“Do you even know how much two thousand is? That’s two hundred big bills! And you’re just asking for it?” Xie Kanglai narrowed his eyes at Shen Zhihuan, thinking she was outrageous for asking such a high price.

Two thousand? Why don’t you just ask for twenty thousand?

“I don’t know how many notes make up two thousand,” Shen Zhihuan replied innocently, blinking twice, “but does that mean I shouldn’t ask for it?”

“Besides, you were the one who asked me to name my price.”

“…” Xie Kanglai was momentarily speechless, choking on her logic.

“Little girl, did you even bother to check the market price for ginseng before quoting that number?” he asked, taking a deep breath to calm himself and trying to reason with her.

“These two century-old ginseng are indeed in good condition, but ginseng only fetches such high prices in life-or-death emergencies. Under normal circumstances, they’re not as valuable as you think.”

Xie Kanglai rubbed his temples and softened his tone. “Since you came to Baokang Pharmacy, we can call it fate. I’ll offer you 800 yuan for both. How does that sound?”

“That doesn’t sound good at all,” Shen Zhihuan responded flatly and stood to leave.

“1,000 yuan,” Xie Kanglai said with a furrowed brow.

Shen Zhihuan remained silent and walked toward the Eight Immortals table to take back the ginseng.

“1,200!” Xie Kanglai gritted his teeth and finally caved.

“Deal!” Shen Zhihuan smiled slyly, looking every bit like a mischievous cat that had stolen the cream.

“…” Xie Kanglai stared at her smug expression, feeling a wave of frustration stuck in his throat.

“Little girl, if you do business like this, you’ll never make friends,” Xie Kanglai grumbled, his tone full of resentment.

Without even looking up from counting her stack of notes, Shen Zhihuan replied calmly, “I’m here to do business, not to make friends.”

She bundled the neatly counted notes into a worn piece of cloth, tied it up, and tucked it into her bag.

“…” Xie Kanglai let out a heavy sigh of exasperation and turned his head away.

“Uncle, getting angry is bad for your health. Here, take these to cool off.” Shen Zhihuan reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pouch made of patched cloth, tossing it onto the Eight Immortals table in front of Xie Kanglai.

Xie Kanglai glanced at the pouch and huffed. “Who cares about—”

“Fine, I’ll take it back,” Shen Zhihuan said teasingly, reaching to retrieve the pouch.

Before her fingers could touch it, Xie Kanglai’s large hand snatched it away.

As he opened the pouch, his eyes widened in disbelief. He rubbed them, then looked back at Shen Zhihuan.

“Is this really for me?” he asked, still skeptical, staring at her as if trying to figure her out.

“You just said you didn’t care for it, didn’t you?” Shen Zhihuan smiled.

“…When did I say I didn’t care? I said, ‘Who cares?’ That’s completely different!” Xie Kanglai swiftly pulled the string on the pouch, stashed it into a small cabinet by the table, and locked it in one fluid motion.

The sudden movement left everyone in the room stunned.

“What are you all staring at?” Xie Kanglai barked, turning to the nearby clerks. “Didn’t you see we have a child here? Go grab some peach crisps and candies for him. Stop standing around like fools!”

The nearest clerk hesitated, then bolted out the door after Xie Kanglai smacked him lightly on the back of the head.

“Uncle, there’s no need to go through all that trouble. We’ll be leaving soon anyway,” Shen Zhihuan said politely, giving a small smile.

“Little girl, if you ever come across any more treasures, don’t forget about your uncle here!” Xie Kanglai said, smiling warmly for the first time.

“Of course! As long as you don’t mind me bothering you,” Shen Zhihuan replied with a grin.

With a laugh, Xie Kanglai personally escorted them to the backyard gate.

Before they could step out, the clerk who had dashed off returned with a package of peach crisps and candies, stuffing them into Xiao Weidong’s arms without a word.

Xiao Weidong froze, staring at the treats in his hands, unsure of what to do. In these days, peach crisps and candies were luxurious items reserved for special occasions like New Year’s or weddings. To suddenly have his arms full of them felt like a dream.

Li Qiuhua, standing beside Xiao Weidong, also stared blankly. Ever since stepping into the pharmacy, she had been in a daze. Her mind was still reeling from the sight of the thick stack of notes.

She had never in her entire life seen so much money in one place.

“Thank you, young man. Please pass our thanks to your uncle,” Shen Zhihuan said politely to the clerk.

“Not at all! I should be thanking you. You finally made my stingy second uncle part with money!” the clerk said with a chuckle.

“Xie Sandan!” a furious roar came from behind the curtain connecting the store and the backroom.

The next second, the curtain was yanked aside, and a fuming Xie Kanglai stormed out, grabbing a feather duster from the counter.

The clerk didn’t wait for what came next. In a flash, he bolted out of the store like a rabbit with a wolf on its tail.

Before Shen Zhihuan’s family could react, they saw a black blur race past them and down East Street.

The bystanders quickly moved aside as the chase unfolded.

Li Qiuhua pointed nervously at the two running figures. “They’re not going to…”

“Let’s go, Mom,” Shen Zhihuan interrupted gently with a laugh, pulling her along.

“Will they be okay?” Li Qiuhua asked, still worried.

“Don’t worry, Mom. It’s just a small family spat,” Shen Zhihuan said nonchalantly.

“It’s probably nothing more than a few whacks with a feather duster.”

Seeing them leave, Xiao Weidong reluctantly looked away from the commotion. He hugged the peach crisps and candies tightly, turning back every few steps for one last glimpse until they reached the corner.

“Zhihuan, shouldn’t we hurry home?” Li Qiuhua whispered anxiously, glancing at the cloth bag on Shen Zhihuan’s arm.

Just thinking about the large sum of money inside made her heart race.

“Relax, Mom. Everything’s fine,” Shen Zhihuan reassured her.

“But we haven’t climbed the tall buildings Little Fatty talked about yet!” Xiao Weidong tugged at Li Qiuhua’s sleeve, his eyes wide with excitement.

“Exactly! And I haven’t treated Xiao Weidong to some braised pork and shredded meat noodles yet,” Shen Zhihuan added, playfully tapping Xiaowei’s nose.

“I’m not hungry,” Xiao Weidong mumbled, glancing at his peach crisps and candies before secretly swallowing his saliva.

Shen Zhihuan smacked her forehead. She had been so focused on calming her mother that she forgot about the little guy.

She took the package of peach crisps from Xiao Weidong and handed him two pieces.

“We’ve been out all morning. Mom, you should have some too,” she said, handing two pieces to Li Qiuhua and taking the empty basket from her.

“I’m not hungry,” Li Qiuhua quickly declined, waving her hand.

“Mom,” Shen Zhihuan said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Seeing her daughter genuinely upset, Li Qiuhua quickly took the peach crisps.

“Fine! I’ll eat. I’ll eat!” she said hastily, taking a bite.