The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Nobody Knows How to Dig Ginseng Better Than Me

Vice Director Zhang glanced at the door, seemingly to confirm no one was eavesdropping, then asked with a smile, ”When that injured woman was brought in just now, did you feed her something?”

Zhang Yun wasn’t surprised that the effects of the petals had been discovered, but he hadn’t expected the Vice Director himself to seek him out.

Vice Director Zhang was an old fox. One look at Zhang Yun’s expression and he had his confirmation.

”Young man, don’t misunderstand! I’m not trying to pry into your secrets. It’s like this.” Vice Director Zhang handed over a business card while explaining the situation.

”The injured woman’s family has quite a formidable background. Shortly after we notified them, both the supervising departments and even the county leaders called to check in. During our treatment process, the doctors found that her injuries were extremely severe, but she seemed to have taken some sort of medication that greatly alleviated her condition.

”We are just a small county-level hospital, so we definitely can’t hide anything from them. We’ll have to explain everything clearly to her family when the time comes, so...”

Zhang Yun chuckled. ”No wonder a vice director like yourself came running over in such a hurry. Turns out they pulled strings with the higher-ups.”

Vice Director Zhang Lifeng countered with a smile, not feeling the sting of the sarcasm. In reality, people were simply divided into different classes.

”You’re also a veteran practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine?” Zhang Yun noticed the title ”Senior TCM Physician” on his business card.

”Hehe, ’Vice Director’ is just an administrative title I hold. I am fundamentally a national medical physician.” Zhang Lifeng spoke lightly, showing that he cared more about his identity as a doctor.

Zhang Yun nodded. ”You already know the situation, right?”

”I’ve looked into it. The ambulance couldn’t reach that location, and it took a long time to bring her in. The patient was vomiting blood. Whatever first aid methods you used, they were entirely justified!” Afraid that Zhang Yun might be worried about being held liable, Zhang Lifeng quickly spoke up in his defense.

”I’m just a small-time farmer. What methods could I possibly have? I came to the county to sell ginseng. I was afraid she was going to die, so I fed her a piece of ginseng to hang onto her life.”

Since the other party was trying to fish for information, Zhang Yun took the opportunity to pitch his ginseng!

”G-ginseng?” Zhang Lifeng couldn’t help but feel skeptical.

Zhang Yun looked dead serious. ”Fresh ginseng. I squeezed some of its juice for her.”

Zhang Lifeng grew even more doubtful. Putting aside how much liquid an unconscious person could swallow, how could ginseng possibly have such a rapid effect?

Zhang Yun opened his bag to show him. ”I brought two to sell. Here’s the other one.”

Zhang Lifeng had originally thought it was some folk remedy or Secret Medicine, and that the ginseng was just a nonsensical cover-up. He hadn’t expected the young man to actually pull out a piece of ginseng!

”Let me see what kind of ginseng this is...” Zhang Lifeng took it out for a look, and his eyes immediately went wide.

This was merely the result of a single day and night’s growth, so Zhang Yun wasn’t entirely sure of its worth either. But one look at Zhang Lifeng’s eyes told him the appraisal results—it definitely wasn’t bad! He didn’t ask any further questions, instead adopting a confident demeanor.

”You dug this up? Two of them, even?”

Zhang Yun frowned, reaching out to take the ginseng back. ”I’m just an honest country bumpkin. Since you asked, I told you. Believe it or not, it’s up to you!”

”No, no, it’s not that I don’t believe you...” Zhang Lifeng didn’t return it, instead plastering a smile on his face. ”If you want to sell your ginseng, just sell it to our hospital! We are a legitimate institution; we won’t rip you off!”

Zhang Yun shook his head. ”Forget it! It’s exactly because you’re a legitimate institution that you won’t offer a high price.”

Zhang Lifeng continued to carefully appraise it, afraid of making an error in judgment. ”It’s those pharmacies that will rip you off. With an old ginseng of at least twenty years like this, they’ll trick you into thinking it’s only a few years old and casually dismiss you with a measly one or two thousand bucks. We on the other hand...”

”I still plan to check out the city. I’m in no rush to sell.” Zhang Yun snatched the ginseng back.

As someone put in charge by the leaders’ direct inquiry, Zhang Lifeng certainly wasn’t a man with an empty reputation. If he said it was twenty years old, then it should be just about right.

