Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

Shen Dehou stood at the gate of the courtyard, giving each household a final check of what they needed to take. He waved his hand into the courtyard: "Go on your way once you're all packed. Today is the last market day before the New Year. If you go too late, you won't be able to sell everything, and it won't be easy to buy anything."

The sky was just beginning to lighten with a layer of crab-shell blue, and the frost on the village road hadn't melted yet, making a crunching sound when you stepped on it.

Several families lined up and walked out, some carrying baskets, some with shoulder poles, and some with hampers, the line stretching out quite long. Today was indeed the last big market day before the Lunar New Year, and there were an unusually large number of people from Maocao Village heading to town. The village roads were filled with people in twos and threes, some carrying firewood to sell, some carrying eggs to exchange for salt, and others leading their children to buy cloth to make new clothes.

As several families carrying large and small bags walked from the end of the village onto the main road, the villagers on the roadside all turned to look.

Granny Liu, carrying a basket of eggs, walked at the front. When she turned around and saw Jiang Xing and his long line of people, her gaze lingered on the bulging baskets for several moments. She then turned to the woman next to her and whispered a few words to her.

The woman turned around and glanced back, pursed her lips, and said something in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, which made the people next to her laugh.

None of the families uttered a sound. Shen Dehou walked in front, taking larger strides than usual, and the people behind him quickened their pace in tacit agreement, soon leaving the murmuring villagers behind.

The mountain road winds and twists, the morning mist gradually dissipates, and the dew on the withered grass on both sides of the road is still wet. When the rising sun shines on it, it sparkles like a layer of shattered glass.

After walking for an hour, the road widened, more houses appeared on both sides, and people carrying loads on their shoulders began to appear on the roadside, all heading in the same direction. After turning another bend, Xia Yun Town came into view.

The town was bustling with people. The bluestone pavement on the main street was worn smooth by countless footsteps, and all the shops on both sides were open, with red paper signs for New Year's goods pasted on the doors. The grain shop had a sign that read "New Arrival of White Flour," the cloth shop had a sign that read "Year-End Clearance," and even the blacksmith shop had set up a stall outside, selling kitchen knives, hoes, and other household items.

Under the eaves on both sides of the street, stalls lined up one after another, selling chickens and ducks, eggs, firewood, bamboo crafts, and window decorations and couplets. The shouts of vendors rose and fell, mingling with the aroma of sesame seeds wafting from the pancake stalls, all steaming together and making the whole street feel like a pot of boiling porridge.

Several families stood at the street corner, looking at the lively scene before them, and were all somewhat dazed for a moment.

Old Wang switched the carrying pole to the other shoulder, looked at the bustling crowd on the street, and sighed softly: "Back in my hometown in the north, the New Year was just as lively. From the 24th of the twelfth lunar month onwards, there was a market every day, and the streets were so crowded you couldn't move..."

Before he finished speaking, everyone around him understood. In just a few short months, the liveliness of those ordinary days seemed like a thing of the past.

After a moment of silence, Doctor Gu pulled his medicine box up and broke the stillness: "We can't delay with the medicinal herbs; the good pharmacies will close soon. I just saw a butcher stall over there; I'll go ask the stall owner which herb shop in town is the best."

He walked to a pork stall at the street corner. The stall owner, a stout man in his fifties, was chopping ribs for a woman. After he finished, Dr. Gu approached, cupped his hands in greeting, and politely asked, "Brother, could you tell me something? Which pharmacy in this town offers fair prices for medicinal herbs?"

The stall owner placed the knife on the cutting board, wiped his hands with his apron, and looked Dr. Gu up and down. Seeing that he was carrying a medicine box, he smiled and said, "Dr. Gu, you're here to sell medicinal herbs, aren't you? There are two shops in town that buy medicinal herbs. One is at the east end of the street, called Yongchuntang. It's a new shop with a large storefront, easy to find. The other is at the west end of the street, called Renxintang. It's an old brand, and they're honest and trustworthy. You can decide for yourself."

Dr. Gu thanked them and came back to tell everyone what he had found out.

After listening, Jiang Xing said without hesitation, "Go and take a look at both. Go to the one closer first, then the one farther away, and sell at whichever one suits you best."