Chapter 73: What Are You Doing Here?
"Are you sure it was around here?" a man in a leather jacket asked.
"Yes, Brother Ming." The man nodded eagerly. "I’m positive. I heard it clearly, it was definitely around here. Besides, Biaozi and the others said they saw Da Su and Taozi head this way."
The man known as Brother Ming frowned. "Search the area and see what you can find. Also, if you spot Da Su and Taozi, bring them here at once."
"Yes."
However, after searching the entire area, the men found nothing out of the ordinary. There wasn’t even a trace of Da Su and Taozi.
"Three gunshots, and not a single shell casing?" Brother Ming asked, his brow furrowed.
His men exchanged glances before all shaking their heads in unison. "We couldn’t find any."
Brother Ming’s eyes narrowed. "Let’s go. We’ll head back. When Da Dong and Taozi get back, tell them to come see me."
"Yes."
Su Qing was completely unaware of what had transpired after she left. Having found a ginseng plant in the mountains, she planned to sell it right away. After all, she had no need for it herself. Her green mist was far more potent than any ginseng.
The next morning, Su Qing quickly finished her tasks, then found the scorekeeper to log her work points, intending to clock out for the day.
The scorekeeper was surprised by Su Qing’s speed. "Su Qing, you’re really something! You’ve been getting faster and faster these last couple of days. A full day’s worth of work, and you finished it in just a little over half a day?"
Su Qing just smiled. ’Of course I’m fast. I’ve been using my ability to control the potato root systems, making them loosen the surrounding soil. It makes digging them up much, much easier.’ But that was a secret she couldn’t share with anyone.
The aunties and other women, who had been left in her dust, overheard the scorekeeper and chimed in with a laugh. "Isn’t that the truth! That girl Su Qing has been a speed demon these past few days. It’s great to be young! We’re all incredibly envious."
After logging her points, the scorekeeper said to Su Qing, "How about I assign you another plot?"
"Oh, no, that’s alright," Su Qing said quickly. "I’m a little tired, so I’m just going to head back."
"Alright then." The scorekeeper was a little disappointed. ’It’s a shame. Someone who works this fast could easily handle another plot.’ But he looked at Su Qing, who was just a teenager after all, and didn’t insist, worried he might overwork her.
Once home, Su Qing quietly slipped out of the village by taking a path through the back hills and headed straight for the county seat. She moved quickly now, so it was still early when she arrived.
When she arrived at Hongji Hall, Su Qing didn’t see Mr. Gong. There was only a young man in his early twenties sitting behind the counter.
"Comrade, what medicine can I get for you?" the young man asked with a smile as Su Qing entered.
"Hello, Comrade. I’m looking for Mr. Gong," Su Qing replied with a quick smile.
"Oh, you’re looking for Mr. Gong?" the young man asked. "May I ask what it’s regarding?"
"Mr. Gong told me last time that you also purchase medicinal herbs here. I brought some with me today," Su Qing quickly explained.
The young man smiled. "Comrade, Hongji Hall is indeed the official purchasing point for medicinal herbs in the county. I can handle the transaction. What did you bring today?"
Su Qing nodded, taking out the herbs she had brought and placing them on the counter. The young man examined them one by one. When he got to the ginseng, his eyes flew wide. "You found this wild ginseng yourself?"
"That’s right." Su Qing nodded.
Just as they were speaking, a man in his forties walked into Hongji Hall. He overheard the young man, and his eyes instantly lit up. He quickened his pace, his gaze falling upon the ginseng on the counter. At the sight of it, his eyes shone even brighter. He glanced from Su Qing to the clerk, considered saying something, but then decided against it. Instead, he moved to the side, pretending to examine the medicine cabinets behind the counter while secretly straining to hear their conversation.
The young man looked at the ginseng, a touch of pity in his expression. "Why’d you carry it so carelessly? You should have at least put it in a wooden box. It’d be a real shame if even a single one of these fine roots got damaged."
He then added, "Still, this ginseng looks to have some significant age on it. I can’t price it myself; we’ll have to wait for Mr. Gong to return. He just stepped out and should be back shortly. I can, however, give you a price for this platycodon, astragalus, and gentian. Take a look. How do these numbers sound?"
As he spoke, the young man jotted some numbers down on a piece of paper. "For these few herbs, I can offer you this price per gram for each type. What do you think?"
Su Qing didn’t know much about the market price for medicinal herbs. ’Besides, they were relatively easy for me to get.’ After glancing at the prices the young man had written, she nodded. "Alright, that price is fine."
Hearing her agree, the young man beamed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Great! I’ll weigh them out then."
The middle-aged man standing to the side had his eye on Su Qing’s ginseng. Seeing the clerk occupied with weighing the herbs, he was just about to approach Su Qing and strike up a conversation when Mr. Gong walked into Hongji Hall. The man immediately straightened up and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Gong."
Mr. Gong looked up at the voice, his brow immediately creasing. "What are you doing here? You should leave. I have nothing to say to anyone from the An Family."
"Mr. Gong, I understand that past events have caused you to look unfavorably upon the An Family," the middle-aged man said quickly, forcing a smile. "But our Zhi Han is not like the others. I hope you can spare a moment to listen to what I have to say."
Mr. Gong gave a slight shake of his head. "Regardless, he is an An Family member. On that point alone, my position will not change. I won’t discuss anything with you. Please, show yourself out."
"Mr. Gong..." The middle-aged man started to say more, but seeing the cold look on Mr. Gong’s face, he sighed. "Very well. In that case, I will take my leave."
Mr. Gong remained silent, his expression as cold as ever. The middle-aged man sighed inwardly, then turned and left Hongji Hall.
Once the middle-aged man had left, the young clerk who was weighing herbs called out to Mr. Gong, "Old Mr. Gong, this young lady is here to sell some medicinal herbs. I’m not sure how to price this ginseng. Could you please come take a look?"
"Ah." Mr. Gong, still in a foul mood from his conversation with the other man, took a deep breath. He turned his attention toward Su Qing. He’d been so focused on the man from the An Family when he entered that he hadn’t even noticed her.
Now, seeing Su Qing, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He remembered her well. "Little lady, you’ve found more herbs so soon?"