Chapter 13: Who’s the Best at Making Money? Meet the Little Five Ladies from the Northeast

Chapter 13: Who's the Best at Making Money? Meet the Little Five Ladies from the Northeast

The next morning, after they had breakfast, Ye Xiaoxiao took out paper and pen and asked her grandpa to write something.

Miao Fengshan laughed heartily, "What should I write, Grandpa?"

Ye Xiaoxiao replied, "I need your help to make a sign. Just write: 'Diagnosis only, no medicine provided. No cure, no charge. One yuan per visit.'"

Today, she planned to set up at the market to diagnose people and charge a fee.

Plus, it was a no-cost business. After she diagnosed and prescribed, she wouldn't care where the patients went to get their medicine.

In her past life, she always offered free medical care, but now she had to use this method to earn some money.

"Sounds fishy," Ye Changyuan said, munching on popcorn in the room.

Ye Changsheng said, "Maybe not."

Miao Fengshan's calligraphy was bold and flowing, full of flair.

He slapped the written words onto a wooden board, turning it into a small sign.

Ye Xiaoxiao grabbed the sign and her grandpa's calligraphy set, Ye Changyuan lugged an old set of single-person desks and chairs from home, and Ye Changsheng carried the leftover popcorn from yesterday. The three of them made their way to the market on the east side of town.

Here, there was a small market every five days and a big market once a month.

Today was the monthly big market day.

When the market first opened, folks were still hesitant, afraid of making mistakes.

After two years, folks had come to appreciate the market's benefits and gathered spontaneously without needing any encouragement.

Ye Xiaoxiao and her crew arrived early, and the market was still quiet.

They found a prime spot and set up shop.

As time passed, more and more people entered the market, and the variety of goods on offer grew more and more.

There were stalls selling spices, poultry, grains, eggs, candied haws... There were also stalls for haircuts, renting out comic books, and taking photos.

Though there were plenty of grains, the quality was hit or miss. People mostly brought things they couldn't eat at home to trade, so items like rice and flour were relatively scarce, as no one had much to spare.

In the market, there were even more buyers than sellers. From a distance, it looked like a dark cloud had gathered there.

The sounds of hawking and laughter blended together.

Although others were also running small businesses, Ye Xiaoxiao's stall seemed particularly unremarkable.

Many people glanced at it and walked away without even reading the sign.

Ye Changyuan, who had been standing there for a while, felt bored. "It's so lively over there. I'll go see what they're selling."

As a young man, he couldn't just stand still, and Ye Xiaoxiao didn't stop him.

Ye Changsheng continued to accompany Ye Xiaoxiao, waiting for customers to come.

Ye Xiaoxiao pulled out yesterday's leftover popcorn and yelled, "Free popcorn!!"

It seems everyone only heard the word "free."

Instantly, everyone turned around.

"Hey, kid, what did you say was free?"

A woman stood in front of the stall, asking curiously.

"Free popcorn, but you gotta stand here and read our sign out loud three times."

Ye Xiaoxiao pointed to the sign written by Grandpa Miao.

"Uh... kid, I can't read."

"No worries, I'll teach you. 'Just see a doctor, no medicine...'"

The woman: "Just see a doctor, no medicine..."

After she read it three times, the woman got what the stall was all about.

"Kid, can you really treat people here? Then check me out, see if I got any issues."

The woman didn't care much for the free popcorn, but she'd been feeling off lately and hadn't made it to the hospital yet.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Sis, take a seat, let me check your pulse."

The woman widened her eyes, "Oh, kid, you're really a doctor? Don't mess with me."

"No way! You just read it, no charge if I'm wrong."

Ye Xiaoxiao pointed to the words on the sign.

The woman sat down, half-convinced, and held out her hand.

Ye Xiaoxiao felt her pulse, then asked her to stick out her tongue for a quick look.

"Do you often sweat at night, have lots of dreams, wake up more often lately, have trouble sleeping, and feel weak during the day?"

The woman nodded eagerly, "Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

"I'll write you a prescription. Sis, head to the pharmacy and grab some medicine. There's a Chinese medicine shop in town. Get two taels of chrysanthemum ginseng and brew it at home."

Ye Xiaoxiao grabbed a brush, dipped it in ink, scribbled out the prescription, and handed it over.

Ye Changsheng was surprised; Ye Xiaoxiao's calligraphy was pretty good.

All the Ye kids were taught calligraphy by Grandpa and Miao Cuifang. Every kid started practicing at three. Except for Yan Yan, who hated using a brush, everyone in the family had great handwriting.

It was a surprise that Xiao Xiao, who grew up elsewhere, also had this talent.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it, doc, and give it a try."

The woman was direct. After tucking away the prescription, she pulled out some cash, "Doc, you nailed it, I should pay you."

Ye Xiaoxiao blinked her bright eyes, "Sis, you're our first customer today. No charge, but spread the word about our stall."

The woman: "What do you mean, spread the word?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Just tell people I'm spot on with my diagnoses!"

The woman slapped her knee, "That's easy, I'll go spread the word for you."

After the woman left, several kids came over one by one to grab some popcorn.

The children's voices were loud, each one like a walking advertisement.

And after shouting, they stayed put to play around.

This drew quite a crowd.

While most folks were just there for the show, some actually came hoping for a consultation.

The woman had really gone around telling people, and several patients who came for consultations were referred by her.

After all, the sign said, no charge if I'm wrong.

People sat down at the table, willing to give it a shot.

No matter who sat there, Ye Xiaoxiao would smile and ask about their symptoms in detail, then prescribe something and tell them where to get it.

Gradually, the crowd noticed that the girl seemed to be spot on.

Old Zhang from the nearby Big Willow Tree village, who'd been dealing with a chronic issue for years, had his condition accurately diagnosed by her. She didn't sugarcoat it, just said he'd need to take it easy to recover, and that it was impossible to cure unless he went to a big hospital for surgery.

But at his age and with his health, surgery was too risky, so it was better to take it slow.

The crowd started murmuring.

"This girl knows her stuff. Old Zhang's no actor, he's from our village."

"Look at her, she doesn't look like she's from around here. Maybe she's a doctor from a big city hospital."

"That's a chance you don't get every day."

"Indeed, I gotta bring my mom to see her. She's been suffering from headaches recently."

Word must've spread, and everyone thought Ye Xiaoxiao was a doctor from a big hospital. Before long, a line started forming at the stall.

Ye Changsheng was raking in more cash.

While Ye Xiaoxiao was busy, a jeep rolled by on the main road, just passing through the Songlin Town market.

The market was set up in a field next to the road. In winter, there were no crops in the field, and the location was open, not blocking the road.

"Brother Lu, this place is hopping."

In the back seat of the jeep sat two men. The one wearing a leather jacket, with a slicked-back hairstyle, looking particularly flamboyant, had already rolled down the window and was eagerly surveying the market outside.

The other, wearing a green military coat, had his legs crossed and was leaning back with his eyes slightly closed.

Hearing the commotion, he opened his eyes and glanced at the other man.

The man was tall and straight, with a short crew cut, his face completely exposed, revealing all his features and contours, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, exuding an extraordinary heroic spirit.

That glance was full of intimidation, making the man in the leather jacket chuckle awkwardly and reach out to close the window that was letting in a draft.