As the sun ascended from the east, Bai Yue looked down at her palms, seeing the soreness from scrubbing laundry. It wasn’t her task to do, but her Aunt Mei had woken her up at the crack of dawn, to get this task done, as she, had an errand to run. I hate this, she mused, trying massage the redness from her palms, but that only made her palms redder.
The pain in her hands was a dull reminder of the countless chores she was assigned daily, tasks that weren’t meant for her. ‘Someone has to do it.’ Her aunt and uncle reminded her.
Whatever, she thought, at least she could play when she was finished. She glanced outside, feeling the warmth of the sun filtering through the papered windows.
Excitement filled up within her, she knew where she wanted to go today. Not the forest, but a place of wonderment. She trembled slightly, anticipation causing her to fidget as she made her way to her aunt.
The wooden floorboards creaked beneath her feet, a sound she had learned to navigate to avoid disturbing her uncle during his midday rest. “Auntie,” She began, turning the corner leading to the kitchen. “May I go help Elder Chen today?”
Her eyes fixed on the floorboards as she watched a small beetle make its journey across the wood grain, moving with an air of purpose that mirrored her own desires.
Aunt Mei turned to her, a slight scowl forming on her face. “Yue, what have I told you? When you speak to me, raise your head and speak up, I can hardly hear you!”
Oh no…the errand didn’t go well, Bai Yue thought sourly. She raised her head and allowed her lips to curl into a smile. Aunt Mei looked at her, eyes cold and dropped the potatoes she was scrubbing back into the bucket she was hovering over.
“Can I go and help Elder Chen today?”
“Have you finished everything?” She asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
“Yes Auntie, I scrubbed the laundry and floors as asked.” Bai Yue said, nodding quickly. She clasped her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers.
“The kitchen?”
“Swept”
“The chickens”
“Have been fed, I’ve also refilled their water buckets.
Aunt Mei drew her lips into a line, she turned her entire body to face Bai Yue. The little girl hunched her shoulders in response, she knew what was coming well. “I already re-filled our well with ten buckets from the town well.”
“Yu’er, that’s not the problem!” Aunt Mei said gruffly. “Demons spawn lass, there’s a drought! There’s a weekly water quota, you know this!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Listen carefully, the water from the river is meant for the chickens, the water from the well is meant for drinking, alright?” She said, trying to calm herself.
“Yes ma’am,”
Aunt Mei sighed and shook her head. She returned to washing the potatoes in hand and washed three potatoes. Bai Yue turned and began to walk away. “Be back for lunch, understood?”
“YES AUNTIE!” She celebrated, running over to her.
Bai Yue hugged her aunt, but she didn’t hug her back. She had grown accustomed to that, but she knew her aunt card for her deeply. “Watch you don’t get wet!” Aunt Mei complained.
“Yes Auntie,” She repeated.
“Mind your manners. Elder Chen doesn’t have to teach you anything. It’s a privilege, you understand?”
“I do and understand!”
Bai Yue said releasing her aunt, then bowing slightly before hurrying to the door.
As she stepped outside, the village greeted her with the bustling noise of mid-morning. Women gathered around the communal well, gossiping in between their chores, while children played nearby, their laughter a bright contrast to the low bleating of goats in the distance.
The smell of freshly cooked rice mingled with the sharper scent of pickled vegetables, a familiar fragrance that always marked the start of the day.
Bai Yue’s fingers moved instinctively toward the pendant hidden beneath her cotton shirt, brushing against the smooth jade surface. The coolness of the stone soothed her nerves, a comfort she had come to rely on whenever the world around her felt too overwhelming. It was her secret, something she had discovered in the forest and kept close to her heart.
“That’s Yu’er... such a burden on her aunt and uncle...”
“Poor thing...”
“I heard her parents died and her older sister ran away bec—“
“Shh! Not so loud!”
Bai Yue quickened her pace, trying to drown out the whispers with the steady rhythm of her footsteps. The gossip wasn’t new to her, but hearing it aloud always stung.
Her parents had died of yellow fever, not some fabricated debt as some villagers claimed. As for her sister… she didn’t know where she was. The rumours about her were harder to ignore.
