Chapter 153: Why is it so hard? 

Hong Cuilan was a bit confused.

Mo Jinnan smiled faintly and introduced, “Auntie, this is Xiang Xinyao, my fiancée. It’s better for Xiaolian to follow her than to follow me.”

A thirteen-year-old girl would indeed find it inconvenient to follow Mo Jinnan. He had no idea how to care for a young girl going through adolescence.

Xiang Xinyao had considered this, which is why she had proactively suggested that Tang Xiaolian follow her.

Hong Cuilan smiled and said, “It’s a blessing for Xiaolian to follow the future Princess.”

Tang Xiaolian also expressed her gratitude, “I’m willing to follow Miss Xiang.”

Hong Cuilan added, “Xiaolian, don’t be so improper. You should address her as ‘Master’ or ‘Miss.’”

Xiang Xinyao waved her hand and said, “Auntie, it’s fine. It’s just a title. We are family now, so it doesn’t matter what you call me.”

“That’s not how it works. There are rules about respect and hierarchy. You should address her properly, according to etiquette,” Hong Cuilan insisted.

Tang Xiaolian obediently called out, “Master.”

Xiang Xinyao smiled, “For now, you stay in the manor and take care of your mother. Once we leave Bianjing, you can follow me.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“Alright, I should be going now. I’ll come by again tomorrow morning,” Xiang Xinyao said.

Mo Jinnan spoke up, “I’ll escort you back.”

“There’s no need to escort me. Take care of them; I’ll head back now,” Xiang Xinyao replied.

Mo Jinnan nodded and escorted her to the gate.

After returning to the Xiang residence, Xiang Xinyao had dinner and then went out with Xiang Xinyu.

Xiang Xinyu asked, “Sister, where are we going today?”

Xiang Xinyao answered, “Let’s try our luck and see if we can buy any medicinal herb seeds.”

“But I don’t know where to buy medicinal herb seeds,” Xiang Xinyu said.

“We’ll just browse around. If we can’t find them, we’ll try our luck at the market,” Xiang Xinyao suggested.

Xiang Xinyu’s eyes lit up. “Great! I love watching you bargain.”

Xiang Xinyao smiled and pulled Xiang Xinyu toward a medicinal herb shop.

They visited several shops but couldn’t find any medicinal herb seeds.

Xiang Xinyao’s face showed disappointment. She hadn’t expected that even in Bianjing, it would be so hard to find medicinal herb seeds.

It seemed that in the future, if she wanted to grow herbs, she would have to cultivate the seeds herself.

Seeing her disappointment, Xiang Xinyu felt sorry for her. She didn’t know where to buy the seeds and couldn’t help her.

“Sister, there’s one more herb shop. Should we try there?” Xiang Xinyu suggested.

Xiang Xinyao, not very enthusiastic, still nodded.

The last shop they visited was called “Gardenia hall.” It was a small shop but had a clever layout, utilizing every corner efficiently. The variety of herbs was also quite comprehensive.

Xiang Xinyu entered the shop and cheerfully asked the shopkeeper, “Shopkeeper, do you sell medicinal herb seeds?”

The shopkeeper was taken aback. “You want to buy herb seeds?”

Xiang Xinyu nodded.

The shopkeeper asked again, “Do you know how to grow medicinal herbs?”

Xiang Xinyu shook her head. “I don’t know, but my sister does. She’s the one who wants to buy the seeds.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Xinyao quickly stepped forward and said, “Shopkeeper, it’s me who wants to buy the medicinal herb seeds. I do know how to grow them. Do you have any seeds for sale?”

The shopkeeper gave her a disappointed look.

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, how could she possibly know how to grow medicinal herbs?

“Little girl, don’t joke around. Growing medicinal herbs is no easy task. Herb seeds are hard to come by. If we waste even one seed, the owner of the shop will be upset for days. You should leave; we don’t sell medicinal herb seeds here.”

Xiang Xinyao narrowed her eyes and said, “Shopkeeper, do you know where I can find medicinal herb seeds? I really need them. Please, tell me where I can get them.”

The shopkeeper became a bit impatient. “Little girl, how old are you? Are you even of marriageable age yet? You clearly come from a wealthy family. There’s no way you could know how to grow medicinal herbs.”

“I don’t have medicinal herb seeds, but my master has some. However, he won’t sell them to you. You should just go home,” he added.

“Where can I find your master? I’ll pay double for the seeds. Is that okay?” Xiang Xinyao asked.

The shopkeeper shook his head. “Little girl, this isn’t about the money. My master treasures those seeds as if they were his eyes. He’s looking for someone who actually knows how to grow herbs, someone who won’t waste his precious seeds!”

Xiang Xinyao raised her right hand, holding up three fingers. “I promise I won’t waste a single seed. I’m serious. If you don’t believe me, wait right here.”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and ran out of the shop, disappearing in an instant.

She found a secluded alley and took out two freshly grown ginseng plants from her space.

The ginseng was still covered in some soil, and the leaves were lush and green.

She rushed back to the shop, panting as if she had been running.

“Ha… ha… Shopkeeper, look, this is the ginseng I grew myself. I really do know how to grow medicinal herbs.”

The shopkeeper’s face showed disbelief.

Xiang Xinyao’s sister, Xiang Xinyu, was also stunned. Where on earth had her sister gotten these live ginseng plants from?

It was the wrong season for ginseng, and yet these plants had vibrant green leaves. How was that even possible?

“Is… is this really yours?” the shopkeeper stammered.

Xiang Xinyao raised an eyebrow. “Shopkeeper, you should know very well that ginseng doesn’t even sprout at this time of year. If this wasn’t mine, do you really think it would have green leaves?”

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened as he walked out from behind the counter. Trembling, he took the ginseng from her hands and inspected it closely.

It was definitely fresh ginseng—newly harvested from the soil. It was real, without a doubt.

“Little girl, how did you manage to do this?” he asked in amazement.

Xiang Xinyao replied, “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to do it. You know how difficult it is to grow ginseng, but I’ve done it. Now you must believe that I can grow medicinal herbs, right?”

The shopkeeper was convinced, his face full of excitement.

Fresh ginseng leaves! At this time of year, where could anyone find fresh ginseng?

“Little girl, wait here. I’ll go get my master right away. If you can really grow medicinal herbs, he’ll definitely give you some seeds.”

Xiang Xinyao eagerly nodded. “Thank you, Shopkeeper.”

The shopkeeper instructed the attendant to look after the two sisters and then hurried off to the back yard.

The backyard was a small courtyard filled with many flower pots, but none of the pots had any plants in them.

An old man with completely white hair was squatting in front of one of the pots, muttering to himself, “Why is it so hard…?”

At that moment, the shopkeeper’s excited voice rang out, “Master, master, someone has grown ginseng!”

The old man looked up, annoyed. “What’s so special about growing ginseng… What did you say? Someone’s grown ginseng? Are you serious?”

“Yes, it’s true. The leaves are still fresh and green!” the shopkeeper exclaimed.

The old man rolled his eyes. “You’re talking nonsense. Ginseng with green leaves at this time of year? Are you out of your mind?”