Brother Gui must have been a warm-hearted person when he was alive.
“Don’t sell it at a Chinese medicine shop—you won’t get a good price,” he reminded Yu Miaomiao.
“There’s a place in the North Market that specializes in buying wild delicacies. They know their stuff and offer high prices.”
“I asked around. For a pure wild ginseng like this, with decent age, it should sell for at least fifty thousand yuan.”
“Fifty thousand?”
Yu Miaomiao’s heart trembled along with her hands.
“That’s so much money! I won’t be able to spend it all, absolutely not!”
“If you can’t spend it all, give me some. Next time I steal something, I can leave the owner a bit of money.”
Yu Miaomiao’s expression turned into a meme of shock.
“Wait, why are you stealing things?”
“Because I have no money, and no one dares to accept money from me anyway.”
Brother Gui complained, “Honestly, what’s so scary about ghosts? You humans are the terrifying ones.”
“A well-behaved ghost like you isn’t scary, but that doesn’t mean all ghosts are well-behaved!”
Yu Miaomiao didn’t argue further. “I’m going to sell the ginseng. If I really get fifty thousand, I’ll give you half!”
The North Market was quite far away. She rode her little electric scooter there, following the navigation.
The shop Brother Gui mentioned had a very small, inconspicuous storefront—clearly relying on regular customers.
She pushed the door open and explained her purpose. The shopkeeper didn’t think much of her at first.
“You look like a city person. Where’d you get wild ginseng? Little girl, I’ve been in this business longer than you’ve been alive. You can’t fool me.”
Yu Miaomiao took the small box containing the ginseng from her bag. Before showing it, she declared, “Let’s not try to fool each other. If you know what you’re looking at, give me a fair price.”
The man scoffed, convinced this young girl was trying to trick him.
But when his eyes fell on the ginseng in the box—even before picking it up—his gaze froze.
“Oh, this is good stuff. Where’d you get it?”
“A friend from the mountains gave it to me.”
The man took the ginseng in his hands and examined it carefully. His attitude changed completely.
“How much do you want for it?”
If Brother Gui hadn’t asked around for her beforehand, she wouldn’t have known how to price it.
Brother Gui said it was worth at least fifty thousand, so she needed to leave some room for bargaining.
“Fifty-five thousand!”
“You know your stuff, little girl,” the shopkeeper chuckled. “Alright, it’s a deal at your price!”
Yu Miaomiao was stunned. He agreed just like that?
He could’ve at least bargained a little, so she’d feel she hadn’t underpriced it.
As if afraid she’d change her mind, the shopkeeper quickly transferred fifty-five thousand yuan. The transaction was complete.
Yu Miaomiao, now holding a small fortune, rode her scooter back home. On the way, she bought herself a bowl of spicy hot pot.
Back home, she ate with pride. Having money really made a difference—she ordered the premium version of spicy hot pot, adding whichever meatballs she wanted without a second thought!
Brother Gui, the overworked ghost, didn’t return until evening, reeking of the exhaustion from his shift.
“Two more tonight. Why do they all have to pass away in the middle of the night?”
His long-term irregular schedule had left dark circles under his eyes.
After complaining about his fate, he turned to Yu Miaomiao. “How did your thing go?”
Yu Miaomiao slapped one stack of money on the table, then another, and another.
“Take these thirty thousand.”
For the first time, a flicker of emotion appeared on Brother Gui’s usually calm face.
“You sold it for that much?”
“Sold it for fifty-five thousand. You get thirty thousand; I keep twenty-five thousand.”
He looked even more confused. “Why am I getting more than you?”
“Take it. Who knows how long it’ll be before you meet someone who can earn money for you again after I die,” Yu Miaomiao said generously.
Hearing this, Brother Gui’s corpse felt warm.
“Did you find a new owner for Maodou today?” he asked again.
At the mention of this, Yu Miaomiao’s mood plummeted.
“What should I do? I just can’t find one!”
“Why not try posting online? Maybe someone happens to want to adopt a dog.”
Yu Miaomiao shook her head.
“People online are all strangers. After just one or two meetings, I can’t guarantee they’re good people or that they won’t abuse Maodou in the future! Rather than take that risk, I’d rather send him to a stray dog shelter.”
She looked at Brother Gui, “Can you do me a favor?”
“What favor?”
“If Maodou really ends up at the stray dog shelter, if any dog bullies him, you help me beat up that dog!”
Brother Gui’s mouth twitched, “Maybe… you should try living a few more days first…”