Chapter 6: Selling Ginseng

Early the next morning, Ling Yao set off for the city with a bamboo basket on her back.

She walked out of the village, and after walking for two miles, there was a bus stop.

Gu Qingan was riding his bicycle. He saw a familiar figure in the distance. He squinted and confirmed it was Ling Yao, his face turned cold. He pedaled faster and quickly rode past Ling Yao.

 Although Ling Yao had returned the engagement token to them, who knew if she was just playing hard to get.

Ling Yao glanced indifferently at Gu Qingan, who was riding away on his bicycle, and continued walking towards the bus stop.

Gu Qingan thought that Ling Yao would call out to him, but he had already ridden his bike for several hundred meters and still hadn’t heard her call out to him. He couldn’t help but feel confused.

Was Ling Yao serious this time? Had she really made up her mind to break off the engagement with him? That would be best. He hoped she wouldn’t regret it and come back to him later.

Ling Yao reached the bus stop and waited for a while. A bus swayed and came to a stop.

Ling Yao got on the bus when it stopped.

“Where are you going?” The conductor, carrying a small black bag, held a ticket book in her hand.

“To the city.”

“Three cents.”

Ling Yao took out three cents and handed it to the conductor. After the conductor tore the ticket for her, she walked towards the empty seats in the back. It was still early, and there were still many empty seats on the bus.

Ling Yao walked to the back of the bus and found a window seat. She took the backpack off her back and placed it at her feet, then sat down.

As the bus started, it swayed along the uneven road.

Even though Ling Yao didn’t get carsick, the swaying of the car made her a little dizzy. She reached out and massaged her inner guan point. After a while, the dizziness finally subsided.

As more and more people boarded the bus, the entire carriage soon became as crowded as a can, filled with all sorts of smells.

Ling Yao opened the window and felt a little better.

After an hour and a half, Ling Yao finally reached her destination. She got off the bus and walked towards the largest Chinese medicine shop in the city. She had been to the city in her previous life and still had some impressions of it.

Ling Yao walked along the bustling streets, surrounded by a bustling crowd.

After about twenty minutes, Ling Yao finally saw the Chinese medicine shop with the sign “Huayitang.”

She walked into the shop. The shop was filled with a strong scent of Chinese medicine, which made her feel calm and comfortable.

An elderly Chinese medicine practitioner was in the shop, taking a patient’s pulse.

Ling Yao didn’t interrupt him. She waited until he finished treating the patient and wrote the prescription before stepping forward, “Hello!”

The old doctor looked at Ling Yao, “Little girl, are you here to buy medicine or see a doctor?” His “Huayitang” had been forced to close due to the catastrophe, and it wasn’t until the reforms and opening up that he reopened it. Now his “Huayitang” was very famous in the city, and many people came to see him and buy medicine.

“I want to ask, do you buy medicinal herbs here?” Ling Yao asked.

“I do, but it depends on what kind of medicinal herb it is.” His shop had a complete collection of medicinal herbs, and he wouldn’t buy ordinary ones.

“I have a hundred-year-old wild ginseng here. Take a look.” Ling Yao took the backpack off her back and took out the wild ginseng wrapped in a handkerchief.

The old doctor’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He couldn’t wait to say, “A hundred-year-old wild ginseng? Show it to me quickly.” Even his “Huayitang” had at most fifty-year-old wild ginseng. A hundred-year-old wild ginseng was rare and precious.

Ling Yao handed the wild ginseng to the old doctor.

The old doctor took it and carefully opened it. When he saw the wild ginseng, he was immediately excited,

 “A hundred-year-old wild ginseng, it really is a hundred-year-old wild ginseng! Little girl, how much do you want to sell it for?”

This wild ginseng, its roots were like an old man’s beard, thin and long, densely intertwined, as if telling the story of its hundred years of wind and rain. Its body was a deep brown color, with rings of annual rings, like marks left by time.

 Its shape was also like a person, with a long body and thick roots, symbolizing its resilience and the wind and rain it had experienced.

Ling Yao didn’t know how much a hundred-year-old wild ginseng was worth now, “You tell me first what price you can offer. If the price is right, I’ll sell it to you.”

The old doctor thought for a moment and held up one finger, “Ten thousand.” This wild ginseng was indeed very rare, but he didn’t want to take advantage of the little girl.

 Ten thousand was the highest price he could offer.

Ling Yao had been observing the old doctor’s expression. Seeing his sincerity, she nodded, “Then ten thousand it is.” It was 1983 now.

The other party was willing to pay ten thousand for her ginseng, which showed that he was a very honest person. After all, she initially thought that this ginseng could be sold for at most a few thousand yuan.

“Wait for me, I’ll go get the money for you.” The old doctor ran excitedly towards the small room in the back.

A moment later, the old doctor came out carrying a bag, “Here’s ten thousand yuan, count it.”

“Okay.” Ling Yao took the bag and poured the money out. There were ten stacks of ten-yuan bills, each stack worth one thousand yuan.

Ling Yao quickly counted the money. After confirming that there was no problem, she put the money away, “The amount is correct. Please help me get some Chinese medicine.”

“Okay, tell me.” The old doctor nodded.

Ling Yao listed the medicines she needed. After the old doctor packaged the medicine, she bought a set of acupuncture needles.

“Little girl, do you also know medicine?” When Ling Yao listed those Chinese medicine names, he guessed that she must also know medicine, otherwise she wouldn’t be so familiar with medicinal herbs.

“My mother is also a doctor.”

“I see.” The old doctor smiled and nodded, “If you have any good medicinal herbs in the future, you can bring them to me. If you need to buy medicine, you can also come to me. Wait a moment, I’ll write down a phone number for you.”

The old doctor admired Ling Yao.

“Thank you!” Ling Yao took the phone number, “My house doesn’t have a phone yet. When we get one, I’ll call you.” She also had a good impression of the old doctor.

“Okay.”

Ling Yao bid farewell to the old doctor and walked out of the Chinese medicine shop, heading towards the bank.

She planned to deposit part of the money in the bank first, then go to the department store to buy her mother a few pieces of clothing.

 As for herself, she was so fat now that buying clothes would be a waste. She planned to buy new clothes after she lost weight.

She arrived at the bank and saw several people queuing up inside.

Ling Yao found a seat and sat down.

As soon as she sat down, a man sat down beside her.

Ling Yao felt a dangerous aura and turned her head to look at the man.

Just then, the man took out a dagger and pressed it against Ling Yao’s waist, “Don’t scream. Come with me.” He had been eyeing Ling Yao since the Chinese medicine shop.