The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Did Eating the Ginseng Cause Trouble?

As Zhang Yun walked in, Zhang Fu, who had already come out upon hearing the noise, said somewhat helplessly, ”Someone is looking for you.”

Zhang Yun was not in a hurry. Smiling, he held up the softshell turtle in his hand. ”I caught a huge wild softshell turtle. Dad, do you know how to cook this? Are we making soup?”

”You caught it in the pond? It’s that big?” Zhang Fu was a little surprised, but quickly urged, ”We have a guest. Hurry up, wash your hands, and go inside.”

”What guest? Let him wait!” Zhang Yun sneered inwardly. He didn’t care whether it was the cement factory’s lawyer or someone else Li Dajiang had hired—he would tear into them in a minute!

”Why does a young man have such a short temper?” Someone walked out from the living room. ”Heh, we were quite friendly this morning!”

”...”

Zhang Yun paused for a moment. Looking closely, he realized it was actually Vice Director Zhang Lifeng of the People’s Hospital.

There was no way Li Dajiang had invited him. This was Old Zhang, the man who could help him sell ginseng. Zhang Yun immediately became friendly. ”Old Zhang? What are you doing here? How did you find my house?”

Zhang Lifeng glared at him. ”You have the nerve to ask!”

”...” Zhang Yun was completely baffled as to why the man was giving him such an attitude when they weren’t even close.

”When you wanted my Maotai, you called regardless of whether I was busy. But when I was looking for you, your phone was unreachable all afternoon, and you didn’t reply to my messages! I had no choice but to ask around all the way here,” Zhang Lifeng said, patting Zhang Fu’s shoulder. ”Do you think it was easy for me to track you down all the way from the county?”

Zhang Fu didn’t understand the situation, so he could only echo with a dry laugh.

Zhang Yun suddenly perked up. The ginseng must have sold for a good price, bringing business right to his doorstep. ”Dad, go prepare this wild softshell turtle! I’ll chat with him.”

”Wait a minute!” Zhang Lifeng stopped him, his eyes locked onto the softshell turtle Zhang Fu had just taken. ”Is that a wild softshell turtle? It’s huge!”

”Don’t act like you’ve never seen the world! Our Bijia Mountain area is rich in natural resources. We have plenty of large wild ginseng, so what’s a wild softshell turtle?”

Zhang Yun deliberately steered the conversation toward the ginseng, but Zhang Lifeng was still focused on the softshell turtle.

”Could you... sell this to me? I have a medical prescription that’s just missing this exact ingredient. The ones at the seafood market that claim to be caught in reservoirs are all farm-raised. But yours looks like the real deal!”

Zhang Fu opened his mouth, then closed it. Normally, if a guest asked, he would have offered it as a gift. But softshell turtles were genuinely not cheap, and this man wasn’t really Zhang Yun’s friend. It was better to have a thick skin.

”How much can you even offer for this? I’d rather use it to nourish my dad’s health. I’ll find you an even bigger one another day!”

Based on the market prices from that morning, Zhang Yun estimated it would fetch two thousand at most. After selling the ginseng for fifty thousand, he genuinely didn’t care much for such a small sum. Besides, he still had another one raised in his Peach Blossom Spring Space. If he ”caught” it Ming Tian, doubling the profit would be no problem.

Zhang Lifeng glared, practically blowing his beard. ”Xiaozhang, I appreciate your filial piety. But from what you’re saying, you’re just going to use it for a dish, whereas I need it for medicine. Which is more important?”

”I don’t know anything about medicine!” Zhang Yun pulled him inside. ”Let’s drink some tea and talk business.”

”This is business!” Zhang Lifeng was very sharp and immediately made an offer. ”One thousand bucks, I’ll take this turtle!”

Zhang Fu’s brows instantly relaxed. It was just a softshell turtle; it didn’t matter if they ate it or not. Selling it for a thousand bucks was absolutely worth it!

”You’re quite the sly old fox!” Zhang Yun chuckled. ”I went to the seafood market this morning. Are you sure you can buy one for a thousand?”

”Farm-raised ones aren’t that expensive. I just saw that yours is genuinely wild...”

Zhang Yun cut him off directly. ”Don’t play these sleazy merchant tricks with me. You know my stuff is high quality. I wasn’t planning on selling it, so if you really want it, don’t lowball me!”

”One thousand five hundred?” Zhang Lifeng tested the waters. Seeing Zhang Yun roll his eyes, he could only grit his teeth and increase the offer. ”Two thousand bucks!”

Zhang Fu had been frantically winking at his son from the sidelines. Regardless of their relationship, selling a turtle for two thousand bucks was an incredible deal! In his simple, rustic mindset, anything caught in the wild meant zero capital cost—whatever they sold it for was pure profit.

”Dad, do you know how to make turtle soup?” Zhang Yun asked. ”Do we need to drain its blood first?”

Hearing this, Zhang Lifeng hurriedly grabbed both of them, one in each hand, and lowered his voice. ”Three thousand! Zhang Yun, you can’t play sleazy merchant tricks either. I’m just a doctor, not some filthy rich boss with endless money to burn!”

