medicinal herbs, Zhao Zhitong piped up in her childish voice, "Big Brother, that’s twelve coins in total, right?"

The assistant doing the accounting paused, looking at Zhao Zhitong in surprise. "Well now, your little girl is quite something! Exactly twelve coins."

With that, he counted out twelve copper coins and handed them to the little girl.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Zhao Zhitong chirped, happily taking the copper coins and tucking them into her small pocket.

Sun Youwei was also pleasantly surprised. "Little Tongtong, you already know how to do sums!"

And so quickly, too, without even using an abacus! That assistant still had to flick the beads a few times to work it out.

Zhao Zhitong tilted her small face up proudly and said in her childish voice, "I certainly do know how to do sums."

The shop assistant stored the medicinal herbs away and remarked with considerable surprise, "Is your niece from a scholarly family?"

Hearing this, Zhao Dong quickly waved his hands. "No, no, we’re not scholars. My daughter just learned a few characters from her maternal grandfather, that’s all."

After saying this and expressing their thanks, they left the pharmacy.

Having earned money for the first time by herself, Zhao Zhitong was overjoyed and kept her hand protectively over her small pocket.

Zhao Dong, worried she might lose the money, tried to coax it from her. "Tongtong, you’re still little. If you keep the money on you, you might lose it. Let Daddy hold onto it and save it for you, alright?"

Sun Mei also chimed in, "Tongtong, be a good girl. Let Daddy save it for you. When you want to buy something, Daddy will give it to you."

Would Zhao Zhitong be fooled? Of course not. In her previous life, her parents had taken her New Year money using the same excuse. They thought she wouldn’t remember, but she remembered everything. This money, she earned it herself! She wasn’t about to hand it over.

So, she pursed her lips and said, "No! Tongtong is already six years old. I’m a big kid now. I can look after my own money."

Sun Mei said, "...How did you suddenly age a year in a day? You’re not even five yet, so how can you be six?"

Zhao Zhitong pouted, clutching her small pocket tightly. "No! I *am* six years old. I’m a big kid!"

Seeing his little daughter’s flushed face, clutching her pocket like a mother animal guarding her young, Zhao Dong decided not to press the issue. It was only twelve coins; he would let her keep it.

Only then did Zhao Zhitong beam, so excited she felt like spinning in circles.

Then, she no longer wanted to ride the pushcart. Instead, she took Zhao Dong’s hand and skipped happily towards South Street.

The street they were currently on was North Street, where most of the pharmacies and medicine sellers were located. South Street, on the other hand, was mostly filled with entertainment venues such as music halls, taverns, teahouses, and pavilion and tile houses.

Sun Mei and Sun Youwei pushed the now-empty pushcart, and the group set off. They hadn’t gone far from Miaochun Hall when they ran into someone.

This man was stout, dressed in a dark grey robe with a dark green striped sash tied around his waist. When he looked at them, his small, narrow eyes seemed to glint with cunning.

"Well, well, Brother-in-law, have you come into the county town?"

It took Zhao Dong a few moments to recall who this person was. Niu Baishun, the husband of Mrs. Wang’s younger daughter, was from a wealthy household in the county town that dealt in medicinal materials. The nearby Xiangfu Hall was his family’s pharmacy, one of the largest on North Street, just like Miaochun Hall.

As a merchant, Niu Baishun was quite shrewd. Although he was full of disdain for Zhao Dong and his family of country folk, he never let it show.

Zhao Dong managed a forced smile and greeted him, "Hehe, yes, just here to buy a few things."

Niu Baishun’s small, narrow eyes swept over their pushcart, and he instantly knew they were there to sell herbs. He then pointed at Sun Youwei and said, "Ah, this must be your eldest brother-in-law, then? Here to sell medicinal herbs? Haha, Brother-in-law, you’re being too distant. You should have just told me. I would have had my shop staff go directly to your brother-in-law’s house to collect them and given you a good price. Much more convenient, wouldn’t it be?"

Sun Youwei certainly didn’t believe he would offer a good price. He’d sold medicinal herbs many times and had long since figured out the going rates on this street. He had initially sold herbs at Xiangfu Hall a few times, partly because Niu Baishun was his younger sister’s husband. But on those occasions, he’d been thoroughly ripped off. They commonly low-balled prices and tampered with the scales. So, he had stopped selling medicinal herbs at Xiangfu Hall a long time ago.

Hearing Niu Baishun’s words now, he only felt the man’s hypocrisy and chuckled. "How could we take advantage of your kindness like that?"

Zhao Dong also gave an awkward laugh.

At this moment, a woman emerged from the pharmacy by the roadside and walked directly towards Niu Baishun. "Husband, who are you talking to?"

After asking, she noticed Zhao Dong, Sun Mei, and the others standing there. A look of disdain and disgust instantly appeared on her face. She grabbed Niu Baishun and started pulling him towards their pharmacy as if fleeing a plague, deliberately raising her voice, "Don’t just go around greeting anyone on the street! You’ll be pestered by riffraff before you know it, and you won’t even realize when you’re being scrounged off!"

Sun Mei’s face turned livid. "HUMPH! What kind of people are they? We’ll see who ends up scrounging off whom in the future!"

Zhao Zhitong imitated her mother, baring her teeth towards Xiangfu Hall and spat, "TUI! Bad people! They’re all bad people!"

Sun Mei rolled her eyes in the direction of Xiangfu Hall and said, "Let’s go, quickly. Don’t pay them any mind. Just pretend a dog barked."

With that, the group quickened their pace and headed towards South Street.

South Street was completely different from North Street.

It was much livelier. Merchants’ shouts echoed through the air, music drifted from the pleasure quarters, and noise spilled from gambling dens and cockfighting rings. Cheers for street performers mingled with the songs from the pavilion and tile houses—it was a cacophony of vibrant activity.

Zhao Dong had been to the county town before to sell tofu. However, at that time, after selling his tofu and buying a few necessities, he had hurried back home without exploring. Looking around now, he realized it truly was a different world.

Zhao Zhitong’s eyes were wide with wonder, everything around her new and exciting. "It’s so lively here! Mother, I want to watch the acrobats!" she exclaimed, pointing to a crowd gathered ahead, where performers were breathing fire, walking a tightrope, and breaking stones on their chests.

Zhao Dong gently tried to persuade her, "Tongtong, be good. We can watch on our way back. Let’s go find Sister Yaya first, okay?"

Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu, who had been walking quietly beside them, suddenly lost all interest in the bustling sights upon hearing this. They looked up sharply at Zhao Dong. "Uncle?"