Chapter 55

* * *

“Uncle, I overheard a conversation earlier. They said there’s an incredible herbalist in the inner part of the western street.”

“Incredible herbalist?”

“Apparently, all the best herbs from the herbalist’s shop were picked by this herbalist.”

“Then, shall we visit that place last before we head back?”

“Yes!”

But Danmook Seong shook his head.

“Since we’re out, we should buy some gifts for the family before we go back.”

Danmook Xianwu agreed with his nephew’s sensible suggestion. After all, he couldn’t exactly call a bundle of herbs a gift.

“Then….”

“I noticed a jewelry shop on the way here.”

“Great, then we’ll see the herbalist first and then stop by that shop. What do you think?”

Both girls nodded vigorously.

* * *

They arrived at a small, shabby hut. The back was densely overgrown with trees, and the front yard was stark, basking in the bright sunlight. A broken fence was barely held together with ropes.

“Is this… the place?”

At that moment, a girl carrying a basket full of dried herbs stopped when she saw them.

She had a thin face with sharp, upward-slanting eyes that exuded a sense of determination.

“Who are you?”

The girl asked defensively.

It was indeed a peculiar group to visit such a remote and dilapidated place: a young man who had just passed his youth, and two young girls.

But Lian suppressed her longing and kept it to herself.

The girl was Yaoyue Qing.

Her young and delicate face was tanned from spending the whole day in the mountains, and her limbs were thin, indicating a life of hardship.

Yaoyue Qing

Trait: Bamboo / Unforgetting / Child of the Mountain

Talent and Wisdom: Medium-Medium

Worry: How can I get my next meal?

Lian composed herself and pointed to the basket Yaoyue Qing was holding.

“I came to buy herbs.”

“Here… really?”

Doubt and disbelief mixed in Yaoyue Qing’s eyes. Lian smiled and nodded.

Words appeared above Yaoyue Qing’s basket.

Dried Dousongzi Berries

Condition: Best

The best quality that even the herbalist’s shop they visited earlier couldn’t match!

“Grandma! Grandma, we have visitors! Um, please come inside.”

Yaoyue Qing, seeing Lian’s eyes light up at the herbs, shouted to the inside and guided them in.

A small annex was arranged like a tiny pharmacy, and a gentle breeze brought a fresh, crisp scent to their noses.

“Do you need any specific herbs?”

Yaoyue Qing, with quick movements, took out a shelf and climbed up to put the dried Dousongzi berries into a drawer while asking.

Lian looked around and then answered the question.

‘Not much in quantity, but most are of the best quality, and a few are good.’

“Yes, bellflower.”

“What do you need it for?”

“To make bellflower syrup.”

After hearing Lian’s answer, the girl, who had been thinking with her mouth tightly closed, brought out a bundle of processed bellflowers.

Four roots, three in each small basket.

Lian took a sharp breath as soon as she saw them. A refreshing air surrounded the bellflowers. This was the best quality she had ever seen.

“Um, for a basket like this… 5 coins…?”

“…?”

Yaoyue Qing spoke cautiously, worried that Lian might leave if she heard the price.

Five coins was a price that a whole family couldn’t even afford a bowl of noodles.

“Um, then… 4 coins…?”

Lian frowned and glared at the basket. The herbalist they visited earlier had asked 40 coins for a basket of bellflowers.

“Who would buy at that price?”

“Ah… no, but… even at the Qingyun Herbalist’s shop nearby….”

Yaoyue Qing, shrinking her shoulders, tried to explain.

“Do they sell it for 4 coins here?”

“Actually, it’s 3 coins there… but buying directly from me, even at 4 coins, is cheaper than buying from the herbalist’s shop….”

Yaoyue Qing stammered, trying to justify it.

Lian clenched her fists. She understood why the shopkeeper had spoken cautiously.

The shopkeeper had been taking advantage of Yaoyue Qing, buying herbs at a low price and reselling them at an exorbitant price!

Or rather, it wasn’t an exorbitant price. Considering the quality of the herbs, it was a fair price.

But buying at 3 coins and selling at 40 coins…

“Do you know how much they sell these herbs for there?”

Yaoyue Qing hesitated in response to Lian’s question.

“6 coins…?”

Lian looked up at the sky for a moment. The autumn sky was clear and blue, without a single cloud.

