Chapter 417 - 351: From Arrogance to Deference
Zhao Jun held the piece of pine bark with both hands, tilting the contents toward the old man.
When the old man saw the Ginseng lying in the moss, he quickly grabbed his glasses from the side, put them on, and leaned in for a closer look.
After examining it from top to bottom, the old man remained stooped over but looked up at Zhao Jun and asked, "Young man, may I pick it up for a look?"
Zhao Jun met the old man’s gaze and said, "Be careful, then. This Ginseng of mine is perfectly intact."
The most important thing about a Mountain Ginseng is its condition. If even a single rootlet broke, the price would be cut in half.
"Alright." The old man gave a simple affirmative, then reached for the Ginseng.
If he didn’t even dare to handle it, the pharmacy wouldn’t have him in charge here.
The old man first pinched the Ginseng’s Rush Head with his left hand, lifting it from the moss, but the ginseng’s "legs" and Ginseng Roots were still resting on it.
Then, the old man slid his right hand under the Ginseng and moss, moving it down to cradle the Ginseng in his palm. With one hand pinching the Rush Head and the other supporting the body, the long, thin Ginseng Roots dangled freely past his hand.
The old man brought the Ginseng before him and examined it meticulously.
As the old man picked up the Ginseng, Zhao Jun set aside the now-empty bundle of moss and pine bark. He wasn’t in a hurry. After all, a Ginseng had to be inspected carefully and clearly.
The Rush Head, rings, shape, roots, and body—including the patterns on its surface and every single rootlet—all had to be thoroughly checked.
The old man studied it for about ten minutes. Finally, holding the Ginseng, he looked up at Zhao Jun and gestured. "Young man, in that elmwood box from earlier, there are paper trays. Take out two, put them on the scale, and we’ll weigh it."
This Miao Sixth-grade Leaves was far more precious than the Second-class one. It was larger, with longer rootlets. Placing it directly on the scale would require coiling up those rootlets.
Doing so could easily break the Ginseng Roots.
That’s why the old man told Zhao Jun to take two of the cardboard trays from the elmwood box that held the scale and weights, place one on each side of the scale, and then weigh the Ginseng.
Hearing this, Zhao Jun didn’t move. He pointed to the Ginseng Bun that had originally wrapped the Miao Sixth-grade Leaves—the empty pine bark and moss—and said to the old man, "Old Sir, put the Ginseng down first."
"Ah, alright!" Although Zhao Jun didn’t do as he was told, the old man did as Zhao Jun said.
The reason was simple: the Ginseng belonged to Zhao Jun, so he called the shots.
When the old man gently placed the Ginseng back on the moss, the Rush Head was facing Zhao Jun, and the Ginseng Roots were facing the old man.
Zhao Jun reached out, turned the piece of pine bark, and now the Rush Head faced the old man, while the Ginseng Roots faced him.
Zhao Jun used his hands to gather the ginseng rootlets and then gently wrapped them up.
Seeing this, the old man instantly grew anxious. He didn’t dare reach out, only asking, "Young man, you’re not selling it?"
"I’m selling!" Zhao Jun nodded, then asked in return, "Old Sir, how much can you offer for this Miao Ginseng?"
Hearing this, the old man blinked, took off his glasses with one hand, and said to Zhao Jun with a kindly smile, "Young man, look here... as for the price, shouldn’t we weigh it first to find out?"
"No weighing," Zhao Jun said. "Just tell me how much you can offer."
Zhao Jun’s meaning was simple: this Ginseng wasn’t to be sold by weight, but as a whole piece. The price should be based on its quality.
"How much..." The old man pondered for a moment, then raised two fingers toward Zhao Jun and said, "Two thousand!"
Even though Zhao Jun looked young, his previous behavior and the Miao Sixth-grade Leaves itself made the old man wary. He didn’t dare to lowball the price recklessly.
But just as the old man’s voice fell, a loud noise from the doorway startled both him and Zhao Jun.
