Xiaoyue hadn't noticed the clinic when she came with Ge Erping. She saw a young man walking towards them and went up to him. The man said, "It's right across from Xingfei Fabric Store."
Xiaoyue remembered that she had come from Xingfei Fabric Shop that day. It was all Ge Erping's fault for insisting that she go to Xingfei Fabric Shop, which made her rush off without paying attention to the clinic.
Xiaoyue walked for about fifteen minutes and was about to arrive at her destination. She drove a little further and asked for directions every now and then. Since Xiaoyue didn't recognize the characters for Tonghe Medical Clinic, or even Xingfei Fabrics, she had only glanced at them that day and wasn't sure which one it was.
Xiaoyue could only ask around. She saw that the signboard in front had four characters, so she asked a passerby. The passerby pointed to the door and said that was it.
Xiaoyue cautiously peeked into the house and saw that there were still a few people getting medicine, but no one was paying attention to her. She then patted her clothes to make sure she didn't bring any dust into the house.
I finally mustered up the courage to go inside. Once inside, I noticed rows of drawers on the left side, which were long and narrow when pulled out. And they smelled the same as those in Dr. Hu's house.
To the right was a row of benches, and directly opposite the main entrance was a horizontal table with a pulse-taking pillow on it, and behind it was a grand chair. The doctor was not sitting there at the moment.
Xiaoyue sat down by the door, placed her basket in front of her, and waited until there were no more people in the pharmacy to dispense medicine. After struggling with her conscience for a long time, Xiaoyue finally mustered up the courage to ask tremblingly, "Shopkeeper, would you like some Ganoderma lucidum?" As soon as she said the words, her face flushed red.
The pharmacist glanced at Xiaoyue, then at the basket she had placed by the door, and said amiably, "Wait a moment, I'll go to the inner room to call Manager Tong."
Xiaoyue walked to the basket on her back and looked at the crowds coming and going on the street. She thought to herself that she had to go out to buy things, or she would starve to death. She thought about how her family didn't even have a single grain of rice.
The shopkeeper walked behind the counter, leaned on it with both hands, and seeing that Xiaoyue was the only one left in the clinic, he asked, "Miss, are you here to sell Ganoderma lucidum?" Xiaoyue's voice sounded very calm.
"Yes." Xiaoyue turned her head and saw that the shopkeeper was wearing an earth-yellow robe with tight sleeves and a five-colored silk sash around his waist. He had a handsome face, and his beard added to his mature beauty. He had a long face and indifferent eyes, like a Taoist priest who had no desires.
The shopkeeper was stunned the moment he looked up and saw Xiaoyue. Her figure, complexion, eyebrows, and eyes were exactly like those he had seen in that fleeting glimpse fifteen years ago. Only the little girl in front of him was darker-skinned and had rougher skin than the woman.
After the initial shock, the man quickly recovered, lowered his gaze, forced a smile, and softly asked Xiaoyue, "Let me see the goods?"
When Xiaoyue heard that she wanted to see the goods, she quickly carried her basket to the counter, carefully held a Ganoderma lucidum in both hands and gently placed it on the counter. She glanced at it and, seeing that the shopkeeper did not have an impatient expression, pointed to the fine layer of spore powder on the Ganoderma lucidum.
He smiled and looked up at the shopkeeper.
Seeing Xiaoyue's expression and realizing that the items she had taken out were indeed treasures, Manager Tong smiled and said, "Quickly, quickly take them all out so I can see them."
Xiaoyue bent down, pushed aside the large leaf covering the Ganoderma lucidum, then picked up a Ganoderma lucidum with both hands, straightened up, placed it on the counter, glanced at the shopkeeper, and bent down again to continue picking...
The Ganoderma lucidum was laid out in a row, and sweat streamed down Xiaoyue's face. Because of the long walk, the sweat had left deep lines. The shopkeeper asked his servant to bring out a new cloth and handed it to Xiaoyue with a smile.
Xiaoyue didn't think much of it, and smiled as she took the cloth and wiped herself. When she looked at the cloth, her face turned green. She looked at the shopkeeper awkwardly, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet.
She hesitated, unsure whether to hand the cloth to the shopkeeper or not. Just then, the shopkeeper noticed Xiaoyue's unease and said calmly, "We have many in our clinic, all for you. If you don't mind, you can keep them."
"Thank you, shopkeeper." Although Xiaoyue was grateful to the shopkeeper, she was also wondering if she would have to sell the Ganoderma lucidum for less money. Feeling uneasy, Xiaoyue couldn't say anything and could only quietly wait for the shopkeeper to adjust the price.
The shopkeeper stroked his beard for a moment, then tapped the largest Ganoderma lucidum with his index finger, put it in his mouth, nodded, and said to Xiaoyue, "I'll give you three hundred coins for each of these eight Ganoderma lucidum, so I'll give you two taels and five mace for all eight."
Xiaoyue didn't know how much the Ganoderma lucidum was worth, but seeing that the shopkeeper was very kind, and that it was her first time selling something, and that the shopkeeper had given her a generous amount—a farmer's family earns less than one tael of silver a year, and the shopkeeper gave her two taels and five mace of silver—Xiaoyue felt that was enough.
As the shopkeeper flipped through the silver coins, he said to Xiaoyue, "There are many medicinal herbs in the mountains. If you pick them, bring them to me, and I will give you a fair price."
Xiaoyue saw the shopkeeper take two silver ingots and place them in his palm, then count the copper coins one by one, his eyes shining. She smiled and said, "I don't know anything about medicinal herbs. I've only seen Ganoderma lucidum before, so I picked these to bring to you. I'm not familiar with medicinal herbs."
The shopkeeper looked up at Xiaoyue, put the money in his hand on the counter, and said to Xiaoyue, "Check if it's enough." Xiaoyue quickly wrapped the money in the leaves of a Ganoderma lucidum plant and was about to stuff it into her bosom.
The shopkeeper quickly stopped Xiaoyue from doing so, and while doing so, he took off the money bag from his waist and said to Xiaoyue, "This was given to me by an old friend. Back then, I was about the same as you, an apprentice. When the boss took me on house calls, he gave me tips, but I didn't have anywhere to put them. So today I'll give this to you. Don't look at how worn it is; it might bring you good luck."
Xiaoyue glanced awkwardly at Manager Tong and accepted it without feeling embarrassed.
The innkeeper started chatting again, "Girl, where do you live? Where did you pick the Ganoderma lucidum?"
Seeing that the shopkeeper was kind, giving her a cloth to wipe her sweat and a money bag, Xiaoyue smiled and said, "Niukou Village is right below Xiao Ma Hutou."
While tidying up the Ganoderma lucidum, the shopkeeper replied, "Little Ma Hu produces Astragalus membranaceus."
Xiaoyue picked up the fallen leaves and said frankly, "I don't recognize astragalus. I'll ask around sometime and bring it to you when I receive it." Xiaoyue smiled and picked up the basket.
"You're here again?" the shopkeeper greeted Xiaoyue with a smile.
"Okay, okay," Xiaoyue said as she walked out the door.
The shopkeeper called over a young waiter and instructed him: "If any patients from Niukou Village come, inquire about Xiaoyue's condition."
He then sat down at the consultation desk to write a letter.
As soon as Xiaoyue left the house, she started thinking about what she needed to buy for her home.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com