Chapter 5: Separation

It is, it is!

Master Wang, how have you come out!

Suddenly, he saw a familiar donkey cart parked at the side door of the herbal medicine hall

Qin Ge'er

Here, the two of us can just keep an eye on things. I wonder if you have any instructions for us

The laughter of the two gatekeepers abruptly ceased, and they hurriedly clasped their hands in salute.

The poor country gentleman never considered the difference between the inner and outer halls of the herbal medicine hall, nor whether his son could endure the hardships of the outer hall's herbal medicine boys. This money is destined to be wasted.

Suddenly, a chubby child in the crowd widened his eyes in disbelief, pointing at Ye Qin and shouting in terror, "Aren't you that kid from the street? How did you get in here? Is this a place for someone like you? I'll beat you to death!" He clenched his fist and was about to strike Ye Qin.

Pharmacist Wang Cai approached the ox, casting a indifferent glance at the two holes on its calf.

They had not finished laughing when a man in his forties, dressed in blue, slowly walked out from inside and cast a cold glance over the front of the mansion

Do you not know the rules of my herbal gathering hall? My herbal gathering hall recruits herbal apprentices without regard to their background or origins; as long as they come, they are accepted. What are you two doing? Are you driving away the apprentices who have come to apply?

Ye Qin was finally certain that the Herb Gathering Hall was indeed recruiting people, and quite a number at that. The two gatekeepers hardly inquired about the children's backgrounds, directly allowing them to enter. As for the adults, they were all blocked outside the premises and not permitted to enter

Two gatekeepers received their orders and, disregarding the filth and stench of the two small beggars, quickly each grabbed one, seizing Ye Qin and Da Niu by the neck, and strode into the Medicine Gathering Hall.

At the entrance of the Herb Gathering Hall, a young man dressed in a yellow shirt stood as the gatekeeper, his arms crossed over his chest, looking down with a proud expression at the passersby on the street. The Herb Gathering Hall was the foremost powerful household in Zhuqi County, and due to the esteemed status of the Medicine King Gang throughout the entire Pingzhou region, even the gatekeepers like him carried an air of superiority that was seven points higher than those of other small gangs.

The two doormen immediately realized and secretly admired the insight of Master Wang Cai. One of them quickly threw the injured little beggar with a hurt calf outside, while the other dragged Ye Qin inside

Pharmacist Wang Cai did not look at them and said, "Take these two little fellows inside and prepare for tomorrow's drug testing"

Those county officials and constables who roam the countryside cannot even make a sound in front of these gatekeepers. Ordinary people from the rivers and lakes also do not dare to act recklessly on the territory of the herbal medicine hall

Chief Zhang's eyes revealed disappointment as he said indifferently: "Well said, well said! I will certainly take appropriate care of a few matters, ensuring that he does not encounter any mishaps. However, whether he can join the Herbal Gathering Hall and become a herbal apprentice depends on your young man's fortune... In fact, if the money is sufficient, adding ten times more would allow me to directly send your young man into the inner hall to become an inner hall disciple and a medicine-making apprentice, which would be the best outcome. My position as chief is indeed quite influential."

Ye Qin had never interacted with so many unfamiliar children before, and he shrank back slightly, slowly retreating to a corner in an effort to avoid attracting the attention of the other children

The status of the pharmacist is extremely high, and there are only a few dozen people in the entire herbal medicine hall. They are not individuals that two gatekeepers can afford to offend

Pharmacist Wang Cai crossed his arms and let out a hum.

Ye Qin, seeing their imposing demeanor, dared not approach to inquire about the recruitment of herbal gathering boys. He and Da Niu cautiously hid in a corner of the street, carefully peering into the open door of the herbal gathering hall, hoping to see if they were recruiting herbal gathering boys inside.

The two men in yellow shirts laughed heartily, looking down on the two of them, "Ha, two little beggars actually dare to come and want to be medicine gatherers? Do you think our medicine gathering hall is a den for beggars?"

Ye Qin was stunned, not knowing what had happened. However, he clearly heard that this Wang Caiyao was going to take them, so he did not struggle. Daniu was even more frightened and dared not move, being dragged by the neck.

