Lu Chuan had already anticipated the shopkeeper's suggestion, so he explained it to him.
“I understand Uncle Zhang. If we were to sell them ourselves, we would be afraid of being cheated. We would appreciate it if Uncle Zhao could help us sell them. Consider these small ginseng roots as a thank you gift to Uncle Zhao. However, please do not tell anyone that these ginseng roots were dug by our family. Too many people will talk, and it may cause unnecessary trouble for our family.”
"No, this won't do. I'll definitely help, but I absolutely cannot accept these small ginseng roots. Don't worry, I'm not one to gossip. Apart from the three people here, no one else will know that you dug these ginseng roots," the pharmacy owner quickly assured him.
“These small ginseng roots aren’t worth much, Uncle Zhang, please accept them!” Lu Chuan advised.
"No, no, if you insist that I buy these ginseng, then I won't help you with this." The pharmacy owner refused directly.
Having heard the shopkeeper's words, Lu Chuan couldn't say anything more and could only agree with the shopkeeper's statement.
At worst, I'll just lower the price when I sell the ginseng to Uncle Zhang.
Xu Han remained silent throughout. These matters were not suitable for a woman like herself to take the lead; she wanted Lu Chuan to handle them himself.
I'll just quietly be a vase, a decoration!
Seeing Lu Chuan say this, the pharmacy owner spoke up again.
“Ginseng is rare, and ginseng that is over 100 years old is even rarer. This 150-year-old ginseng can sell for 1,800 taels of silver, and these two ginsengs that are about 120 years old can each sell for 1,200 taels of silver.”
The remaining ginseng might be cheaper, but all of it together could probably fetch around 2600 taels.
"It's a pity that our place is small, and this is the highest price we can offer. If we could take it to the capital to sell, the price would definitely be much higher."
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener, and Xu Han began to make her own plans.
Lu Chuan knew in his heart what the pharmacy owner had said that this was the situation, but the capital was too far away from here, and it would take more than two months to travel there and back! He had no way to go, nor did he want to go.
The price offered by the pharmacy owner is indeed high; it's fine to sell it directly.
Seeing this, Xu Han gave Lu Chuan a wink and whispered something.
After a long period of contact, Lu Chuan immediately understood Xu Han's intention. So he spoke to the pharmacy owner.
"We'll sell it to you directly at the price Uncle Zhang just mentioned. You can take it to the capital and sell it. We don't care how much you get for it; any extra is Uncle Zhang's reward for his hard work. I really can't leave home, otherwise I could go with you."
The pharmacy owner thought about it carefully and realized, "That's right! I can take it to the capital and resell it! This is a sure-fire way to make a profit!"
In the two months that it takes, if I repackage the ginseng properly, I can make at least two thousand taels of silver in net profit.
You know, the capital city is a place with no shortage of rich people. What is this little bit of money? What rich people care about most is their own lives.
Those powerful families will definitely be scrambling to buy it, and I also know some pharmacy owners in the capital, which will make things easier for me.
After thinking it through, he said to Lu Chuan, "You're a smart kid. I know some people in the capital, so I'm sure I can get a good price for it."
“However, I can’t make too much money off you. If I profit too much from the ginseng you worked so hard to dig up, I won’t feel at ease! How about this: after deducting my expenses along the way, we’ll split the extra profits 50/50.”
“No, Uncle Zhang, this money was earned by your own abilities. Even if we took it to the capital, we probably wouldn’t be able to sell it for such a high price. I can’t take this money.”
"Alright, stop refusing. Even if we split it 50/50, I'll still earn a good amount! Two months' worth is more than I could do in a year. If you don't agree, I won't go." Uncle Zhang refused directly.
"No, no, at most we can split it 20/80, I get 20% and you get 80%," Lu Chuan declined again.
Xu Han spoke up at the opportune moment, "Uncle Zhang, let's do as my husband says for now! If you make more money, just give us a bigger share; if you make less, give us a smaller share, or even nothing at all. The price you offered is already quite high, so we won't lose out."
The pharmacy owner thought about it and agreed. They didn't know the exact price yet. They decided to wait until they got back.
So they agreed to Xu Han's suggestion and stopped refusing.
The ginseng sold for a total of 6,800 taels of silver. Uncle Zhang scraped together the money and finally settled the account.
Lu Chuan told him to wait until he returned from the capital before giving him the money, but he refused, insisting on receiving it now. He said that the gifts had already been received, and since he trusted them so much, he had to live up to that trust.
The two had no choice but to accept the money and then sell the rest of the medicinal herbs.
The three of them then went out together. It was already around three o'clock in the afternoon. They had eaten lunch at the pharmacy and weren't hungry yet.
So they went straight to rent a carriage, and Uncle Zhang went with him to the money exchange to exchange the banknotes for silver.
The situation was unstable later on, and the money shops were also unstable, so it was more reassuring to exchange it for silver and keep it in hand.
With Uncle Zhang by their side, the silver exchange was quick, and it was done in no time.
When it was time to leave, Uncle Zhang refused Lu Chuan's offer to take him home, saying that the two of them should continue with their work and that he would be there soon after taking a short stroll.
The two stopped being polite, and as they were leaving, Xu Han couldn't help but say to Uncle Zhang...
"Uncle Zhang, the grain has just come in, and it's cheap right now. You should buy more and store it! For those of us who don't own land, it's better to take advantage of the low grain prices and store more grain."
The pharmacy owner's family owned a farm, but the annual output wasn't very high, so they still had to buy some grain every year.
Xu Han's sudden reminder was a bit of a surprise, but upon reflection, it made sense. Rather than waiting until there was no food left and having to buy it at a high price, it was better to buy more while the price was cheap now and save a little money. There was plenty of room at home to store it.
So he said to Xu Han, "Okay, I'll have your Aunt Zhang buy more later. They won't take up much space at home."
After saying that, they parted ways. Six thousand eight hundred taels of silver was indeed a lot. After Xu Han put the silver into her spatial storage, she drove her carriage to the general store.
Every time I go to town, I have to stop by the general store and buy all sorts of random things. This time I bought a lot more rock sugar, as well as a lot of other consumable items like jars and pots.
After buying their food, the two went to some other food shops and bought several portions from each one, accumulating quite a lot of food.
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