Yun Yixuan took a deep breath and was the first to break the brief silence in the inner room.
“Doctor Meng, what price would you be willing to offer?”
Her voice was clear and steady, carrying a hint of confidence.
Doctor Meng kept his gaze fixed on Yun Yixuan, as though trying to determine the young woman’s bottom line.
“This prescription belongs exclusively to you?”
His words sounded certain, but there was also a hint of probing behind the question.
The corners of Yun Yixuan’s lips lifted into a calm smile.
“Of course.”
Her expression was filled with confidence, as though telling Doctor Meng that she knew exactly how valuable this secret prescription was.
“How does twenty thousand yuan sound?” Doctor Meng finally offered.
The moment the figure left his mouth, it sent ripples through Yun Yixuan’s heart. In this era, twenty thousand yuan was an enormous fortune, enough to completely change the fate of an ordinary family.
Yun Yixuan was secretly delighted, but she maintained a composed expression.
“That works, but I want the full amount paid at once.”
She smiled at Doctor Meng, her gaze firm and leaving no room for negotiation.
“Wait here. This old man will go get the money for you.”
As soon as Doctor Meng finished speaking, he hurried out of the room, his steps quick and energetic, as though afraid Yun Yixuan might suddenly change her mind.
Before long, Doctor Meng returned with a bank deposit certificate in his hand.
He handed it to Yun Yixuan, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Yun Yixuan unfolded it and confirmed that the amount written on it was indeed exactly twenty thousand yuan.
“Doctor Meng, could I trouble you to help me withdraw the money?”
Doctor Meng looked at her in confusion.
Yun Yixuan smiled and explained, “I’m only an educated youth. It would be troublesome for me to withdraw such a large amount of money.”
She understood very well that during such a sensitive period, an educated youth suddenly withdrawing such an enormous sum would inevitably attract unwanted attention and suspicion.
Realization immediately dawned on Doctor Meng, and he nodded understandingly.
“Meng Ran, take Li Yang with you and withdraw the money for her. Come back as quickly as possible.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a young man of about twenty-four or twenty-five entered the inner room. He was tall and handsome, with a capable and sharp look in his eyes.
He took the deposit certificate and quickly left.
“He’s my youngest son,” Doctor Meng explained patiently. “Let’s wait for a while. The bank is only about two hundred meters east of here, so it won’t take long.”
Yun Yixuan nodded lightly and gave him a polite smile.
About fifteen minutes later, Meng Ran returned carrying a large bag.
Yun Yixuan accepted it and briefly checked the money inside. Every bill was a ten-yuan note, two thousand bills in total, all neatly stacked together.
She carefully put the money away before smiling at Doctor Meng.
“Doctor Meng is certainly straightforward. I’ll write down the prescription for you right now.”
With that, she looked around, found some paper and a pen, and quickly wrote down the formula along with the proper preparation method.
Her handwriting was neat and elegant, every stroke written with great care.
The moment Doctor Meng took the prescription and examined it, his eyes lit up. He nodded repeatedly while murmuring to himself.
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! What an extraordinary formula!”
Seeing how excited Doctor Meng became over the prescription, Yun Yixuan couldn’t help but smile sincerely.
He truly was someone devoted to medicine.
She then continued, “Doctor Meng, do you purchase Chinese medicinal herbs here?”
Yun Yixuan decided to strike while the iron was hot and brought up her next matter.
“We do. Do you have medicinal herbs to sell?” A trace of curiosity flashed through Doctor Meng’s eyes.
“Yes. I’ll have to trouble you to take a look at them.”
With that, Yun Yixuan quickly walked out of the room and raised her voice.
“Li Meiling, bring our medicinal herbs over and let Doctor Meng take a look!”
Her clear voice echoed throughout the clinic.
“Doctor Meng, I have one wild ginseng root, a bag of achyranthes root, and a bag of angelica root.”
After returning to the inner room, Yun Yixuan introduced the herbs to him.
Doctor Meng’s eyes immediately brightened. Unable to contain his eagerness, he quickly took the medicinal herbs and carefully examined them.
He put on his reading glasses and gently held the wild ginseng in both hands, carefully inspecting its fine roots, rhizome, and patterns.
As he examined it, he repeatedly nodded.
“This wild ginseng is of excellent quality, though unfortunately, it isn’t very old.”
He then carefully inspected the other medicinal herbs in the bags.
“The achyranthes and angelica are also top-quality. Young lady, you two are quite skilled at gathering medicinal herbs.”
His voice was filled with praise.
Yun Yixuan smiled modestly, a faint blush appearing on her face.
“We were just lucky. Doctor Meng, how much do you think these medicinal herbs are worth?”
There was a trace of anticipation in her voice.
Doctor Meng stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment, seemingly weighing their value.
“This wild ginseng alone is quite valuable. Together with the achyranthes and angelica… How about eight hundred yuan for everything?”
As soon as he named the price, Yun Yixuan and Li Meiling exchanged glances.
Both could see the surprise and delight in each other’s eyes.
The price was far beyond what they had expected.
“Alright. We’ll accept Doctor Meng’s offer.”
The two quickly handed over all the medicinal herbs, and Doctor Meng paid them just as readily. His movements were practiced and efficient as he counted out the money.
Yun Yixuan immediately handed four hundred yuan to Li Meiling.
However, Li Meiling only took one hundred yuan and pushed the remaining three hundred back toward Yun Yixuan.
“Yixuan, this is enough for me. You’re giving me too much. I don’t understand anything about medicinal herbs. All I did was contribute some physical labor.”
Her eyes were filled with sincerity.
“Take it. We agreed to split everything equally, so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to make a fortune together in the future, so you’re not allowed to refuse. A good partner isn’t easy to find.”
Yun Yixuan grabbed the money and stuffed it directly into Li Meiling’s coat pocket without giving her another chance to refuse.
Li Meiling looked at Yun Yixuan with complicated emotions, tears glistening in her eyes.
Silently, she made a promise to herself.
From now on, she would work even harder and gather as many medicinal herbs as possible.
Doctor Meng then asked curiously, “Young lady, you’re so knowledgeable about medicinal herbs and skilled at gathering them. Could it be that someone in your family practices medicine?”
Yun Yixuan froze slightly before gently shaking her head without saying anything more.
A barely noticeable trace of sadness flashed through her eyes.
Seeing that Yun Yixuan didn’t want to discuss the matter, Doctor Meng didn’t press her further.
Instead, he looked at her appreciatively.
“If you’re willing, you can come by my clinic whenever you have time. We can exchange knowledge and discuss medicine together.”
His voice was filled with sincerity.
Yun Yixuan happily agreed, a bright smile appearing on her face.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Doctor Meng often in the future.”
She was just about to leave when she suddenly remembered that she would need somewhere to sell medicinal herbs in the future.
“Doctor Meng, do you always purchase medicinal herbs here?”
“We buy them anytime,” Doctor Meng replied seriously.
Satisfied with his answer, Yun Yixuan and Li Meiling took their money and happily left the clinic.
Their steps were light and cheerful, and their laughter rang out brightly, as though the entire world was celebrating their successful harvest with them.
As the two happily walked away from the clinic, Li Meiling could no longer hide the excitement on her face.
They had only spent half a day gathering medicinal herbs, yet they had earned so much money.
For Li Meiling, this was something she wouldn’t even have dared to dream about.
How could she possibly contain her joy?
Her footsteps were so light that she almost seemed ready to fly, and every now and then, she hummed a cheerful little tune under her breath.