Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 104 Big Patron

The clerk has been working in the drug store for many years, and his experience tells him that the more unattractive a person is, the more likely he is to have great abilities.

Therefore, the waiters treated Qu and Liu differently from those in restaurants and diners, where they would not show a bad attitude just because their clothes were tattered.

On the contrary, the guy's attitude was quite respectful.

Qu Shaoyang was quite satisfied with the clerk's attitude. It could be seen that the person in charge of this drug store was not the short-sighted and contemptuous person.

Qu Shaoyang put the sacks they brought on the counter and smiled at the waiter.

"Who is the person in charge here? Can you please come out and see him?"

As Qu Shaoyang spoke, he opened the mouth of the sack a little so that the waiter could see what was inside.

The guy leaned over to take a look and his expression changed immediately.

"Sir, please wait a moment. I will go and invite the shopkeeper." The sack was filled with bundles of birch bark rolls. The waiter recognized them immediately as ginseng buns.

Wow, I just took a quick glance and there were at least ten ginseng buns in the sack. Even if there were no big items in there, this still meant he was a big customer.

The waiter did not dare to delay and immediately went to the back to find the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper was busy at the back. When he heard what the waiter said, he immediately put down what he was doing and came to the front.

"My name is Yu Huacheng, and I am the owner of Baoshengtang Pharmacy. Please come to the back hall to chat."

Shopkeeper Yu glanced at the counter and saw that the people who came here must be masters in the ginseng gang, no matter how big or small the ginseng inside was, as they could use sacks to pack ginseng buns.

Shopkeeper Yu did not dare to be negligent and immediately bowed to Qu Shaoyang and Liu Dongshan, and politely invited them to the back hall.

Qu Shaoyang and Liu Dongshan looked at each other and nodded. Then Qu Shaoyang carried the sack, and the two followed the shopkeeper to the back hall and sat down.

"Shunzi, have some tea." The shopkeeper called out, and a waiter brought up the tea.

Qu Shaoyang did not touch the tea, but directly opened the sack and took out a ginseng bun from it.

"Manager Yu, the two of us came here just to sell some ginseng. Manager Yu, please take a look at the ginseng in my hand."

Qu Shaoyang opened the ginseng bun as he spoke.

Inside is a six-leaf ginseng seedling, which is quite old. The ginseng has a long rhizome, light yellow skin, and its whiskers are covered with pearly bumps.

This ginseng seedling is a full foot and a half long from the root to the whisker, and has a flexible shape. The thickest part is much thicker than a man's thumb.

Shopkeeper Yu is an expert. With just a glance, he can tell that this young ginseng weighs at least two and a half taels.

Shopkeeper Yu hadn't seen such a big batch of ginseng for a long time. He couldn't help but get excited when he saw such a good ginseng.

Shopkeeper Yu stood up, walked closer, and examined the young ginseng carefully.

"Good, really good. This is authentic wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain. Good stuff."

Shopkeeper Yu is an expert and can tell the authenticity of ginseng at a glance.

"I don't know, how much do you want for this young ginseng?"

Shopkeeper Yu had already decided on a rough price for the ginseng in his mind, but the exact price would depend on the seller's intention.

Ginseng has been recorded since the oracle bone inscriptions more than 3,500 years ago. Later, it was included in the prescriptions and works of medical masters of successive dynasties such as Zhang Zhongjing and Li Shizhen.

But it was during the Qing Dynasty that it truly became an expensive medical and health product.

Because the Manchus of the Qing Dynasty lived and multiplied between the White Mountains and Black Waters for generations, the living environment was harsh and severe, which caused great damage to their health and lifespan.

The best survival supplement is the ginseng that grows under the cold Changbai forest, in a soil mixed with black calcium-rich humus and volcanic ash.

After the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, they brought the custom of eating Changbai Mountain ginseng to the capital and the Central Plains. The Qing imperial family in particular regarded Changbai Mountain ginseng as a precious tonic for longevity. Emperors and concubines of all dynasties had the habit of eating ginseng.

The royal family of the Qing Dynasty highly praised wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain. As a royal tribute, its price was naturally very high.

Due to the huge demand from the Qing royal family and society, Changbai Mountain ginseng was frantically harvested, resources were sharply reduced, and prices continued to rise.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, one liang of ginseng cost about ten liang of silver.

By the Qianlong period, one tael of ginseng could be sold for thirty-two taels of silver.

By the late Daoguang period, one tael of ginseng was worth more than one hundred taels of silver.

Moreover, the price of ginseng is not only reflected in its weight. The whiskers, stalks, skin, texture and body are all factors that affect the price of wild ginseng.

If the ginseng has all five shapes and is of sufficient weight, its value will double.

Qu Shaoyang took out the young ginseng and weighed it with a scale. It was two taels and nine cents. It was also beautiful in shape. The lowest price would be four hundred taels.

What was the concept of 400 taels in those days? One tael of silver could buy about one shi of millet, or 120 jin of millet.

Four hundred taels can buy about 50,000 kilograms of millet.

The annual expenses of an ordinary family of three are only a few taels of silver, which means that a good ginseng seedling is probably enough for the family of three to live a very comfortable life.

Before coming here, Qu Shaoyang had inquired about the market situation a lot, so he naturally had an idea of ​​the situation.

He did not ask for the price directly, but smiled and opened another ginseng bun, "Take a look at this seedling."

When the second ginseng bun was opened, the ginseng inside was bigger and also very beautiful in shape.

Shopkeeper Yu widened his eyes in surprise. He never expected that the other party could come up with a bigger ginseng.

"My dear, why don't you just take them out one by one? Let's just take them all out directly.

I've looked at them one by one, how about I give you a good price for them all?" Shopkeeper Yu said excitedly, his heart burning.

This is a big deal. If you take these ginseng today and resell them another day, you can make several times the profit.

We must maintain our important customers well.

Qu Shaoyang and Liu Dongshan looked at each other, smiled, and said nothing. They directly took out the ginseng buns from the sack.

This time, they brought a total of seven seedlings with fifth-grade leaves and three seedlings with sixth-grade leaves.

Needless to say, the seven seedlings and five-grade leaves weigh more than one or two taels, the small ones are only about half a tael.

The third seedling with six leaves is truly extraordinary. The first seedling that Qu Shaoyang took out was the smallest.

The largest seedling weighs six taels and three cents, which is very close to being a treasure.

Shopkeeper Yu held the seedling with six-liang-weight sixth-grade leaves in his hands, his hands shaking with excitement.

"Shunzi, hurry up and ask Mr. Yuan how much money is left in the account?"

This batch of goods must be obtained. If there is not enough money in the account, we must hurry to raise it. We cannot let the big customer run away.

You know, if they receive these ginseng today, they can earn several times the profit by reselling it another day. This is the God of Wealth.

Upon hearing this, Shunzi turned around and went out to find the accountant to check the money on the account.

Not long after, Shunzi came back and whispered something in the shopkeeper's ear.

When Manager Yu heard this, he immediately sent Shunzi out to other local Niu family shops to raise money.

(End of this chapter)