Since Han Yi's family didn't have a basket, they borrowed one from Aunt Zhang's house and put the ginseng inside. To avoid arousing suspicion, Han Yi also covered it with a lot of straw.
The two children were small and didn't take up much space. Even if they were priced as one person, it would still cost Grandpa Wei four copper coins. Not to mention four copper coins, Han Yiyi couldn't even afford half a copper coin right now, so she was a little embarrassed to ask Grandpa Wei for the money.
"Uncle Wei, I don't have any money on me right now. I'll go to town to sell my things first, and then pay you back the fare when I come back..."
Grandpa Wei also knew that the original owner had been kicked out of the Fan family and moved to a thatched hut. He also knew that the original owner used to often go to town to sell handkerchiefs, but in the past, in order to save two coins for the fare, the original owner would walk there.
Old Man Wei looked at the two children Han Yiyi was holding hands with a kind smile, and without saying much, he agreed.
Actually, not many people take oxcarts to town. Most people choose to walk to save two coins on the fare. Only those like Han Yiyi, who are carrying babies or have to carry heavy things to sell in town, would take an oxcart.
In addition, the villagers don't often go to the market when they have nothing to do, so besides Han Yiyi and her two daughters, there was also a woman holding a child in Old Man Wei's oxcart today.
The woman's face was pale, and she kept staring at the child in her arms. The child would occasionally whimper in the woman's arms, probably because it was sick and she needed to take it to town to see a doctor. Therefore, when Han Yiyi and the other two got into the car, the woman did not look up at them.
Sure enough, as soon as the oxcart arrived at the market entrance of Ping'an Town, before it had even come to a complete stop, the woman hurriedly got off the cart with her child in her arms. Seeing that Han Yiyi also hurriedly got off the oxcart, Old Man Wei quickly told her that he would wait for her at the town entrance for an hour, and that she could come to the town entrance to find him after she finished her business. Han Yiyi agreed and led the two children toward the clinic.
There are two clinics in the town. The larger one is called Tongrentang, and the smaller one is called Renshoutang. Both clinics seem to have good reputations. One is located at the east end of the street, and the other at the west end. So, Han Yiyi led the two children directly to Tongrentang, which was closer to her.
Sure enough, as soon as they entered, they found the woman they had seen on the oxcart. Her eyes were red as she watched an old doctor take the pulse of the child in her arms.
Han Yiyi couldn't find this woman in the original owner's memories. She had other things to do, so she didn't take the initiative to greet her. When she looked away, she saw a person dressed as a medicine boy walking towards her.
"Madam, are you here for a medical consultation or to pick up some medicine...?"
The young apprentice looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a sincere smile. He didn't show any disgust at Han Yiyi and the other two's patched clothes, which made Han Yiyi feel more favorably towards the clinic. So he smiled and replied.
"Hello, young doctor. I don't see patients or prescribe medicine. I just found some medicinal herbs on the mountain and wanted to ask if your clinic accepts them..."
When the young apprentice heard Han Yiyi address him, he awkwardly raised his hand and scratched his head.
"I, I, I'm not a doctor. Madam wants to sell medicinal herbs, so please wait a moment while I go and fetch our manager..."
A moment later, the young apprentice led over an elderly man with half-white hair. He had a kind face, and the apprentice introduced him as Doctor Xia, the manager of Tongrentang. Doctor Xia saw that Han Yi was carrying a large basket on his back, but he was not surprised. He simply asked as usual.
"I wonder what medicinal herbs Madam wishes to sell..."
The entire Ping'an Town is almost entirely surrounded by mountains, so it's common for people like Han Yiyi to dig up medicinal herbs and sell them at the clinic. So it's become a regular occurrence, and people originally thought that Han Yiyi was just like the other farmers, only selling ordinary herbs.
The moment Han Yiyi took off the basket from her back and lifted the grass covering the ginseng to reveal the ginseng roots, Doctor Xia's eyes lit up, and he quickly stopped her.
"Madam, wait a moment. These medicinal herbs of yours look quite good to me. Why don't you come with me to the backyard so I can take a closer look..."
Hearing what Doctor Xia said, Han Yiyi understood his meaning, so she led the two children to the backyard with Doctor Xia.
Han Yiyi watched as Doctor Xia held the ginseng with a regretful expression, constantly muttering that if it were allowed to grow for a few more years, its medicinal effects would be even better. She was speechless. If it were to grow for a few more years, who knew whose it would be?
Seeing Han Yiyi's expression, Doctor Xia realized that he had misspoke, so he quickly regained his composure and spoke to Han Yiyi.
“Madam, this ginseng is of good quality. It looks to me to be over twenty years old. I wonder what price you would like to offer it for…”
When Han Yi heard Doctor Xia say that the ginseng was over twenty years old, which was not much different from what the Little Flower System said, she knew that the person in front of her was definitely not a cunning person. Besides, she didn't know the price of this ginseng, so she spoke up.
“I am willing to sell this ginseng to Tongrentang because I trust Tongrentang’s reputation and believe they will not deceive a farmer like me. Therefore, let Manager Xia set the price. I also trust Manager Xia’s character…”
After hearing Han Yiyi's words, Doctor Xia couldn't help but take a closer look at her. Although she was wearing patched clothes, her speech and demeanor were nothing like those of a countrywoman who had never seen the world. So he smiled and said...
“In that case, I will set the price. The ginseng looks to be of good quality, but as you know, our town is not big, and there are not many families that can afford to use ginseng. Therefore, I can only give you a maximum of twenty taels. Perhaps you can go to other clinics and see if they offer a higher price than me, and sell it to them instead…”
Han Yiyi knew that what Manager Xia said was true, but for her, twenty taels was already a very good deal, so she readily agreed.
To make it easier to carry, Han Yiyi asked Manager Xia to give him a ten-tael silver coin, and the rest were some loose silver and copper coins.
Looking at the silver in her hand, Han Yiyi finally felt much more at ease. It truly proved the saying, "With provisions in hand, one has nothing to fear."
Thinking about what her family was missing, Han Yi hurriedly led the two children out of Tongrentang. Before they had even stepped out of the store, they heard Manager Xia speak from behind them.
"If you find any medicinal herbs after this, Madam, please come to my Tongrentang. I will make sure you don't suffer any loss..."
Upon hearing Manager Xia's words, Han Yi smiled and replied, "Alright, then thank you, Manager Xia..." Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the woman who had been holding the child earlier, whose face now seemed even more pale than before. She heard the doctor who had taken the baby's pulse speak with difficulty.
"Alas, it's been too long. If we had come sooner, there might still have been a chance to save us..."
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