"This is a case of paying upon delivery. Shopkeeper, now that you've received my medicinal herbs, shouldn't you be giving me money?"
"This..." Zhao Qiancai's face showed confusion as he turned to reprimand An Ping.
"An Ping, why can't you speak clearly? Didn't you say this young lady was here to deliver herbs?"
An Ping was bewildered.
"Yes..."
"If she's delivering, why would she need money?"
Although these words were directed at An Ping, they were clearly meant for Rong Zhi to hear.
"What do you mean? Are you trying to renege on the deal?" Zhang Yajing lowered her voice, her brow furrowed.
"Young lady, it's not my fault. An Ping didn't convey the message clearly," Zhao Qiancai said with a smile, but his expression clearly showed a desire to take advantage.
Rong Zhi raised an eyebrow. Was he refusing to accept them, or trying to get them for free?
"Shopkeeper, it was Doctor Chu who introduced me here to deliver the herbs. Didn't he tell you?"
"Ah... Oh! I remember now!"
Zhao Qiancai nodded.
"Doctor Chu did say someone would be delivering herbs to me. Miss, I was a bit groggy from sleeping. Please don't take offense! An Ping, what are you standing around for? Take the herbs inside first."
"Ah..."
An Ping was stunned.
When had Doctor Chu said that? He had no idea.
But he did as the shopkeeper said and went over to move the herbs.
Rong Zhi wanted to stop him, but Zhao Qiancai spoke first.
"Miss, don't worry. Since Doctor Chu introduced you, you'll definitely get your money. A friend of Doctor Chu is a friend of mine, Zhao Qiancai. With a large shop like this, do you fear I would run away?"
Rong Zhi found his words reasonable. If she were to stop him again, it would make her seem petty. So, she let An Ping carry the herbs in to be weighed one by one.
It would take some time to weigh so many medicinal herbs. Zhao Qiancai invited her, "Miss, it's hot. Please come to the backyard for a cup of tea."
"Thank you."
Rong Zhi didn't refuse.
Zhang Yajing wanted to follow them in, but Zhao Qiancai subtly blocked her path and smiled, "Young lady, you're looking for Doctor Chu, aren't you? I heard from the young man selling candied hawthorns outside this morning that Doctor Chu is at the rouge shop in the west of the city. I wonder what he's doing there."
"The rouge shop?" Zhang Yajing was taken aback. "Who is he buying rouge for? No, I must go and see immediately."
With that, she darted out like a gust of wind.
Rong Zhi had a bad feeling about this, but she didn't show it. She calmly went to the backyard. After Zhao Qiancai poured her tea, she began to drink it, watching An Ping meticulously weighing each herb with a scale.
Zhao Qiancai stood beside him. Though facing An Ping, he kept glancing at Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi pretended not to notice. After finishing her tea, all of An Ping's herbs had been weighed.
"How is it, shopkeeper? Are the quantities all correct?"
"Correct! Very correct. Several of them are top-quality herbs. Shopkeeper, we've made a huge profit this time!"
An Ping eagerly interjected but was glared back by Zhao Qiancai.
"Why so much talking? Put the herbs away quickly!"
"Oh..."
An Ping pouted and left resentfully.
"Also, get a bag of silver for the young lady. Make it a big one!"
Zhao Qiancai called out after An Ping's retreating back, then offered Rong Zhi a smile.
"Miss, please wait a moment."
"Mmm."
Let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve.
A while later, An Ping came out with a bulging purse. The purse looked quite substantial. After handing it to Zhao Qiancai, he quickly went back to the front, busy with his work.
Afraid of getting a beating.
"Miss, please take a look. Is this enough?"
Saying this, he pushed the purse towards Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi didn't speak. She opened the purse on the spot and poured its contents onto the stone table with a clatter.
A small mountain of copper coins piled up on the grey stone table. They were old coins, and many of them had green verdigris on them.
