Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn-Chapter 302 - 61: Fiery Eyes, Golden Gaze

After hearing the call, Huang Yaoshi apologetically nodded at Xiao Xian and Zeng Xuerou. Although there is a first come, first served principle in business, you can hardly turn away business that comes knocking, especially business that doesn’t come around often, can you?

Moreover, the visitor was here to sell ginseng. Just now, Huang Yaoshi had also mentioned to a wealthy man’s driver that wild ginseng is hard to come by these days, and good-year old wild ginseng is even rarer.

The seller who walked in looked polished, so the ginseng they were offering was probably not far off in quality.

"Huang Yaoshi, go ahead, we have time and can wait." Zeng Xuerou and Xiao Xian stepped aside. The woman in fur also noticed Huang Yaoshi was the one in charge and took the initiative to approach.

"I have a ginseng here, it has been passed down from the ancestors, I heard it’s five to six hundred years old, could you help appraise it?" Judging from the woman’s assertive tone, she was full of confidence.

Hearing that it was ginseng of five to six hundred years old, Huang Yaoshi did not dare to neglect. At seventy-six this year, he had keen eyes and ears from practicing traditional Chinese medicine since childhood and proper self-care. Usually, he could discern the authenticity of herbs with just a glance. However, ginseng of five to six hundred years was a rare thing, something the old pharmacist could only hope for.

"Bring over the magnifying glass," Huang Yaoshi ordered an apprentice to fetch a magnifying glass and then carefully asked the fur-clad woman to take out her ginseng.

The lady in fur produced a brocade box, which she carried with her. The design of the box also looked antique and seemed quite aged. Opening the brocade box, inside lay a slender, tufted brown mountain ginseng.

Just as crops have bumper years and lean years, common herbs are distinct from those grown in the wild. All ginseng, but the price between ordinary ginseng and deep mountain wild ginseng is as different as heaven and earth.

Five to six hundred years ago, only a limited number of medicine farmers could cultivate ginseng in bountiful mountain locations in the country, and even that was a minority. Most of that era’s mountain ginseng was Wild Ginseng. Compared to those cultivated under the shed, wild ginseng is smaller. They also require longer drying and preservation, with a dense and long beard like a long-lived sage. Tiny fine hairs grew among the roots, the skin wrinkled and dry. When the box was opened, a strong ginseng aroma burst forth, standing out from among a plethora of herbs.

After Huang Yaoshi examined it several times, he then had the apprentice bring out a shiny golden scale and weighed the ginseng.

"Eight taels and one qian," the woman’s eyes flickered with slyness when she heard the weight Huang Yaoshi announced. Now that the senior old pharmacist had announced the weight, it meant the ginseng was confirmed to be genuine.

"How much can it be sold for?" the fur-clad woman’s eyes locked on Huang Yaoshi’s mouth.

Huang Yaoshi gazed at the mountain ginseng, making a heavy decision before quoting a price: "Two hundred thousand."

"Two hundred thousand?" The woman in fur repeated the price, then took back the ginseng and put it into the brocade box.

"What, not satisfied with the price?" Huang Yaoshi lost his previous accommodating demeanor when answering customers and walked out from behind the counter very impatiently, rubbing his hands constantly, struggling to resist the urge to snatch the brocade box. It was not because of his greed for money, but because he truly cherished that piece of mountain ginseng. After all, Huang Yaoshi at his age, finding such ginseng again would be difficult.

The piece of mountain ginseng brought by the woman in fur was not only old, but also well preserved. Having such a supreme quality mountain ginseng in store would undoubtedly become a treasured attraction and draw many customers. Not to mention the good reputation it would bring within the industry.

"I never said I would sell this mountain ginseng. I was just here for an appraisal," said the woman in fur, ready to turn around and leave without any intention of bargaining.

"Wait a moment," Huang Yaoshi rushed to the storefront, almost blocking the woman in fur. He spread his arms wide like a hen protecting her chicks. "The price can still be negotiated."

Xiao Xian nudged Zeng Xuerou, "Is ginseng sold here for a high price?" At the Yunteng Sect in the past, ginseng was categorized in several ways: by the quality of its leaves and also by color, such as the Purple Ginseng that a strange young man once gave her, which was a rare treasure. But if it was common red ginseng, and especially dry like this, it was not so prized – at the Yunteng Sect, by simply digging in the soil, the chances of unearthing ginseng were greater than finding radishes.