‘That scoundrel…’

A girl living with her grandmother, in an old house, young but desperate and skilled—she had clearly been taken advantage of.

Danmook Xianwu, who had been listening silently, also understood the situation and clicked his tongue.

“Even as a merchant, you have no principles.”

The atmosphere became tense, and Yaoyue Qing became even more restless.

Lian almost laughed at the clumsy appearance of Yaoyue Qing, different from the one she knew, but the laughter faded when she thought about why Yaoyue Qing was so anxious.

Lian asked Yaoyue Qing to pack the herbs and pay a fair price, then turned to Danmook Xianwu.

“Among the herbs I’ve seen so far, the ones Yaoyue Qing picked are the best. I think it would be good to buy herbs from here for our pharmacy.”

“Is this place better than Hoxian’s Corner?”

“Yes!”

“But isn’t she too young?”

Danmook Xianwu whispered.

“Being young doesn’t mean she lacks skill or talent.”

Danmook Xianwu, who had been staring at Lian, nodded.

Being young doesn’t mean one lacks skill or talent, and the person saying this was a living proof.

“Alright, let’s do it. I don’t want to leave someone with such talent without proper treatment.”

Danmook Xianwu finished the negotiation.

“Since she can’t handle the quantity alone, I’d like to continue the partnership with Hoxian’s Corner for the shortfall. Is that okay?”

“Yes!”

While Danmook Xianwu and Lian were quickly discussing, Yaoyue Qing, who had finished packing the bellflowers, appeared, holding them and hesitating.

“Is this… really true?”

“Yes. And I’d like to continue the business. Is that possible?”

“With… me?”

“Yes. I want to buy herbs from you for our pharmacy.”

Yaoyue Qing, with a look of disbelief, blinked her eyes and then suddenly rushed inside as if she had been hit.

“Grandma! Grandma!”

The sound of dishes being overturned and hurried footsteps echoed, and soon an old woman, leaning on a cane and holding Yaoyue Qing’s arm, appeared.

“Grandma, these are the people!”

“What? I said we’re not running a shop.”

“No, they’re not buying the shop. They want to buy the herbs I pick continuously!”

Yaoyue Qing shouted.

The old woman narrowed her eyes and looked at Lian, Danmook Xianwu, and Danmook Seong in turn. Then she pointed to the bellflowers Yaoyue Qing had packed and scolded her.

“How can you sell things to customers with such poor packaging? Go and redo it!”

She slapped Yaoyue Qing’s back. Yaoyue Qing, with a pained expression, twisted her back and went back inside with the bundle of bellflowers.

The surroundings became incredibly quiet after the small girl left. The old woman cleared her throat and asked Danmook Xianwu.

“So, what do you mean by wanting to continue the business…?”

The old woman looked at Danmook Xianwu, who in turn looked at Lian. Lian, glancing at where the girl had disappeared, said.

“Well, I want to buy herbs from this herbalist’s shop consistently in the future.”

“Who are you…?”

The old woman narrowed her eyes.

Her surprise grew when she realized that the young girl was the one making the decision.

Lian, realizing she hadn’t properly introduced herself, said awkwardly.

“I’m from the Danmook Family.”

The old woman’s eyes widened.

“The Danmook Family? The one that recently beat the Jin Family’s young master?”

“It wasn’t a beating, just a bit of a scuffle.”

Lian laughed and waved her hand.

The old woman’s eyes darted back and forth, as if calculating something in her head.

“Ahem. As you can see, all the herbs here are picked by Yaoyue Qing….”

“Yes. That’s why I want to do business with you.”

“Really? What makes you say that?”

“The bellflowers, and the other herbs too.”

Lian looked at a makeshift tent in the yard, where she saw dried herbs. To her, everything she saw was “Best Quality!”

Before anything else, this was something she had to secure. She had to secure this place! It felt like a miracle that other pharmacies hadn’t noticed this place yet.

Probably because they didn’t trust a young herbalist like Yaoyue Qing.

“But if we don’t sell to others, what if we have leftovers…?”

“We’ll buy everything. We want to use the best herbs in Zhejiang Province at the Danmook Family’s pharmacy.”

The old woman flinched at the words “the best herbs in Zhejiang Province.” Her hand tightened on the cane, and her Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Do you… know Master Ling…?”