Chapter 38: The Hurdle in the Heart

Yan Lao’er found a nearby village.

He struck up a conversation with the villagers.

Someone in the village needed a bowl and was willing to trade some greens from their backyard for it.

Yan Lao’er asked if anyone had a spare coarse porcelain bowl to trade.

Did he even need to ask?

Of course, they were all willing!

Every household in the village started rummaging for bowls.

At this point, who still had one bowl per person? That would be extravagant!

One bowl shared by the whole family was already good enough.

Yan Lao’er looked at the pile of bowls held up in front of him.

From the villagers’ eager eyes, he could feel their enthusiasm!

“Alright, everyone, put them down carefully. Don’t break them. I won’t keep track of whose is whose—I’ll just take a few at random. If the other party picks one, it belongs to that household.

“Also, if you have any extra, easy-to-carry items that you’re willing to trade, I can take them along. If someone is interested, we’ll trade. If not, I’ll bring them back as they are. What do you think?”

“Yan Lao’er, how are you always so resourceful!” Sister Cui clapped her thigh and elbowed her way out of a crowd of village women.

“My family has quite a few things. Come with me and have a look. We don’t have much grain, but my husband has a lot of medicine. See if you can trade some for water or food. Anything helps.”

Yan Lao’er eagerly followed Sister Cui.

He wanted to see just how much medicine Brother Cui had brought.

Cui the Herbalist was seriously massaging his legs, sighing inwardly. He used to be a traveling doctor in the surrounding villages, but now, after walking just this short distance, he was already struggling.

Shameful. Truly shameful!

“Dear, hurry up! Go through the extra medicine and let Yan Lao’er take some to see if he can trade for food or water,” Sister Cui urged.

“Sister Cui, wait, are you running low on supplies?” Yan Lao’er asked.

Sister Cui replied, “Not really, but isn’t more always better? Having food at home is reassuring. What’s the use of keeping these medicines if they can’t fill our stomachs? Trading for food and water is more practical.”

“Sister Cui, you’re being short-sighted! How can you say medicine is useless? These are life-saving essentials!” Yan Lao’er said seriously. “We’re traveling in the wild, under open skies. What if someone falls ill? Brother Cui’s medicines would be crucial!”

“Huh? Really?”

“Think about it, Sister Cui. We’re not at home anymore. There’s no village ahead, no town behind. If someone gets sick, where else would we get medicine besides from Brother Cui?” Yan Lao’er was determined to make her understand the importance of medical supplies.

Yan Lao’er sighed, “If I had the money, I’d even stock up on more medicine!”

He softened his tone and said, “Sister Cui, if you’re ever short on food or water, come find me. I’ll figure something out for you, alright?”

“Alright! Since you put it that way, I’ll trust you.” She wasn’t an unreasonable person. Once Yan Lao’er explained it, she understood.

With so many things in the Yan family and Yan Lao’er’s knack for bartering, she felt somewhat reassured.

Cui the Herbalist, who had been listening, added, “Some of the medicine has been stored for too long and might lose its potency. If there’s an urgent need, trading it out isn’t a bad idea.”

Sister Cui was stunned. “We have expired medicine? I thought you sold the extra to the town’s pharmacy!”

Cui the Herbalist looked away awkwardly and muttered, “Some prescriptions were prepared but later canceled. I couldn’t take them apart again, so they ended up unused.”

This kind of thing wouldn’t happen in a proper pharmacy—medicines were always prepared fresh. But villagers were tough; once they felt better, they didn’t want to take extra doses. If they asked for a refund, Cui the Herbalist had no choice but to give them their money back.

People care about their health, but poverty forces difficult choices.

His wife was the kind to cling to money, so Cui the Herbalist had kept this from her.

It wasn’t much—just three or four leftover prescriptions.

Sister Cui was about to grab his ear in frustration but, seeing all the people around, decided against it. Instead, she just glared at him furiously.

“What illnesses are these medicines for, Brother Cui? Tell me, and I’ll make a note,” Yan Lao’er said.

He made sure to carefully record both the symptoms and the expiration timeline for each medicine.

Later, when he told his wife and daughter, Yan Lao’er couldn’t help but admire Cui the Herbalist.

“His medical skills are average, but his character is truly commendable. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t even consider giving refunds. And those unused medicines—he could have repackaged and sold them again without anyone noticing.

“They’re just regular herbs, nothing suspicious. But just because they might have slightly reduced effectiveness, he kept them stored away all this time. That’s rare.”

—

Meanwhile, an old woman was chatting with her neighbors about the old-goods trader who had visited earlier.

To her surprise, he came back just after noon!

“My goodness, you’re quick on your feet! You must not be from too far away,” the old woman greeted him warmly.

Familiarity makes a second meeting much easier. This time, she felt quite at ease with Yan Lao’er.

“And you brought quite a few things! That’s more like it. No sense in making a trip for nothing.”

She hurried over to get a closer look, but the other women were even faster.

“Trading old goods? Never heard of it before.”

“Young man, where do your goods come from? We don’t want anything bad.”

This time, Yan Lao’er carried himself differently. He had finally figured out the best speed for riding Sanbao.

“Aunties, these all come from our own village. Life has gotten too tough… To be honest with you, if it doesn’t rain in the next couple of days, we’ll have to…”

He sighed deeply. “We’ll have to leave and try to find a way to survive elsewhere.”

In the end, his family couldn’t get over that inner hurdle. They decided to be somewhat open about their situation.

After all, the goal wasn’t just to trade goods—it was to find a purpose for the things people were willing to part with.

Why go through all this effort?

Because they wanted everyone’s lives to improve, even just a little.

In hard times, who could truly stand alone?

People have hearts.

If he took their food and grain now, then when these people eventually left their homes, would they remember him as a heartless old-goods trader who had taken advantage of them?

The aunties fell silent.

“Is it really that bad outside?” one woman asked hesitantly.

“Leaving your homeland is never easy, young man. Be careful with your decision!”

“What can I say? Our village chief told us to start preparing early.”

The women exchanged uneasy glances and decided to bring it up with their husbands later.

“Now then, Auntie, about that bowl…” Yan Lao’er was already prepared—if needed, he would trade some of his own goods. Once the platform opened, he could always sell them.

He wouldn’t let them go to waste.

“Sigh… You’re a good lad. Come, follow me home. I’ll pluck some greens for you. Don’t worry, my garden is well-tended—new leaves will sprout in a few days.”

Yan Lao’er quickly followed.

There really were more good people in the world!

The old woman only picked the outer leaves of her greens, gathering a large bundle—about two pounds’ worth.

Yan Lao’er was so moved he didn’t know what to say.

He took out two eggs and, along with the bowl she had chosen, handed them to her.