She had thought this thing would be worth only a thousand yuan or so at most…
This was the first time Cui Shijin had ever seen Lin Shengxia react so strongly, and she couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Now you understand how precious this is, don’t you? Are you still willing to sell it to me?”
A Wuling ginseng of such exceptional quality could be preserved and passed down through generations as a family heirloom. If Lin Shengxia couldn’t bear to part with it, Cui Shijin certainly wouldn’t force her.
Unexpectedly, however, Lin Shengxia still nodded firmly.
“Sister Shijin, I want to sell it!”
Once she sold this medicinal herb, she would have nearly 120,000 yuan in her hands.
Even if she eventually ran out of wild vegetables to sell, that amount of money would be enough to cover her family’s daily expenses for quite some time.
Besides, if she could discover Wuling ginseng today, who was to say she wouldn’t find other valuable medicinal herbs in the future?
The mountain behind the Maisui Production Brigade was enormous.
She had already found so many valuable things while exploring only halfway up the mountain. Once she became more familiar with the terrain and gradually ventured deeper into the mountains, she might discover even more treasures!
Looking into Lin Shengxia’s clear, sincere eyes, Cui Shijin couldn’t help becoming curious about the place where she lived.
First, there had been Chinese violet herbs with “zero pesticide residue,” and now there was top-grade Wuling ginseng.
It was obvious that the natural environment where Lin Shengxia lived was exceptionally favorable.
However, Cui Shijin had also heard from her mother that Lin Shengxia was temporarily staying with relatives.
The mountain belonging to her relatives was probably not somewhere ordinary people could easily find.
Forget it…
Everyone had their own secrets.
As long as she maintained a good relationship with this young girl, would she really have to worry about Lin Shengxia forgetting her whenever she discovered more valuable medicinal herbs?
With that thought, Cui Shijin stopped asking questions.
When Xiao Fan arrived, she and Lin Shengxia completed the payment and transaction in person. Only then did Cui Shizhen speak up.
“My mom’s place has people constantly coming and going, so we shouldn’t study here. Let’s go to my eldest sister’s wellness center and have her give us a private spa room where we can practice makeup!”
After Cui Shizhen finished speaking, Cui Shijin rolled her eyes at her younger sister, though she didn’t refuse.
Instead, she smiled and said, “Shengxia hasn’t been to my place yet, right? I’ll take you there today so you’ll know where it is. If you find any good medicinal herbs in the future, you can come directly to the wellness center and look for me. If I’m not there, find Xiao Fan. She’ll take care of everything.”
Having worked with Cui Shijin for so many years, Xiao Fan’s capabilities were naturally beyond question.
Lin Shengxia cautiously glanced at Li Xiangqin. Seeing that she had no objections, she obediently followed the Cui sisters to Cui Shijin’s wellness center.
The moment she stepped through the entrance, she felt a gentle, refreshing breeze brush across her face.
Immediately afterward came the faint fragrance of flowers.
The soothing atmosphere completely calmed the restlessness she had felt after walking under the hot sun.
Naturally, the receptionist at the wellness center recognized Cui Shizhen.
When she noticed Lin Shengxia following behind her, she merely gave the unfamiliar girl a curious glance before quickly lowering her eyes.
“Sister Shijin, the spa room for Shizhen is ready. It’s the ‘Golden Flecks’ room on the first floor.”
Cui Shijin nodded, took a wristband from the receptionist, and personally led her sister and Lin Shengxia to the room.
She used the wristband to unlock the door.
The moment they stepped inside, soft, soothing music began playing throughout the room.
Cui Shijin immediately collapsed onto the sofa as if all the strength had drained from her body.
Without outsiders around, much of the commanding aura of a powerful businesswoman disappeared, leaving her looking far more relaxed and gentle.
Cui Shizhen carefully arranged all the cosmetics on the enormous coffee table in front of them.
She knew Lin Shengxia wanted to make herself look unattractive, so she had spent a long time researching the matter yesterday and had come up with an excellent idea!
“Today, I’m going to teach you how to create smallpox lesions!”
“Smallpox?! Is it what I think it is?”
“Exactly! Although almost everyone is vaccinated nowadays, a small number of people can still get infected. And it’s contagious! When the time comes, just put a few fake lesions on your face and hands. I’d like to see which of those bad people would still dare come near you!”
Hearing Cui Shizhen’s idea, Lin Shengxia immediately became excited.
She hadn’t expected Cui Shizhen to be so skilled that she could even create realistic-looking smallpox lesions with makeup!
Seeing her expression, Cui Shizhen smiled proudly.
She picked up some special-effects modeling putty, pinched off a tiny piece, and used special adhesive to attach it to the back of Lin Shengxia’s hand.
To let Lin Shengxia see the process more clearly, she deliberately raised her hand while sculpting the putty so Lin Shengxia could carefully observe every adjustment she made.
Once she was satisfied with the shape, she picked up a fine makeup brush and carefully began adding color.
In only a few minutes, an incredibly realistic smallpox lesion appeared before their eyes!
Not only did the pale pustule at its center look astonishingly lifelike, but even the tiny red veins surrounding it were clearly visible.
At that moment, Lin Shengxia stared at the fake lesion on her arm before looking at Cui Shizhen with undisguised amazement.
This was also Cui Shijin’s first time watching her younger sister apply this kind of special-effects makeup from such a close distance.
She had to admit that it was truly eye-opening!
Seeing the admiration in both their eyes, Cui Shizhen grinned proudly.
Then she pushed all the tools in her hands toward Lin Shengxia.
“Take these and practice on my hand. We’ll study for two hours every day. Once you master one technique, I’ll teach you another. I guarantee everything I teach you will make people want to stay far away from you!”
Actually, she could also teach Lin Shengxia how to create realistic scars on her face.
However, that required not only excellent technique but also an extremely precise memory.
On film sets, special-effects wounds were photographed and carefully measured so they could be recreated exactly in every scene.
Cui Shizhen didn’t currently have the measuring tools needed to record those details, so she could only abandon that idea for now.
But the moment Lin Shengxia began practicing, Cui Shizhen finally realized that when Li Xiangqin had said, “Shengxia is a smart girl,” she hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest!
The girl had clearly watched the demonstration only once.
Yet whether it was sculpting the modeling putty or coloring the fake lesion afterward, Lin Shengxia’s work was almost identical to what Cui Shizhen had just demonstrated.
Watching Lin Shengxia lower her head and carefully adjust the final details, Cui Shizhen couldn’t help swallowing in disbelief.
Cui Shijin naturally knew what her younger sister was thinking.
Laughing, she lightly tapped Cui Shizhen on the forehead.
“Well? Now do you believe there’s always someone more talented out there?”
In Cui Shijin’s eyes, Lin Shengxia merely lacked experience because of her difficult family circumstances.
If Lin Shengxia had been given the same opportunities and starting point as the two sisters, there was no guarantee that either of them would have been better than this young girl.
After all, in less than ten days, Lin Shengxia had already earned more than a hundred thousand yuan through her own efforts!
Even when Cui Shijin had first started her own business, she hadn’t been capable of accomplishing something like that.
At that moment, Cui Shijin had to admit that Lin Shengxia’s position in her heart had quietly begun to change.
Meanwhile, Lin Shengxia remained completely absorbed in practicing how to create the fake smallpox lesions and didn’t notice the sisters’ reactions at all.
After successfully creating several realistic lesions on her own face, she finally let out a long breath and rolled her slightly stiff neck.
Looking at her current appearance, Cui Shizhen couldn’t help laughing.
“You really do look frightening like this. Congratulations, Shengxia. You’ve officially passed your first lesson!”