The middle-aged man thought he had misheard what Song Wanning had said. He rubbed his ears, lowered his voice as well, and quietly asked, “What did you just say?”
“You have a lingzhi?”
Song Wanning nodded, then took the basket off her back, placed it in front of the man, and lifted the cloth covering it to reveal the crimson lingzhi inside.
“Sir, take a look. I found this lingzhi by chance in the mountains yesterday. It’s still fresh, and its medicinal value is extremely high. Since you recognized those herbs earlier, I’m sure you also know how valuable this lingzhi is.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up the moment he saw that it really was a lingzhi.
He was a medicinal herb dealer who frequently came to the black market to purchase herbs before reselling them elsewhere, where they fetched even higher prices. He had made quite a fortune through buying low and selling high. He was also very knowledgeable about medicinal herbs. His grandfather had been a renowned traditional Chinese physician, and having grown up around him, he was familiar with many kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs.
“How much are you selling this lingzhi for?”
“One thousand yuan minimum. If it’s less than that, I won’t sell it.”
The middle-aged man fell silent after hearing her price.
Standing beside Song Wanning, Li Lan was so shocked that she nearly jumped. She knew lingzhi was valuable, but she had never imagined a single one could sell for so much money.
Seeing that the man remained silent, she worried that Song Wanning had asked for too much. It had been difficult enough to find a buyer. If he walked away because the price was too high, it would all be for nothing.
Thinking this, she quietly tugged at Song Wanning’s sleeve.
When Song Wanning looked over, Li Lan blinked frantically, trying to tell her that if the lingzhi could be sold, she should just sell it.
Song Wanning understood exactly what Li Lan meant. She gently patted the back of her hand and gave her a reassuring look.
“So, sir, what do you think? If you don’t want it, we’re about to pack up and head home.”
As she spoke, she covered the lingzhi with the cloth again and prepared to sling the basket back onto her back.
Li Lan nearly panicked.
She was afraid that the buyer they had finally found would leave. Song Wanning desperately needed the money.
Seeing Song Wanning actually lift the basket onto her back as though she was really about to leave, Li Lan was about to persuade her again.
The middle-aged man had merely been calculating how much profit he could make after buying the lingzhi. He had never said he wasn’t interested. Yet the girl was already preparing to leave.
“Hey, wait! I never said I wasn’t buying it. Put the basket down first and let me take a closer look.”
He hurriedly stopped Song Wanning.
Seeing there was hope, Song Wanning took the basket off again and lifted the white cloth covering the lingzhi.
“Sir, have a good look. This is definitely a high-quality specimen. It’s at least forty to fifty years old. One thousand yuan really isn’t expensive. If you bought one from an herbal shop, it’d probably cost about the same. Mine is still fresh.”
The middle-aged man carefully examined the lingzhi before nodding in satisfaction.
“Alright. I’ll take it.”
“Then it’s settled. One thousand yuan. Cash for goods.”
“Only, I don’t have that much cash on me right now. I’ll need to withdraw it from the bank. Why don’t you come with me? Wait outside while I go inside to get the money.”
When Song Wanning heard that the man truly intended to buy it—and hadn’t even tried to bargain—she was overjoyed inside.
Outwardly, however, she simply nodded calmly.
“Alright.”
She answered, slung the basket containing the lingzhi onto her back again, took Li Lan’s hand, and followed the middle-aged man out of the black market toward the bank.
As the two women followed him, Li Lan felt increasingly uneasy.
She was worried the man might be a swindler who would lure them into some alley and rob them.
The entire way, she tightly held onto Song Wanning’s hand. Her nervousness was obvious, and Song Wanning could even feel the cold sweat in her palm.
Fortunately, they safely arrived at the entrance of the bank.
The man hadn’t led them anywhere suspicious.
Li Lan finally let out a long sigh of relief and patted her chest.
“Oh my, you scared me to death just now. I really thought he was taking us somewhere else.”
Seeing how nervous she was, Song Wanning gently patted her on the back.
“It’s alright, Godmother. You don’t have to be so nervous. I could tell he genuinely understands medicinal herbs. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to come with him.”
While they were talking, the middle-aged man came out of the bank carrying a cloth bundle in his arms.
He then led Song Wanning and Li Lan to a deserted alley.
As soon as they reached the alley, Li Lan became tense again, clutching Song Wanning’s sleeve tightly, already planning to grab her and run if anything happened.
Fortunately, nothing she feared came to pass.
Once they stopped in the alley, the middle-aged man voluntarily took out the money and handed it to Song Wanning.
“This is the money I just withdrew from the bank. Exactly one thousand yuan. Would you like to count it?”
Song Wanning accepted the money.
It was a thick stack of crisp, brand-new ten-yuan notes.
She and Li Lan counted the bills together and confirmed that it was indeed exactly one thousand yuan.
Only then did Song Wanning wrap the lingzhi in cloth and hand it over to him.
The middle-aged man excitedly accepted the lingzhi and hugged it tightly in his arms.
Then he looked at Song Wanning and said, “My name is Wu Facai. I live at the very end of this alley—the last house. If you find goods like this again, come to my house. I’ll buy them all, and the price is negotiable.”
“Oh, and I don’t just buy medicinal herbs. If you have other things to sell, like grain or anything else, I’ll buy those too.”
Song Wanning nodded and glanced in the direction he had pointed, memorizing the location of his house.
“Alright. If I’m lucky enough to come across something this good again, I’ll come find you.”
After saying that, Song Wanning took Li Lan’s hand and left.
The two women walked out of the alley and back onto the county streets.
Li Lan felt as though she were floating on air, like she was dreaming.
“That’s a whole thousand yuan! That lingzhi actually sold for that much money. It’s unbelievably valuable!”
“Child, hurry and hide that money somewhere safe. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone in the village find out you’re carrying this much cash.”
While counting the money earlier, Li Lan had still been holding about half of the stack wrapped in the cloth bundle. She had been so stunned—and so busy following Song Wanning out—that she had forgotten to return it.
Smiling, Song Wanning took the money from her hands.
“Godmother, it’s not safe for me to carry so much cash around. Since we’re right next to the bank, I’ll deposit part of it first.”