The carefree life of Yang Shuisheng, the village miracle doctor

It was still a two-hour walk.

By the time we arrived in town, the sun had already risen.

Most of the shops on the street had just opened, and the wooden door of Su's Grocery Store was still ajar.

Yang Shuisheng arrived too early; the place wasn't officially open for business yet.

He turned around and went to the noodle shop from yesterday, where he spent another dollar to eat a bowl of hot soup noodles, and only then did he feel warm again.

As I finished eating my noodles and came out, the door to Su's Grocery Store opened.

Yang Shuisheng carried the bag inside.

The store was bigger inside than it looked outside. The shelves were filled with all sorts of odds and ends, from needles and thread to pots and pans, and there was also a small counter with some cigarettes and alcohol.

A young shop assistant in his early twenties, wearing a gray jacket, was wiping the counter.

When Yang Shuisheng came in, they looked him up and down a few times. Seeing that he was dressed in shabby clothes and was carrying a tattered bag tied with straw rope, they frowned.

"What do you want to buy?" the shop assistant asked, sounding a little impatient.

"I'm not buying anything, I'm here to sell something." Yang Shuisheng placed the bag on the counter. "Yesterday, an old man asked me to bring any medicinal herbs I had here, and he would accept them."

"Selling things? Old man?" The shop assistant scoffed, not even glancing at the bag. "Our Su Family Grocery Store only sells, we don't buy. You've come to the wrong place."

"Hurry up and get out of here, don't delay your business."

As he spoke, he fanned the counter with the rag in his hand, as if Yang Shuisheng had brought some bad luck.

"I haven't come to the wrong place, this is it, Su's Grocery Store," Yang Shuisheng insisted. "The old man there took a piece of Polygonatum from me at the street corner yesterday and told me to bring over any better ones."

"The old man who buys medicinal herbs?" The shop assistant paused for a moment, then his mockery deepened. "You? You know Old Master Huang? Who are you trying to fool!"

"Look at your clothes, you look like a beggar, and you're selling medicinal herbs?"

"Is he trying to scam money by digging up some rotten tree root from some ravine?"

"Get out, get out, or I'll call for help!"

His voice was quite loud, and two women who had just come in to buy needles and thread also looked over and pointed at Yang Shuisheng.

"There are all kinds of people these days."

"You're obsessed with money."

Yang Shuisheng's face darkened. Just as he was about to explain further, the curtain of the inner room was lifted, and a man in his fifties walked out with his hands behind his back.

"What's all the noise about so early in the morning?"

He swept his gaze across the counter, his expression authoritative without being angry: "Are you still going to do business or not?"

Upon seeing this man, the shop assistant immediately changed to a respectful demeanor and pointed at Yang Shuisheng, complaining, "Boss, you've come at the right time! This kid, I don't know where he came from, carrying a bag of rags, insisting that Old Master Huang sent him to sell medicinal herbs. He's causing trouble here and delaying our opening."

Su Danian is the owner of Su Family Grocery Store.

His gaze fell on Yang Shuisheng, then he looked at the straw rope bag on the counter.

He wasn't as arbitrary as the shop assistant.

I walked over, reached out and brushed aside the grass leaves at the bag's opening, and peeked inside.

With just that one glance, his eyes flickered slightly.

He picked up the Solomon's Seal, examined its rhizome, color, and texture carefully, and then brought it close to his nose to smell it.

"Snapped!"

Su Danian suddenly raised his hand and lightly tapped the shop assistant on the back of the head, saying sternly, "Are you blind? This young man is Old Huang's guest."

"Didn't Old Huang specifically tell you yesterday that a young man selling medicinal herbs might come looking for him in the next few days? Are you out of your mind?"

The shop assistant was stunned by the beating. He covered the back of his head, looked at the boss, then at Yang Shuisheng, his face full of disbelief.

Old Master Huang is a distinguished guest of the landlord. He came from the county town and I heard that he is of very high status. He has been staying at the Su family's old house for several days.

He vaguely remembered the boss mentioning it yesterday, saying that Old Huang had instructed that a young man selling medicinal herbs might come...

But he never expected that it would be this country boy in front of him, wearing patched clothes and looking extremely poor.

"I'm sorry, young man, I misunderstood you. I apologize."

The shop assistant blushed and quickly bowed to Yang Shuisheng to apologize, his heart pounding with anxiety, afraid of offending Old Master Huang's customer.

Su Danian ignored the shop assistant and turned to look at Yang Shuisheng.

His face was now adorned with a warm smile, a stark contrast to the stern expression he had displayed when reprimanding the waiter.

"Young man, I'm sorry, my men are incompetent and you must be embarrassed by their behavior."

