Chapter 42: Giving You the Highest Price

“I’m here to sell herbs. Our village has processed quite a lot of medicinal herbs again. I wonder if you’re still buying?” Su Miaomiao spoke with grace and courtesy.

She didn’t act entitled just because she had helped the shopkeeper turn the business around—it wasn’t something she took for granted.

The shopkeeper saw that there was no jealousy or calculation in Su Miaomiao’s eyes and felt genuinely pleased. With a wave of his hand, he said:

“Of course I’m buying! And I’ll buy at the highest market price for you!”

After all, business at the pharmacy had been booming lately, and they were burning through herbs quickly. Su Miaomiao coming to him now saved him the trouble of sending people out to buy more.

“Thank you, Shopkeeper,” Su Miaomiao replied gratefully, then turned to wave at Wang Hongjie and Shanya Zi, who were still standing at the door.

Wang Hongjie had been watching from a distance the whole time, worried that the shopkeeper might throw her out.

After all, with the pharmacy so busy, who had time to entertain them?

But when he saw the shopkeeper greet Su Miaomiao with such warmth and enthusiasm, he was stunned.

Now seeing her gesture to him, he immediately carried the woven sack over.

“Uncle Wang, show the herbs to the shopkeeper,” Su Miaomiao said. She didn’t call him “Village Chief” while in town.

“Alright,” Wang Hongjie quickly placed his sack on the counter.

Shanya Zi followed closely behind and set down his sack as well.

The shopkeeper carefully examined the herbs inside and nodded with satisfaction.

“Young lady, these herbs are very well prepared—much better than what I’ve been buying elsewhere. I’ll take them all. I’ll have someone tally the total for you,” he said, then called over a clerk to move the sacks aside for counting.

When Wang Hongjie and Shanya Zi heard that the shopkeeper was going to buy all their herbs, their eyes widened in shock.

They had mentally prepared themselves to go door-to-door trying to sell them.

After all, they brought quite a lot this time. Who would’ve thought the shopkeeper would buy everything in one go?

The clerk quickly finished tallying the herbs.

The shopkeeper calculated the price based on the current highest market rate.

His fingers flew over the abacus, clicking away.

Wang Hongjie and Shanya Zi stared at him without blinking.

“These herbs come out to… 198 yuan and 20 cents. But since we’re friends, I’ll round it up to a clean 200,” the shopkeeper said with a cheerful grin.

“Then thank you very much, Shopkeeper,” Su Miaomiao replied calmly, accepting the kind gesture.

After all, the formula she had given him had already made him a fortune—those two extra yuan were nothing in comparison.

But Wang Hongjie and Shanya Zi weren’t nearly as composed as Su Miaomiao.

The two of them stared so hard their eyes nearly popped out, even starting to wonder if they were hallucinating.

How much did those herbs sell for?

T-Two hundred yuan?

Could that really be true?

No way, right?

Back in the village, even after a whole season of hard labor—working the land like crazy and treating the crops like royalty—they wouldn’t even make 200 yuan.

And now? Just one month of herb gathering, and they’d earned 200 yuan?

“Village Chief, pinch me real quick—I need to know if I’m dreaming,” Shanya Zi said, slapping Wang Hongjie on the arm in disbelief.

“Now I kind of want someone to pinch me too,” Wang Hongjie murmured.

By then, the shopkeeper had already taken out the money and cheerfully handed it to Su Miaomiao.

“Young lady, check if the amount is right.”

Su Miaomiao took it but didn’t count.
“I trust you, Shopkeeper.”

“You’re such a likable girl,” the shopkeeper beamed, his face wrinkling with joy.
“If you’ve got more herbs in the future, just bring them directly to me.”

After all, this girl was like his personal god of wealth. Helping her meant helping himself.

“Alright, with your word, I feel at ease.”
Su Miaomiao also enjoyed dealing with this shopkeeper.
“Then I won’t hold you up any longer.”

“Let me walk you out,” the shopkeeper said, stepping out from behind the counter himself.

Su Miaomiao didn’t refuse and walked out confidently, letting the shopkeeper escort her to the door.

This scene drew the attention of many.

Ever since the pharmacy’s new pain-relief ointment took off, business had boomed—and so had the shopkeeper’s pride.

This was the first time anyone had seen him so warmly greet someone, especially a young girl.

“No need to see us off any further. We’ll be going now.”
Outside the entrance, Su Miaomiao gave the shopkeeper a slight nod.

“Alright. And if you come up with any new products, remember to come to me first,” he said with sincere eyes.

With all his years of business experience, the shopkeeper could tell: this young lady was no ordinary person.

She definitely had more than just one ointment recipe in her hands.

“Alright.”
Su Miaomiao, just like last time, neither confirmed nor rejected his request.

She simply nodded and led Wang Hongjie and Shanya Zi away.

Only after the three had walked quite a distance did Wang Hongjie finally speak, unable to hold it in.

“Miaomiao girl, did our herbs really sell for 200 yuan?”
His way of addressing her had changed—now the same as old man Zhao.

Seeing their disbelief, Su Miaomiao handed the envelope to him.

“If you don’t believe it, you can count it yourself.”

Wang Hongjie took the envelope and was about to open it, but seeing the passersby on the street, he quickly and carefully tucked it into the inside pocket of his undershirt.

“Too many people here. Let’s find somewhere quieter.”

Su Miaomiao agreed and brought them to the guesthouse she’d stayed at last time.

“We’ll take two rooms,” she told the innkeeper.

It was already fully dark, and there were no buses back to the county tonight.

“One room—just one!” Wang Hongjie immediately cut in before the innkeeper could respond.

The innkeeper looked at them strangely, as if he was about to call someone over. The vibe was clearly getting misunderstood.

Seeing this, Wang Hongjie quickly explained:

“The lady comrade will stay in the room. We’ll find somewhere outside to rough it for the night.”

He simply didn’t want to spend the money on another room.

“It’s nearly winter, and the temperature drops a lot at night. You’ll catch a cold sleeping outside,” Su Miaomiao objected firmly.

Wang Hongjie opened his mouth to argue again, but Su Miaomiao stepped closer and whispered:

“Uncle Wang, we’re carrying a lot of money. What if someone steals it while you’re sleeping out there?”

Sure enough, those words got through to him. His expression immediately turned alert.

Though it hurt to part with the money, he clenched his teeth and agreed to book two rooms.

After all, the cash in his pocket represented the village’s entire hope for surviving the winter. He couldn’t risk losing it over something trivial.

“Alright then… two rooms,” he said with a pained look, turning to the innkeeper.