A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Child, what...what happened to you? Where are your parents?"

The middle-aged woman was named Li Xiufen, a villager from Xiangyang Village. She was in a hurry to go up the mountain to find herbs to treat her husband's sprain, but she was suddenly stopped by a little child. She was a little impatient, but when she saw Su Nianci's thin, pitiful, and frightened appearance, her heart softened immediately.

Especially when she saw Su Nianci staring intently at the cornbread in her basket, a look of extreme hunger that seemed to glow with malice, Li Xiufen, also a mother, felt a sharp pang in her heart.

"Hungry...hungry..." Su Nianci finally spoke, her voice hoarse as if it had been sanded, with just the right amount of timidity and trembling.

Looking at her like this, anyone would only think of her as a poor child who had gotten lost and was starving, and would never associate her with the "little devil" who burned down the Su family's house and outwitted human traffickers the night before.

"Oh, what a tragedy," Li Xiufen sighed, took the cornbread from the basket, and handed it over. "Here, have some. Where are you from? Why are you here all alone?"

Su Nianci did not immediately take the steamed bun.

She knew that things gained for free often come at a greater price.

She simply stretched out her small hand, pushed the herb packet wrapped in large leaves in her arms forward, and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Auntie, I... I'll trade this for it."

"Change?" Li Xiufen was stunned, glancing down at the filthy straw bag. "What's inside?"

"Medicine...herbal medicine." Su Nianci carefully peeled back the leaves, revealing fresh agrimony still glistening with dew. "It...it can treat falls, bleeding..."

She spoke haltingly, as if trying hard to express herself clearly but afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Li Xiufen's husband wasn't bleeding, he had a sprain, but country folk don't really distinguish between things; they only know this stuff is for treating bruises and sprains. She had gone up the mountain to find herbs, and now that one had been delivered right to her door, even though it was brought by a child, she still instinctively leaned over and smelled it.

A refreshing herbal scent wafted over.

"This...this is really a herbal medicine?" Li Xiufen asked with some doubt.

"Yes!" Su Nianci nodded heavily, then pointed to her leg, which was simply bandaged with strips of cloth, revealing the dark green medicinal mud underneath. "I... I fell, and this is what I used."

This personal testimony is more convincing than any words.

Li Xiufen was completely convinced. She glanced at the large bag of agrimony in Su Nianci's arms, then at the cornbread in her own hand, and began to make her own plans.

This huge bag of herbs is more than enough to exchange for one or even two steamed buns.

But the other party was just a little kid who didn't know anything.

A hint of greed welled up in Li Xiufen's heart.

"Alright, I see you're pitiful." She pretended to be generous and stuffed the cornbread into Su Nianci's hand. "Auntie will accept these herbs. Eat them quickly."

As she spoke, she tried to take the entire herb packet away.

Just as her hand was about to touch the herb packet, a small hand swiftly stopped it.

It's Su Nianci!

While wolfing down the hard-won cornbread, she quickly separated about one-fifth of it with her small hand that was holding the herbal packet and pushed it in front of Li Xiufen.

Then, clutching the remaining half-packet of herbs, she shrank back, her large, clear eyes watching Li Xiufen warily, and mumbled, "Auntie... just... just these."

Li Xiufen froze.

Her expression faltered, alternating between pale and flushed.

She never expected that this girl, who looked like she was about to faint from hunger, would be so clear-headed!

Is she... being "fairly traded" by a five-year-old child?

"You child..." Li Xiufen said, somewhat embarrassed and angry.

"Auntie," Su Nianci swallowed the last bite of cornbread, feeling a bit better, and spoke more fluently, "Your uncle twisted his ankle, didn't he? This alone isn't enough. You need to find some more 'bone-penetrating grass' (a type of herb), mash it up, and apply it as a hot compress. That will help it heal faster."

This sentence stunned Li Xiufen!

How...how did she know her man had twisted his ankle? And how did she know to use the bone-penetrating herb?

She only said "twisted her ankle"!

Looking at the thin, frail girl before her, Li Xiufen felt a chill run down her spine for the first time. This child… is strange! Extremely strange!

She dared not entertain any more greedy thoughts, and hurriedly grabbed the small handful of Agrimony that Su Nianci had given her, as if it were a hot potato: "That's enough! Auntie will listen to you, I'll go find the Bone-Penetrating Grass right now!"

After saying that, he hurriedly went up the mountain as if he were fleeing.

Su Nianci watched her retreating figure, a barely perceptible smile curving her lips.

Of course, she was guessing.

Rural men are most prone to back and ankle injuries when working. Li Xiufen's hurried pace suggests an urgent injury, but the fact that she can still walk indicates it's not a serious injury like a broken bone. Furthermore, her repeated mention of "twisted ankle" strongly suggests a sprained ankle.

As for the herb *Tougu Cao*, it's a common medicine for treating sprains. Mentioning it casually was just to increase the credibility of my words and intimidate the other party.

Psychological warfare can sometimes be more effective than physical force.

After finishing a steamed bun, Su Nianci felt like she had come back to life.

Instead of rushing into the village, she carried the remaining herbs and walked around the village outskirts, heading towards the "black market" she remembered.

The so-called black market was actually just an open space at the east end of the village. Because of its remote location, surrounded by mountains on three sides and with only one exit, it was a convenient place to escape if anyone wearing a red armband came to investigate.

When she arrived at the place, there were already a dozen or so people scattered around.

The ground was covered with tattered cloth, on which were displayed all sorts of things. There were wilted green vegetables, a few skinny old hens, scraps of cloth that had come from who-knows-where, and even someone secretly selling homemade sweet potato liquor.

Everyone lowered their voices, cautiously surveying their surroundings. A tense atmosphere, mixed with a sense of greed, permeated the air.

Su Nianci's appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.

A five-year-old kid coming to a place like this all by himself is too conspicuous.

Countless scrutinizing, curious, and even malicious gazes focused on her like searchlights.

Su Nianci seemed oblivious.

Clutching her herb bag, she found an inconspicuous corner and, imitating others, spread the large leaf on the ground, then neatly arranged the remaining half-bag of agrimony on top.

Then, she sat down quietly, without shouting or speaking, and began to observe the entire "market" with her calm eyes.

She is screening her next trading partner.

Soon, a shifty-eyed, thin man came into her view.

In front of the man were several pieces of cured meat that didn't look very fresh. He kept talking to passersby, his eyes were lively, and he looked like a seasoned veteran who had been hanging around here for years.

These kinds of people are the most shrewd, but also the most discerning.

Just then, the skinny man seemed to notice Su Nianci as well. He squinted at her and the herbs on the ground for a few moments, a disdainful smile appearing on his lips, before strolling over.

"Little girl, what are you selling? Pig feed?" The man squatted down, picked up a sprig of agrimony, smelled it, and said with utter contempt, "You sell this stuff? You might as well take it home and feed it to the pigs!"