Chapter 44: Selling Medicinal Herbs

"I heard that item came from Hanshan Temple in Lingchuan City. Hanshan Temple is extremely divine and responsive!"
"Who knows what kind of background the Peng family has? So wealthy. Things prayed for at Hanshan Temple certainly don't come cheap!"
As a few peddlers chatted away, their eyes locked onto Zhang Yang once more.
"Didn't you actually pick up that item, kid? Hearing what we just said, are you planning not to return it?"
"However, an amulet like that is tied to its owner! Only when the rightful master holds it does it work; it's useless in anyone else's hands! Who knows, it might even bring bad luck. If you keep holding onto it, it will likely work against you. You'd better hurry up and pass it off to the Peng family."
Zhang Yang continued to play dumb. "I specifically came to sell mountain goods today. I don't even know where I randomly stuffed that thing. Once I sell my goods in a bit, I'll search through my pockets properly."
He glanced around, failing to spot anyone dressed similarly to Old Fourth Peng, and added, "I don't see anyone from their family looking around either. Once they come searching, I'll cross-reference with them to see if it's the item they're looking for."
Hearing this, the surrounding peddlers split into two groups.
One group cared about what mountain goods he had brought.
The other group, bored stiff, tucked their hands into their sleeves and wandered around to see if they might run into someone from the Peng family.
This wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts, of course.
Mostly, it was just too freezing cold, and squatting or lurking in one spot was utterly dull!
Better to see if this situation had any follow-up.
If they could act as matchmakers and lend a hand, they might even get a little tip from the Peng family—still better than making a fruitless trip with nothing to show for it.
The desolate black market grew a bit more lively due to the shuffling of these few people.
One of the peddlers, seeming to just notice that Zhang Yang was pushing a bicycle, teased, "When I saw you slip into the cellar last time, I thought that gang had completely bled you dry. I never expected you'd have money left over to buy a bicycle."
Another nearby held a different opinion.
"This bicycle clearly isn't his. The model is unmistakably something a young woman would like! Come on, you've only been to town twice—whose heart have you already won?"
"The young man has a promising future."
Everyone looked at Zhang Yang as if viewing the ultimate freeloader living off a woman.
Zhang Yang didn't mind at all. "Everyone's luck is different. Some people have financial luck or windfall luck; perhaps my romantic luck is just better."
"Hahaha!"
The chatting group burst into hearty laughter, and their impressions of Zhang Yang improved even further during the banter.
They led Zhang Yang over to a specific vendor.
"This is Brother Huai, who has been buying medicinal herbs at the black market year-round. Take your things out and let Brother Huai take a look."
"Coming right up." Zhang Yang nimbly unloaded the bamboo basket from his back.
Before leaving the hospital, he had layered these herbs: the old wild ginseng at the very bottom, separated from the rest by his woolen scarf.
The other herbs were neatly stacked. Even with the bumpy journey along the way causing a slight mix-up, they were far from needing to be reorganized.
In a flash, he pulled everything out of the basket and laid it on the ground.
The peddler known as Brother Huai immediately squatted down to inspect the goods.
He picked out two or three clumps of dirt, gripped them in his palm, weighed them, rubbed them, smelled them, and even popped one into his mouth to bite it.
The inspection process was completed swiftly.
"These herbs of yours are decent enough. Sell them all to me together; like I said, I'll give you thirty yuan total."
Zhang Yang genuinely didn't know the market price of these herbs, but he didn't agree too readily this time either.
After hearing Brother Huai's quote, he quietly consulted the kind-hearted person who had brought him over.
"Are there other herb buyers in this black market? I'd like to ask around for more prices."
"Because I didn't come alone this time. I ran into some... well, that brother of mine you guys saw last time. He got into a fight and injured his head, and now he's laid up in the county hospital."
"His medical bills and hospital fees haven't been paid yet, and since I only have this handful of mountain goods, naturally I want to get a good price for them."
Since they were all in business, they understood the logic of shopping around.
Someone whispered advice from behind him, "Brother Huai's price here is fair. If you go ask elsewhere, the prices will be about the same. Since he's buying the whole lot, it saves you the trouble of selling them piece by piece."
Zhang Yang put on a troubled expression, as if he couldn't quite make up his mind yet.
At that moment, a loud dog bark echoed from not far away.
Zhang Yang felt a surge of excitement inside!
Could that scarred older brother from last time be here too?!
He looked left and right, hoping to catch sight of a familiar figure, but right then, Brother Huai spoke up.
"I bet you didn't just dig up these few dirt clumps. You've got other treasures hidden at the bottom of your basket, right?"
The question came out of nowhere, and Zhang Yang's expression instantly betrayed him.
"Y-You, how did you know?"
He clutched his bamboo basket tightly, a chill running down his spine.
Brother Huai grinned. "Bring out the treasure at the very bottom of your mind—let me see. That thing should be valuable enough to cover your brother's medical expenses right here."
Zhang Yang refused, maintaining a stubborn expression as if he still wanted to shop around.
Brother Huai cut straight to the point:
"How about this! If you don't trust me, I'll go call the other herb-buying brothers over. I'll let them give you quotes one by one, and you can decide who to sell to in the end. How does that sound?"
"The herbs you've brought out right now aren't rare items to me. They're good stuff, but if you're not willing to sell to me, there's nothing I can do."
"What I'm really curious about is what on earth is at the very bottom of your basket."
Hearing this made it clear that Brother Huai was also a straightforward man.
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to go rally the others.
Seeing this, Zhang Yang relented and called out to stop Brother Huai.
"You're the expert, and I'm an amateur. I only got lucky this one time and gathered these dirt clumps, so I naturally wanted to ask around and hear the prices. I'm just afraid of getting cheated..."
The older peddlers around them chuckled.
"This kid has a head for business."
"Having a strapping young man like this in the family is a blessing. He knows how to hunt and how dig up medicine. In a year when everyone else is struggling to find food, he's already figuring out how to make extra money."
Amidst the joking compliments, Brother Huai couldn't help but look at Zhang Yang with newfound respect.
"With so many people here witnessing this, nobody's going to rob your treasure. Take the thing out and let me help you estimate its value. If you think it's fair, sell it to me; if not, you're free to ask around elsewhere."
Completely at ease now, Zhang Yang nodded happily and agreed, "Alright then! I'll have to ask you to appraise a treasure!"
Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Zhang Yang retrieved from the very bottom of the backpack an incomplete yet aged piece of old wild ginseng.
The moment the item was pulled out and everyone focused their eyes on it, low gasps instantly escaped their lips.
"It truly is a treasure. No wonder he hid it like that."
"A piece like this—you'd only ever see one in the entire Maoli Town! Across Zhenhai City as a whole, it's probably drop-dead rare!"