Chapter 174: Atonement for Sins
The shopkeeper and the young servant were listening in confusion. They didn't believe that these peasants knew the Min family and the county magistrate's wife, but judging from their expressions, they didn't seem to be lying.
The shopkeeper gritted his teeth, unwilling to take any risk, and winked at the waiter.
The clerk quickly said, "Boss, the government office is probably busy right now, so it's better not to disturb my son-in-law. This wild ginseng is not rare here, but it is still very popular in the south. Isn't our family's caravan going to Shuntian Prefecture soon? Why not keep this wild ginseng and send it with us?"
The shopkeeper took advantage of the situation and pretended to ponder for a long time before nodding and saying, "Okay, you have a point."
After saying that, he turned to Old Man Tai and said, "Brother, you're not an outsider, so I'll do you a favor. This wild ginseng... I'll give you seventy taels, and you can keep it. Even if you go to another shop, you might not get such a high price. We're all in the same county, and we'll see each other every day. It's better not to make a scene over a single herb and make both sides look bad."
Tai Yonglu couldn't hold it in any longer and started yelling, "What do you mean by help? Such good ginseng will be snapped up in any pharmacy, but it seems like it can't be sold if you ask me to do it!
"It's you who's taking advantage of us because we don't know the business, and you're trying to force us to buy or sell. But when you see we're not easy to bully, you change your tune! Who do you think we are? A shady business like yours won't last long!"
Tai Yongyue was not to be outdone and chimed in, "That's right, business is about harmony and making money. Those who use crooked means won't have a good end!"
The shopkeeper and the waiter both looked unhappy. They wanted to get angry but didn't want to completely break up and ruin this profitable deal.
Finally, the old man felt that it was enough, and he stopped his grandson, "Alright, what nonsense are you talking about! The shopkeeper has been in business for many years, and he's not as good as you two brats?"
After that, he didn't ask his grandson to apologize, and said, "Boss, let's start the transaction. We have things to do, so we won't stay with you any longer."
The shopkeeper finally felt relieved and took out seventy taels of silver. The old man checked the quality of the silver and found no problem, so he said goodbye and left.
The young man took advantage of the situation and walked them all the way to the door.
Old Man Tai thanked him and walked into the shopping street with his children and grandchildren.
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue knew that they had made a big mistake. If their grandfather had not stopped them in time, all three ginsengs would have been stolen away. They lowered their heads in frustration.
Tai Jizu felt sorry for the child and wanted to say a few words of comfort, but when he saw his father's expression, he tried to harden his heart.
Zhuzhu could see that Grandpa was unhappy, so she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Grandpa, don't be angry. That guy just now had a gray head!"
The old man was stunned for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Okay, Grandpa is not angry, evildoers will be punished."
Zhuzhu gave Grandpa a big kiss, put her arms around his neck and asked happily, "Grandpa, shall we go buy some meat to make dumplings?"
"Wait a little longer," the old man whispered to his granddaughter, "We still have two ginseng trees left to sell. Once we sell them, I'll take you to buy some meat!"
"Okay, Grandpa, can you buy some bones to make soup? Auntie said that eating what you eat replenishes what you gain. Let my second brother drink more and he will get better soon!"
Zhuzhu is not very big, but she worries a lot and keeps talking while counting on her fingers.
Grandpa Tai loved his granddaughter to the core. He gently pricked her chubby face with his beard and praised her, "Good, my Zhuzhu is such a sensible and good child!"
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue, who were following behind, hung their heads even more!
When grandpa said this, was he criticizing them for being ignorant and not being good children?
Right, right...
A group of people, young and old, strolled slowly and soon arrived at Banxian's fortune-telling stall.
Perhaps it was because the sun was too warm on his body and there were too few people around today, so Banxianer actually dozed off while leaning back in the chair.
He was startled when he was suddenly awakened, and only came to his senses when he heard Mr. Tai's laughter.
"Hey, Brother Tai, why are you here? Come and sit down!"
Old Master Tai was not polite and sat on the chair next to Banxian with Zhuzhu in his arms.
Tai Jizu brought the children to greet Banxianer. Banxianer smiled and took out a few coins from his pocket. "The glutinous rice balls stand in front is very authentic. You can go buy a bowl and try it."
Old Master Tai quickly declined, "Don't be polite, old brother. The children are all grown up. Don't worry about them."
After that, he continued, "I came here today for a serious matter. My family dug up a wild ginseng in the mountains, but they don't know how to prepare it, so they thought they might as well sell it. You're on the street every day, if you hear of anyone who wants to buy ginseng, please introduce them to me!"
Banxian was obviously excited when he saw this. Just as he was about to speak, the old man interrupted him and said, "Don't get excited. This one is young, probably only about 70 or 80 years old. It's better to give it to Doctor Wang."
"Oh, so that's it!" Banxian'er was deflated. After a moment's thought, he said, "You've come at a good time. I heard yesterday that the old scholar from the Wu family in the east of the city has relapsed. He's too weak to get out of bed and needs wild ginseng as medicine. But I don't know if they've got it. Wait while I go find someone to ask."
Seeing that it was getting late, the old man said, "Then let's find a place to eat while we wait. Even if there are no buyers, we can't go hungry."
Banxianer nodded, and immediately called a young boy from the stall next door. After giving him a few careful instructions, the young boy ran away.
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue still wanted to help carry the baskets, but the old man assigned them a job.
"Take a bark bag and go to Steward Min to ask if the Min family wants it. If they do, just give them a fair price. Don't take advantage of your relationship and ask for more money. If the Min family doesn't need it, don't make Steward Min feel embarrassed to help our family. Understand?"
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