"Shopkeeper, what is the meaning of this?"
She knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Zhao Qiancai's expression remained unchanged.
"Miss, you don't need to be surprised. For the medicinal herbs you brought, you wouldn't get this price at any other pharmacy. You don't need to thank me. My shop still has business to conduct, so I won't keep you any longer. Please, you may go!"
So, he was already showing her the door.
"Shopkeeper, this is not fair. My medicinal herbs are worth at least ten taels of silver, and you're giving me this pile of copper coins? Do you think I'm an outsider who's easy to bully?"
Exactly! That's what Zhao Qiancai thought.
He saw Rong Zhi as just a young girl, not very old, and what could she possibly understand? She could only gather a few medicinal herbs, which weren't worth much. Living in the village, even a six-year-old girl knew a few herbs. Therefore, he didn't take Rong Zhi seriously.
"Miss, you might not know the current market. The rain has been good these past two years, and there are more medicinal herbs on the mountain. If you don't pick them, others will. Besides, our shop already has dedicated suppliers for medicinal herbs, so the price is much cheaper. What you've brought is negligible."
Hmph, playing the rogue, is he?
She, Rong Zhi, had seen plenty of rascals.
"Shopkeeper, I think it's not that you have many suppliers, but that you simply can't sell them."
Zhao Qiancai's expression stiffened, but he quickly masked it.
"That has nothing to do with the young lady, does it?"
Rong Zhi knew this. When she arrived, she had seen Zhang Yajing sitting on a stool blocking the entrance. If anyone had come, that shop assistant would have turned them away. The last time she came to buy medicine, the shop assistant was drowsy, not at all like a business that was thriving. Coupled with Liu Hong's words, it was no wonder no one was buying from this shopkeeper who sold medicine at inflated prices.
She wasn't angry, however. She said calmly, "Shopkeeper, I'm cooperating with Doctor Chu. He doesn't ask for anything else, only that I provide you with medicinal herbs. Haven't you ever wondered why?"
Zhao Qiancai truly hadn't thought about it, because he didn't believe for a moment that Rong Zhi was introduced by Chu Qingze.
"Why?"
"I guess he saw that your business is declining and is trying to help you. However, I don't think you need help, so I won't force it. I'll leave the money here. Give me back my medicinal herbs."
Zhao Qiancai didn't move.
He certainly wouldn't return them. Once something entered Zhao Qiancai's pocket, there was no reason to take it out.
This girl spoke with such conviction, could it be true?
His expression showed some hesitation.
Rong Zhi saw this and sighed.
"Alas, if Chu Qingze knew you didn't appreciate his little gesture, he would be very sad!"
"No... Miss, are you really introduced by Doctor Chu?"
Hearing this, Zhao Qiancai's attitude finally began to shift slightly.
"What did he say?"
Rong Zhi's lips curved slightly. It seemed this shopkeeper cared quite a bit about Chu Qingze's opinion.
"What else could he say? He's a divine doctor, and my medical skills are not bad. Naturally, I can help you. However..."
She pointed to the pile of copper coins nearby and said with a cold smile, "I need to see if you're worth helping."
"Hehe, Miss, don't be angry. I was just playing a joke on you."
Zhao Qiancai leaned his arm on the table and swept all the copper coins onto the floor.
"I'll go get you the silver right away. Please wait."
With that, he quickly ran into the room and retrieved a packet of real silver. He even showed it to Rong Zhi, estimating it to be about five taels by its weight.
Rong Zhi pouted.
Stingy! So stingy!
"Miss, with this, you could buy two baskets of herbs."
Zhao Qiancai lied without batting an eye.
Rong Zhi took a deep breath and gave him a smile.
"Goodbye."
She then got up to leave.
"Hey, hey, Miss, wait a moment. This is not a small amount. We're running a small business, we can't give that much. Please understand our difficulties!"
