Yao Qingshuang pretended to be extremely reluctant to look at the two glass beads, her lips trembling slightly. After hesitating for a long time, she said, "Shopkeeper, I... I'm determined to pawn them. Right now, my family is really waiting for the rice to cook, so I can only take care of the present."
After saying this, she sighed softly, as if she had given up something extremely precious.
"Madam, these glass beads are so rare. Such exquisite things are hard to find. Our pawnshop will give you 1,000 taels of silver. Is that okay with you?" The shopkeeper stared at Yao Qingshuang, his eyes full of anticipation.
"1,000 taels?" Yao Qingshuang was shocked and thought to herself, Wow, is this glass bead so valuable?
She couldn't help but think that the entire Su family had only 18 taels of silver saved. The contrast was too huge, and she suddenly became very excited.
But she knew very well that she must not show it at this moment, so she quickly suppressed the joy in her heart, pretending to be in deep thought, frowning slightly, as if considering whether the price was appropriate.
When the shopkeeper saw that she didn't respond, he immediately panicked and was really afraid that the deal would be ruined.
After thinking for a moment, he quickly raised the price and said, "Look, if 1,000 taels doesn't work, how about 1,300 taels? Madam, this is really the highest price I can offer."
There was a hint of urgency in his voice, and he looked at Yao Qingshuang eagerly, hoping that she would nod in agreement.
When Yao Qingshuang heard that the shopkeeper had raised the price again, she was secretly happy, but she didn't dare to continue bargaining, for fear that the shopkeeper would go back on his word, so she nodded and agreed.
She carefully put away the 1,300 taels of silver, and the heavy feeling made her feel at ease.
Without further ado, she left the pawnshop briskly and headed straight for the livestock market to choose a suitable mule.
When we arrived at the market, it was bustling with activity, and the neighing of mules and horses could be heard one after another.
Yao Qingshuang looked carefully among the many mules and she took a fancy to a young and strong mule with a strong body and shiny fur.
After some bargaining, she bought the mule for only 30 taels and left with it contentedly.
Then she led the mule back to the grocery store.
The grocery store is well stocked with goods, and she has carefully selected all the necessary items according to the villagers' previous demands.
After everything was ready, she looked at the sky and decided to wait for Su Yuandong and the others at the city gate.
On the other side, Su Yuandong, Su Wenjun and Su Dazhuang followed closely in Doctor Bai's footsteps and hurried all the way to the drugstore.
There have been many injured and sick people in the village recently, and the medicinal herbs we brought with us have almost been used up. It seems that if we don’t replenish them, we will not be able to treat the villagers properly.
After a while, everyone arrived at the pharmacy.
As soon as he entered the pharmacy, Dr. Bai hurried to the counter and anxiously asked the shopkeeper about the recent prices of medicinal materials.
But when asked this question, everyone was stunned.
It turned out that the price of medicinal materials in this pharmacy had tripled compared to usual!
Doctor Bai's brows furrowed instantly, and he secretly groaned in his heart. The price increase was too outrageous. In this case, how much money would it cost to purchase all the necessary medicinal materials?
Doctor Bai subconsciously touched the ginseng in his arms, wondering what the current price of ginseng was. Doctor Bai sighed secretly, his face full of helplessness and regret. Then he slowly raised his head, looked at the shop owner, and asked softly, "Shopkeeper, I have a hundred-year-old ginseng here. I wonder what the current price is?"
When the shopkeeper heard that he had a hundred-year-old ginseng, he was secretly surprised. The magistrate's mother was sick and needed this hundred-year-old ginseng.
His eyes lit up instantly, and his face was filled with a flattering smile. He hurried out from behind the counter, rubbing his hands and saying, "Hey, doctor, you are such a rare guest. You said you have a hundred-year-old ginseng?
That's a real treasure! To be honest, the price of medicinal herbs has skyrocketed recently, and good ones are hard to come by. Take this century-old ginseng, for example. It's rare on ordinary days, and now it's even more expensive than it used to be."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper kept glancing at Doctor Bai's arms, as if he wanted to see the ginseng's appearance immediately.
Doctor Bai sighed softly upon seeing this, slowly took out a brocade box from his bosom, opened it carefully, and a century-old ginseng of excellent quality appeared before everyone.
I saw that the ginseng roots were thick and complete, the ginseng body was plump, and it faintly exuded a sense of spiritual energy. It was obviously a top-quality product.
The shopkeeper couldn't help but gasp, his eyes filled with surprise. He leaned forward, examined it carefully, and exclaimed in amazement: "Oh, this is a rare and fine ginseng, a real treasure. Doctor, since you asked about the price, I won't hide it from you. In our small place, if we sell it to those ordinary wealthy merchants, it will only get a thousand taels of silver at most. But..."
The shopkeeper deliberately dragged out his words, secretly observing Doctor Bai's expression from the corner of his eye, and continued, "The prefect's mother has been seriously ill recently, and he's sending people everywhere to find this century-old ginseng to save her life. If your ginseng can reach the prefect, it won't just be a matter of money. You might even get some benefits, and it will make things much easier for you in this city in the future."
Doctor Bai frowned slightly after hearing this, and weighed the options in his mind.
Nowadays, the prices of medicinal materials have risen so much that many of them are no longer priced in pharmacies. If ginseng can be sold at a good price, it will indeed solve the urgent problem.
But if I really sold it to the prefect, what if there was something fishy about it? Wouldn’t I be in trouble for no reason?
Su Dazhuang, who was standing by, also noticed Doctor Bai's dilemma. He gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Doctor Bai, you have to be careful about this. Although the price is attractive, there's no guarantee that something might go wrong if we sell it to the prefect."
Doctor Bai nodded slightly, looked at the shopkeeper and said, "Shopkeeper, thank you for telling me this, but this ginseng was not easy to come by, so I will think about it for a while."
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper was immediately anxious. He couldn't let this achievement go to waste. He hurriedly said, "Doctor, please don't hesitate. This opportunity is rare. If you don't trust me, I will send for the prefect's steward to come and discuss the price and terms with you in person. I guarantee you will be satisfied. What do you think?"
Doctor Bai looked embarrassed. Before he could reply, a sudden commotion erupted from the doorway of the pharmacy. Everyone turned to look and saw a group of soldiers escorting a richly dressed, arrogant man into the pharmacy. The shopkeeper took one look and hurriedly greeted him, bowing and saying, "Oh, Steward Li, you've arrived at the perfect time. I was just wondering about you. Here's a doctor with a hundred-year-old ginseng plant that's just right for the old lady."
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