Chapter 1054: Heartache

Doctors were highly welcomed on the grasslands, especially Miao He and Tao Yan Bai, who charged only for medicine, not consultation fees.

And this land also produced medicinal herbs.

The illnesses of the grasslands had their own herbs to treat them.

Miao He and Tao Yan Bai shattered their former prescriptions, re-formulating them with grassland herbs and developing many new remedies.

Some were less effective than the originals; others far surpassed them.

Moreover, when tribal shamans and herders asked them for advice, they gave generously—not only teaching medical principles within their ability but also leaving behind several prescriptions for common ailments.

Even the herbs themselves were readily available across the grasslands.

In today's world, herbs were mostly wild and grew everywhere; step outside a tent, and plantain grass covered the ground nearby. With care, one could find herbs for nearly all common grassland ailments right on this land.

Now it was winter, the vegetation yellowed and withered, yet beneath the snow, the shapes and root systems of some herbs could still be seen.

Miao He didn't mind the trouble; she led the grassland youths to clear the snow, found the herbs, and pointed them out: "This is Lan Pen. The Lan Pen flower clears lung heat and treats liver disease…"

The boys scratched their heads, eyes wide, trying to memorize: "But I forgot what it looked like when it was green."

The girls said: "I remember. I remember how it looked when it bloomed."

Miao He taught them how to harvest the herbs and how to process them.

Most medicinal herbs could be used after drying, but some required processing to release their potency.

Caravans wouldn't stay long in one tribe; they spent one day negotiating and exchanging goods.

Merchants laid out their goods, trading for cattle, sheep, or horses. This barter system was rare in Great Ming; Miao He always felt the merchants got the better deal, since the value of cattle, sheep, and horses far exceeded the goods they brought.

But the herders didn't think much of it—they were delighted. This year's snow was heavy, and the caravan had come to trade.

The tribe's chieftain complained beside the merchant: "If you hadn't come, we'd have had to go to Huicheng. You know those soldiers at the gate are gluttonous demons—they take two sheep out of every ten we bring in. Buying goods back might get us harassed, and worst of all, we might run into horse bandits on the road."

He grumbled: "Twenty-eight of our young men have been conscripted. The rest probably can't protect the goods on the return journey."

The merchant sharply glanced at Miao He and saw her crouched on the ground, still teaching tribal members to identify the herbs they'd gathered, seemingly unaware of their conversation. He relaxed slightly, pulling the chieftain aside: "It's this cold—how long will this war last?"

"No one knows. It depends on whether they can hold. If they can't, we might march south with the army, even visit the prosperous capital of Great Ming."

"Shh, lower your voice. Those two are Han."

"What's the worry?" the chieftain dismissed. "Just two doctor kids. I hear they only speak simple Uyghur. They probably don't understand. Even if they do, it doesn't matter—once we return to Huicheng, you can… on the road…"

He made a gesture.

The merchant shook his head outright: "No. Their great-uncle is my friend—Zhao Shizhu. He's a hard man. If I can't bring them back safely, he'll make trouble for me."

"Zhao Shizhu?"

"Yes. The Han man who once served as my guard captain."

"Alright. If it's him, they won't spread rumors. And with this snow, no news can get out anyway."

The merchant thought the same, and relaxed considerably.

He smiled: "Everyone in the tribe likes them. Maybe we shouldn't act."

The chieftain sighed regretfully: "Too bad they're just passing through. If they could stay long-term, it'd be perfect. My mother's cold legs—they healed after being warmed with hot stones. She'd been bedridden for eight days…"

The merchant immediately warned: "I won't leave them here."

"I know. I'm just sorry. Next time you come, please bring them again. We're always friendly to friends."

The merchant agreed.

"Come, let's drink." The two walked off, arms slung over each other's shoulders.

Behind the tent, Tao Yan Bai, who had been crouching all along, slowly stood and returned to Miao He's side. She looked up: "Didn't you go to debride the patient's wounds?"

Tao Yan Bai: "Done. Ask if the tribe has any hemostatic herbs—we don't have much left. We need to conserve."

The herders also gathered herbs they recognized, dried them, and stored them.

They could use them themselves or trade them with merchants. The shamans had even more herbs. The youths volunteered to guide the two to inspect the tribe's stored medicinal supplies.

Miao He helped them formulate hemostatic remedies. When she spotted good herbs, she couldn't resist buying them.

The shamans and herders deeply appreciated their generous teaching and were eager to sell herbs at low prices.

Some herbs were scarce even for them.

But for scarce herbs, Miao He took only one plant; the rest she and Tao Yan Bai discussed and bought in quantity.

They carried money; the only thing they could barter was medicine.

Everything else was stored in their space—they couldn't openly display it for trade.

But the tribe members didn't hesitate—they chose money.

These were Great Ming copper coins.

They circulated on the grasslands, even more popular than the Khanate's own currency.

The barter between merchants and herders proved it—the Khanate's currency had no credibility here.

But Great Ming copper coins were different. The herders happily sold herbs to the two, even pulled out their own untraded furs and hides for them to choose from.

"Great Ming Tongbao can buy goods in other cities and tribes, even in the Chahar Khanate—and further west, they're accepted too," one herder held up a coin, examined it long, then cried happily: "This is Hongwu Tongbao! Oh my, the most popular Hongwu Tongbao!"

Clearly, it was highly favored.

The herders cheered and swarmed around Miao He and Tao Yan Bai, enthusiastically pushing their goods.

Some herders even ran to the temporary market, snatched back their best goods meant for barter, and rushed to trade them with Miao He and Tao Yan Bai.

Miao He: …

The merchant: …

He hurried over to check the situation.

Seeing the money and silver they pulled out, his eyes turned red—these two were rich.

The rumors from the city must be true: everyone said Zhao Shizhu's family had prospered, backed by a huge caravan.

The merchant felt a faint regret—perhaps he shouldn't have brought Miao He and Tao Yan Bai. What if they stole his business…

Miao He really wanted to snatch them, but the trouble was there were only the two of them, and they couldn't openly use a spatial storage the way they would among their own people.

After all, an ordinary man with treasure invites disaster; the bit of money on them might not be enough to stir anyone's greed, but a spatial storage that could hold objects—merchants aside, even these herders might make a move.

Two fists are no match for four legs; the two of them weren't fools.

So Miao He reluctantly refused, claiming she only had a limited amount of money on her, and bought only medicinal herbs and two beast hides.

After finishing the purchase, both she and Tao Yanbai wore faces aching with pain.

The onlookers assumed they were hurting because they'd spent all their money, but the two of them were actually heartbroken looking at the remaining valuable goods—such cheap, well-processed beast hides, so many medicinal herbs—taken back to Jingcheng, who knew how much they could earn.

Missed it, missed it…