Chapter 11: Selling Ginseng 

The next morning, as dawn was just breaking, Xia Qingfeng woke up from her sleep, and thinking about what happened last night, she called out to the air, “Space spirit, are you there?”

“I’m here, Feng’er, good morning!” The gentle, affectionate voice made Xia Qingfeng shiver. What was going on?!

“Hey, do you know how terrifying it is for a retired old lady to be called ‘Feng’er’?” Xia Qingfeng said, feeling goosebumps all over her body.

“But you’re only 19 years old!”

“But my soul is 59!” Xia Qingfeng gritted her teeth and said.

“If we’re going by that logic, my age… Anyway, to me, you’re still young.”

“But I really don’t get used to you calling me like that.”

“You’ll get used to it slowly. Feng’er, weren’t you planning to go to the town’s medicine hall today? You can sell the youngest ginseng; it’s over 70 years old, top quality. This town is small, so it won’t fetch much, but 500 liang should be no problem.”

“Isn’t that your ginseng? Don’t you need it anymore?” Xia Qingfeng thought of the thousand-year-old ginseng and felt her heart bleed.

“I only need the spiritual energy, and only that thousand-year-old ginseng has it. The rest is for you, Feng’er.”

Xia Qingfeng really had no choice but to let the nickname slide. After all, it was ginseng they were talking about, so she didn’t want to argue. “You said it yourself, the rest of the ginseng is mine. You can’t back out.”

“I won’t back out. It’s all yours.”

At that moment, a giggling sound came from the blanket beside her. Turning her head, she saw Xu Xiaoxiao covering her mouth, laughing.

“Early in the morning, making jokes in your sleep, and then waking up laughing.” Xia Qingfeng dragged Xu Xiaoxiao out of the blanket and dressed her.

Xu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but be happy, shouting at the air, “Good morning, Space Uncle!”

“Good morning, Xiaoxiao!”

“Hey! You little rascal, you’re calling him so affectionately. Hurry up and get up, today I’ll take you to the town for a walk.” Xia Qingfeng gave Xu Xiaoxiao a light pat on the bottom.

After breakfast, Xia Qingfeng strapped Xu Xiaoxiao to her back and headed to the town. They waited for about a quarter of an hour at the village entrance, and finally, the ox cart from the neighboring village of Old Wang arrived. After paying two wen, Xia Qingfeng and Xu Xiaoxiao climbed onto the cart.

Their village didn’t have ox carts. Xia Qingfeng had heard that there had once been an old widower who used to drive an ox cart for a living. However, as he grew older and weaker, he sold the ox and passed away a couple of years later. The only family in the village with a bit more wealth was the village head’s, but the village head had to support his eldest grandson’s education, so they lived quite frugally as well.

The last time the villagers went to the town to sell medicinal herbs, there were too many people, and the ox cart couldn’t fit everyone. Moreover, the old village head didn’t want outsiders to know that their village was harvesting and selling herbs. Though they all knew it couldn’t be hidden forever, especially since there were women who had married into the village. But since the herbs in the mountains were limited, they would harvest as much as they could for as long as they could.

When they arrived in the town, Xia Qingfeng held Xu Xiaoxiao and went straight to the Renji Hall. Due to the slow pace of the ox cart, which felt like a cradle, Xu Xiaoxiao, still young, had fallen asleep in Xia Qingfeng’s arms, drooling as she slept. Even when they got off the cart, she didn’t open her eyes.

Upon entering Renji Hall, they bumped into the same young medicine boy from last time.

“Big sister, you’re here! Are you here to sell herbs again today?” The young medicine boy greeted Xia Qingfeng with enthusiasm.

“Yes, I have something good with me. Could I see the shopkeeper Chang?” Xia Qingfeng replied, already having a plan in mind.

“Of course, please come right in. The shopkeeper is in the back.” The young boy quickly led Xia Qingfeng toward the back.

At that moment, Shopkeeper Chang was talking to a young man in his twenties, with great respect. When the medicine boy came over to inform him, he was clearly eager to know what Xia Qingfeng had brought.

“Shopkeeper, the little woman who sold herbs last time is back. She says she’s brought something good with her.”

