Zhou Liru saw her little aunt and imdiately felt wronged, so she complained, "Aunt, they sell fake dicine and not only refuse to admit it, they even slander !"
The man standing lazily behind the stall imdiately replied, "Little girl, don’t speak nonsense. My dicine is real, absolutely genuine. You’re too young to know anything..."
Manbao stepped forward and asked, "What dicine?"
The man quickly took out a box and offered enthusiastically, "Miss, please take a look. This is Baoji Pills, used to treat diarrhea. You nobles might get unaccustod to local water and soil since it’s your first ti here. Baoji Pills are specifically for that ailnt."
He continued, "Don’t underestimate the discomfort of acclimatization; it can be deadly if severe. Since there are so many of you, you should prepare more. This young lady suspects we’re selling fake dicine, which is a grave misunderstanding. This is made by Jishi Hall, a renowned pharmacy in Central Plains. You’ve heard of it, right?"
Manbao: ...
Zhou Liru glared, "You’re tarnishing Jishi Hall’s reputation!"
He didn’t ntion this was made by Jishi Hall earlier, otherwise, she’d be even angrier.
Manbao reached out to take a pill for a look, but the other party quickly recoiled with a cheeky smile, "Miss, this dicine is precious, and shouldn’t be touched by hand."
Manbao looked up at him and asked, "How can I tell if it’s real or fake without inspecting it?"
The man was imdiately displeased, closed the box, and said, "Miss, I don’t appreciate those words. You can sll the dicine’s fragrance; how could it be fake? Can you really tell just by looking?"
"I can’t," Manbao shook her head. "You have to taste it to know."
The words he had prepared got stuck, so he pivoted and said, "Then I definitely won’t let you see it. This dicine is valuable, how would I sell it if you touch and taste it?"
Bai Shan noticed that all five stalls nearby had switched from fruits, vegetables, and handmade goods to dicinal herbs and pills, suspecting they had learned of Manbao’s identity.
These stalls were set up specifically targeting Manbao.
If they knew about Manbao’s identity, why sell fake dicine?
He didn’t doubt Zhou Liru mistakenly identified them; she’s cautious and wouldn’t speak out without confidence, would likely consult Manbao instead of arguing here.
So...
Bai Shan closely observed their expressions, trying to discern if they knew or were clueless.
The group officially travels under Mr. Zhuang’s lead. When identity isn’t needed, they say he takes students on educational trips; needing official presence, he’s dispatched to the Western Regions with students for experience.
Manbao plays a minor role when needed.
In this Small Town visit, Mr. Zhuang t the Town Leader yesterday, sticking to the sa narrative. As Manbao wasn’t there, she wasn’t ntioned. So how did they learn about Manbao’s status?
Liangzhou?
While pondering, Manbao focused on herbs on the stall, picked one up, and asked, "What’s this?"
The man glanced and confidently replied, "Cat’s Claw!"
Manbao nodded, picked another, "And this?"
"Kudzu Root!"
Manbao placed both together, picked another, looking at the man, who confidently nad, "Chrysanthemum, doesn’t the miss recognize this?"
"This is Mint, a good redy."
"China root, even better dicine."
Manbao placed them with previous herbs, picked another causing the man to falter, eting eyes with her. Others watched intently like spectators, also focusing on him.
The man hesitated, then blurted, "That’s Bai Shu."
Manbao replied, "That’s Cang Shu."
Then she arranged them, continued searching the stall, not finding desired ones, moved to the next stall picking herbs asking, "What about this?"
The man stayed silent; he morized his stall’s herbs, not others’.
The nearby stall owner interjected, stopped by Manbao, addressing the man, "Selling herbs, you should know their properties. These aren’t exotic; you should be familiar, right?"
The man, slightly annoyed, said, "Buy herbs if you want, otherwise let others browse. Why should I humor you for free?"
Manbao smiled, arranged herbs she held, "This is Hou Pu."
She continued picking, "This is Mu Xiang, this is Huo Xiang, this is Ji Li, this is Tian Hua Fen, this is Hua Ju Hong, this is Bai Zhi..."
Manbao selected herbs from four stalls, lining them up in a long row, finished and straightened, clapped her hands, "These are used in Baoji Pills. How many did your box contain?"
Man: ...
Stall owners: ...
"Moreover, these herbs have been stored too long without proper care, mostly unusable, though it’s not humid here. These probably exceeded three years?"
Though others weren’t sure, the n knew these herbs had indeed aged over three years.
They instinctively looked at each other. Feeling uneasy, spectators secretly slipped away and quickly fled.
Manbao extended a hand, "Can I inspect these Baoji Pills?"
The man held the box tightly. Manbao didn’t press, withdrew her hand, advising, "You can ss with als, but not dicines. It might be harmless if you don’t give it, but rember, taking the wrong dicine can be fatal. Also, don’t sell fake dicine here, or anywhere else; I’m sure the Town Leader wouldn’t allow it."
She then turned to leave.
Zhou Liru snorted at him, turned to follow, exerting great effort to suppress words, "My aunt is an imperial doctor!"
Sadly, knowing they shouldn’t flaunt her aunt’s identity, she quietly followed her aunt ho.
Bai Shan swept them a look, subtly smiling and tugged Bai Erlang along.
Once the courtyard door closed, the n exchanged glances, packing up and left.
The yard guests unaware, but townsfolk knew they belonged to the Town Leader.
The group packed their things, while the fleeing person reached the Town Leader’s house, reporting to the steward, "Steward, Brother Deyu’s plan failed. The courtyard guests recognized the herbs, said we’re selling fake dicine."
The steward furrowed his brow, "The dicine’s rely old. If they don’t wish to buy, they needn’t. Why claim we’re selling fakes?"
"No, she said selling fake Baoji Pills, identified the herbs for its preparation. Seed genuine to ."
The steward’s expression shifted, gripping him, "She said we’re selling fake Baoji Pills?"
He nodded, "Indeed; well, she didn’t because Brother Deyu didn’t show the Baoji Pills, yet I sense that little girl wouldn’t mistake."
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