The young man in red said that he had examined the "ginseng" in front of him and found no problems, but he was very puzzled as to how Ning Huan could determine that the "ginseng" was Codonopsis pilosula.
Ning Huan said calmly, "The difference between ginseng and codonopsis is simply that ginseng is thicker and has more branches, while codonopsis has fewer branches."
The vendor snorted and said, "My ginseng has branches, make sure you can see that clearly."
Ning Huan nodded in agreement: "That's right, your 'ginseng' does indeed have branches. So I guess that's why you didn't notice it, young master."
She then said, "Although your ginseng has branches and is quite thick, you've overlooked one point. That is, the stem base of most ginseng and codonopsis is nodular stem scars."
"Furthermore, the stems of Codonopsis pilosula are mostly twining, while those of Ginseng are upright. What do you think of your 'ginseng'?"
The vendor was feeling guilty. He had tried this method of exchanging ginseng for codonopsis pilosula many times before and had never failed. But today, he had run into such an unlucky ugly monster who ruined his plans.
He said somewhat flusteredly, "So what? Maybe my ginseng is related to the codonopsis you mentioned. What's wrong with them looking a bit alike? I'm selling thousand-year-old ginseng. I won't lie to you!"
Ning Huan chuckled, then, ignoring the vendor's expression, tore a stalk from the box and handed it to the young man in red: "Ginseng tastes bitter, while codonopsis tastes sweet. If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself."
The vendor was furious. He rushed over and shouted, "This is my ginseng! You wretched woman, you dare to touch my stuff without even buying it! Do you have the money to pay for it?!"
Ning Huan raised an eyebrow, gesturing for the young man in red to try it.
He then said to the vendor, "If it's a thousand-year-old ginseng, I naturally don't have the money to compensate. But if it's just an ordinary ginseng, I can still afford it."
The young man in red took the ginseng root that Ning Huan handed him with some skepticism. After taking a bite, he found that it had a faint sweet taste.
He turned and winked at the servant beside him, who immediately rushed forward and grabbed the vendor by the collar: "Well, you dare to cheat the owner of our Drunken Smoke Pavilion? You've got some nerve!"
Just then, the people who had spoken the loudest in the crowd rushed up and surrounded Ning Huan and the young man in red.
Seeing this, the servant quickly released the vendor and shielded the young man in red behind him.
The vendor said menacingly to Ning Huan:
"I was doing just fine selling my ginseng, but you blind ugly hag had to ruin my business. You stinking woman, I'll show you today that you can't mess with just anyone."
Then he looked at the young man in red and said, "Young master, this business was originally a mutually agreeable transaction, but now that you have touched my ginseng, no matter what your attitude is, you must leave the money here before you can leave."
The young man in red sneered, "You think you can take me on?"
As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and suddenly several tall, burly men appeared from the crowd and rushed forward, instantly knocking them all down.
The servant beside the young master drew a dagger from his side and walked towards the vendor: "You dare to cheat our young master? Today I'll cut out your tongue and chop off your fingers, and see if you dare to lie to people again!"
The vendor was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt down, kowtowing and apologizing: "I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness, sir, please spare me!"
Ning Huan held the "ginseng" and sighed, "Actually, your codonopsis is quite high-grade. If you were to sell it as codonopsis, it could fetch a much higher price than usual. Why do you have to cheat people?"
The vendor was no longer as defiant as before, and repeatedly replied, "It was my fault, I deserve to die! I shouldn't have lied to him. Please, ma'am, put in a good word for me and ask this young master to let me go!"
Ning Huan remained silent, after all, she wasn't the buyer. This young man in red had almost been swindled out of a hundred taels of silver; anyone would be angry in his shoes.
But the young man in red waved his hand gently, signaling the servant to stop.
He said to him, "I can let you go today, but you should know that it is thanks to this fat lady that you exposed your fake ginseng on the spot. If I had bought it back and found out that you had deceived me, it would have been more than just your tongue and fingers that were cut off."
As he spoke, he looked down at the servant's crotch, and the servant immediately collapsed to the ground.
Ning Huan, however, slightly pursed her lips. Why was this madam's talk so unpleasant? "Fat lady"...
His whole family are fat women!
But the young man in red couldn't hear Ning Huan's thoughts, so he bowed to Ning Huan and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, plump lady. If it weren't for you today, I'm afraid I would have been deceived."
Ning Huan waved her hand: "No need to thank me, I just happened to see some clues."
The young man in red sighed, "My brother runs a clinic, and I usually know how to identify some medicinal herbs, but I really didn't recognize this ginseng today. You, Fatty, are much more capable."
He then asked in confusion, "But how did you figure that out, my lady?"
Ning Huan paused for a moment and then said, "I once met a wandering divine physician who taught me some methods for identifying herbs, especially some special similar herbs."
The young man in red was full of praise after hearing this.
Ning Huan smiled awkwardly. She had learned traditional Chinese medicine from her grandfather since she was a child, so it was true that she could recognize herbs, but this time, she didn't recognize them at first either.
It was because she had noticed early on that the "ginseng" the vendor was holding displayed Codonopsis pilosula, which is suitable for strengthening the spleen and is also very beneficial to the lungs.
Only then did I realize that the vendor was lying, and after taking a closer look, I discovered that the "ginseng" was fake.
As the two were talking, they heard a voice from behind them: "Brother! Why are you arguing with someone here?"
Ning Huan saw that the newcomer was dressed in moon white, with a clean and refreshing appearance, quite different from the red-clad young man in front of her.
After the explanation, the young man in white nodded and bowed to Ning Huan again: "In that case, thank you very much for helping my brother, this plump lady."
...
Ning Huan's face darkened instantly. How could these two brothers be so alike, calling each other "fat lady" with such perfect understanding?
But he still gritted his teeth and said, "It's nothing, it was just a coincidence, and I was just helping out when I saw injustice."
The young man in white shook his head and said:
"My lady, you may not know this, but recently a patient in my clinic has been unwell and urgently needs ginseng to prolong his life. If we buy this fake ginseng, the money won't matter, but this person's life could be lost..."
He sighed and said, "It's a pity that the ginseng this time is fake. I still need to send someone to find it urgently."
Hearing this, Ning Huan thought to herself: This is truly a case of finding something without even looking for it.
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