If you keep making noise, I won’t stand it anymore!

Meixiang narrowed her eyes, hesitated for a moment, then slowly stepped over the gathered dishes, came up to the old lady and asked in a low voice: "Auntie, when does your son's salary usually get paid? How much is it? How is it paid? I don't mean anything else, I'm just a little curious. My brother in the family is going to the military camp this year, so I'd like to know more so I can have an idea, right?" As she spoke, she quietly pointed in the direction of Meiying.

The old lady looked at Meiying standing not far away, then turned to look at Meixiang's clear eyes. After thinking for a while, she leaned towards her and whispered, "Girl, I believe you. Just keep an idea in mind and don't spread it around. Nizi's father is just an ordinary soldier, earning 50 wen a month. I heard him mention that the squad leader earns 80 wen, but I don't know what's above that."

Meixiang nodded and understood what was going on: "Thank you, auntie. Please pack up and go home to take care of your grandson." She turned around and asked Xiaosan to put the auntie's vegetables into the basket behind her, and gave her ten cents.

"Oh, girl, you gave too much, too much." After counting the money in her hand, the old lady shouted to Meixiang in surprise.

"The extra food is for your grandson's health. Auntie, go buy some food and go home."

The old lady held the ten cents in her hand and cried with joy. Now her family was saved! She quickly packed up her things and ran to the rice store.

After hearing the old lady's low call, the people who had not left yet called Meixiang and her servant to come and see their goods. Meixiang and Meiying walked towards the people who called them.

"Hey, girl, look at the herbs, they are good stuff." Suddenly, an older uncle at the corner of the road called Meixiang.

Meixiang looked at the sky and hesitated for a moment, but still brought Meiying and the others to his small stall. She squatted down and slowly looked through the three kinds of herbs spread on the ground.

These three herbs have been simply processed and not yet cooked, but the variety and quality really surprised Meixiang: "Uncle, did you dig all these herbs?"

The stall owner looked to be nearly 50 years old, his hair and beard were already gray, and his back was a little bent, probably due to years of hard work, but on his weather-beaten face were a pair of eyes full of wisdom that were unforgettable at first sight.

"In the past few years, I would go to the mountain behind to dig some, but in the past two years, my health has deteriorated, so I just planted some in my own yard. Here, these are the new ones I planted and picked this year."

The stall owner continued, "See if you can use any of these. These are all good stuff."

"If it's a good thing, why not send it directly to the pharmacy? Although the price may be lower, it is much more convenient than setting up a stall here." Meixiang asked curiously. Before March this year, she always sent it directly to the pharmacy, and she never wanted to try her luck by setting up a stall even if the price was very low.

"Alas, I also wanted to send it to the pharmacy to sell some money to buy some rice and flour daily necessities, but unfortunately there are not many people in Liuzhou Prefecture who know the goods. I went to all the pharmacies and there was no one who knew me and they even kicked me out."

"Uncle, are there any other people at home? What do they do?" Meixiang chatted with him while continuing to look through the herbs in front of her.

"No, they are all gone. My two sons were drafted to fight in the war a few years ago and never came back. My old woman's health became bad and she died after a few years."

"My ancestors have made a living by digging and growing herbs for generations. To be frank, my family's herbal medicine skills were second to none in the entire Liuzhou Prefecture. Alas, it's a pity that we have fallen into decline now, and our children... we won't even have an heir in the future."

The old man thought of these painful experiences, lowered his head, and the original light in his eyes suddenly disappeared.

Meixiang felt a sudden tightness in her heart when she heard this. Looking at the old man's thin body and the patched coat on his body, her heart was filled with sadness.

If she took over Liuzhou Prefecture in the beginning because of a momentary impulse and the persuasion of her mother and others, then after getting to know the lives of ordinary people that day, she really wanted to manage Liuzhou Prefecture well and do something to ensure that ordinary people like Haoyue could have enough food and clothing.

It can be said that Meixiang has only now gained an intuitive understanding of the responsibilities that Princess Haoyue bears. From now on, Liuzhou Prefecture will no longer be a burden but a responsibility.

After figuring this out, Mei Hao felt a sense of relief. He didn't need to think too much and could just do it bit by bit.

Looking at the middle-aged man huddled across the stall again, I thought that in the 21st century, he was in the prime of his life and many possibilities were just beginning, but at Haoyue's age, he had been devastated by the hardships of life and looked like an old man in his twilight years.

Thinking of Uncle Liu who was currently in the back mountain with Liu Dazhuang and the others studying tree planting, he immediately had an idea: "Uncle, I want all of your herbs today."

Seeing the light shining again in the stall owner's red eyes when he raised his head after hearing what she said, Meixiang couldn't help but smile: "Uncle, where do you live? Is it convenient for us to go to your house to see if there are any other herbs that can be used?"

"It's very convenient, but my home is a bit far from here, in Luojia Village, ten miles away." The stall owner became even happier now. With this income, he could support himself for a while.

Meixiang lowered her head and counted the days. "It doesn't matter if it's far away. Are you free in the morning three days from now? And what should I call you?"

"Nothing, nothing, nothing. Selling these herbs can support me for a while. The rest of the time I will spend taking care of those herbs at home. The neighbors nearby call me Old Man Luo. My home is at the south end of Luojia Village. The yard is full of herbs. You can see them as soon as you enter the village. They are easy to find." The stall owner replied with a smile.

"Okay, do you think twenty cents will be enough for these herbs?" Meixiang pointed at the herbs that had been neatly gathered together.

Old man Luo was startled, but when he realized what was happening, he quickly waved his hand to refuse: "Miss, it's too much, you don't need that much, just give me eight cents."

Meixiang interrupted him with a smile: "Uncle Luo knows about medicinal herbs, you know these twenty cents are not a lot." She signaled Xiao San with her eyes to put the herbs into the backpack behind her, and handed another twenty cents to old man Luo.

"Uncle Luo, I'll see you at your house in three days."

Watching Meixiang and the other two walk towards the next stall owner who greeted them, Old Man Luo felt mixed emotions. The normal value of these herbs was around 20 cents just as the little girl said, but he knew the value of the goods and didn't bargain. It was the first time he had seen an incredible child so young and so honest.

For some reason I began to look forward to the meeting three days later.