The young man, curious, asked, “Is she the one you mentioned before, the village woman who harvests herbs with the whole village and knows how to process them?”

“Yes, that’s her.” Shopkeeper Chang responded respectfully.

“Then invite her in and see what she’s got.”

Shopkeeper Chang immediately gestured for the young boy to bring Xia Qingfeng in.

Soon, Xia Qingfeng entered the room, with Xu Xiaoxiao still in her arms and a basket on her back. She wasn’t startled by the presence of strangers.

Upon entering the back room, Xia Qingfeng noticed that, aside from Shopkeeper Chang, there was another young man present. His appearance and demeanor suggested he was either wealthy or of noble status. When she saw the respectful way Shopkeeper Chang treated him, Xia Qingfeng understood immediately.

“Greetings, Shopkeeper Chang. I didn’t know you had guests, I apologize for the intrusion.”

“No, no, it’s no trouble at all. I heard you have something good for us today. Please, show us what you’ve brought.” Shopkeeper Chang gestured for her to sit.

Xia Qingfeng didn’t stand on ceremony. She gently woke Xu Xiaoxiao and had her sit on a chair. Then, she reached into the basket and, with a subtle movement, took out the smallest ginseng from the space.

Seeing Xia Qingfeng casually wrap the ginseng in a piece of cloth without even putting it in a proper box, Shopkeeper Chang was startled. He immediately stood up and gently took the ginseng from her.

This was a 70-year-old ginseng. While he had seen ginseng that was one or two hundred years old, this one was unique. Its roots were complete, and it was still covered in soil, as if it had just been dug up. This kind of ginseng was rare indeed.

He quickly handed the ginseng to the young man next to him. The young man examined it for a moment before giving a slight nod to Shopkeeper Chang.

Shopkeeper Chang nodded in understanding and turned to Xia Qingfeng. “This ginseng is of good quality. It looks to be around 70 years old. Please give us your price, and Renji Hall is ready to buy it.”

Xia Qingfeng saw that the shopkeeper was honest and didn’t exaggerate the age of the ginseng. She thought to herself that Shopkeeper Chang was a trustworthy person. So, she said, “You name a price. If it’s reasonable, I’ll sell it.”

Shopkeeper Chang glanced at the young man beside him and then offered, “How about five hundred taels?”

Xia Qingfeng thought that this price was exactly what the space spirit had mentioned and met her expectations. She was about to finalize the deal but decided to ask the shopkeeper about something else.

The young man, seeing that Xia Qingfeng hadn’t responded for a while, assumed she was dissatisfied with the price and said, “Are you not happy with five hundred taels? Honestly, this is a great price. I can say with confidence that no one in this town will offer more than we do.”

Xia Qingfeng realized there had been a misunderstanding. “No, it’s not that. Five hundred taels is fine. I just wanted to ask if you have any medicinal herb seeds?”

The young man became interested and asked, “Do you know how to grow herbs?”

“My father is a doctor and knows how to grow medicinal herbs. I’ve learned a little from him since I was young. Since the herbs in the mountains are limited, I thought I could try growing them in our village,” Xia Qingfeng explained.

“Well, then. I’ll take the ginseng for five hundred taels, and in addition, I’ll give you some herb seeds. How does that sound? If you can really grow the herbs, I’ll buy all the herbs from your village.”

Xia Qingfeng looked at Shopkeeper Chang with some curiosity. “Who is this, exactly?”

Shopkeeper Chang chuckled and said, “This is our young master, the heir to Renji Hall. All the decisions here are made by him.”

Xia Qingfeng was, of course, pleased to have met someone wealthy. She smiled and said, “Thank you, young master!”

With everything settled, Shopkeeper Chang paid her for the ginseng. Xia Qingfeng took two one-hundred-tael silver notes, four fifty-tael notes, and the rest in silver coins. The amount was not small. She also arranged for the village people to come the next day to pick up the medicinal herb seeds. Before leaving, she purchased spices such as Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, star anise, and fennel.

Throughout the entire process, Xu Xiaoxiao remained silent, behaving like a good child, and didn’t say a word.