Please remember the domain name of this site:
Chapter 49 Selling Ginseng
Shen Zian and Su Zhi agreed to leave the village early and go to the city to sell ginseng, and went to bed early. The next day, Shen Zian woke up before dawn, and as soon as he woke up, Su Zhi, who was sleeping in his arms, also woke up.
The two of them hurriedly combed their hair and washed their faces, took the things they had prepared before going to bed, locked the door, and left in a hurry.
It was just dawn, the coldest time of the day. Su Zhi lay on Shen Zian's back. Although she felt a little cold, her heart was warm. This man really loved her. She put her hands on his broad but thin shoulders and thought that it was good to live like this. Even if she was not rich, even if she had to endure hardships, she would be the happiest woman in the world if she had someone like him to take care of her.
"Zi'an, put me down and I'll go on my own."
Su Zhi also felt sorry for Shen Zian. She knew that he was very strong and was famous in the whole Hebian Village. But she still felt sorry for him. Even if she was lighter, she must have weighed 90 kilograms, right? She had been carrying him on her back for almost half an hour!
Shen Zian smiled and said, "It's okay, we'll be there soon. The road here is uneven, it would be bad if you sprain your ankle. I'm carrying you vigorously!"
Su Zhi patted his shoulder and said, "It's daytime now, I can see the road clearly. Besides, there are people on the road. If someone sees us, we'll be laughed at."
By this time the sun had risen and they had turned onto the main road leading into town and were beginning to see other people.
When Shen Zian heard that his wife was shy, he smiled, squatted down, gently put Su Zhi down, took the backpack from Su Zhi's back, held Su Zhi's hand, and then slowly walked forward. The two of them talked back and forth. Neither of them was a talkative person, but they could always find a topic to talk about, and their conversation was quite warm.
After walking for less than half an hour, we finally arrived at the town.
The name of this outlying town is Qingyun Town. It sounds nice, but in Su Zhi's opinion, it is just a larger and more prosperous village, equivalent to a modern village, a kind of urban-rural combination. There was such an outlying town where Su Zhi lived during her recuperation in her previous life. It was also a market gathering place, just like this place. But if you really want to go to the city, you have to go to the county town, where the county magistrate is stationed, and it is really considered a city.
Su Zhi and her friends were going to the county town, and this town was just a stopover for a quick tour. Shen Zian planned to rent a car here to go to the county town. It would take more than an hour to get from here to the county town, and he was reluctant to let Su Zhi walk any further.
By this time all the shops had opened and many people had started setting up their stalls. It was a busy day for the market and the scene was already beginning to get lively.
In order to travel faster, Shen Zian rented a moped.
Su Zhi sat in the car, looking at the streets that were becoming bustling on both sides. She felt that it was somewhat similar to a modern rural market, except that the clothes and goods on display were different. It felt like walking in a movie theater. She looked at the embroidery and cloth shops she passed by, thinking that she would buy more cloth here when she came back, and then ask the price of the brocade and purses she woven. Although it was only a small amount of money, it was a way to kill time and make money in her spare time in winter, so why not? If you want to make a fortune by farming with Lingquan, you have to wait until next spring!
The mule car quickly arrived at the county town. Shen Zian gave money to send the mule car away, then took Su Zhi to walk another street forward and arrived at a clinic that looked very large.
There are bluestone steps in front of the clinic, black doors and windows, and above the door hangs a large plaque with gold characters on a black background, which reads "Renjitang".
Shen Zian and Su Zhi walked in and saw that it was very spacious inside. Two young men were busy working and several people were getting medicine.
"My two guests, what do you need? Do you want to see a doctor, get medicine, or find someone?"
Shen Zian said, "We are here to sell medicinal herbs. This herb is quite precious, so we would like to invite someone who can make the decision to come and take a look."
The clerk said, "Please wait a moment. I will go and inform my boss."
The waiter walked into the counter, lifted a door curtain and went in. He saw a couple holding a child coming out, and then the waiter gave them medicine. I guess that was where the doctor saw patients, and it was also the passage leading to the inner hall.
After a while, the waiter came out and said, "Please come in, my two guests. My boss wants to see you."
Shen Zian and Su Zhi followed the waiter into the door and saw a passage with rooms on both sides. It seemed that this was where the doctor treated patients. After walking a few more steps and turning a corner, there was a door in front of them. The waiter called the shopkeeper and brought someone in. Then he opened the door and stood aside to gesture to Su Zhi and Shen Zian to come in.
Su Zhi followed Shen Zian in and felt that it was warmer inside than outside. She wondered when the charcoal was lit. This pharmacy is really rich. It seems that the ginseng can be sold for a good price.
This room was the best room Su Zhi had ever seen in ancient times. There were calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, and the tables and chairs were antique like those in TV dramas. The chairs were covered with cushions, and there were exquisite teapots and teacups on the table. Two teacups were now steaming.
There were two people sitting in the room, both middle-aged, one slightly fat, the other slightly thin. The fat one was obviously not as dignified as the thin one, and although he was also wearing silk, it was obviously not as good as the other. The status of the two people could immediately determine who was higher and who was lower, not to mention that the seat arrangement of the two of them could tell who was the host and who was the secondary.
"You said you had valuable medicinal herbs to sell?"
The fatter one was the one who was talking, while the thinner one was just watching.
Shen Zian bowed and said, "Excuse me, are you the shopkeeper here? Can you make the decision? To be honest, the herbs we brought this time are too expensive, so we didn't sell them in the town. We came to the county town specifically because we were afraid that they couldn't get them there. If we had time, we would have gone to the capital to sell them, but we had an emergency at home and couldn't leave, so we thought of selling them here."
Su Zhi thought that Shen Zian really didn't look like an ordinary country man. He didn't look like one, but when he spoke, he actually sounded quite domineering. He wasn't at all nervous talking business with this rich guy. She really felt lucky.
The two men began to look at the country couple in front of them. Although they were not dressed very well, they did not look rustic like ordinary peasants and farmers standing there. They looked like phoenixes flying out of a grass nest. Especially the woman. Although she covered her head, you could tell from the exposed skin that her complexion was not good. She was wearing half-worn clothes and did not look like a lady from a rich family. However, she looked very gentle and noble when she stood there. She seemed to be better than some ladies from rich families!
"I am the shopkeeper here. You can call me Shopkeeper Li. I wonder how you two should address me."
The slightly plump middle-aged man, Shopkeeper Li, asked.
Shen Zian said: "My last name is Shen, and I am the fourth child in my family. You can call me Shen Si. This is my wife."
Shopkeeper Li nodded, thinking that the man was very cautious in what he said. He began to be interested in the medicinal material that was called "precious". Those who opened a clinic or a drugstore all hoped to have good medicinal materials. Not to mention curing diseases and saving lives, it would be even better if they could become the treasure of the clinic.
"No matter what precious herbs you brought, even if it's dragon liver and phoenix brain, I'll take them. Now can you show me your herbs?"
Shen Zian took the backpack from behind, opened the lid, and took out several layers of ginseng wrapped in cloth. He held it in both hands to show Manager Li and the thin middle-aged man.
"This is——"
When Shopkeeper Li saw the ginseng, his eyes lit up. He stood up suddenly, walked to Shen Zian, and stared at the ginseng with an expression of disbelief.
"Is this ginseng a thousand years old?!"
The thin middle-aged man who had been looking into Su Zhi's eyes came over and his eyes lit up when he saw the ginseng. He came here for the best medicinal materials, and the ginseng was exactly what he needed. He didn't expect to come across such a good stuff so easily!
***Sorry, the internet is down at home.