Just like with the ginseng, Zhang Yun didn’t know the exact value himself. He had been waiting for Zhang Lifeng to appraise it, and three thousand had already met his expected price.

”Dad...”

”That’s enough!” Zhang Lifeng flared up. He wanted to buy a big softshell turtle, but Zhang Yun was treating him like a massive sucker waiting to be fleeced!

”Heh, I was just asking my dad to find a small bucket to keep it in for you, so it doesn’t dry out.” Zhang Yun then smiled at his father. ”No turtle soup for us; I’ve sold it!”

”Alright!” Zhang Fu was thrilled and excitedly went off to find a bucket. Catching a softshell turtle and selling it for three thousand bucks—this was finally a piece of good news after the past couple of days!

Zhang Yun pulled the still-fuming Zhang Lifeng into the house for tea. ”My phone got water damaged. Why were you looking for me? Do you need ginseng? I went looking today, but there’s temporarily none left. Ming Tian...”

Zhang Lifeng immediately grew serious. ”I was almost delayed from a major matter by this old turtle of yours! Come with me right now!”

”Where to?” Zhang Yun was slightly surprised.

He hadn’t actually fed the beautiful driver any ginseng. He wondered if Zhang Lifeng had believed him, fed it to her, and caused a medical emergency. The ginseng had grown at an insane rate inside the Peach Blossom Spring Space, so its effects were bound to be extremely potent. Zhang Yun himself hadn’t even tasted it yet to know the specifics.

”The hospital!” Zhang Lifeng pulled him up. ”Skip the tea. Come back in my car. I’ll treat you to a meal and bring you back afterward. How about it?”

Zhang Yun still had nine ginseng plants waiting to be sold, and establishing this connection would serve as a long-term source of wealth. Naturally, he needed to figure out their exact effects. He couldn’t risk the ginseng being deemed toxic simply because its potency was too overwhelming, as that would completely destroy his sales channels!

”No problem!”

Seeing him agree so readily, Zhang Lifeng breathed a sigh of relief. ”What a true friend! I thought you’d be difficult and demand money from me again.”

Zhang Yun shot him a glance. ”In your heart, am I that kind of person?”

”Yes!” Zhang Lifeng nodded.

”Then pay up!”

”I think you’re a young man who is selfless, courageous, open-minded, and fiercely loyal...”

To save money, Vice Director Zhang instantly unleashed a barrage of flattery, which was simply too much for Zhang Yun to stomach!

”Whether it’s the ginseng or the softshell turtle, I stood firm on the price because they are absolutely worth it! But as long as it’s something I’m involved in, I’ll always provide... what do you call it? After-sales service! I’m not a greedy penny-pincher.”

”Heh heh, exactly!” Zhang Lifeng agreed with a smile.

”When I bought your Maotai, didn’t I pay you the highest market price?”

”Heh heh, exactly!”

”...”

Exactly his foot! If it weren’t for the man’s old age, Zhang Yun really would have spat right in his face.

After letting his dad know, he took the softshell turtle and got into the car to leave. Despite his age, Old Zhang drove like a maniac. Once they left the village, he barreled wildly down the country roads.

Upon arriving at the county hospital, Old Zhang drove straight to the inpatient building. Abandoning the softshell turtle in the car, he dragged Zhang Yun inside.

When country folks caught a minor ailment, they usually just got an injection and went home to take medicine. Being hospitalized often implied severe injuries or major illnesses. Zhang Yun rarely visited inpatient buildings, and the smell of disinfectant in the air instantly infected him with the heavy, clinical atmosphere.

”Is it serious?”

”Quite serious.”

”Are you sure... the ginseng caused the problem?”

”The ginseng caused a problem? What problem?” Zhang Lifeng looked at him strangely.

Zhang Yun looked at him even more strangely. ”Didn’t you personally come to my house to find me because something happened after you fed the ginseng to that patient?”

Zhang Lifeng’s old eyes went wide. ”When did I ever say the ginseng caused an issue? Don’t spout nonsense. If someone hears you, they’ll think my medical skills are lacking!”

”It’s not the ginseng? Then why didn’t you say what we were coming to the hospital for!” Zhang Yun’s face darkened. This guy was playing him! And here he was, racking his brain for solutions the whole way there!

”You never asked.”

”Damn it!”

”Stop spouting nonsense!” The elevator arrived, and Zhang Lifeng pulled him inside, quickly instructing, ”The patient’s family specifically requested to see you. They might even give you a red envelope as a reward. It’s up to you whether to accept it, but when the time comes, casually mention that I also put in a lot of effort...”

”...” Zhang Yun rolled his eyes. The old man had dragged him all the way here just for this?

Did he even care about their gratitude? Wait... hold on! There was a reward in a red envelope? A young girl who could drive a Maybach surely came from a wealthy family. Should he politely accept this massive red envelope? Or should he accept it simply because he was too embarrassed to refuse?