Chapter 20: Envy

It didn’t take long before Wang Tihai saw Ping’an and Qiao Nian coming down the mountain, carrying two long, root-like things.

Indeed, to Wang Tihai, those two long, rather unsightly and oddly straight objects looked just like tree roots. And the more he looked at them, the stranger they seemed.

“Ping’an, what exactly are you two carrying? They look like tree roots, but not quite,” Wang Tihai asked as the two got closer.

Ping’an replied, “Uncle Wang, my mother mentioned this thing before. It’s something used by wealthy households to make snacks. It’s also a type of medicinal herb. We happened to come across some on the mountain today and dug them up. We’re planning to take them to the medical clinic in town to see if they’ll buy it.”

Qiao Nian greeted him with a smile, then helped Ping’an lift the yam onto the cart. Only then did she say, “Uncle Wang, sorry to trouble you, but could you wait a little longer? There’s one more up on the mountain. My grandmother’s watching over it. We’ll carry it down and then head to town together.”

Wang Tihai was now focused on the yam and waved them off casually, signaling them to go ahead. He stayed behind to watch the cart. Truth be told, he didn’t have much faith in what they had dug up. Ugly as sin—this thing was supposed to be medicine? And eaten by rich people? He found it hard to believe.

Qiao Nian and Ping’an didn’t care whether Wang Tihai believed them or not. The two quickly returned to where they’d found the yam. Hua Guixiang was nearby, digging up Rehmannia, glancing over in their direction from time to time. When she saw them return, she quickly finished digging up the Rehmannia at her feet and came over.

“You put the stuff on your Uncle Wang’s cart already?” Hua Guixiang asked.

Qiao Nian nodded. “We didn’t come up until we’d settled everything. Uncle Wang is watching over it at the foot of the mountain. Don’t worry, Grandmother.”

“Good. Then let’s move quickly. I’ll go to town with you two after we head down.” Hua Guixiang still felt uneasy. Rather than staying home worrying herself sick, she figured it was better to go with them.

The three of them packed up quickly. Qiao Nian and Ping’an carried the yam, while Hua Guixiang carried the basket, small hoe, bamboo canister, and the rest. Inside the basket were the Rehmannia they’d dug on the way up and just now. Though it looked like a lot, it wasn’t heavy at all.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they found quite a few villagers gathered around the ox cart, all chattering away curiously. Seeing this crowd, Hua Guixiang stepped ahead of the siblings and was the first to descend.

“Granny Hua is coming down,” someone in the crowd called out, prompting everyone to look up.

Before Hua Guixiang and the others even approached, Li Gousheng bared his yellow teeth and shouted, “Granny Hua, did you strike gold? Come on, tell us what this thing is called and where you found it!”

It was Li Gousheng who had drawn the crowd here. He liked to wander around the village and had noticed Wang Tihai’s ox cart parked at the foot of the mountain. Curious, he’d loudly called over a few villagers who were just returning from the fields to come see what was on the cart.

One by one, curiosity got the better of them, and everyone came over to take a look. But no one could identify the item on the cart. When they asked Wang Tihai, he only shook his head. Just as the discussion heated up, Hua Guixiang and her grandchildren came down the mountain.

“Li Gousheng, even if we told you what it is, you wouldn’t be able to find it. It’s all a matter of luck. Otherwise, why do you think no one in the village has ever seen it all these years? We only happened to dig up a few this time. So quit shouting nonsense. If people in the village go rushing up the mountain looking for treasure and something bad happens, you’ll be the one to take the blame.”

Hua Guixiang intended for their find to be known openly, but she didn’t want her family to get dragged into trouble either. This was a good chance to make things clear. Just because someone was jealous didn’t mean they should throw caution to the wind searching the mountains for treasure. If someone got hurt and blamed her family, it’d become a real mess.

There were plenty of valuable things in the mountains, but they weren’t easy to find. Even her eldest daughter-in-law, who knew so much, had never once stumbled upon something like this in the wild all these years.

Sure enough, after her words, a few people looked a bit uneasy. Hua Guixiang pretended not to notice. Everyone in the village knew the background of her eldest daughter-in-law. She gave them a rough explanation, telling them that the item was called shanyao (yam), and they had found it purely by chance. Now they were taking it to town to see if anyone would buy it. She told them all to disperse, and that if someone in town really did buy it, they’d let everyone know when they returned.

