The county town was far more bustling than the market town, and the pharmacies were larger, with more knowledgeable old shopkeepers and fairer prices. Although it took more than three hours to walk the mountain road to the county town, the effort was worth it to earn more money and let her younger siblings live a stable life as soon as possible. Moreover, with so many people in the county town, selling ginseng wouldn’t attract much suspicion—after all, local mountain folk often sold wild herbs and medicinal ingredients there.
Su Wanxing resolved to take the dried herbs and the ginseng from her space to the largest pharmacy in the county town early the next morning.
By evening, the herbs had dried. Su Wanxing carefully packed them into neat small bundles with oil paper and placed them in her bamboo basket.
As night fell, after putting her siblings to bed, Su Wanxing entered the Intelligent Omniscient Space again. She took three of the finest wild ginseng from the modern section and transferred them to the ancient section—the original vacuum packaging instantly transformed into oil-paper wrapping, with some traces of soil, making them look freshly dug from the deep mountains, perfectly natural. Su Wanxing placed the ginseng with the herbs she had collected, planning to first inform Grandpa Li Zheng about her trip to the county town the next day.
At dawn, Su Wanxing woke up quietly. She tiptoed out, took several warm white steamed buns and a pot of heated spring water from the space’s ancient section, and placed them on the courtyard stones to cool. After a simple wash, she turned to wake Wanfeng and Wanyue.
“Good morning, Sister.” Wanfeng rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up, still half-drowsy. Wanyue shuffled over, holding tightly onto Su Wanxing’s sleeve, very clingy.
“Quick, wash up and eat breakfast. I’ll be going to the county town to sell herbs today, so I’ll be back a bit late.” Su Wanxing helped Wanyue dress, handed them the buns, and carefully instructed, “Wanfeng, watch your sister at home, stay in the courtyard, don’t run out, and don’t open the door for anyone. I’ll inform Grandpa Li Zheng to keep an eye on you too. Aunt Li will bring food at noon, and if there’s an emergency, call Aunt Zhang for help.”
Wanfeng nodded firmly, biting into his bun with determination. “Don’t worry, Sister! I’ll watch over my sister and won’t run off!”
Wanyue nodded as well, mumbling, “Wait for Sister…”
After settling her siblings, Su Wanxing slung the bamboo basket carrying the herbs and ginseng over her back, locked the ancestral hall door, and walked straight to Zhao Li Zheng’s house at the east end of the village. The gate was slightly ajar, and the muffled sound of chopping wood came from inside. Su Wanxing gently pushed the gate open. “Grandpa Li Zheng, are you home?”
Li Zheng, chopping wood, paused and wiped his sweat when he saw her. “Wanxing, coming so early—what brings you here?”
“Grandpa Li Zheng, I’m going to the county town to sell some herbs today.” Su Wanxing stepped forward without hiding anything. “I was lucky to gather some ginseng yesterday while climbing the mountain. I want to sell it in the county town pharmacy to exchange for silver. I plan to buy a house and some land in the village to live peacefully with my siblings.”
Li Zheng was momentarily stunned, then his face lit up with delight. “Oh! Such luck! Ginseng is very valuable; county town pharmacies will pay a good price.” He paused, seeing through Su Wanxing’s intentions. “You want me to keep an eye on the two little ones in the ancestral hall, right?”
“Yes, thank you, Grandpa Li.” Su Wanxing bowed slightly. “I’ve asked Aunt Zhang to deliver food at noon, but I still worry about them. I’d like you to watch over the hall. Also, later on, when buying property and land, I’ll need your help to inquire and witness.”
“That’s no trouble at all!” Li Zheng readily agreed. “Go ahead to the county town. I’ll watch Wanfeng and Wanyue and won’t let anyone bully them. As for buying land and a house, I’ll check if anyone in the village wants to sell; everything will be taken care of.”
“Thank you so much, Grandpa Li.” Su Wanxing relaxed and expressed her gratitude a little more before heading toward the village entrance. From Sujia’ao to the county town took over two hours along the mountain road. She walked quickly, the morning sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting a determined glow on her figure.