What he said was half true and half false. The difficulties were real, but the small amount was because he was still suspicious. The herbs she brought were indeed of high quality, and he wouldn't lose money by buying them at a low price.
"We are both friends of Doctor Chu. I won't cheat you. You won't lose anything if I buy these herbs from you for five taels."
Saying this, he "sincerely" pushed the silver in Rong Zhi's direction.
Rong Zhi pushed it back, her voice cool.
"Shopkeeper, I'll consider those medicinal herbs a gift. As for the matter of your shop selling fake herbs, you should think carefully about how to explain it to the county magistrate."
Zhao Qiancai was startled, and the money pouch in his hand almost fell to the ground.
"What fake herbs?"
Seeing that his panic was no longer concealable, Rong Zhi became even more certain.
"If my nose is not mistaken, your back warehouse should contain a considerable amount of Swallow-grass. This grass is very similar to Purple Orchid Leaf, which is used for moistening the lungs and relieving coughs, but it has no medicinal properties. Over a decade ago, many pharmacies used it to impersonate Purple Orchid Leaf. The authorities have repeatedly banned it, but it persists. If the authorities were to find out, how many planks would you receive?"
"You... How did you know it was Swallow-grass? Do you have proof?"
Zhao Qiancai panicked, not out of fear of her reporting him to the authorities, but out of surprise at how sharp her sense of smell was. The Swallow-grass had been in the warehouse for a long time, and its scent was no longer strong. She was so far away, yet she could smell it.
Does she have a dog's nose!
"If you want to know, we can go inside and take a look."
Rong Zhi made a move as if to head towards the warehouse. Zhao Qiancai grabbed her wrist.
"I'm warning you, don't meddle in other people's business... Ouch!"
Before he could finish speaking, Rong Zhi kicked his knee. He fell to his knees on the spot, clutching his leg and howling.
"I'm telling you, I hate quack doctors who deceive people and unscrupulous merchants who sell fake medicine the most! I will expose you today!"
"My dear aunt!" Zhao Qiancai hugged Rong Zhi's thigh.
"My dear aunt, I was wrong. I had eyes but couldn't see Mount Tai. I shouldn't have played tricks on you just now. I'll go back and get the money. I'll give you 20 taels! No! 30 taels, please spare me, dear aunt!"
"No! Impossible!"
Rong Zhi narrowed her eyes and kicked him away.
Zhao Qiancai fell backward, his head hitting the ground. He saw stars from the pain but quickly got up to block Rong Zhi.
"My dear aunt, you can't touch those herbs. Those weren't for sale. Doctor Chu asked me to keep them, saying they were useful. I've never sold them!"
Is it Chu Qingze's idea?
Rong Zhi stopped and asked, "What does he want with this kind of herb?"
"I don't know either. He said he needed to concoct some antidote, and it was quite important. I didn't ask any further. Miss, if you want to know, you should go and ask Doctor Chu yourself. In any case, these things cannot be touched!"
Rong Zhi thought for a moment. If it was really something Chu Qingze needed, and she reported him to the authorities now, wouldn't that alert him? Then she wouldn't be able to find out what Chu Qingze was up to.
"Alright then!"
"Thank you, Miss, for your magnanimity."
Zhao Qiancai breathed a sigh of relief, quickly got up, fumbled around on himself, took out a few silver ingots, and stuffed them into Rong Zhi's hand along with the previous money pouch.
"Miss, if you have more medicinal herbs in the future, please bring them to my shop. For today's herbs, I'll pay 30 taels. The rest is my apology."
"That's more like it." Rong Zhi took the silver.
"I'll ask Chu Qingze for clarification. I'll have him explain to you then."
"No, no, no. I believe you are Doctor Chu's friend. I was blind earlier. Please, Miss, take care."
Zhao Qiancai limped as he escorted Rong Zhi out. As Rong Zhi was leaving, she saw An Ping standing behind the counter. Upon seeing her, he quickly buried his head in the counter.