The staff member who had come up with Zhao Jun had been leaning against the doorframe, watching the excitement inside.
But when the old man said he could offer two thousand yuan for the Miao Ginseng, the staffer’s legs went soft in shock. He stumbled, nearly fell, and lunged for the door to catch himself. Though he didn’t go down, he made a loud noise.
"What are you doing?" The old man’s face fell. He pointed at the door and snapped, "Get out and wait."
"Yes, yes." The flustered staff member quickly turned to leave, but then he heard the old man’s voice again: "And close the door behind you."
The staff member didn’t dare delay and turned back to pull the door shut. But just then, Zhao Jun said, "No need to close it. I’m leaving too."
"What?" The old man wouldn’t have it. He hurried around the desk, came up to Zhao Jun, and said, "Young man, you can’t..."
Before he could finish, he saw Zhao Jun stuff the Ginseng Bun containing the Sixth-grade Leaves into his satchel and then start rolling up the Miao Second-class Ginseng.
The old man panicked. He gently pulled on Zhao Jun’s arm and said urgently, "Young man, why are you leaving? If you’re not satisfied with my price, we can negotiate!"
"Heh..." Zhao Jun chuckled at the old man. He didn’t even bother tying the rolled-up Ginseng Bun, just stuffed it into his satchel. Then he said, "As for the price you offered, I wouldn’t know if it’s good or not."
"You wouldn’t know..." The old man was completely flustered. Zhao Jun’s claim of not knowing the price left him exasperated. ’If you really didn’t know,’ he thought, ’the moment I threw out two thousand, you would have handed that Ginseng right over.’
In truth, the price the old man had just offered would seem astronomical to a layman, but for this Miao Ginseng, it was still a bit low.
But you couldn’t blame him. Buying and selling were different, after all. A seller asks for a high price, while a buyer will certainly try to push it down.
’I made a low offer, so you can make a counteroffer. You can’t just pack up and leave without even haggling. What kind of attitude is that?’
Seeing Zhao Jun about to leave, the old man hurried after him and subconsciously reached out, gently grabbing the strap of Zhao Jun’s satchel.
"Hey!" Zhao Jun glanced back. The old man quickly let go and said with an apologetic smile, "Young man, with a thing like this Ginseng, one in good condition is priceless. It could be worth twenty, or it could be worth twenty thousand..."
Before the old man could finish, Zhao Jun cut him off.
"Then why don’t you give me twenty thousand?" Zhao Jun asked.
"I..." The old man was at a loss for words, thinking, ’Where did this kid come from? How can he not even understand conversational pleasantries?’
But he could never have imagined the world Zhao Jun had seen in his past life. His spiel might work on others, but he was far too inexperienced to fool Zhao Jun.
The staff member at the side was already dumbfounded. In this pharmacy, the old man was a tyrant who walked all over everyone—even the manager didn’t dare to cross him. Yet now, being challenged by Zhao Jun, he was still acting so pleasant.
But what did he know? Acquiring a Ginseng of this quality was a huge achievement. Of course, state-owned stores back then didn’t have commissions, but being able to procure such a Ginseng was a testament to the old man’s judgment and ability.
So, the old man could only smile at Zhao Jun and say, "Young man, if you really don’t know, you should ask someone who does. Your elders..."
The old man had intended to say, ’If you don’t understand, your elders certainly will.’
Even now, the old man didn’t believe Zhao Jun could be a Ginseng Leader, nor did he believe that a Miao Ginseng of such perfect quality could have been dug up by Zhao Jun himself.
It was perfectly whole, without the slightest damage.
"Mm," Zhao Jun said after listening to the old man, nodding. "You’re right, I should ask someone. I’ll head over to the Lingnan Supply and Marketing Cooperative right now."
When he heard the first half of Zhao Jun’s sentence, the old man didn’t react much, since it seemed to be in agreement with what he’d just said.
But when he heard the second half, the old man immediately panicked.