As she made her way to the edge of the village, the earth road gave way to overgrown grass and shrubs, nature slowly reclaiming its land. Here though, civilisation met the wild, the civilisation being Elder Chen’s shop.
The weathered wooden building leaned slightly to one side. The structure as old as the man who occupied it. Its thatched roof, grey with age, sported patches of moss that added to the building’s otherworldly charm.
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The smell of herbs hit Bai Yue before she even reached the door—pungent, earthy, and strong enough to tickle her nose. Bundles of dried plants hung from the eaves, swaying gently in the morning breeze.
Their shadows danced along the ground, moving in patterns that reminded her of the strange symbols her uncle sometimes traced in the dirt during the planting season.
She raised her hand to knock, but the door creaked open on its own. Elder Chen stood in the doorway, his eyes sharp despite his stooped posture. His frame was thin but powerful, like an ancient tree still holding strong against the elements. Deep lines etched across his face spoke of the countless years he had lived, each wrinkle a testament to the wisdom he carried. “So…you’ve come,” he said, his voice low and raspy like the rustle of dry leaves. He stepped aside, allowing her entry.
”Good, there’s work to be done.”
Bai Yue stepped inside, the familiar scents of dried herbs and medicinal roots filling her senses. The air inside the shop was thick with the mingling aromas of countless remedies. The small space was cluttered with shelves lined with jars and vials of various sizes, each containing powders, roots, and liquids that Bai Yue couldn’t even begin to identify. Some jars held preserved creatures, their distorted shapes floating eerily in colourful liquids. Others contained twisted roots and dried plants, their purpose known only to the old herbalist.
Elder Chen led her to a low table, its surface covered with an array of herbs spread out in disarray. The wood was stained from years of use, and the faint scent of dried leaves lingered in the air around it. He gestured toward the table with a slow wave of his hand. ‘Sort these. Like with like.”
Bai Yue knelt beside the table, her heart racing as she took in the assortment of plants before her. Her fingers moved hesitantly over the dried stems and leaves, her mind already trying to recall everything Elder Chen had taught her in their brief lessons. Sorting herbs was a delicate task—one wrong grouping, and a remedy could become a poison.
“This is chrysanthemum,” She murmured, carefully setting aside the pale-yellow flowers. The petals were delicate, almost transparent in the dim light filtering through the shop’s windows. She continued her task, separating ginger from mint, mint from elderberry, her movements careful and deliberate.
“Good,” Elder Chen nodded, watching as she sorted through the herbs. “Remember Yu’er, the nose knows what the eyes cannot see.” He said, walking toward her his sandals scraping against the floor.
“Close your eyes, child. Tell me what you smell.”
Bai Yue closed her eyes obediently and inhaled deeply. Various aromas swirled around her, each vying for attention. “I...” she said hesitating,
“Be confident in your discovery, tell me what you smell.”
“I smell the chrysanthemum, but also something... spicy?” She added, wrinkling her nose as she concentrated harder. “Something like…like the pepper oil Auntie uses, but different.”
“Ah,” Elder Chen noted, his voice sounding as if he approved. “That would be the dried ginger. Good. Now, what else?”
An hour passed with Elder Chen guiding Bai Yue through different sensory exercises, teaching her to identify herbs not just by sight, but by smell and touch as well. She grew in confidence, allowing her fingers to remember the sensation of the varying textures. She separated and grouped the varying plants with increasing accuracy.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Elder Chen set her to a new task. “Write labels,” He instructed, placing strips of paper and a brush before her. “Every medicine must be marked clearly. Mistakes can be costly.”
Bai Yue’s heart sank as she picked up the brush. It felt awkward and heavy in her small hand. She dipped it in the ink, her movements careful but uncertain. The first character she attempted – for 'chrysanthemum' – came out wobbling and barely legible.
She felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, but Elder Chen made no comment. Instead, he knelt beside her, his joints creaking like old wood. “Watch,” he said, his voice gentler than before. He placed his weathered hand over hers, guiding the brush. “Like this. See? The character flows, like water over stones.”
