Otherworldly Space: A Tale of Love and Growth

The ginseng was cultivated in a special medicinal field within Song Ci’s spatial storage. In addition to ginseng, he had planted some common medicinal herbs like honeysuckle. Among them, the more valuable ones were the Polygonum multiflorum (He Shou Wu).

Thanks to the enhancement of the spatial environment, the efficacy of these herbs was not inferior to that of their wild counterparts.

Since the day Song Ci took out the ginseng, he had noticed that Old Lady Song’s eyes had been constantly dark-circled, and she had not yet recovered. She was often absent-minded while doing things, making frequent mistakes. Once, she almost steamed buns with the bran meant for the chickens.

Song Ci knew that Old Lady Song’s state would likely persist for a while longer. She was simply too anxious about the ginseng.

Suddenly acquiring a batch of precious medicinal materials, who besides Song Ci, the instigator, could remain calm? These ginseng roots could be both a life-saving remedy and a deadly poison.

If those with ill intentions found out, trouble would inevitably follow.

——

Song Ci had attributed the ginseng to Old Lady Song under a false name, originally with the intention of testing her.

Now that he understood her capacity to handle the situation, he decided not to tell her about the spatial storage. He didn’t want the old lady to worry constantly about him, unable to enjoy her twilight years. He would take on the responsibility alone.

Perhaps after getting married, he might have someone to share the burden with.

“Ergou, let Tiesheng accompany you to the county town,” Old Lady Song suggested.

She was anxious about Ergou going to the county town to sell ginseng, always associating it with negative scenarios.

For example, she feared that Ergou might be robbed and killed on the way, or that he would spend all the money in a brothel, get into a fight over a woman, and end up with a broken head. In short, she could only think of bad things.

Considering that Song Tiesheng was more steady and reliable, Old Lady Song felt more at ease if he accompanied Ergou.

“Mother, there’s no need to trouble Brother Tiesheng. I can go alone. It’s better to keep our family matters private and not let too many people know,” Song Ci replied.

The more people who knew, the higher the probability of real problems arising in the future.

“That’s fine too. Just be careful. Don’t show off your wealth. Sell the ginseng and come back quickly. Don’t linger in the county town, and don’t spend the money carelessly. Be vigilant while walking. If you’re targeted by thieves, head towards crowded places and find an opportunity to shake them off,” Old Lady Song said, not wanting to involve Uncle Song’s family too much.

After all, they were two separate families, and there should be some limits to their closeness. She patiently instructed Song Ci.

“I understand. You can rest easy,” Song Ci answered patiently, without any sign of impatience.

During his time in this world, Song Ci had been to the county town twice, both times with his two cousins from Uncle Song’s family. He was quite familiar with the route, so this trip was relatively smooth.

He chose a medical hall of moderate size, casually bought a few medicinal herbs, and inquired about the price of ginseng.

Ginseng is categorized by age: a fifty-year increment for each grade, with a significant price difference between those over a hundred years old and those under.

There is also a price difference between wild and cultivated ginseng. It is said that some merchants dealing in medicinal materials even have their own ginseng gardens.

Before coming, Song Ci had replanted the thirty-year-old ginseng. This time, he planned to sell another one with excellent appearance, an eighty-year-old root.

To avoid being detected as non-wild, Song Ci deliberately aged the ginseng and randomly damaged several of its roots. If anyone saw it, they would probably scold him for wasting such valuable material.

“Excuse me, does your shop buy medicinal materials?” After gathering the information, Song Ci went to the largest pharmacy in the county town, Funing Hall.

The clerks of these large pharmacies are professionally trained and do not judge people by their appearance.

Even if they truly look down upon the poor patients in their hearts, they would not show it. He warmly and proudly said to Song Ci, “Of course we do. If the quality of the herbs you have is slightly inferior, you may try your luck at Rong’an Hall or Jining Hall. We only accept top-quality items here.”

“Of course it’s good stuff, wild ginseng,” Song Ci whispered into the clerk’s ear.

“Please come this way, sir. I’ll call our shopkeeper to have a look at it for you,” the clerk said, leading Song Ci to the inner hall and then going to find the shopkeeper.

Ginseng transactions involve a significant amount of silver, which is not something the clerk can decide on his own.

“Are you the one selling wild ginseng?” Soon, a lean middle-aged man entered, with a faint medicinal scent on him and slightly yellowed fingertips, indicating that he had just been pounding medicine.

“Yes, I am. Are you the shopkeeper of Funing Hall?”

“That’s correct. I am the shopkeeper of this pharmacy. May I see your ginseng?”

Song Ci took out the ginseng, wrapped in layer upon layer, from his bosom. The first moment the shopkeeper laid eyes on it, he was captivated.

He carefully took the ginseng from Song Ci’s hand and placed it on the table for a closer examination.

“Fine ginseng, truly fine,” the shopkeeper of Funing Hall kept muttering as he meticulously appraised the ginseng.

“In all my years, I have never seen such a spirited wild ginseng.”

“Pity, pity, several roots have been broken.”

“It was almost a hundred years old. It would have been perfect if it had been discovered a few more years later.”

Seeing the shopkeeper’s fascination with the herb, Song Ci did not interrupt and patiently waited for the shopkeeper to give him a decision.

“This wild ginseng is a rare find, but several of the roots have been broken,” the shopkeeper said to Song Ci after coming out of his trance, somewhat regretfully. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated that a farmer didn’t know how to properly dig up ginseng. Such a precious item should have been handled with more care.

“It’s almost a hundred years old. What a pity. An eighty-year-old ginseng is worth two hundred taels on the market. How about I offer you one hundred and sixty taels for it?”

Song Ci just smiled and remained silent.

“One hundred and sixty-five taels, but that’s the highest I can go,” the shopkeeper said through gritted teeth.

He had seen many ginseng roots in his life, but such a spirited one was truly rare. The shopkeeper was determined to acquire it. He knew he had lost his composure just now, and that his eagerness had been noticed by the person in front of him. As a result, the initiative was no longer in their pharmacy’s hands.

That’s why the initial offer was not low.

“One hundred and eighty taels,” Song Ci said.

“One hundred and sixty-eight taels,” the shopkeeper countered.

“One hundred and seventy-five taels.”

“One hundred and seventy taels.”

“I won’t sell it then.”

“One hundred and seventy…”

The shopkeeper quickly realized what Song Ci had just said and hastily leaned forward to protect the ginseng, reluctantly saying, “Alright, it’s a deal.”

At Song Ci’s request, the shopkeeper gave him three fifty-tael banknotes and twenty-five taels of silver coins.

After Song Ci left, the shopkeeper took out a jade box, placed the ginseng inside, and called over his clerk with a heavy heart, saying, “Deliver it to that young master.”

“Yes, sir.” The clerk saw the shopkeeper’s expression, as if he had lost a beloved family member, and his mouth twitched.

Song Ci left the pharmacy, put the banknotes into his spatial storage, and headed straight to the same general store as last time with the silver coins.