Chapitre 22: Chapter 22: More Than I Expected
It took about half an hour to dig up the ginseng.
Following Cui Hongyu's instructions, after digging up all the roots, Chen Xiaobei carefully placed them into a cloth bag and tucked it into his shirt. He quickly hurried back home.
At this point, he could only keep the spot where he had seen the wild chickens fly in mind, and plan to return and find them after selling the ginseng.
When he reached the village entrance, the scene before him moved him deeply.
Cui Hongyu was holding a kettle of water with an iron pot, watering the vegetables, while Chen Qiao'er was holding a small twig and digging at something in the ground beside her.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei, his little sister, Chen Qiao'er, stood up and came over to him, pointing at the spot where she had been working.
"Brother, I don't know who did it, but someone brought poop to our field."
The speaker was innocent, but the listener took it seriously.
Chen Xiaobei's mind shifted. Yes, poop.
Even in the 20th century, human and animal manure was still an important component of fertilizer in vegetable gardens, primarily because farm manure decomposes easily.
Thinking of this, he chuckled and patted Chen Qiao'er's head.
"Qiao'er, this isn't bad. We're just overthinking it. If we bury this poop in the ground, the vegetables will grow very well."
At these words, Chen Qiao'er's eyes lit up as she fluttered her big eyes and asked.
"Brother, then if we bury the poop, the vegetables won't have a smell, will they?"
This... Chen Xiaobei, for a moment, didn't know how to explain to his little sister.
"Don't worry, they won't."
At that moment, Cui Hongyu came over, slightly bowing to Chen Xiaobei, "Husband, before you came, the rice porridge at home was already ready, just waiting for you to eat."
Alright, at this moment, Chen Xiaobei knew his best choice was to simply comply.
As soon as he entered the house, before Cui Hongyu could begin preparing the meal, Chen Xiaobei had already taken the ginseng from his chest.
"Hongyu, look, these are from the mountain. How do you think they look?"
Cui Hongyu nodded, then carefully examined them, a look of joy gradually appearing in her eyes.
"Husband, this one is seven years old, this one is ten years."
As she spoke, she placed the ginseng on the table one by one. Finally, she took out the largest one, and after inspecting it, the joy in her eyes became even brighter.
"Husband, this one must be at least thirty years old. If we take it to the medicine shop, it could sell for at least one or two silver."
Unbelievable, Chen Xiaobei's eyes also showed an expression of astonishment. He thought it was valuable, but didn't expect it to be this valuable.
"Hongyu, really? Can it really be worth so much?"
Cui Hongyu nodded, "Husband, once you take these to the pharmacy, you'll understand."
After drinking two bowls of rice porridge, Chen Xiaobei couldn't wait to rush to the county town.
His goal was clear — the largest pharmacy in the county, known as Hua Hao Tang.
The shop assistant, upon seeing Chen Xiaobei enter, clearly showed a hint of disdain in his eyes.
He approached Chen Xiaobei and cupped his hands, "Young master, what can I do for you?"
Though he called him young master, the phrase "What can I do for you?" was clearly said with disdain.
But since the assistant didn't openly show disrespect, Chen Xiaobei didn't want to cause a scene. He simply nodded at the assistant and took the ginseng out of his chest, pulling out one root.
"I dug up a few rare items. I'd like to see what price you offer."
The assistant glanced at the ginseng in his hand, and his eyes brightened with surprise, "This... where did you get this?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled indifferently.
"An occasional find in the mountains. I'm not sure if you can give a good price."
The assistant looked at him, cupped his hands, and said, "Please wait here." He turned and ran toward the back room.
Soon, an elderly man, his hair and beard all white, walked out with the assistant.
The elderly man approached Chen Xiaobei and gave a slight bow. "I am Jia Wannian, the owner of Hua Hao Tang."
"Young master, could I take a closer look at the ginseng?"
Well, since you're the owner, I'll let you have a better look.
This time, Chen Xiaobei pulled out the oldest root, which, according to Cui Hongyu, was over thirty years old.
Indeed, when Jia Wannian saw this ginseng, excitement flashed in his eyes.
He took it carefully, examined it thoroughly, and then gently returned it to Chen Xiaobei's hands.
"Young master, let's go discuss this over there."
Saying this, he gestured to the assistant, who immediately turned and left.
Jia Wannian led Chen Xiaobei deeper into the shop, where there was a table and a few chairs.
Jia Wannian gestured for Chen Xiaobei to sit down, and soon, the assistant brought over a cup of tea.
Seeing the tea, Chen Xiaobei understood that Jia Wannian wanted to have a proper conversation with him.
Sure enough, Jia Wannian politely invited him to drink the tea and smiled as he said, "Young master, these ginseng roots you have, what price are you hoping for?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled indifferently, and according to the estimate given by Cui Hongyu, he extended his hand and showed five fingers.
"I have a total of seven ginseng roots. This is the total price."
To be honest, he took the ginseng out of his chest, one by one, and laid them out on the table.
Jia Wannian's eyes were full of astonishment. Perhaps he expected Chen Xiaobei to have some ginseng, but he didn't expect him to have so many.
Jia Wannian picked up each root and examined them one by one, nodding in satisfaction.
"Not bad, these are all authentic wild ginseng. Five taels of silver is a reasonable price. Please wait while I get your silver."
It wasn't long before Jia Wannian returned with a cloth bag in his hand. He gently placed the bag on the table. "Young master, please count. There are exactly five taels."
Chen Xiaobei glanced at the bag but didn't immediately open it or count the coins inside.
He still believed in basic trust between people.
He cupped his hands to Jia Wannian, took the cloth bag, and was about to leave when Jia Wannian called out to him.
"Please, young master, wait a moment. I have a few more words to say."
Chen Xiaobei stopped, turned around, and said, "Jia shopkeeper, if you have anything to say, just let me know."
Jia Wannian chuckled, "Not an order, but if you come across any more medicinal herbs, feel free to bring them straight here."
"If you find too many, just let me know, and I'll personally send people to collect them."
Chen Xiaobei took this as a polite gesture.
After all, it seemed impossible that he would ever find so many medicinal herbs.
Leaving Hua Hao Tang, Chen Xiaobei felt light and joyful.
He had earned five taels of silver, which would be more than enough for the wild chickens he had caught.
He didn't linger in the county town and immediately turned to head home.
When he got home, without saying a word, Chen Xiaobei stepped forward, picked up Cui Hongyu, and lifted her into the air.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone