The next morning, Su Yi stretched lazily inside her warm blankets and flipped herself up off the heated brick kang bed with a nimble leap.
Opening the door, the fresh morning air rushed into the room, carrying the distinct scent of green grass from the mountain woods. Su Yi took a deep breath, successfully putting herself in an excellent mood.
To make things easier, Su Yi entered her pocket dimension to get ready. After a quick wash, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her fair face was round and flushed with a natural blush. Her eyes were big and circular, and her long eyelashes fluttered dynamically, making her look exactly like a wealthy young lady who knew nothing of the world’s hardships.
“Hehehe! Now that I’ve lost weight, this face of mine looks entirely innocent and harmless—just like a little fat sheep ripe for the slaughter. Though, who knows who will actually end up robbing whom?”
Indeed, Su Yi had successfully slimmed down. After half a month of high-intensity exercise paired with the benefits of the spiritual spring water, she now weighed only 95 pounds (approx. 47.5 kg). She was completely and utterly a slender, gorgeous beauty!
Su Yi currently looked like someone who didn’t understand the cruelty of the human world, but in truth, she was a clever little fox capable of seeing through everything and executing an undercover twist at any moment. Her small frame looked delicate and weak, but she was actually strong enough to take down a grown man with her bare hands.
“I am terrifyingly strong right now! Hahahahaha—” Su Yi muttered, glancing at the subtle, barely noticeable muscle definition on her arms.
Considering she still had goods to sell today, she did the same thing as last time and applied a foundation that was two shades darker than her actual skin tone. She also changed into the same set of ancient-style clothing she had worn previously, which she had since washed clean.
Su Yi planned to head into the county seat today. The local town was too small and probably couldn’t absorb such a large volume of goods. She wanted to dress neatly and respectably to bargain with the business owners. If she encountered the type of people who judged a book by its cover, it would be troublesome. Dressing this way would ensure they wouldn’t look down on her, while still keeping her from drawing too much attention.
Once everything was properly sorted, Su Yi flashed out of her space, casually sweeping all the items in the room back inside with her.
“Let’s go, go, go! We’re off!” Su Yi pushed open the door and set off with a face full of excitement.
Riding her electric scooter, Su Yi bypassed Kaoshan Village and headed straight toward Qinghe County. Along the way, her eyes darted left and right continuously, terrified of bumping into anyone. If she spotted someone, she would have to instantly stash the electric scooter back into her pocket dimension.
Fortunately, Su Yi didn’t run into a soul. It wasn’t until the county seat appeared in the distance that she placed the scooter into her space, pulled out her wicker back-basket, slung it over her shoulders, and continued on foot.
“Ouch—finally made it! I’m starving to death. I left in such a hurry this morning that I forgot to eat!”
Catching the scent of wontons from a roadside food stall, Su Yi hurried over to the counter. “Boss, a bowl of wontons, please!”
“Coming right up! Just a moment!”
Su Yi gave a soft hum of agreement and secretly sneaked a glance at her watch. It was only nine o’clock, which wasn’t too late. Not bad.
Before long, a steaming bowl of wontons was placed before her. The bowl was sprinkled with chopped green onions, and a thin layer of oil glistened on the surface, looking incredibly appetizing. Su Yi couldn’t wait to take a bite. “So delicious! Mind you, everything nowadays uses real, authentic ingredients. It’s so fresh!”
As Su Yi ate her wontons, she watched the pedestrians bustling back and forth around her. “It’s so lively!” she couldn’t help but sigh. It felt like she hadn’t seen this many people in a very long time.
After finishing the wontons, Su Yi handed the money to the owner.
“Uncle! Which restaurant in our county seat has the best business? I want to see if I can sell some wild mushrooms.”
“If we’re talking about restaurants, it has to be Baiwei House. However, it might be a wasted trip for you. Your supply is likely too small for their scale, but it doesn’t hurt to give it a try!”
“Thank you, Uncle! And which medical clinic is the largest with the best reputation? Once I sell the mushrooms, I need to get some cold medicine for my mother.”
“That would definitely be Dean Hall! Dr. Zhao has excellent medical skills and is a fair man. You can’t go wrong there.” The food stall owner was extremely warm and patient, answering all of Su Yi’s questions one by one.
“Thank you, Uncle!” After thanking the owner, Su Yi walked toward the medical clinic. She trusted the food stall owner; he had no reason to lie. Besides, if Dean Hall’s prices turned out to be unfair, she could simply change to a different shop.
After walking just a few steps, Su Yi spotted the three large characters reading “Dean Hall.” Without a single moment of hesitation, she walked right inside. Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to money.
The moment Su Yi stepped through the door, an apprentice came forward to greet her. “Are you here to pick up a prescription or to see a doctor?”
“I’m here to sell medicinal herbs. I have quite a bit here!” Su Yi said as she lowered her back-basket, showing the apprentice the herbs inside.
With a single glance, the apprentice recognized them as genuine medicinal herbs. “Please wait a moment, I will go call my master!” Without waiting for Su Yi’s reply, he hurriedly rushed off to fetch his master.
Su Yi used the time to look around. The hall was filled with a rich aroma of medicine. Rows of tall medicine cabinets were neatly arranged, covered in countless tiny, dense drawers. It appeared they had a comprehensive variety of herbs and operated on quite a large scale!
“Young lady, are you the one here to sell herbs? Bring them here let me take a look!” A voice echoed, interrupting Su Yi’s thoughts.
Dr. Zhao wore a short, neat beard and looked very gentle and kind. He wasn’t very tall, was slightly plump, and wore a long traditional robe. He looked to be around fifty years old.
“Yes, indeed!” Su Yi hurriedly pulled the herbs out of her basket.
“These are indeed medicinal herbs, but they aren’t worth much money. At most, I can give you five hundred copper coins.”
Hearing this, Su Yi thought it was a fair deal. Although she had a whole basketful, they hadn’t been processed yet, so it only looked like a lot. Five hundred copper coins already exceeded her expectations.
“I also have a ginseng root here!” Su Yi produced the ginseng, and Dr. Zhao’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Not bad! Not bad at all! The roots are completely intact, and the body is full and robust. One look tells me it is a premium item of considerable age—it must be over a century old. Excellent quality! Fifteen hundred taels of silver! What do you think?” Dr. Zhao said excitedly.
“Wait a moment! I have more!” Saying this, she pulled a Lingzhi mushroom out of the basket.
When Su Yi brought out the Lingzhi, Dr. Zhao’s breathing turned a bit ragged, and his eyes glued themselves straight onto the mushroom.
Nourished by the spiritual spring water, the Lingzhi had grown quite a bit larger. This Lingzhi now possessed a vibrant color, clear textures, and a flawless appearance. It was a rare, top-tier specimen! Dr. Zhao excitedly circled the Lingzhi several times, praising it continuously.
Seeing Dr. Zhao’s reaction, Su Yi felt reassured, though her face maintained an innocent, naive expression.
“Young lady, one thousand taels of silver is the absolute maximum. My shop cannot afford any more than that. This is already the most honorable price I can offer. Otherwise, you can try other shops, but this price is the absolute limit in our county seat. Of course, the prices would be higher in the prefectural capital. I am telling you the honest truth,” Dr. Zhao said sincerely.
Su Yi was actually already tempted. After all, his reaction matched what the wonton stall owner had said—he was a fair and just person.
“Deal! I’ll sell it all to you!” Su Yi said readily. She still had plenty more inside her pocket dimension anyway.
“Can you give me the entire amount in silver coins/ingots?”
“Young lady, I only have one thousand taels in actual silver currency on hand right now. If you absolutely require physical silver, you can exchange the rest at the bank just up ahead in a moment. Here is two thousand five hundred taels of silver plus five hundred copper coins. Keep it safe.”
“Thank you, Dr. Zhao.” Su Yi accepted the silver, her heart overflowing with joy. She was finally carrying a massive fortune! After giving her thanks, she turned around to leave Dean Hall.
Just then, Dr. Zhao suddenly called out to her: “Young lady, you have a great hand for foraging herbs. In the future, if you have any more high-quality goods like this, feel free to bring them straight to my Dean Hall.”
Su Yi turned around and nodded with a smile. “Alright. If I harvest more, I will definitely come back.” She was more than willing to deal with this type of person—fair, just, and free of hidden schemes.
With that, Su Yi slung her empty bamboo basket over her back and stepped out of Dean Hall with light, cheerful steps.
Leaving Dean Hall, Su Yi walked toward Baiwei House. She needed to sell her game now. She had quite a lot stored in her space, far more than she could eat herself. It was much better to convert them into hard silver!
Carrying her basket, Su Yi walked into Baiwei House at an unhurried pace. Every seat in the restaurant was occupied, and the waiters were darting across the main hall, so busy that their feet barely touched the ground.
Su Yi walked up to the counter and said to the man who looked like the manager, “Shopkeeper, I have some game I’d like to sell to your establishment. Are you interested?”
The man looked Su Yi up and down with an air of suspicion, wondering what a young girl like her could possibly bring. Nonetheless, he said, “Bring the game out first so I can inspect the quality.”
Hearing this, Su Yi took off her back-basket and uncovered the cloth over the top for the shopkeeper to see.
The shopkeeper leaned forward to look. Low and behold, there actually was something—a basket packed full of wild pheasants and wild rabbits. “They are quite fresh. I’ll take them. Ten copper coins per catty for the pheasants, and fifteen copper coins per catty for the rabbits. How does that sound?”
Su Yi calculated that it was roughly accurate and fair enough; she had already figured out the going rates during her last trip.
“Deal! I also have wild boar, wild mountain goat, and deer. They are just around the corner outside.” Su Yi said, having already used her mind to manifest the game at that location.
Hearing this, the shopkeeper replied, “Then let’s go outside and take a look. My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Laicai. You may call me Manager Zhang.” Manager Zhang said with a face full of smiles. If she truly had those items, the menu at Baiwei House could enjoy a nice variety change.
“Alright! Manager Zhang, they are right over there.”
In the time it took to speak, the two arrived at the spot where the game was placed. Su Yi pulled back the cloth covering them.
Manager Zhang took one look and gasped. Good heavens—two wild boars, two mountain goats, a deer, and there was even a wolf! Manager Zhang’s grin practically stretched from ear to ear.
“Young lady, these game animals of yours are all rare, premium goods. They look like they were just freshly caught. I wonder where this game came from, and how a young girl like you managed to get them!” Manager Zhang exclaimed in admiration.
“Hehehe! I have my own ways!” Su Yi said with a proud and solemn face.
Manager Zhang didn’t press further upon hearing this; it was indeed standard practice. The two quickly agreed on a price, and he called over an apprentice to help weigh the meat.
In the end, Su Yi naturally raked in a massive sum of money, her mouth curving into a satisfied smile that lasted the whole time.
Manager Zhang said to Su Yi, “What is your honorable surname, young lady? If you have excellent goods like this in the future, make sure to send them directly to Baiwei House. We definitely won’t treat you unfairly! If I’m not out here in the main hall, just give the waiter your name to call for me.”
“My name is Su Yi. If I get more, I will definitely bring them over!” Su Yi very much enjoyed dealing with such straightforward people.
“I’d also like to grab a bite to eat at your place! You’ll have to give me a little discount in a bit.”
“That’s an absolute must. Go on and take a seat, what would you like to eat?”
“Just bring out two of your signature dishes, that will be enough. And add a steamed bun!”
“Alright! Just wait a brief moment!” Manager Zhang said before heading off to get busy.
While Su Yi waited for her food, she listened to the surrounding gossip about local households, her mind drifting to the money she had acquired today. She was incredibly happy.
“As soon as I finish eating, I’m going to shop! Shop! Shop!” Su Yi looked forward immensely to her upcoming shopping spree.