Chapter 6, Selling Ginseng
The next morning, Ling Yao carried a bamboo basket and headed for the city.
After leaving the village, there was a bus stop two miles away.
Gu Qingan was riding a bicycle and saw a familiar figure in the distance. After taking a closer look, he confirmed that it was Ling Yao. His face turned cold and he sped up his riding and rode past Ling Yao quickly. Although Ling Yao had already returned the engagement token to them, who knew if she was playing hard to get.
Ling Yao glanced at Gu Qingan who was riding away on his bicycle and continued to walk towards the bus stop.
Gu Qingan thought Ling Yao would call him, but he had already ridden several hundred meters and still didn't hear Ling Yao calling him, and he couldn't help but wonder. Could it be that Ling Yao was serious this time, and she really made up her mind to break up the engagement with him? This would be the best, and he hoped that she wouldn't regret it and get involved with him again in the future.
Ling Yao walked to the bus stop, and after waiting for a while, she saw a bus wobbling towards her.
When the bus stopped, Ling Yao stepped onto the bus.
"Where are you going?" The conductor was carrying a small black bag and holding a book of tickets in his hand.
"In the city."
"Thirty cents."
Ling Yao took out three cents and handed it to the conductor. After the conductor tore the ticket for her, she walked towards the empty seat in the back. It was still early and there were still many empty seats on the bus.
Walking to the back of the bus, Ling Yao found a seat by the window, took off the backpack from her back and placed it at her feet, and then sat down.
As the bus started, the car started to move on the bumpy road, shaking all the way.
Even though Ling Yao was not carsick, she felt a little dizzy from the shaking of the car. She stretched out her hand and massaged her Neiguan acupoint. After a while, the dizziness finally subsided.
As more and more people got on the bus, the entire carriage was soon filled like a can, with all kinds of smells mixed in.
Ling Yao felt better only after she opened the window.
An hour and a half later, Ling Yao finally arrived at her destination. She got off the bus and walked towards the largest Chinese medicine store in the city. She had been to the city in her previous life and still had some impression of it.
Ling Yao walked on the busy streets, surrounded by bustling crowds.
After about twenty minutes, Ling Yao finally saw the Chinese medicine store with a plaque of "Hua Yi Tang".
She walked into the Chinese medicine store, and the store was filled with a strong aroma of Chinese medicine, which made her feel safe and comfortable.
There was an old Chinese doctor in the store, and he was taking the patient's pulse.
Ling Yao did not disturb him. She waited until he finished examining the patient and prescribed medicine before she stepped forward. "Hello!"
The old Chinese doctor looked at Ling Yao and said, "Young girl, do you want to buy medicine or see a doctor?" Because of the catastrophe, his Chinese Medicine Hall had to be closed. It was not until the reform and opening up that he reopened the Chinese Medicine Hall. Now his Chinese Medicine Hall is very famous in the city, and many people come here to see him for medical treatment and prescriptions.
"I want to ask, do you accept medicinal materials here?" Ling Yao asked.
"Yes, but it depends on what kind of medicinal materials they are." He has a full range of medicinal materials in his store, and he does not accept ordinary medicinal materials.
"I have a hundred-year-old wild ginseng here, take a look." Ling Yao took down the backpack from behind and took out the wild ginseng wrapped in hand silk from it.
The old Chinese doctor's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he couldn't wait to say, "Show me the hundred-year-old wild ginseng." Even his Huayitang only has wild ginseng that is fifty years old at most, and a hundred-year-old wild ginseng is hard to come by.
Ling Yao handed the wild ginseng to the old Chinese doctor.
The old Chinese doctor took it and opened it carefully. When he saw the wild ginseng, he was immediately excited, "Hundred-year-old wild ginseng, it's really a hundred-year-old wild ginseng! Little girl, how much do you want to sell it for?"
The roots of this wild ginseng are like an old man's beard, thin and long, densely intertwined, as if telling the wind and rain it has experienced for a hundred years. Its body is dark brown in color, with rings of growth rings on it, like the traces left by the years. Its shape is also like a person, with a long body and thick roots, symbolizing the ups and downs it has experienced and its tenacious vitality.
Ling Yao didn't know how much a hundred-year-old wild ginseng is worth now, "Tell me what price you can offer first? If the price is right, I will sell it to you."
The old Chinese doctor thought for a while and stretched out a finger, "Ten thousand." This wild ginseng is indeed very rare, but he didn't want to take advantage of the little girl. Ten thousand is already the highest price he can offer.
Ling Yao has been observing the old Chinese doctor's expression. Seeing that he looked sincere, she nodded, "Then ten thousand." It's 1983 now, and the other party is willing to pay ten thousand to buy her ginseng, which shows that the other party is a very honest person. After all, she initially thought that this ginseng could only be sold for a few thousand yuan at most.
"Wait for me, I'll get you some money." The old Chinese doctor ran excitedly to the small room at the back.
After a while, the old Chinese doctor came out with a bag, "Here are 10,000 yuan, count them."
"Okay." Ling Yao took the bag and poured out the money inside. There were ten big piles of money in total, and each pile was 1,000 yuan.
Ling Yao quickly counted the money, and after confirming that there was no problem, she put the money away, "The amount is fine, please help me prescribe some more Chinese medicine."
"Okay, you say." The old Chinese doctor nodded.
Ling Yao reported the medicine she needed, waited for the old Chinese doctor to pack the medicine, and bought a set of silver needles.
"Little girl, do you also know medicine?" When Ling Yao just named those Chinese medicines, he guessed that she must know medicine, otherwise she would not be so familiar with the medicines.
"My mother is also a doctor."
"I see." The old Chinese medicine doctor smiled and nodded, "In the future, if you have any good medicines, you can bring them to me. You can also come to me if you want to buy medicine. Wait a minute, I will write you a phone number."
The old Chinese medicine doctor admired Ling Yao very much.
"Thank you!" Ling Yao took the phone number, "I don't have a phone at home yet. When I install a phone, I will call you and tell you." She also had a very good impression of the old Chinese medicine doctor.
"Okay."
Ling Yao said goodbye to the old Chinese medicine doctor, walked out of the Chinese medicine shop, and walked towards the bank. She planned to go to the bank to deposit some of the money first, and then go to the department store to buy some clothes for her mother. As for herself, it would be a waste to buy clothes since she was so fat now. She planned to buy new clothes after losing weight.
When she arrived at the bank, she saw several people queuing inside.
Ling Yao found a seat and sat down.
As soon as she sat down, a man sat down next to her.
Ling Yao sensed a dangerous aura and turned to look at the man.
At this moment, the man took out a dagger and put it against Ling Yao's waist, "Don't shout, follow me." He had been eyeing Ling Yao since the Chinese medicine shop.