“Xia Zhe’s wife said that you didn’t specify the age of the ginseng you want and there were no other details. This is all we have to offer,” Xia Mao said.
Sitting in the Xia residence, He Ning’s headache eased a lot. He could smell the same fragrance from earlier.
After his visit in the morning, he had a splitting headache half an hour after leaving the Xia family’s house. Now that he was sitting inside the house, his headache had eased a great deal. It seemed that the Xia family really had some form of treasure in their house.
He Ning looked closely at the Xia family’s corridor, balcony, corners and backyard. Although there were flowers and plants placed at all these places, they were the same types he had in his house before and were just ordinary plants. Could these plants here be so form of mutated versions?
“20 years is too short,” He Ning said with a frown.
“But you also heard from Senior Huo that the value of this ginseng is much higher than what’s available on the market,” Xia Wen said.
He Ning glanced at Huo Gao, who nodded and said, “Indeed, it’s even better that those 50-year-old ones in the market.”
He Ning urgently needed ginseng to save his life at the moment. If it was really good ginseng, he would have to take it even if it was only a 20-year-old ginseng. From what the Xia family said, they seemed to have better ones in their possession.
“What’s the price?” He Ning asked directly.
“It’s 100,000 dollars, plus you have to leave the Xia family alone in the future,” Xia Wen said.
Xia Wen and He Ning used to be classmates and were considered to be peers. Although they never really got along, Xia Wen was the person most suitable to conduct this negotiation.
He Ning was still too junior to speak with Xia Jun.
“I see… You want to ensure peace for your entire family for a lifetime with just one ginseng…” He Ning said as he gently tapped his knee with his fingertips.
Seeing this, Xia Wen leaned back on the sofa and spread his hands out. “In that case, if you’re not satisfied, then forget it. After all, your whole lifetime is not very long.”
He Ning raised his head and gave Xia Wen a fierce look. This was the reason why he had never liked Xia Wen since he was young. Everyone said that Xia Wen was a perfect gentleman, but in reality, he was the one with the sharp tongue and evil heart.
“The amount of 100,000 dollars is not a problem, but to tie my hands for your entire lifetime… This won’t do. If you come and find trouble with me, do I then have to endure it? Besides, you’re only giving me a 20-year-old ginseng,” He Ning said.
“Our Xia family does not attack others,” Xia Wen said.
He Ning smiled and said, “People change.”
He had yet to welcome Xia Zhe into his fold, so he was not going to let the Xia family off so easily. He did not want to give in on this matter.
“For 20 years then,” Xia Wen said.
He Ning shook his head and said, “One year.”
The two of them started a heated argument on this, but He Ning soon felt powerless. There was a strong fragrance coming from the kitchen and the smell of braised fish was so overpowering that everyone in the house felt a little hungry.
He Ning did not even dare to speak casually, afraid that he would drool if he opened his mouth.
Ever since He Ning fell sick, he had not had a proper meal as he found the taste of medicinal cuisine to be terrible. The smell of braised fish currently wafting from the kitchen was a fragrance he had never encountered before. It really smelled very delicious.
“Let’s not argue anymore and just make it three years. I believe what you have in mind is also three years,” He Ning said.
Xia Wen nodded straightaway, but he could also tell that He Ning was acting strangely. It was not as if he had not negotiated with He Ning before. He Ning had always been very unyielding and would never back down, but he was being a lot more amenable right now.
It struck Xia Wen that he should invite He Ning home for any negotiations in the future, and particularly during mealtimes. If he could get Qiao Mei to cook at the same moment as the negotiation, he would get twice the result with half the effort!
The two families agreed to a three-year agreement, that they would not make life difficult for each other for three years. Even if someone begged He Ning to hurt the Xia family, he could not do anything, not even if it was the Cao family who asked him.
They had heard that the Cao family was left with nothing except their jobs. The Cao family probably hated the Xia family the most now. It was said that the old man from the Cao family even secretly erected a memorial tablet for Xia Jun and would burn three incense sticks in front of it every day. It was a really despicable thing to do.
The Cao family found a new residence that was too small for them and it was overcrowded.
After the negotiations, He Ning looked like he had no intention of getting up to leave. He asked Huo Gao to go to the car to get the money, then he pretended to look at the flowers on the balcony and said, “These flowers in your house look quite good.”
Xia Wen suddenly smiled brightly and replied, “They’re definitely very good compared to yours!”
He Ning rolled his eyes at Xia Wen. He did not understand why this guy must always diss him.
“Since you also know that I don’t have much experience in growing flowers and that they don’t grow well at my house, why not give me these few pots,” He Ning said.
Xia Wen looked at He Ning strangely. Were these few pots of flowers very special? There was nothing special about them. These were just ordinary flowers and plants.
