“Please, choose, Grandpa”, the younger sister grunted as she tilted the basket, only to earn a stern look from the elder.

  “Forgive her, sir”, Xue bowed quickly. “She hasn’t learned proper manners yet”.

  “Hahaha!” The old man laughed, stroking his beard. “ ‘Grandpa’ works just fine!”

  A little behind him stood a woman, likely a servant, quick, sturdy, and efficient. Without waiting for the girls to take out the fish, she rolled up her sleeves, picked the two biggest ones, wrapped them in cloth, and placed them in her basket. Watching her, the girls tensed, unsure what to do. But when payment clinked into their hands, both broke into wide smiles.

  “Hahaha,” the old man chuckled. “Well then, thank you. A pleasure doing business with you.”

  “Thank you, sir,” the elder sister bowed again.

  “I’ll be sure to visit you again, young ladies.”

  With a faint smile, the old man walked on, tucking his one arm behind his back. A few people gathered around the girls, peering at the fresh fish and clearly thinking about buying. The price was just too tempting to ignore and the fish were indeed fresh, still alive.

  “I’ll take the rest”, a plump woman pushed her way to the front. “What are you staring at? Move it! I’ve got no time to waste!”

  Without waiting for the little sellers to reply, she stepped up, scooped the remaining three fish into her basket, and shoved a handful of coins into the elder sister’s palm. The girl, startled by the woman’s forcefulness, took the money without counting and even bowed in thanks. The woman turned away, threw a triumphant glance at the others, and left, very pleased with her bargain.

  “Lucky day for you,” grumbled the fishmonger beside them. “Aren’t you selling too cheap?”

  His muttering brought the sisters back down to earth. They exchanged wide smiles. Grabbing their empty basket, they hurried home, stopping by a familiar stall to buy some rice. They felt as though they stood on top of the world, having earned what seemed an impossible amount of money. To count it all, they didn’t have enough fingers between them. Feeling incredibly rich, even after paying for the rice, they ran all the way home, afraid of losing even a single coin.

  “If it keeps going like this, we’ll buy a whole house!” the younger one exclaimed dreamily.

  “Maybe,” the elder agreed. “We should hide the money!”

  “Alright! Tomorrow we’ll earn even more!” Mingzhu clenched her tiny fist.

  Even plain boiled rice tasted better that evening than it ever had before, and their shabby hut suddenly seemed bright and cozy. After eating, sleep overtook them, and the girls slumbered until noon.

  Rested and full of energy, they went out to the backyard to repeat the intricate movements from the scroll, the ones that looked like a dance. Strangely, they understood the meaning of each gesture. Since that knowledge had appeared in their minds, practice came easily. Their bodies grew strong and flexible.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The girls suspected that what they were learning was a form of martial art—and true practitioners were deeply respected in Baohe. Their father must have placed great hopes in them if he had begun teaching them such things, and they felt a heavy sense of responsibility for the chance he had given. They worked as hard as they could. Sometimes, tired after training, the sisters would close their eyes and imagine themselves as brave warriors surrounded by piles of delicious food.

  “We’ll grow strong like Father!” Mingzhu declared, lying on the grass, her cheeks flushed red from training.

  “Remember that time,” Xue said suddenly, “he came home with dung in his hair? We were too scared to tell him, and he walked around like that all day.”

  “Ah! Hahaha!” Mingzhu burst out laughing. “Yeah! But he doesn’t do that anymore. He doesn’t even smell like vomit now!”

  “Right… he doesn’t…”

  “Huh? What?”

  “Nothing. It’s fine now. Come on, let’s eat.”

  “Yay!” Mingzhu jumped up, forgetting her fatigue, and ran toward the house.

  The next day, their traps caught only two small fish, so the girls didn’t go to the market. They ate them instead, but being used to daily work, they couldn’t just sit idle. Out of habit, they went to the forest to gather firewood. Though it earned only a few coins, it was enough to keep one from starving.

  In the past, they had trudged to the forest again and again, dragging heavy bundles of dry branches, then sold them to the wealthier households in the city. In summer, firewood didn’t sell well, so they usually looked for other ways to earn money.

  Now stronger, the sisters could carry far larger loads—but instead of selling them right away, they stacked the bundles neatly behind their house. When the cold season came, prices would rise sharply, and they would earn more. For now, as long as they had enough to eat, Xue and Mingzhu could afford to save their wood as a kind of capital. It was actually their kind neighbor, Hong Shu, who had given them that advice—though she did, of course, take a little firewood as payment.

  “I like it in the forest,” the younger sister admitted.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. It’s peaceful here.”

  “Look, Xue! I think I found that flower from the picture!”

  “Oh, you’re right!”

  “Сan we sell them?”

  “Everything can be sold”, Xue replied. “That’s what Father said. You just need to find the right buyer.”

  “Right! The right one… maybe an apothecary?”

  “Or a healer!”

  “Then let’s gather them. Look around, there must be more here.”

  Before the sun began to sink toward the horizon, painting the forest in shades of amber and gold, the sisters were still eagerly searching for herbs. The air was growing cooler; the chirping of cicadas had almost faded, and now the crickets took their place, announcing the coming of evening.

  The girls’ small hands were stained green from the sap of plants, and a modest but heavy bundle of herbs rested at the bottom of their basket.

  By the time they reached the apothecary’s shop on the edge of town, the sky had grown completely dark. The little bell above the door rang softly as the girls stepped inside. The owner sat at his table, sipping tea. Along the walls rose tall cabinets filled with countless small drawers, each marked with the elegant name of an herb.

  “We’d like to sell medicinal herbs,” the elder sister said, placing the green bundle on the table.

  The apothecary raised an eyebrow and set his cup aside. For a while, he examined the herbs carefully without touching them, then shifted his gaze to the children, then back to the uneven stalks scattered across his desk.

  “Carelessly picked,” he remarked. “You won’t get much. I’ll pay one silver coin for the lot, not a copper more! Don’t like it, get out!” With a dramatic wave of his hand, he covered his eyes and leaned back in his chair, as if he had already forgotten about his tiny visitors.

  “We agree,” said Xue.

  “Oh? Really?” He lifted his hand and peeked at them with one eye. “Ahem, of course you agree! Mine’s the best price in town!”