Together, they wrote several labels, Elder Chen's steady hand helping to guide her strokes. Though the characters were far from perfect, they were at least readable. As they worked, Bai Yue found herself relaxing, the rhythmic motion of the brush becoming almost meditative.
“Elder Chen?” Bai Yue asked, after she wrote the character for herb, “Do you have any medicine that can help plants grow better?”
The old herbalist’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Depends on the plant. And what ails it.”
“The wheat in the north field...” Bai Yue’s voice trailed off, uncertain how to express her family's worries.
Elder Chen was quiet for a long moment, grinding something in his mortar that filled the air with a sharp, medicinal scent. “Wheat is stubborn,” he finally said. “Like people. Sometimes it needs more than just medicine.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “But perhaps... yes, there might be something.”
He shuffled to a high shelf, reaching for a small clay pot. From it, he removed a handful of what looked like ordinary dirt, but it sparkled slightly in the sunlight streaming through the windows. This he wrapped carefully in paper, then placed in a small cloth bag.
“For your uncle,” he said, pressing the bag into her hands. “Tell him to sprinkle it around the base of the wheat plants, just before dawn. Not too much. A little goes a long way.”
“Thank you, Elder Chen.” Bai Yue said clutching the bag carefully.
“That’s enough for today. Come back tomorrow. There’s more to learn.”
As Bai Yue made her way home, the sun was high in the sky, signalling midday. The bag of special soil felt warm in her hands, and she could feel the jade pendant pulsing slightly against her chest, as if responding to whatever magic might be contained in Elder Chen's gift.
As she approached her home, she noticed something unusual. A finely-made palanquin stood outside, its lacquered surface gleaming in the sunlight. It was the kind of vehicle she’d only seen when officials from the city visited, but this one was smaller, more elegant.
Bai Yue crept up to the house as her curiosity stirred. She looked through a gap within the paper window. She heard her aunt and uncle speaking formally whilst a third, unfamiliar one spoke calmly.
“...Realise what you’re asking us," her uncle was saying, his voice strained.
“I’m offering a fair price," the unknown woman replied, her tone casual yet somehow sharp. “More than fair, considering.”
“Its not about price my lady…its about,” Her aunt said hesitating.
“Pride?” The woman scoffed, “pride doesn’t feed your family!”
“We—“ Her uncle tried to say.
“Struggle to make ends meet, and now with the drought... forgive me, but I’ve seen your wheat fields. They don’t look promising.”
Bai Yue pressed closer to the door, her heart pounding. What are they talking about? What no…who is this woman?
“We just have to make harvest—“
“Mr. Tang,” The woman said cutting in calmly. “I will remind you. You came to me. Time is a luxury you can’t afford. Officials will be here soon. What will you do then? How will you pay your taxes with failed crops?”
A heavy silence fell. Bai Yue could almost feel the weight of her aunt and uncle's worry through the door. The door swung open, causing Bai Yue to stumble backward. A woman emerged, tall, elegant, dressed in a green and white hanfu. The way the material shimmered told Bai Yue all she needed to know, this woman was rich, wearing such expensive clothes.
Bai Yue stared up at her face, she was beautiful but somehow ageless, neither young nor old. When she saw Bai Yue, her expression shifted into a charming smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
“Why, hello there,” the woman said, her voice honey-sweet. “How lovely you are”
Bai Yue clutched Elder Chen’s package closer to her chest, unable to speak. The jade pendant felt ice-cold against her skin.
The woman’s eyes seemed to linger on Bai Yue’s chest for a moment, her smile widening fractionally. Then she turned back to Bai Yue's aunt and uncle, who had appeared in the doorway looking tired and drawn.
“Think about what I said,” she told them. “In fact, I’ll make it easier for you. Triple the original offer. That should more than cover any... sentimental value.”
She didn’t wait for her aunt and uncle’s answer. She climbed into her palanquin leaned turned to them and smiled as she turned to Bai Yue. The smile that emanated from her sent a shiver down her spine. “I’ll return in a few days for your answer.”