Ye Qin had not anticipated this sudden turn of events at all; he and Da Niu were unexpectedly separated. In an instant, he became extremely anxious, struggling and shouting without regard for anything else. He forcefully kicked the doorman with his foot, attempting to break free.

The two guards were instantly drenched in cold sweat, not daring to argue, and could only beg for mercy.

In this small courtyard, there are already hundreds of children aged between 7 and 12, both boys and girls. They are divided into several groups, gathered together. Judging by their attire, these children come from wealthy rural families, the common folk of the county town, or are children from impoverished rural backgrounds.

In the herbal medicine hall, the hierarchy is strictly enforced

He steeled himself, pulling along Daniu, and timidly approached the two gatekeepers, not daring to look up. He merely said, "Is this... is this place... recruiting medicine boys?"

The local gentleman was speaking with a person who appeared to be the manager of the herbal medicine shop, while his chubby little son was by his side. He took out a plump money pouch from the donkey cart and handed it over, his old face displaying a flattering expression as he said, "Manager Zhang, I entrust you with my child's matters. This is just a small token of appreciation, not a formal gift."

Cheng Daniu was thrown out of the door of the Medicine Gathering Hall, crying and struggling. Under the cold gaze of the gatekeeper, he did not dare to approach the door even slightly. He wandered around the estate all night, knowing that he would never see Ye Qin again. Finally, he left, limping, not knowing where to go. Two companions from his hometown were separated, one inside the Medicine Gathering Hall and the other outside.

The two gatekeepers halted in their tracks, at a loss, unsure why Master Wang, the herbalist, had called for them to stop again

Get lost, don't dirty the steps of the herbal medicine hall! The two gatekeepers probably feared getting their hands dirty and were even unwilling to take action to drive them away

The calf muscle must have been bitten by a wild dog, making it difficult to walk. In the future, it will likely be a useless burden, discard it! Take the remaining one inside!

Ye Qin shouted in near despair, "Da Niu, don't go, wait for me!"

Seeing the local gentry's awkward expression, Chief Zhang also understood that he could not produce more money, so he impatiently accepted the payment and directly led the chubby boy through the side door into the herbal medicine hall. The local gentry, delighted, tilted his head to see his son following Chief Zhang into the estate before driving away in his donkey cart

The chief steward glanced at the corner of the bag where silver gleamed, weighed the money pouch in his hand, and found it heavy, estimating it to contain no less than one or two hundred silver leaves. If converted to gold leaves, it would amount to only one or two gold leaves. One silver leaf can be exchanged for one hundred copper coins.

They looked at Ye Qin strangely, one by one. In their eyes, the gatekeeper of the Herb Gathering Hall already held a position of considerable status. What kind of person would require them to personally carry him in

Ye Qin scrambled up from the ground and was just about to think of a way to escape, when he looked around the small courtyard and was taken aback.

At this moment, the local gentry no longer displays even a hint of the arrogance typical of rural areas

The gatekeeper is certainly not an easy opponent, completely ignoring his kicking and shouting, he hoisted him onto his back like an eagle catching a chick and rushed into the depths of the herbal medicine hall's courtyard

Wait a moment

The local gentry felt quite embarrassed; he was merely a small landlord with a few hundred acres of barren land, so where would he find so much money? Even gathering one or two hundred silver coins was not easy. Moreover, this year's harvest was poor, making it even more difficult financially. If it weren't for the fact that he had a son in his sixties or seventies, whom he cherished deeply and wanted to provide with a good future, he would not have spent this money to send his son to the prestigious medicinal herb hall in Zhuqi County.

Ye Qin observed that the sky was getting dark; if he did not leave soon, it would be too late

There are also knife-wielders watching at the small courtyard gate

Within half an hour, at least more than ten children aged around eighty or ninety were sent into the herbal medicine hall by some townspeople. However, they all entered the herbal medicine hall through the main entrance, unlike the son of that local gentry who used the side door

Pharmacist Wang Cai suddenly discovered something and stopped them

Ye Qin was kicked and thrown by the gatekeeper into an unknown part of the Herb Gathering Hall, landing in a small courtyard, where he was abandoned and the courtyard was locked up again