Meanwhile, in the city of Baohe, an elderly doctor was sitting in front of his clinic, puffing on his after-lunch pipe. With an experienced eye, he watched the passersby, trying to guess from their gait what ailments troubled them. Two little girls passed by with a full basket of medicinal herbs, both dirty, scratched, and dressed in ragged clothes. As he followed them with his gaze, he suddenly felt as if he had overlooked something important. Then a faint aroma of fresh, high-grade forest herbs reached his nose.

  “What?” — the old man jumped to his feet. — “Hey! Wait! I said wait!”

  Holding up the hem of his robe and waving his smoking pipe, the old man chased after the two children. Although they were walking unhurriedly, he couldn’t catch up before the girls turned the corner and entered the pharmacy pavilion known for its dishonest owner. With anger on his face, the old man hurried after them.

  “Today I won’t let you swindle anyone!” he muttered.

  At that moment, the apothecary was sitting in his usual place, lazily sipping tea, when two girls covered in dirt and blood entered his shop. There were cobwebs and leaves in their hair, bruises and scratches on their legs, and real daggers hung at their belts. The sight of them sent a chill down the man’s spine. He sank into his chair, unable to take his eyes off the daggers.

  “Where in the hell did you crawl out from?” he grimaced, about to drive them away when his gaze fell on the basket. “Eh? What? How—?”

  “We want to sell herbs!” the older girl declared, frowning resolutely.

  “I–I–I’ll buy, I’ll buy,” the apothecary stammered, then forced a smile onto his face. “May I take a look?” He gestured with trembling hands toward the table for the girls to set down their harvest.

  “How much for all of it?” the sisters asked, placing both baskets on the table.

  The sight of so many medicinal plants made the apothecary’s mouth drop open, and drool nearly followed. Casting wary glances at the daggers on the children’s belts, he began inspecting the herbs, trying hard to hide his excitement. The longer he looked, the more his hands trembled with greed. Just as he was about to name a price, the door burst open and a disheveled old man with a pipe in hand stormed in, his eyes immediately locking on the basket.

  “I’ll pay twice what he offers,” the old man said, pointing a finger at the apothecary.

  “This isn’t your shop! Get out, old fraud! They came to me!” the apothecary roared. “I haven’t even named my price yet!”

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  “Ha! You’re the real fraud!” The old man didn’t even flinch. “You wanted to cheat the children. Do you think no one knows how you conduct your business?” Then he turned to the girls. “Sell to me—I’m the most reliable doctor in the city! I’ll give you twenty coins!”

  “I’ll double that!” the apothecary shouted, stepping close. “And I’m telling you for the last time—get out!”

  “Three times the original price!” the old man ignored his threats.

  “How much is that?” the younger girl asked, her face serious as she counted on her fingers.

  “Oh! Sixty coins! Got it? Sixty!” the apothecary snapped irritably. “Learn to count if you’re going to trade, you little brat! Pff.”

  “He-he-he,” the old man chuckled, stroking his gray beard. “Looks like I win. Come, children. I’ll pay you for the herbs.”

  “Old thief! Swindler!” the apothecary cursed.

  While the men argued, the sisters listened intently. The rising price made their tiny palms sweat and their hearts beat faster. Their eyes darted between the two men, mesmerized. After a short but heated exchange, the old man who smelled of herbs and smoke won, leaving the girls slightly bewildered. They had always dealt with the apothecary, whose robe reeked of incense and oil, and whose face had never inspired trust.

  “What are you standing there for? Come!” the old man commanded confidently, striding toward the door with a triumphant air.

  “Are you an apothecary too?” the older sister asked, just to be sure.

  “Hm? I’m a doctor!” he replied without turning around. “My name is Du Jie.”

  “Oh!” the girls’ eyes brightened with genuine admiration.

  The people of the slums rarely saw real doctors, yet they respected them deeply. This attitude of the adults had passed down to the children, and so the sisters set aside their last doubts. Under the apothecary’s resentful glare, they took their baskets from the table and hurried after the old man. Before leaving, the older sister politely turned and bowed, but the apothecary only snorted.

  Soon the three of them stood before the open gates of a beautiful, well-kept house, where a nervous, sweaty servant came running to meet them.

  “Master! You’re back!” he exclaimed. “We’ve been searching everywhere for you—”

  “We have important guests! Mind your manners. Set the table,” the old man interrupted him, then turned to the sisters with a smile. “Come in! Let’s eat first, and talk business later.”

  “No need!” Xue tried to protest, but her stomach growled loudly across the courtyard. The girl blushed.

  “Ha-ha-ha!” the old man laughed. “Your stomach is more honest than you are.”

  “We’d like to get the money,” Mingzhu said, clutching the basket tightly.

  “The money’s not going anywhere!” the elderly doctor waved a hand. “You don’t think this old man means to cheat you, do you?”

  “No…” she murmured quietly.

  “We just don’t want to trouble you, sir. You must be very busy,” the older girl said politely, bowing. “We should go. It’s time for us to head home.”

  “Very well,” the doctor stroked his beard, then turned to the servant. “Bring sixty coins.”

  Although old Du Jie paid fairly, he never forgot about profit. Clearly, he was curious about where the children had gathered such a quantity of high-quality medicinal herbs. Rather than buying small bundles one basket at a time, he would much prefer to see the place himself and collect more. He had planned to learn the details over dinner.

  To his surprise, the girls resisted the temptation of a warm meal. Despite their weary and ragged appearance, they instead grew tense, glancing cautiously around. Seeing their furrowed brows, Du Jie decided not to insist and chose instead to leave a good impression—so that next time, the children would return to him with new herbs.