Yun Qingqing said calmly:
“If Divine Doctor Tang also believes the highest bidder should win, then I naturally have nothing more to say.”
Manager Tang immediately sent someone to fetch the proprietor, while shooting an unhappy glare at Yun Qingqing:
“Our proprietor will be here soon. I advise you not to cause any more trouble then. Otherwise, if you anger the proprietor and get blacklisted by our Huichun Hall, you can forget about buying medicinal herbs here ever again!”
“No need for you to worry about that,” Yun Qingqing replied in a flat tone.
“Hah, this woman has always been ungrateful. No need to waste words on her!” Ye Zhishen sneered.
Just then, a young woman in a yellow dress hurried in from outside. Seeing Ye Zhishen, she asked:
“How is it? Is there…”
She immediately noticed his troubled expression and stopped mid-sentence, her face showing anxiety and worry:
“Even Huichun Hall doesn’t have century-old snow ginseng? What should we do…”
“Don’t worry, Sister Sumiao!” Ye Zhishen quickly reassured her. “There is snow ginseng, but someone snatched it away. I promise I’ll get it back for you soon!”
“What?” Xu Sumiao widened her eyes, following his gaze to Yun Qingqing, her eyes flashing with anger. “Is she the one who took the century-old snow ginseng?”
She strode aggressively up to Yun Qingqing:
“Daring to snatch things right off the street under the Emperor’s very nose? Hand it over now, or don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Yun Qingqing chuckled:
“Huichun Hall clearly marks its prices. Is there any problem with me paying and taking the goods? Even if they decide not to do business with me, that’s the proprietor’s affair. What right do you have to interfere?”
Xu Sumiao was taken aback, turning to frown at Ye Zhishen:
“She already paid?”
At that moment, Divine Doctor Tang hurried over from the back hall and asked sternly:
“What’s going on?”
“Uncle Tang!” Ye Zhishen immediately stepped forward with a smile. “It’s been many days. Your nephew pays his respects!”
Seeing him, Divine Doctor Tang’s expression softened slightly, nodding with an “Mm.”
Ye Zhishen shot a smug glance at Yun Qingqing, about to explain the whole situation, when he saw Divine Doctor Tang look Yun Qingqing over, suddenly break into a smile, and warmly approach her:
“So it’s Miss Yun who has come! My staff must have been neglectful. Please, come to the private room and wait. Once I’ve dealt with matters here, I’ll attend to you personally!”
Ye Zhishen: “…”
Yun Qingqing smiled faintly:
“You’re too kind, Elder Tang. I hadn’t intended to trouble you to step in, but your manager here felt that selling the century-old snow ginseng for ten thousand taels was a loss and wanted to sell it for twenty thousand to this Young Master Ye.”
Divine Doctor Tang’s face immediately darkened as he glared at Manager Tang:
“Our Huichun Hall has always clearly marked prices. When did I ever teach you to jack up prices on the spot!”
Seeing Divine Doctor Tang’s attitude toward Yun Qingqing, Manager Tang knew in his heart that things had gone wrong. His eyes darted a few times before his expression fell into one of grievance:
“I was only thinking of your benefit, Proprietor! This century-old snow ginseng is the only one in the entire capital. It’s a rare treasure with a price but no market. Someone offering twenty thousand taels without finding it expensive shows that your set price of ten thousand is truly too low!”
“I was only afraid Huichun Hall would suffer a loss, so I thought the highest bidder should win, to avoid wasting such a precious medicinal herb!”
“You still dare to quibble!” Divine Doctor Tang pointed at him, his chest aching with anger.
Yun Qingqing said coldly:
“If it were an auction item, your actions would be understandable. But this century-old snow ginseng already has a fixed price. You saw an opportunity for profit and raised the price on the spot. Not only does this tarnish the good reputation your employer has built over many years, but it also harms the Qi Fortune of the entire Huichun Hall! And you still think you did nothing wrong?”
If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t have insisted on paying only ten thousand taels. She would have long since offered more silver to compete—it’s not as if she lacks money.
Manager Tang was left speechless, but Ye Zhisheng retorted:
“Scaremongering! How can buying medicine be linked to Qi Fortune?”
Divine Doctor Tang glared at him:
“What do you know? What Miss Yun says is absolutely correct! She is a benefactor of the Tang family. If you trouble her again, you’re making an enemy of me!”
Ye Zhisheng was stunned. He had already felt that Uncle Tang was being overly polite to this ugly woman, but he never expected him to openly declare her a benefactor of the Tang family!
Divine Doctor Tang turned to Yun Qingqing and immediately put on a smile:
“I’ve been worried about not having a chance to properly thank you, Miss. Since you need this century-old snow ginseng, please take it!”
As he spoke, he pushed the banknotes on the table back into her hand.
Yun Qingqing placed the banknotes back into his hand and calmly smiled:
“Receiving without merit is detrimental to cultivation. I must still pay. Besides, I will likely need to purchase medicinal herbs from you frequently in the future. I cannot take everything for free.”
Seeing her insistence, Divine Doctor Tang could no longer refuse. He nodded and immediately instructed:
“From now on, Miss Yun is a distinguished guest of our Huichun Hall. She shall receive the highest discount on all purchases! Fetch the VIP identity token!”
Yun Qingqing did not decline again. After collecting the medicinal herbs and the VIP token, she was about to leave Huichun Hall when someone blocked her path.
It was Ye Zhisheng and the woman in the yellow dress, Xu Suyao.
“Is there something?” Yun Qingqing asked without any change in expression.
“How much will you sell that century-old snow ginseng for? Name your price,” Xu Suyao said bluntly.
“I won’t sell it,” Yun Qingqing refused without hesitation.
She had important uses for this snow ginseng and could not possibly transfer it.
Xu Suyao hadn’t expected her to refuse without even discussing the price. Her expression darkened, and she pressed her lips together tightly, showing no intention of stepping aside.
Ye Zhisheng grew angry:
“What’s wrong with you? She needs the century-old snow ginseng to save someone’s life. It’s not like she’s asking for it for free. She even said you can name your price. What more do you want?”
Yun Qingqing’s eyes behind the veil coldly stared at him:
“Can’t you understand plain words? I said I won’t sell it. What, does Young Master Ye plan to take it by force?”
“You!” Ye Zhisheng took a furious step forward but was stopped by Xu Suyao.
She bit her lip and looked directly at Yun Qingqing:
“I suppose Miss Yun also needs this snow ginseng. I won’t force you. Just sell me one petal—the price is still up to you.”
Yun Qingqing stared at her for a moment before replying emotionlessly:
“This snow ginseng is indeed very important to me. I won’t sell even a single petal.”
Xu Suyao’s eyes darkened, and she was about to speak when Yun Qingqing spoke first:
“Moreover, this century-old snow ginseng is useless for Elder Xu’s illness.”
“What did you say?” Xu Suyao’s expression changed.
Her grandfather’s illness could only be cured with this century-old snow ginseng. Now, someone was saying it was useless. She didn’t want to believe it.
Yun Qingqing slightly raised her hand, silently calculating for a moment before calmly saying:
“Your grandfather has been ill for seven days, and the location of his pain changes every day, correct?”
“Exactly! How did you know?” Xu Suyao took a sharp breath, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise.
Apart from a few family members, no one else knew the details of her grandfather’s condition—not even Ye Zhishen.
As she was still reeling from the shock, she heard Yun Qingqing say:
“Your grandfather isn’t actually ill, so even a century-old snow ginseng won’t save him. If his condition isn’t dealt with immediately, he won’t survive the night.”