"Old Huang should be up by now."

"Come, I'll take you to see him."

As he spoke, he personally lifted the curtain leading to the backyard and gestured for them to enter.

The two women who bought needles and thread and the shop assistant were all stunned.

Boss Su is a prominent figure on this street, yet he's being so polite to this young man who looks like a beggar.

He even personally took him to meet distinguished guests?

Yang Shuisheng didn't say much. He picked up the bag, nodded to Su Danian, and followed him through the shop to the quiet and elegant courtyard at the back.

The backyard wasn't large, but it was kept clean and tidy. Several clumps of green bamboo grew in the corner, and an old elm wood tea table and a few small stools were placed in the middle.

"Please have a seat, young man."

Su Danian invited Yang Shuisheng to sit down and poured him a cup of hot tea.

He then quickly walked towards the east wing.

A moment later, the curtain was lifted, and the old man who had bought Solomon's Seal at the street corner yesterday came out with a smile.

He was wearing a dark gray silk shirt today, and his eyes lit up when he saw Yang Shuisheng sitting there.

"Hey, young man, it's you!"

"I thought you wouldn't be able to come again for a few days, but I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

Huang Yongxiang sat down opposite Yang Shuisheng, speaking in a very amicable tone.

"Hello, Mr. Huang."

Yang Shuisheng picked up the bag at his feet and placed it on the table.

"I was lucky yesterday. I went back into the mountains and found this. Could you take a look at it?"

Huang Yongxiang untied the straw rope and took out the Solomon's seal.

He examined it more carefully than yesterday, not only looking at the stem scars, but also weighing it repeatedly, and even pinching off a tiny bit of root and tasting it with his eyes closed.

"Hmm!" He opened his eyes, a satisfied smile on his face. "Not bad, not bad! This product is probably almost twenty years old. It has a strong medicinal aroma and is a genuine old mountain product."

"Young man, you've got good luck and a good eye."

He put down the polygonatum and looked at Yang Shuisheng: "I'll say it again, what price do you want to sell it for?"

Yang Shuisheng pondered in his mind that yesterday, the ten-year-old product sold for twenty yuan per catty. This year's product was almost twice as old, so its medicinal effect must be much stronger. The price should definitely go up.

He tentatively asked, "Thirty yuan a pound, is that alright?"

"Thirty?" Huang Yongxiang was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, pointing at Yang Shuisheng and saying to Su Danian beside him, "Danian, look at this young man, he's a real go-getter."

He turned back to look at Yang Shuisheng, his eyes filled with approval: "Young man, your price is very reasonable."

"To be honest, a 20-year-old wild Solomon's Seal of this quality could easily sell for over 40 yuan in the county town."

"I won't take too much advantage of you. How about this, I'll add five yuan, making it thirty-five yuan per jin. What do you think?"

Yang Shuisheng's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the old man to be so agreeable and even offer to raise the price.

He immediately nodded: "Okay, we'll do as the old man said, thirty-five."

"Great!" Huang Yongxiang nodded to Su Danian. "Danian, get the scales and weigh it."

Su Danian quickly brought over a fine little scale.

When the Solomon's Seal was placed on the scale, the bars tilted high.

"Three jin exactly, quite a lot," Su Danian reported the weight.

"Three jin, thirty-five yuan per jin, that's one hundred and five yuan."

Huang Yongxiang was quick at mental arithmetic. He took out a wallet from his pocket and pulled out a few bills.

One bill was a dark green 100-yuan note, and the other five were brownish-red 1-yuan notes.

He handed the money to Yang Shuisheng: "Young man, please count it."

When Yang Shuisheng took the money, his heart skipped a beat as his fingers touched the crisp, new hundred-yuan bill.

This is a great unity!

This was the first time in his life that he had ever held a hundred-yuan bill in his own hands.

Adding the fifty yuan he earned from selling Solomon's Seal yesterday, he now had a total of one hundred and fifty yuan.

Looking at the heavy 100 yuan note in my hand.

Two thousand yuan a month...

Judging by this trend, it might not be a bad thing.

"The money is correct, thank you, Grandpa Huang." Yang Shuisheng carefully put the money away and placed it securely against his body.

"I should be thanking you for bringing me such good medicinal herbs." Huang Yongxiang waved his hand, very happy.

After all, twenty-year-old Polygonatum is quite rare.

Yang Shuisheng put the money away, but didn't leave immediately.

"Mr. Su, there's something else I'd like to ask you."

He looked at Su Danian, who had been standing beside him, and asked, "Does your general store... or do you know where I can buy wild ginseng?"

"It doesn't need to be particularly old, but it has to be genuine wild mountain produce."

Su Danian and Huang Yongxiang exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.