Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Selling Medicinal Herbs

That evening, Yang Xue announced her plan to head to town with Yang Shuang to sell the wild ginseng.

Yang the Third was uneasy and insisted on going with them, but Yang Xue told him to stay home. If anything happened at the camp, they needed a man there to hold the line. Hearing this, Yang the Third had no choice but to agree, repeatedly warning them to be extremely careful on the road.

The next day, just as the first light of dawn broke, Yang Xue and Yang Shuang set off.

Normally, taking the main road to town took about half an hour. Now, they had to trek over ridges and through valleys, which would take over an hour—essentially a two-hour hike. Just hearing the estimate gave Yang Xue a headache. She wondered: The Heavens gave me prophecy and a spatial dimension, could they not have spared a teleportation ability too?

The Heavens: …Don’t be greedy.

The two walked from the fading dark into the full light of day before finally reaching the town.

The houses in town were sturdier, mostly made of blue brick and tile. Consequently, their losses during the storms were minimal compared to the village. A few blown-off tiles were easily repaired. It was nothing like the village’s thatched huts, mud-brick hovels, and wooden shacks, most of which required complete rebuilding.

The town was recovering quickly. Aside from the dried mud clinging to everything, one would hardly know they had just survived a massive storm.

Yang Xue and Yang Shuang had a clear mission. Upon entering town, they headed straight for the medical clinic. Yang Xue asked Yang Shuang to lead her to the largest one. Her reasoning was simple: a large establishment was more likely to offer a fair and reasonable price.

However, the large clinic was swarming with patients. No one had a spare second to acknowledge them. With the days of wind and rain, many elderly people and children had fallen ill; the doctors and clerks were overwhelmed.

Yang Xue and Yang Shuang exchanged a glance and waited silently. After quite a while, the crowd showed no signs of thinning. Yang Xue began to feel restless. They still had to buy grain and rush home. If they delayed too much, it would be dark by the time they returned, and Yang the Third would be worried sick.

“Sister, why don’t we try somewhere else?”

Yang Shuang agreed. “Alright.”

As they turned to leave, an argument broke out at the counter. A man at the front of the line, clearly there to pick up a prescription, questioned the young apprentice: “How can you be out? My young master is waiting for this medicine!”

“A clinic this large and you don’t even have the herbs? Why are you even open?”

The apprentice looked helpless. “So many people have fallen ill lately that our stock is depleted. Perhaps you should try elsewhere.”

“If I could find it elsewhere, would I be standing here?”

Yang Xue immediately grabbed Yang Shuang’s arm. “Sister, wait.”

“What is it?” Yang Shuang asked, confused.

“Nothing, let’s just watch for a moment.”

Over at the counter, the manager stepped in. “Sir, my sincerest apologies, but we truly cannot find any Huangjing (Siberian Solomon’s Seal). You should quickly look elsewhere.”

“You didn’t have it yesterday, and you don’t have it today! Do you want to watch my master die in his bed?”

Yang Xue’s eyes lit up. Huangjing? I have that in my space!

“We are truly sorry. Due to the continuous rain, the suppliers were stranded. They are only just arriving now; we are moving as fast as we can.”

In truth, all three clinics in town were facing herb shortages. Seeing there was no other way, the man cursed, threw his sleeves back in frustration, and stormed out.

Yang Xue pulled Yang Shuang and followed him closely. Yang Shuang was dazed, being dragged along until she realized Yang Xue was tailing the man from the clinic. She pulled her sister back.

“Xue’er, what are we doing?”

“Sister, I’ve found a buyer.”

“Huh?”

Without explaining, Yang Xue pulled her along again. “Sister, hurry!”

Once they reached a secluded area with no people around, Yang Xue called out, “Wait, brother! Hold on!”

The man didn’t realize she was talking to him and kept walking. Yang Xue ran up to him. “Brother! Hey! I’m calling you! Wait a moment!”

The man finally turned around, his face a mask of impatience. He was desperate for herbs; he had no time for someone wasting his time. Seeing his anger, Yang Shuang flinched and tugged Yang Xue’s sleeve, signaling they should leave.

Yang Xue ignored the hint, patted her sister’s hand comfortingly, and gave a polite smile. “Brother, are you looking for Huangjing?”

The man eyed Yang Xue suspiciously, trying to guess her motive.

“I have some,” Yang Xue said, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, the man’s suspicion turned into defensiveness. “What do you want?”

“I want to sell it to you. Well? Are you buying?”

Yang Shuang was panicking beside her. Weren’t we here to sell ginseng? Where did this ‘Huangjing’ come from? And… What even is ‘Huangjing’?

(Note: In Chinese, “Huangjing” [the herb] and “Huangjin” [Gold] sound very similar. Yang Shuang, not knowing medicinal herbs, assumed her sister was talking about Gold, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.)

Yang Xue didn’t notice her sister’s terrified expression. She looked at the man. “I’m not lying. I really have it.” To prove it, she reached into her robe and produced a small piece of the herb.

Seeing that she actually had what he needed, the man lowered his guard. “I do need it. How much are you selling it for?” He told himself that if this woman tried to fleece him, he wouldn’t play the fool.

Yang Xue paused. She actually had no idea what the market price was. Seeing her hesitation, the man thought: Exactly. She’s here to slaughter me with a high price.

“Pay me double what the clinic charges,” Yang Xue said. “I’m not trying to take advantage of the crisis. You know the clinics are out of stock. It wasn’t easy for me to get this, so I can’t sell it at the normal price.”

The man was stunned. He expected her to demand an astronomical sum, but she had proposed a very reasonable “premium” for a hard-to-find item. This made him look at her with newfound respect.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll cheat you?” he asked, seeing she clearly didn’t know the exact price.

Yang Xue smiled. “Will you?”

The man smiled back. “I wouldn’t deign to do something so petty.”

Yang Xue held out her hand. “Then it’s settled. So, do you want it or not?”

“Of course I do. I’ll take all the Huangjing you have on you.”

Yang Xue beamed. Realizing this man was clearly wealthy, she decided to finish all her business at once. “Do you want some wild ginseng too?”