Back on Fulü Street, Su Wan Yin’s ordinary appearance no longer drew any attention from passersby.
She then headed to the last pharmacy.
This shop was much smaller than the previous ones, with only an elderly doctor inside.
“Hello, do you buy medicinal herbs here?”
The old man, wearing a grey traditional long robe and lying on a bamboo recliner, slowly opened his eyes when he heard the clear young voice. Seeing it was a young girl, he shook his head.
“No.”
“Grandpa, could you take a closer look? My herbs are definitely higher quality and cheaper than what those suppliers offer.” After being repeatedly turned away, Su Wan Yin had no choice but to promote herself.
The old man closed his eyes again. His hoarse, weathered voice carried helplessness.
“We don’t need them. The herbs we use, I can just pick them myself on the mountain.”
Su Wan Yin didn’t give up. She glanced at the herbs drying in bamboo trays inside the shop, then placed the bundle in front of him and said gently:
“Grandpa, have you ever thought your business might be bad because of the quality of your herbs?”
“Impossible, I—”
The old man couldn’t tolerate anyone questioning his shop’s reputation. Just as he opened his eyes to retort, he was suddenly stunned by the thick, plump ginseng roots in her hand.
He straightened up and carefully took the herbs.
His cloudy eyes examined the clearly textured, firm, intact ginseng roots. Then he leaned in and sniffed.
A rich, pure medicinal aroma filled his senses—clean and lingering.
He had been in the herb business his entire life and had never seen such high-quality ginseng.
“Little girl… how much are you planning to sell this for?” the old man asked nervously.
Su Wan Yin glanced around the shabby shop, then estimated the price. Her clear eyes looked at him.
“Grandpa, how much can you afford? Collecting these herbs wasn’t easy for me and my family—we suffered a lot for them.”
Her last sentence was meant to ensure the price wouldn’t be too low.
The old man sighed and reluctantly handed the ginseng back.
“Girl, I won’t lie to you. I really can’t offer much. At most, five yuan per jin.”
“Alright.”
The old man’s hands trembled slightly. He looked at her in disbelief, thinking she might not understand the market.
So he kindly added, “If you take this to a big pharmacy, it could sell for around ten yuan.”
“No need. I’ll sell it to you—but I hope you can do me a favor.”
“What favor?” the old man asked quickly, unable to hide his excitement.
“I want to learn medicine in your pharmacy.”
Chen Shoufu hadn’t expected something so simple. He immediately agreed.
“Alright, old man will teach you as much as I can.”
Su Wan Yin smiled and handed over the herbs for weighing.
In truth, the price wasn’t low, and she had plenty stored in her spatial farmland.
Having a place to properly study medicine would be beneficial.
At that moment, two tall men suddenly entered the shop.
Su Wan Yin was lying on the recliner, reading a medical book given by Grandpa Chen, completely absorbed and not looking up.
“Hello, do you have Chonglou herb for sale?”
Hearing the familiar low voice, she lowered the book slightly, revealing a pair of moist fox-like eyes.
The two men outside did not notice her.
“Chonglou? I think we don’t—”
The old man was about to refuse when his eyes landed on the herbs in the bamboo tray and immediately changed his tone.
“Yes, yes, we do.”
Just as he spoke, his gaze fell on the handsome man’s swollen jaw and he understood something, smiling:
“You’re lucky, I just received—”
“Grandpa Chen.”
He stopped.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“I placed that herb in the wrong pile. It’s not for sale.”
Su Wan Yin raised her fox-like eyes and smiled at the two surprised men at the door, then slowly walked over and took back the only Chonglou herb.
Fu Shi Mo’s pupils slightly contracted. He studied her—someone who had disappeared half an hour ago and now reappeared in a different outfit, even seemingly altered her appearance—and his expression instantly turned serious as he stepped forward.
“Su Tongzhi, why are you dressed like this?”
His gaze was sharp and probing, like a cold instrument trying to see through her.
Su Wan Yin leaned lazily against the recliner, looking at him with amused fox eyes.
“Why can’t I dress like this? Am I bothering you?”
“It’s just that you weren’t wearing this outfit earlier,” Ho Wei couldn’t help but say.
Su Wan Yin’s eyes narrowed slightly, then she smiled naturally.
“I was sweating and my shirt got wet. Can’t I change clothes?”
She looked back at them sharply.
“What do you mean by standing there like interrogators? I haven’t even said anything about you following me.”
Ho Wei’s throat tightened, face turning dark red.
Fu Shi Mo calmly watched her.
“Just curious. We saw you half an hour ago.”
“We wanted to greet you, but you left quickly.”
“That’s why we were surprised to see you here dressed like this.”
Su Wan Yin nodded as if understanding, then bit her lip and looked fragile.
“Oh… I see. You should’ve called me louder. I was scared after being harassed earlier, so I didn’t want anyone following me and walked quickly.”
She lowered her lashes, voice trembling slightly.
“So I found a hidden place and changed so I wouldn’t stand out… I was afraid someone would come after me again.”
Ho Wei immediately softened.
“Su Tongzhi, don’t cry. I’ll help you get justice.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, head lowered.
Fu Shi Mo, however, remained suspicious, though something strange stirred in his chest when he saw her trembling shoulders.
Finally, his gaze fell on the herbs in her hand.
“How much for that herb?”
“I’m not selling it!”
“Add money,” he said calmly.
“Fifty.”
Su Wan Yin paused.
“…What did you say?”