Chapter 52 (2/2)

Feng Yu Heng and company walked in and heard him say: “This is 500 year old ginseng. I tell you, old sir, if it weren’t for you saying your boss was severely ill and needed ginseng to save his life, I wouldn’t ever take out something this good.”

The old man looked at the thing in the shopkeeper’s hand and repeatedly waved his hand: “I don’t need something this good. How much would a 500 year old ginseng cost? Even if I sold my family’s land, I still could not afford it!”

“Ah!?” The shopkeepers patted his shoulder: “Old sir, I could tell that you are not an exceptionally generous person, so I did not bring out the thousand-year-old ginseng. But for what reason are you buying ginseng? It’s to save a life! The ten-year and few-hundred year ones, what if they aren’t enough? Wouldn’t your money be wasted! Money is a worldly possession, so protecting your life is what’s most important!”

“But… but I don’t have money!” The old man was frustrated and began scouring his bags.

The shopkeeper’s eyes stared at the small cloth bag that the old man pulled out. Each and every one was just a silver piece. Put together, it was not more than twenty taels.

“This was what I could collect from everyone in the village, but it still is not enough for 500 year old ginseng!”

The shopkeeper curled his lips in contempt, “It’s a little lacking.” Then waved his hand: “It’s fine. Hundred Herb Hall treats healing the sick as most important. We can’t turn away a patient because they don’t have money!” As he spoke, he took the money from the old man’s hands. That old man, however, was very unwilling and wanted to take it back, but he could not overpower the shopkeeper. “Come, take care of the ginseng!” The shopkeeper stuffed the so-called 500 year old ginseng in to the old man’s hands, “Quickly go back and save your boss’ life!”

The old man, seeing that the ginseng was in hand, became so grateful that he did not know what to say. He simply knelt down and kowtowed to the shopkeeper: “Great well-doer! I will kowtow to you! Thank you for saving a life!”

The shopkeeper quickly helped him up: “Not at all, not at all! This is what the Hundred Herb Hall should do. Quickly return, saving their life is most important.”

Looking at the old man emotionally holding on to the ginseng faltering to leave, Huang Quan raised the corner of her lip: “Was that thing ginseng?”

Qing Yu also did not believe: “And 500 year old at that?”

Feng Yu Heng snorted: “It was just a tree root.” Then ordered Huang Quan “Go bring back that old man.”

Huang Quan nodded: “Then what will the young miss do?”

Feng Yu Heng raised her foot and headed in to Hundred Herb Hall: “It seems there are plenty of nice things in here. Since someone has already bought ginseng, then this young miss will go buy something else.”

Huang Quan giggled and chased after the old man. Qing Yu followed Feng Yu Heng in to Hundred Herb Hall.

The shopkeeper saw a decently-dressed young girl followed by a maidservant and knew that this was a big customer. He quickly invited them inside and gave them a seat and poured them tea. After busying himself for a while, he finally obsequiously asked Feng Yu Heng: “Does this young miss wish to buy medical herbs or request a doctor for a house visit?”

Feng Yu Heng asked: “Aside from selling medical herbs, you also have doctors?”

The shopkeeper proudly said: “Naturally! We at Hundred Herb have two doctors. They alternate each day. When one goes to make house visits, the other attends to Hundred Herb Hall.”

Feng Yu Heng nodded and looked around the hall before saying: “Yesterday, my mother fell ill. Doctor prescribed a glossy ganoderma and said the older the better. I heard that Hundred Herb Hall had the most complete collection, so I wanted to come and see. This girl’s family also does not understand too much. Originally, I was afraid to come out and buy expensive medical herbs for fear of being cheated, but seeing that old man just now be so grateful, I thought that such a large medicine hall wouldn’t cheat people.”

The shopkeeper, upon hearing these words, did not appear even the slightest embarrassed. Instead, he accepted what Feng Yu Heng said about “not understanding too much” and beamed while ordering a young helper: “Go! From the inner room’s dressed on the northern wall, in the sixth drawer on the third row, bring the thousand year glossy ganoderma.”

The helper reluctantly agreed, but glanced at Feng Yu Heng in worry. The shopkeeper called out: “Quickly go! What are you standing around for!”

Not long after, a wooden box was brought out by the helper. The helper was around fifteen or sixteen years old. He lowered his head and raised the box then, using the box to cover his face, winked at Feng Yu Heng.

Feng Yu Heng could see the helper mouth: “Do not buy.”

She nodded with a smile, keeping this little helper in mind.

The shopkeeper received the wooden box and kicked aside the helper. Then flatteringly brought it before Feng Yu Heng: “Young miss, please look.” As he spoke, he opened the box. A very large so-called glossy ganoderma appeared before Feng Yu Heng’s eyes. The shopkeeper continued: “Thousand year glossy ganoderma is truly rare!”

“Oh?” Feng Yu Heng raised an eyebrow and carefully inspected the ganoderma, “Is it really that rare? Then it seems that this Hundred Herb Hall really is a treasure.”

The shopkeeper was completely thinking of how to cheat her of her money, so he missed the meaning inside Feng Yu Heng’s words “Young miss is right. Just now, that old sir came to buy ginseng, as you saw. This Hundred Herb Hall does not care if it’s 500 year old ginseng or 1000 year old glossy ganoderma, so long as life can be preserved, any medical herb can be brought out!”

“Then what price does shopkeeper think to sell this glossy ganoderma at?” She squinted at the shopkeeper. With his shifty eyes, she could tell it wasn’t anything good.

“What does the young miss wish to pay?” The shopkeeper asked, “You should also know that 1000 year old glossy ganoderma is a truly hard to find item. This price could be excessive, but the young miss is buying this glossy ganoderma to save a life, so I wish to ask what the young miss is willing to pay? Offer up a price, if it is close enough, then I will wrap this glossy ganoderma up for you. Furthermore, saving life is most important. I could never risk your family madam’s life over a little money.”

If it were someone that did understood nothing, then they really would be moved by this shopkeeper.

But he could not move Feng Yu Heng because Feng Yu Heng clearly recognized that the box’s bullshit glossy ganoderma was really just some tree bark that looked like glossy ganoderma.

Passing off a tree root as ginseng and bark as glossy ganoderma. They truly were not wasteful.