By noon, Su Wanxing finally arrived at the county town gate. The guards inspected her bamboo basket briefly; seeing only herbs, they let her enter. The county town was much livelier than the market town, with stalls lining the streets, hawkers calling out, and pedestrians everywhere.
Su Wanxing had no time to wander and headed straight to the busiest pharmacy street. She first chose the largest and most crowded shop, “Jiren Hall,” but as she reached the door, a young assistant in a cyan short jacket blocked her.
The assistant scrutinized Su Wanxing, noticing her faded coarse cloth clothing and worn bamboo basket. A look of contempt appeared on his face. Rolling his eyes, he said dismissively, “Move along! Our Jiren Hall only takes premium herbs. We don’t want this junk in your basket.”
Su Wanxing frowned but spoke calmly, “I’m not selling ordinary herbs. It’s ginseng.”
“Ginseng?” The assistant laughed, raising his voice to make a scene. Several nearby customers glanced over. “You? This poor little thing has ginseng? Must be a few carrot roots you dug up to fool people. Go away before you embarrass yourself!”
Su Wanxing’s gaze hardened. She had not wanted to argue, but the assistant was too arrogant. Without wasting words, she coldly said, “It’s no wonder you’ll be a servant all your life, seeing everyone so lowly.” She turned and walked away.
The assistant, flustered, jumped and shouted after her, “You little brat! Talk big, but you’ll regret running!” Su Wanxing ignored him and walked to a smaller, quieter shop, “Tongde Hall.”
The shopkeeper, an elderly man with graying hair, was sitting behind the counter reading a medical book. Seeing her, he looked up warmly. “Miss, are you here to buy medicine or sell it?”
“Sir, I’m selling. I have ordinary herbs and a few ginseng roots.” Su Wanxing placed the bamboo basket on the floor.
The old shopkeeper nodded, first having his assistant inspect the ordinary herbs. The assistant carefully checked and reported, “Sir, these are common herbs like bupleurum and platycodon, but they’re in good condition.”
The shopkeeper nodded, then looked at Su Wanxing. “You know the price for ordinary herbs, right? I’ll give you 3 taels of silver for these.”
“That’s fine.” Su Wanxing agreed; the common herbs weren’t worth much anyway. Seeing the shopkeeper’s discernment, she took the ginseng from the bottom of the basket, wrapped in oil paper, and handed it over. “Sir, please look at these.”
The shopkeeper’s eyes narrowed as he carefully unwrapped the first layer of oil paper. A strong medicinal aroma wafted out. Inside were three ginseng roots—thick, with complete fine roots and clear texture. He took one, smelled it, and gently pinched it, his eyes brightening.
“This… is century-old wild ginseng!” he said excitedly, checking the other two. “These two are also wild ginseng, about fifty years old, all of excellent quality! Miss, did you collect these yourself?”
“Yes, I gathered them in the mountains a few days ago,” Su Wanxing replied casually.
The shopkeeper nodded, asking no further questions, and began calculating the price. “Century-old wild ginseng is extremely rare and potent. In the county town, it could sell for at least 1,200 taels of silver. These two fifty-year ginseng roots, 500 taels each, total 1,000 taels. Adding the 3 taels for the ordinary herbs, the total is 2,203 taels. Miss, does that price suit you?”
Su Wanxing quickly calculated—it matched her expectation. She nodded, “Yes, that’s fine. I’ll take it at your price.”
“Good!” The shopkeeper was pleased and immediately sent his assistant to fetch the money. Su Wanxing requested, “Sir, I’d like four 500-tael banknotes and the rest in silver coins.”
“No problem.” The shopkeeper instructed his assistant accordingly. Soon, the assistant returned with four 500-tael banknotes and 203 taels in coins. Su Wanxing counted carefully, then stored the money directly into her space’s bamboo basket.
“Thank you, sir,” she said, bowing to the shopkeeper.
“You’re welcome, miss,” he replied with a smile. “If you ever have more fine herbs, come to Tongde Hall. I’ll give you a fair price.”
Su Wanxing responded and left the shop. With money in hand, she felt secure and slowed her pace, planning to browse the county town a little and buy some necessities before returning.