Coming into Money
Then there was bathing. He absolutely had to install a solar water heater, get broadband connected at home while he was at it, and buy a computer. After all, he would need to edit videos and such in the future.
Everything else was fine, but renovating the bathroom was something he had decided on long ago.
"Hello, what can I help you with?" a young woman in a white coat asked when she saw him.
"Oh, hello. I wanted to ask, do you buy medicinal herbs here?" Ye Huan asked.
"Oh, wait a moment. I'll get my grandfather." The woman said nothing unpleasant and went into the back to fetch him. Before long, an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard but a ruddy complexion followed her out.
"Young friend, you have medicinal herbs to sell? May I take a look?" The old man glanced at Ye Huan. A fine young man-his vitality and spirit were both better than the average person's.
Ye Huan looked around the main hall, hesitating to speak. He did not want to expose something like this. After all, wealth should not be flaunted.
With age came a fox's shrewdness. "Let's talk in the back." With that, the old man led Ye Huan inside, while the young woman remained at the counter.
"There's no one here. What medicinal herbs are you selling, young friend?" the old man asked with a smile.
"Here. I picked this on a trip into the mountains a while ago. Please take a look, sir. If the price is right, I'll sell it!" Ye Huan took out the wild ginseng root, at least 140 years old, and placed it on the table.
"Oh! What a treasure. Let me see!" The moment the old man saw the moss-wrapped wild ginseng, he grew tremendously excited. He reached out and picked it up. "An experienced hand dug this up. Did you harvest it yourself, young friend?"
"Yes. I often went into the mountains with Grandpa as a child. I haven't dug any up in years, so I'm still a little rusty." Ye Huan nodded.
"Good, very nice. Who is your grandfather?" the old man asked.
"You probably know him. Ye Wuju." Ye Huan gave his grandfather's full name.
"Haha, that old rascal! I know him all too well. Then you must be Ye Huan, that eldest grandson he's always talking about?" the old man asked with a hearty laugh.
"That's me."
"Haha, how could he bear to let you bring this out to sell? He has one even better than this. I've begged him for years, and he still wouldn't sell it to me!" The old man grew annoyed as he spoke.
"I'm back in the village to build a livelihood, and I need some funds. I happened to find this in the mountains, so I thought I'd sell it! Grandpa treasures his own, so of course he wouldn't sell it lightly." Ye Huan smiled.
The old man nodded. "Since you're the grandson of someone I know, I won't cheat you. Besides, if your grandfather found out I'd cheated you, he really would smash up my clinic. I can't beat him in a fight. He's nothing but a brute."
"Heh." Ye Huan could hardly chime in on that. They were talking about his grandfather, after all. Calling him a brute was not exactly wrong, either. He remembered that many people had learned a move or two of martial arts from his grandfather when he was little.
"It's almost impossible to buy century-old wild ginseng on the market now. A 120-year-old root sold at auction before, slightly poorer in quality than yours, and it fetched 3.2 million. How about this? I'll give you 4.5 million for yours. What do you think?" the old man asked.
(Don't get hung up on the prices. I'm just making them up for the sake of enjoying life.)
Century-old wild ginseng had a price but no supply. Any offer could be reasonable; it depended on whether you needed it. If someone needed it urgently, even ten million was possible. That was simply how these things worked.
But many great Lineages and veteran traditional Chinese doctors wanted a whole century-old wild ginseng root. After all, this thing really could save a life at a critical moment.
So, as for 4.5 million, there was no real question of whether it was appropriate. It depended on what the buyer and seller wanted.
"Deal." Ye Huan had researched all this beforehand, and the price was reasonable. As for putting it up for auction or seeking out wealthy households, he had never considered it. If you were not on that level, there was no point forcing your way in.
They soon signed the contract and transferred the money. Even as he left the clinic, Ye Huan could hardly believe it. Not only did I unexpectedly get a space, but I've also struck it rich overnight?
Yes, that was how he understood it: getting rich overnight. Although he would not dare compare himself to the wealthy people in big cities, here in the mountains, 4.5 million was enough for him to lie flat even if he did nothing at all.
Ah, lying flat is out of the question. I wouldn't get past my parents on that one. Still, having money gives me confidence. I should have Mom and Dad come home when there's time! Ye Huan thought. Now that he had money, his parents would no longer have to toil away working far from home.
For now, he would see whether he could find a market for his vegetables. As for a construction crew, he could find one in town. First, it was close; second, this was only a small job. There was no need to bring a crew all the way from the county seat.
After all, this place was also called Ping'an County.
"Gu Family Private Kitchen Restaurant. Looks pretty upscale. I'll start with you!" Ye Huan looked at the private kitchen restaurant. Had these become popular even in small county towns over the past few years?
He pushed open the door and went inside. A beautiful woman came up to greet him. "Sir, do you have a reservation?"
"Oh, hello. I'm not here to eat. I wanted to ask whether you buy organic vegetables. All-natural and pollution-free," Ye Huan asked quietly.
"We have regular organic suppliers. I don't know about that. You should go. Customers will be arriving soon." The beautiful woman's attitude was not unpleasant.
"Oh, I see. All right, I'll try somewhere else!" Ye Huan did not pester her and prepared to leave.
"Xiaoling, what's going on? Is this a customer?" a clear, lilting voice called out.
"Oh, Manager Du. He's selling vegetables. He's just leaving," Xiaoling said. Seeing that Ye Huan had turned away without pestering her, she answered.
"Selling vegetables?" The young, beautiful Manager Du came over and asked curiously, "Could you let me take a look?"
The quality of the vegetables their supplier had delivered lately had been getting worse and worse. She had brought it up many times, but there was nothing he could do either. After all, he was a middleman.
Ye Huan did not mind. He turned back and handed over the basket he was carrying. "Organic vegetables I grew myself. All-natural, pollution-free, and irrigated with mountain spring water."
Manager Du was not about to listen to his sales pitch. She had her own way of judging quality. She took a cucumber from the basket. This is very good! She was surprised.
Then she looked at the tomatoes, chilies, leafy greens, and squash. There were two or three of each, and even after several hours, they were still as fresh as ever.
She casually wiped the cucumber and bit into it with a crunch.
At once, the cucumber's distinctive fresh fragrance burst in her mouth. Its sweetness reminded her of the wonderful times she had spent at her grandmother's house as a child.
The cucumber's fresh fragrance and sweetness were like gifts from nature. Every bite brimmed with life and vitality, letting her feel the power of nature.
She closed her eyes and quietly savored the beauty of that moment.
Before long, she had finished the cucumber. "Excellent vegetables. If you can guarantee they're all this quality, I can consider buying from you!"
"You can absolutely rest assured about that. I guarantee the quality!" Ye Huan nodded. That went without saying. Without this quality, he would not have dared come in to pitch them. Besides, he had not brought vegetables from his space to sell. He ate those every day, and they were far too delicious. These were all vegetables from his backyard, watered with spring water.
"Then let's talk prices. We need a little over 200 jin of vegetables a day. After all, we're a private kitchen restaurant, not a high-volume establishment," Manager Du explained.
"Understood. I wasn't planning to supply much to begin with. For now, I only intend to supply your restaurant. Once production increases, I'll open up the supply." Ye Huan nodded. At present, he had only planted a few mu at the foot of the hill behind his house. There was still a large stretch of land sitting empty.