Zhang Yun was very satisfied with this appraisal, but he couldn’t help wondering if one hour really equated to a year of growth. Was it due to the space as a whole, or the effects of the soil and water inside it?

Zhang Lifeng lowered his voice. ”We’re locals here, and I’m an old doctor at my age—would I scam you? It’s those city pharmacies that prey on you country farmers. If you think our institution can’t offer a good price, I’ll personally pay... fifty thousand to buy it!”

”Only fifty thousand?” Zhang Yun frowned, testing the waters. He didn’t know the market price either.

Zhang Lifeng spoke earnestly, ”That’s very high! Cultivated garden ginseng harvested after five or six years only goes for a few hundred bucks a pound. This is an aged wild ginseng, but it’s still not old enough. Only fifty- or sixty-year-old ginseng, or century-old ginseng, can sell for astronomical prices!”

He paused to listen, then lowered his voice once more. ”To tell you the truth, the patient’s family will definitely ask about this matter, and they’ll want to see the ginseng when the time comes. I’m just making preparations for that. Otherwise, I couldn’t possibly pull fifty thousand out of my own pocket to buy it.”

He let out another sigh. ”I’m doing this to protect you! If they really call you over, wouldn’t you be nervous?”

Zhang Yun smiled, not buying his supposed good intentions. He also figured it was worth more than fifty thousand. If he kept it himself, he could sell it for a high price later when someone was in urgent need.

However, even a can of soda could have a tenfold price difference depending on the location: a regular retailer might sell it for two or three bucks, a restaurant for five or eight, and a five-star hotel or nightclub for twenty or thirty. He was just starting out right now; he couldn’t earn the maximum price, nor did he need to.

Besides, to Zhang Yun, his supply of this wild ginseng was endless. If he needed older ones, he could have those too!

Seeing him remain silent, Zhang Lifeng thought he was unwilling and continued, ”Is my reputation not enough? If anyone you know needs medical attention, a single word of care from me will completely change how they are treated.”

”Fine. I’ll sell it to you!” Zhang Yun didn’t care about his special care, but the man had been practicing medicine for decades. He definitely had deep-rooted connections in the county. He would serve as both a living advertisement and a distribution channel.

”Great! I’ll make the arrangements later...”

Zhang Yun grabbed the excited Zhang Lifeng. ”Don’t do it later, just transfer it to my phone right now. Since you’re paying out of your own pocket anyway, you don’t need to go through any approval procedures.”

”Well, about that...” Zhang Lifeng looked a bit conflicted.

Zhang Yun snorted. ”If you need to reimburse it, you definitely have your ways. And if you actually give it to that family—didn’t you say they have a formidable background? They might get so grateful that they transfer you to a major hospital in the provincial capital.”

Zhang Lifeng’s face instantly bloomed into a radiant smile, his wrinkles crinkling like a chrysanthemum. ”Heh, nothing of the sort. I’m doing this purely for the patient!” He immediately transferred the money.

Confirming the receipt of fifty thousand, Zhang Yun’s face also broke into a broad smile. ”My surname is Zhang too. Our Bijia Mountain area produces ginseng. Once I dig up more multi-decade or century-old ginseng, I’ll come sell them to you again!”

Zhang Lifeng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”Xiaozhang, you need to keep your feet on the ground. I know Bijia Mountain produces ginseng, but it was mostly dug out over a decade ago. Being able to dig up two is already an immense stroke of luck. Don’t go thinking you can just dig them up whenever you want.”

”No one understands digging up ginseng better than me! Old Zhang, just tell me if you want them or not,” Zhang Yun said, brimming with confidence.

”Fine! No matter how many you dig up, even if our institution can’t take them all, I can still introduce people to buy them!” Zhang Lifeng placated him, then suddenly remembered something. ”Right, you squeezed the juice to feed the injured woman, but what about the rest of the ginseng?”

Zhang Yun slapped his thigh. ”Oh, right! One root is worth fifty thousand. I took a huge loss feeding it to her! I need to wait for her family to arrive and make them pay for it!”

”Saving a life is a deed of immeasurable merit; don’t fret over things like that. What I mean is, the patient only consumed a little bit of the juice, so where is the rest of the ginseng?” Zhang Lifeng stared at him eagerly.