Chapter 45: Selling the Old Wild Ginseng

"You lucky bastard, to actually dig this up!"

"I heard that scouring the mountains across all the surrounding villages and towns would barely yield a single wild ginseng like this. This thing can save lives at a critical moment, and wealthy families are fighting over each other to get it."

Seizing the opening, Zhang Yang chimed in, "I don't know any wealthy families... Besides, rich folks aren't necessarily kind and good-hearted. What if they see that a poor kid like me doesn't know the market and tries to cheat me? That's why I wanted to come to the black market to ask around first."

Brother Huai extended three fingers directly toward him, "One final price, three hundred. Think about it!"

Three hundred!

That was a lot of money!

He had to work himself to the bone, risking life and limb to sell three wolves, just to make three hundred.

And a single wild ginseng root the size of a palm could actually sell for three hundred!

Looking at it through horizontal comparison, this sum of money was certainly not small.

Yet, thinking of the price wild ginseng would command in later generations, Zhang Yang still hesitated.

Someone nearby sighed, "Three hundred isn't enough for you? You're getting a bit greedy, kid!"

Brother Huai also showed a hint of displeasure.

However, Zhang Yang remained silent, simply clutching the wild ginseng tightly in his hand.

"I heard the elders in our settlement say that this thing can save a life at a critical moment. Surely a human life is worth more than just three hundred?"

"That depends entirely on whose life it is!"

Another person advised him, "Didn't you just say it yourself? You have no connections, and you don't know any prominent families. If you take this thing there, they might not even believe you. They might cut off a piece of it and say, 'Let's test it to see if it's real.' A slice here and a slice there, and before you know it, instead of selling it, your stuff will be completely eaten up and gone by others!"

Suddenly, Zhang Yang squatted down on the ground and feigned crying.

"We are hunters, and my whole family relies on these treasures from the mountains to make a living... It's not that I'm trying to demand an astronomical price for this wild ginseng, I just want it to sell for what it's truly worth."

Right at that moment, someone else approached.

The newcomer said nothing, yet caused the onlookers gathered around to automatically clear a path.

Zhang Yang opened his eyes, which he had rubbed red with force, and looked toward the newcomer.

This time, the person holding the German Shepherd had changed; it was an unfamiliar face, but his attire and posture were similar to those of the driver who had driven for the scarred man earlier.

Roughly speaking, they must have been from the same crowd.

"Sir, are you interested in this wild ginseng?" Brother Huai asked politely.

Hearing Brother Huai's attitude shift so drastically, Zhang Yang became even more certain that these people's backgrounds were not simple.

He took out the wild ginseng that had been resting in his palm and held it out right before the man's eyes.

The man holding the dog did not move, but asked indifferently, "Ginseng? That is indeed a rare treasure."

Brother Huai forced a laugh, "Since your master has taken a fancy to it, why don't you name the price? I won't take it in on my end!"

"No need, I'm just here to take a look," the dog-handler said.

Brother Huai breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

The dog-handler looked at Zhang Yang, "Old Huai's prices for acquiring medicine around these parts are fair. You can trust him."

Zhang Yang's heart sank.

He felt as though the matter was now set in stone, leaving no room to negotiate the price.

Three hundred, then three hundred it is...

Just as he was about to relent, the dog-handler spoke again, "However, last autumn, I heard that the Li family of Zhenhai City had someone go out of town to acquire a wild ginseng root that was over thirty years old, and it cost close to a thousand back then."

Nearly a thousand!

Everyone around involuntarily let their eyes gleam.

Brother Huai spoke a word of truth, "Rare medicinal herbs are always like this. If you happen to run into an emergency, the price is negotiable! But if you lack luck and spend a fortune to acquire it, only to have it sit in your hands and fail to sell, you'll end up taking a loss. There's always a risk..."

Hardening his heart, Zhang Yang clearly stated his position, "Then I won't ask for too much. Six hundred yuan, and I'll sell you this wild ginseng! Money and goods exchanged in full, clean and clear. No matter how high a price you manage to sell it for later on, I won't ask about it anymore!"

Everyone uniformly turned their gaze toward Brother Huai.

Three hundred jumped to six hundred—what would he do now?

Today's show was truly fascinating!

Now it was Brother Huai's turn to hesitate.

The dog-handler looked at Brother Huai.

"Old Huai, if you want to acquire this ginseng but don't have that much cash on hand, I can stand as your guarantor. You can go borrow some from those folks down in the cellar, write an IOU, and pay them back later when you have it."

Delighted, Brother Huai said, "Thank you, sir!"

With that, the two of them headed toward the cellar.

Cradling his back basket, Zhang Yang waited in place.

The peddlers all around became animated and gathered around Zhang Yang to chat.

"You lucky bastard, making connections with this gentleman last time you sold wolves is the only reason they came out to speak up for you today."

"Yeah, they usually only hang around the black market and rarely get involved in buying and selling. To think that both times they've come by, it had something to do with you, kid."

Hearing this, Zhang Yang felt tempted and couldn't help probing, "Just who is this gentleman anyway?"

"Don't ask! If you ask, they might not help you anymore in the future," everyone chorused.

Zhang Yang had no choice but to temporarily rein in his curiosity.

He was indeed too ordinary right now—just a poor kid who had walked out of a remote mountain settlement; how could he possibly rub shoulders with people of such social standing?

Still, there was a long way to go.

He would eventually have the opportunity to make their acquaintance!

During the time it took for Brother Huai and the others to return, Zhang Yang's stomach was growling with hunger.

He had money on him, but not wanting others to know, he deliberately went to the old man selling flatbreads to ask if he could buy two flatbreads on credit first.

The old man had long since heard others discussing the wild ginseng and knew this kid was about to come into a large sum of money, so he was naturally willing to make an exception for a wealthy patron.

"For such a strapping young lad like you, are two flatbreads enough? Buy five, and I'll give you a cheaper rate. The original price is seven cents each, but if you buy five all at once, I'll calculate the total as thirty-two cents."

Zhang Yang wasn't stingy either, "Then give me ten flatbreads! I'll give you sixty-five cents!"

The people nearby laughed, "You're quite righteous! You haven't even eaten yet, and you're already thinking of your buddy's share!"

Zhang Yang smiled modestly, "We're brothers who have been through thick and thin together. Since they look out for me, I naturally have to look out for them too."

The dog-handler had just returned and happened to catch those exact words.

Through thick and thin...

The kid didn't look very old, so why did he speak with such worldly weariness?

He clearly looked like he had been raised in times of peace, so theoretically he shouldn't have witnessed the cruelty of bloody combat.

No wonder the commander had told him to keep a closer eye on him earlier.

This fellow truly possessed the potential of a hard-boiled warrior.

"The money is here," the dog-handler said, looking toward Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang looked over. Sixty large-denomination bills, stacked together, formed quite a sizable pile!

Brother Huai also seemed not to have done such a large deal in a long time; his face radiated with joyful delight.

He took the wild ginseng from Zhang Yang, touching it over and over in his hands as if his fortune and prosperity for the rest of his life depended entirely on this little thing.

The other peddlers were also curious—many of them had never laid eyes on such a rare treasure before. Coupled with watching him actually trade it for so much money right before their eyes, their interest was piqued even further, and they swarmed around Brother Huai, demanding that he tell them all about the wild ginseng.