To avoid any unnecessary complications—and because Qin Ke didn't know how to properly preserve medicinal herbs—he and Lu Youqing set out for town early the next morning.
At the village entrance, Qin Ke noticed a donkey cart passing by in the distance. The driver looked vaguely familiar—it was the man surnamed Wu who had helped break up the fight between Qin Ke and Song Yaozu that day and lived not far from Qin Ke's house.
But the moment the man saw Qin Ke, his expression stiffened. Without stopping for even a second, he whipped the donkey forward and sped off. As he passed them, he even deliberately increased his pace.
Watching the dust kicked up by the cart, Qin Ke's mouth twitched. He said to Lu Youqing through clenched teeth, "Hmph. When we have money, we'll buy a donkey cart too."
Among farmers, donkey carts were the most commonly used. Oxen and horses were far too expensive for ordinary people to afford.
If Qin Ke remembered correctly, the village head owned an ox, mainly used for plowing. During the spring plowing season, he would also rent it out.
By now, Lu Youqing had grown accustomed to Qin Ke's occasional childish outbursts. She calmly continued walking toward the town.
The largest medical hall in town was called Baicao Hall. Moreover, Lu Youqing explained that Baicao Hall had an impressive background, with branches established in many places. So once they entered town, the two headed straight there.
The moment Qin Ke stepped inside, he was greeted by a strong scent of Chinese medicinal herbs. It was still early morning, and there weren't many patients yet. The staff attending to patients and dispensing medicine all wore matching blue-green robes, making them easy to recognize.
After surveying the room, Qin Ke walked toward the counter and faced the middle-aged man behind it.
The man had been looking down at his ledger. Noticing the shadow falling across the counter, he looked up. First he glanced at Qin Ke, then he focused his gaze on Lu Youqing beside him for a moment, stroking his beard.
"This young lady's facial scar—I'm afraid I'm powerless to treat it."
He had assumed they were here to seek medical treatment. In traditional medicine, diagnosis begins with observation, and at a glance, he believed the disfigured woman had come for medicine.
Lu Youqing lowered her gaze and remained silent.
Qin Ke smiled slightly and shook his head. "We're not here to see a doctor. We'd like to ask whether you buy medicinal herbs."
The physician gave an "Oh," set aside his work, and replied, "We do buy herbs. What do you have? Prices vary depending on the type and age. I'll need to see it first before making an assessment."
Hearing this, Qin Ke set down the basket he had been carrying on his back.
Watching him take out an item wrapped in coarse cloth, the physician—judging by their standard peasant clothing—didn't expect anything of value.
Until Qin Ke lifted the cloth, revealing a thick, yellow-brown root, plump and still lightly dusted with soil.
"This… this is wild ginseng!"
The physician could no longer remain calm. He excitedly took the ginseng from Qin Ke and examined it with great care, murmuring as he went, "Short and stout body, dense spiral rings on the surface, smooth and lustrous skin, slender rootlets…"
After a while, he reluctantly set it down on the counter, handling it with extreme care. His attitude turned exceptionally warm.
"Young man, what price are you asking for this wild ginseng?"
His eyes never left the ginseng, as though afraid Qin Ke might change his mind.
Qin Ke thought to himself, What a sly fox, but on the surface, he hesitated before saying, "Five hundred taels."
He wasn't very familiar with ancient prices, and the original owner's memories offered no reference for medicinal herb values. But someone beside him did know—according to Lu Youqing, wild ginseng grew deep in dense forests, was extremely difficult to find, and therefore fetched exorbitant prices.
The one they had dug up was nearly a hundred years old. In the capital, it might even sell for a thousand taels.
But this was only a small town, so that price was unrealistic. Qin Ke adjusted accordingly.
He wasn't greedy. If the medical hall tried to cheat him, he could simply go elsewhere—or sell it to a wealthy merchant in town.
In short, this was a seller's market, not a buyer's one. Qin Ke wasn't in a hurry.
Upon hearing the price, the physician's expression stiffened. He hesitated and tried to negotiate. "That price is indeed rather difficult. Perhaps we could—"
Before he could finish, Qin Ke grabbed the ginseng from the counter with one hand and pulled Lu Youqing toward the door with the other.
"Hey—wait! Young man!"
Seeing Qin Ke about to leave, the physician panicked. He rushed out from behind the counter to block them, panting as he said, "Don't go—five hundred taels it is!"
This proved that ancient people didn't yet have that many tricks. Qin Ke, who had deliberately slowed his steps, saw his plan succeed and let a small smile curl at his lips.
"Deal."
With a large sum of money finally in hand, Qin Ke was in high spirits. He waved grandly at Lu Youqing and said, "Let's go shopping. Buy whatever you want this time."
But there were too many things to purchase, and carrying everything by hand would be inconvenient. Qin Ke suggested, "How about we split up? I'll go buy a cart so we'll have somewhere to put everything later."
As he spoke, he took twenty taels from his robes and placed them into Lu Youqing's hands. "You go buy clothes and shoes first. Buy more."
When Lu Youqing had arrived, she'd had nothing but the filthy, tattered clothes on her back. These past days, she had been wearing the old clothes left behind by Qin Ke's mother.
They didn't fit well, and the fabric was extremely rough. Qin Ke had noticed that Lu Youqing—who had been delicately raised with tender skin—had developed red rashes in some places.
She never said a word, but Qin Ke had remembered it. The first thing he wanted to do once he had money was buy her proper clothes.
Lu Youqing wasn't pretentious. She nodded.
Qin Ke walked her to the entrance of the clothing shop, waited until she went inside, then turned toward the place where donkey carts were sold.
A donkey cart cost only four taels. Qin Ke rubbed his chin for a moment, then decided to settle things once and for all. He added one more tael to buy a cart with a covered carriage—perfect for keeping out the rain.
By the time Qin Ke drove the donkey cart back, Lu Youqing was already waiting at the entrance, holding a bundle.
"I also bought two outfits for you—both in dark colors."
Unlike what he'd seen in costume dramas, Qin Ke rarely saw anyone here wearing white. Most people worked in the fields; white stained easily, and washing clothes in ancient times was troublesome.
Seeing the bright smile on Qin Ke's face, Lu Youqing felt it was almost too radiant. Feeling slightly awkward, she turned her head away to avoid his burning gaze.
"Let's go. We still need to buy rice, flour, oil, and other necessities for home."
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Currently at chapter 110 for advance chapters
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