"Hehe."
The owner of Kongshantang, seated inside the chamber, heard the voices outside, and indeed lifted the curtain. Stroking his white beard, he greeted Li Xiu'e with a smile.
"Since the two of you are interested in selling ginseng, please come in and sit."
"Alright, we're not here to cause trouble intentionally; we're here to negotiate in all sincerity."
Li Xiu'e glanced at the sallow-faced old shopkeeper, saw that he had a refined demeanor and was kind-hearted, and gently tugged on Su Hu's sleeve, nodding to him.
"Hm."
Su Hu was accustomed to obeying his wife's words. He stepped into the chamber, followed closely by Li Xiu'e and their three children.
To their surprise, the furnishings and decorations in the chamber were elegant and unique, even more upscale than the outer hall. They realized that it was for entertaining honored guests, and unconsciously straightened their backs, afraid to be looked down upon.
The old shopkeeper invited them to sit around the tea table and ordered his assistant to serve tea. His quick-witted assistant set the brewed tea before them and placed a plate of pastries in front of the two children as well.
Doudou reached for the pastries as soon as he saw them.
"Doudou, don't eat indiscriminately."
Sister Qiao blocked him, puffing up her cheeks as she scolded him.
"Hehe, these pastries are specially prepared for the two children. Please don't hesitate to enjoy them."
With a twinkle in his eye, the old shopkeeper stroked his beard and smiled. Although he addressed Su Hu, his shrewd gaze fell on Li Xiu'e.
Aged and shrewd, he had already figured out that Li Xiu'e was the one with real authority in the family.
"Sister Qiao, take a pastry and go play in the backyard with your brother."
Just as expected, Li Xiu'e pondered for a moment, touched Sister Qiao's head, and whispered to her.
She let the two children go to the backyard, intending to keep them away from the upcoming conversation, lest they overhear some secrets and spread them.
********
"Well, guests, to be honest, there's no uniform standard for ginseng prices."
As soon as the children left, the old shopkeeper took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and shifted into negotiation mode.
"The price of each ginseng root depends on its appearance and age, ranging from several taels to a few hundred taels. If it's newly harvested with fresh roots and stems, the price can be slightly higher."
"Shopkeeper, we know all that."
With a flash in her eyes, Li Xiu'e held her ground, "Just tell us directly, what's the usual purchase price for a hundred-year-old, well-preserved Old Ginseng?"
"A hundred-year-old Old Ginseng?"
The old shopkeeper was taken aback, not expecting the seemingly ordinary couple to have such good fortune as to find a hundred-year-old ginseng.
"If it's really a genuine hundred-year-old ginseng, we'll start at 100 taels of silver. If it's well-preserved and complete, we're willing to pay even more."
One hundred taels of silver!
As soon as Su Hu heard the old shopkeeper's words, his heart clenched, and his breathing stopped for a moment.
One hundred taels could cover their family's living expenses for twenty years, so his eyes couldn't help but reveal a burning desire to sell the ginseng and pocket the money.
Deal!
The old shopkeeper lifted his eyelids and caught Su Hu's expression, a shrewd glimmer in his eyes.
"My wife, what do you think?"
Seeing no reaction from his wife, Su Hu nudged Li Xiu'e's shoulder.
Upon hearing about the hundred taels of silver, Li Xiu'e's heart also churned. She thought of their lean years since getting married, tasting all sorts of emotions one after another.