Auntie Sang

Biodata

Background / History

Broken Stream Ambush

Auntie Sang accompanied Chen Xiuyuan on his first mountain herb-gathering trip. Shi Lei introduced her as the person to follow when identifying and finding herbs. Before departure, she secured Chen’s basket straps against snagging branches; in the forest, she supervised his identification and harvesting of Scarlet Whisker Root, teaching him to leave immature plants for the following year 10.

When the party found the Broken Stream bridge sabotaged and came under arrow fire, she helped Chen remove his basket and packed a small quantity of medicinal roots for the retreat. She also recalled a southern gully connecting to the old charcoal trail 11. After Chen recovered a bridge rope, she detected beast lure on its end and uncovered a matching powder packet beside the bridge post. She instructed the others to cut away the contaminated section and wash their hands 12.

She descended into the gully with assistance and later dressed Ge Ping’s wounded arm using medicine and cloth supplied by Chen. After the five survivors crossed a natural stone bridge, she chose shelter behind a wall outside the damaged charcoal kiln rather than entering it. All five returned to Blood Stone, where she sorted the few medicinal roots they had salvaged 13 14 15.

Investigation of Du Huai

A returned medicine packet gave Auntie Sang another lead: its wrapping carried a faint smell resembling the beast lure at Broken Stream. She reported the similarity without claiming that it established the packet’s source 20.

At the market, she exposed cheap roots mixed into bundles sold as Scarlet Whisker Root. She and Chen checked the seller’s exchange records, linking the returned Blood Stone packet to a delivery from the Du Family 21. During the subsequent inspection, she obtained a reliable comparison sample from Elder Shi and divided suspect roots for separate examinations by him and an experienced herb gatherer 22.

After the patrol intercepted the medicine cart, Auntie Sang identified beast-attracting ingredients in the seized packets. She explicitly stated that she had not made the mixture and could not identify whoever planted it from the ingredients alone 23. Once Du Huai was captured and his involvement established, she separated usable seized medicines from spoiled stock for the compensation process 30.

Recovery and Return to Work

Auntie Sang distributed Chen’s injury medicine separately from the medicine compensating his losses, directing him to consult Elder Shi about their use. Having lost her large basket at Broken Stream, she arranged to replace her equipment and have Chen’s small basket reinforced. She intended to resume gathering by an alternative route while the bridge remained unrepaired 31.

Red Sand Herb Trade

After reserving enough herbs for Blood Stone, Auntie Sang planned to sell the surplus at Red Sand Small Market. The visiting caravan’s reduced offer would not cover the wound medicine she needed, but transporting the herbs herself required cart hire, guards, and provision for losses 34. Before departure, she supported clear agreements on guards’ duties, payment, and responsibility for injuries 35.

At Red Sand, Lu Yong offered a single low price for herbs she had separated by quality. She refused to sell immediately and sought other buyers with Chen. After rejecting damp salt at one stall and questionable deductions at another, she sold part of the shipment to Zhu Qinghe, whose inspection and payment distinguished acceptable herbs from damp or immature stock. Auntie Sang accepted the rejected roots without charging for them as good medicine 35 36.

East Slope Delivery and Later Teaching

Auntie Sang accompanied Zhu Qinghe’s medicine shipment to East Slope. She checked its protection against runoff and helped divide the load when the mountain road proved unstable 37. During the cart accident, she handled a securing rope and received a basket Chen freed while rescuing Meng Cheng. Afterward, she cleaned Chen’s abrasion and stopped a worker from recovering medicine contaminated by ditch water 38.

Following the delivery, she helped Chen buy supplies before returning to Blood Stone 39. When he began learning medicinal-food preparation, she and Elder Shi taught him to distinguish plants sharing the name “green whisker,” select the correct medicinal parts, and match gathered materials to their finished forms 40.

Personality

Auntie Sang is attentive to practical risks and other people’s needs. Her care includes adjusting a novice’s straps, checking injuries during an escape, and insisting that unverified medicine be examined before use. Her concern does not make her reckless: she preserves only what can be carried safely and rejects contaminated medicine rather than salvaging it at a patient’s expense 10 11 12 22 38.

She is firm about honest trade while accepting justified criticism. She challenges adulterated stock and unfair pricing, but acknowledges Zhu Qinghe’s discovery of damp roots in her own bundles. Although she needs grain and salt, she is prepared to sell only enough for immediate necessities rather than surrender all her good herbs at a depressed price 21 36.

Abilities & Skills

Herb Identification and Harvesting

• Identifies Scarlet Whisker Root through features including its leaves, root crown, rootlets, bark, and internal coloration 10 21.
• Distinguishes genuine medicinal roots from cheaper substitutes and recognizes unsuitable harvesting claims 21.
• Teaches selective harvesting, leaving immature plants to grow for another year 10.
• Helps resolve regional naming differences and distinguish usable medicinal parts from the rest of a plant 39 40.

Herb Processing and Quality Control

• Sorts harvested and traded herbs by condition and quality; Elder Shi confirms that one of her dried batches is well prepared 15 34 35.
• Protects shipments from moisture and divides bulky loads for difficult paths 37.
• Recognizes the need to discard medicine exposed to dirty water 38.
• Her inspection is not infallible: Zhu Qinghe finds roots that remain damp inside bundles Auntie Sang believed were dry 36.

Beast-Lure Recognition

• Detects beast lure by its sour, rank odor and identifies several beast-attracting ingredients 12 23.
• Advises removing contaminated rope fibers and washing exposed hands 12.
• Explains that nearby beasts able to smell the lure may approach, while rain can dilute it 12.
• Separates identification from attribution: recognizing ingredients does not tell her who prepared or planted a mixture 23.

First Aid

• Cleans Ge Ping’s wound, applies medicine, secures a dressing, and checks that bleeding is controlled 14.
• Advises him to support the injured arm and seek Elder Shi’s examination after returning 14.
• Cleans Chen’s abrasion after the East Slope accident and tells him to rest 38.

Equipment / Items

• Large herb basket — Initially carries a basket larger than Chen’s. She loses it at Broken Stream and later resumes work with a repaired large basket 10 31 34.
• Short-handled herb hoe — Used for harvesting, retrieving roots from exposed ground, and examining suspect lure without touching it directly 10 11 12.
• Coarse wrapping cloth — Used to bundle salvaged roots and line Chen’s damaged small basket during the escape 11 13.

Relationships

• Chen Xiuyuan — Herb-identification pupil and traveling companion. She teaches him gathering and ingredient selection; he accompanies her search for fair buyers and guards the herb caravan 10 35 36 40.
• Elder Shi — Collaborator in medicine inspection and Chen’s instruction. She seeks his assessment of herbs and defers treatment decisions to him when needed 14 22 34 40.
• Shi Lei — Gathering-party leader and caravan escort leader. He trusts her herb expertise and helps protect her during both the ambush and later delivery work 10 13 38.
• Ge Ping — Fellow herb gatherer and ambush survivor whose arm wound she treats during their escape 11 14.
• Shi Yuan — Assists with herb shipments and accompanies the investigation into the suspicious medicine trade 20 21 27 34.
• Zhu Qinghe — Buyer of her herbs and organizer of the East Slope delivery. Their sale proceeds through inspection and separate pricing for different-quality stock 36 37.

Notable Quotes

“Medicine that works. If you'd sold it honestly from the start, who would have touched your stall?” 21

“I won't sell at your price.” 36

“The rain has stopped, but the water in the mountains hasn't finished draining.” 37