She even made a point to emphasize that the yam wasn’t easy to find, and warned everyone not to risk their lives chasing silver. If anything were to happen, they shouldn’t say it was because her family had dug up something valuable and inspired them to head into the mountains.

Seeing that the ox cart was about to leave, the crowd had no choice but to make way. Still, a few who remained curious decided they’d wait at the village entrance later in the afternoon to see for themselves whether the thing was truly a medicinal herb and just how much silver it could sell for.

An hour later, the ox cart arrived once more in Lin’an Town.

Normally, Wang Tiehai would stop the cart at the town entrance and have the passengers walk the rest of the way. But with over a hundred jin of yam on board—and since the Qiao family had rented the whole cart—he made an exception and drove the ox cart straight into town, finally stopping at the front of Ji Ren Tang.

Qiao Nian hopped down from the cart and said, “Uncle Wang, please wait here a moment. I’ll go in and ask.”

“Jie, I’ll go with you,” said Ping’an, already familiar with the process after their herb-selling trip the day before. He didn’t want to sit and wait on the cart either.

Hua Guixiang told the two of them to go ahead. She and Wang Tiehai would stay and watch over things.

Qiao Nian and Ping’an stepped into Ji Ren Tang almost simultaneously. Behind the counter, Manager Chen was busy calculating accounts. When he looked up and saw the two enter, his smile widened, and he greeted them heartily, “Miss Qiao and Ping’an, welcome. Are you here to sell herbs today or to have a prescription filled?”

Qiao Nian’s smile grew as well. “We’re here to sell medicinal herbs again. I was wondering if Manager Chen might be interested?”

Manager Chen looked curious. “What kind of herb is it? Let me take a look.”

“It’s in the ox cart outside. The item’s a bit heavy, so it’s difficult to carry in. Would you be willing to come out and see it?” Qiao Nian asked politely.

With a cheerful nod, Manager Chen replied, “Of course,” and followed her out of the shop.

As soon as Hua Guixiang saw Qiao Nian leading someone over, she quickly pulled off the coarse cloth covering the yams, revealing them for Manager Chen to inspect.

The moment he laid eyes on the three massive wild yams, his eyes lit up. He stepped forward immediately for a closer look, then smiled and said, “I’ll take them. You’re quite fortunate—these three yams are in their prime, between three and four years of growth. That’s the best time for both culinary and medicinal use. I’ll offer you one hundred wen per jin. Does that price work for you, Miss Qiao?”

Qiao Nian hadn’t expected such a high price for yam. She glanced at Hua Guixiang for confirmation. Seeing the old woman nod excitedly, she smiled and replied, “Alright, many thanks to Manager Chen.”

Manager Chen nodded with a smile, inwardly marveling at how this girl never failed to surprise him. Though yam wasn’t a rare or precious herb, the nobility in the capital were quite fond of delicacies and pastries made from it. Prices had been soaring steadily. Coincidentally, a shipment of medicinal herbs was scheduled to be sent to the capital tomorrow. These three yams, once they arrived, would likely be snatched up the moment they hit the shelves.

The same assistant from the day before was called to weigh the yams. Altogether, the three roots weighed one hundred forty-seven jin and nine liang. Manager Chen waved it off and rounded up to one hundred forty-eight jin, offering a total of fourteen taels and eight hundred wen.

Qiao Nian wanted Hua Guixiang to accept the payment, but the old woman was still trying to calm her racing heart. In her whole life, she had never seen so much silver all at once. She hurriedly waved her hands and insisted that Qiao Nian take it, saying, “You’re the one running the household now. It’s only right that you keep the money too.”

Realizing it wasn’t the time or place to argue, Qiao Nian accepted the silver without protest.

After settling the bill and offering their thanks once again, the group stepped out of Ji Ren Tang.

It wasn’t until the ox cart was on the move again that Wang Tiehai, still a bit dazed, finally spoke up, “Aunt Hua… that stuff is really worth that much? You sold it for fourteen taels just like that. I run ox carts for a whole year and only make three taels at most.”

Your family’s struck it rich, he thought silently to himself. But he dared not say it aloud, afraid they’d take it the wrong way and think he was jealous. Truth was, he wasn’t just a little envious—he was extremely envious…