Chapter 39 – Grumpy Old Man (糟老头)
The man’s voice was a bit hoarse. Along with his aura and the surrounding environment, if it were anyone else, they might have already run off, terrified.
Jing Yunzhao was instead curious and politely answered, “I’m here to sell medicinal materials.”
She pointed at the basket in front of her.
The man gave the basket a glance and responded, “Come in.”
After he finished speaking, he forcefully grabbed the basket from Jing Yunzhao’s hands.
When Jing Yunzhao entered the courtyard, she was shocked. She only saw row after row of racks of medical materials, medicine pots, and many other items. However, it was obvious that things had already been put away. Plus that strange concoction of smells from earlier was coming from this yard. But after getting closer to the source of the smell, she didn’t find it that unbearable.
“Shifu is busy right now so I’ll receive these things in his place. These Poor Man’s Ginsengs of yours are of pretty good quality. I’ll offer you 30 yuan per jin. If you accept, I’ll withdraw the money for you. If not, you can take these things and leave. Don’t ever come back again.” The man was very straightforward. His expressionless face was a bit frightening.
The price quoted for fresh Poor Man’s Ginseng wasn’t unreasonable. Jing Yunzhao also wasn’t greedy, so she nodded in agreement.
The man acted fast. After seeing Jing Yunzhao agreeing to the price, he quickly cleaned the basket of Poor Man’s Ginseng and inspected them. His meticulousness was disturbing. If Jing Yunzhao didn’t have astonishing patience, she probably wouldn’t do business with this kind of person.
After he was done inspecting everything, the man had on a surprised expression. He didn’t think the quality of the goods this time would be this good.
“I’ll give you a 2 yuan raise. Bring all of your good stuff here in the future,” stated the man.
After he finished talking, he went inside the house and soon walked out. He handed Jing Yunzhao a stack of cash. She counted more than ¥4,000. (~USD 580)
“You’ll take anything? No limits?” Jing Yunzhao asked.
“Yes.” The man replied coldly.
Jing Yunzhao’s mood instantly became more relaxed. Even though the people of this house were a bit weird, but because of this sale, at least she would not be in desperate need of money for now. In addition, looking at the yard, there were many expensive and precious medicinal materials. The different types were not only complete but also abundant. She could tell that the owner of this house wasn’t lacking in money and could afford a few substantial trades.
Jing Yunzhao took the money and turned around to leave. However, just when she had one foot out the door, she heard movement coming from behind her. She couldn’t resist turning around to look.
A grumpy old man walked out of the house. He looked a bit scary, and the moment the middle-aged man from earlier saw him, his speech immediately turned polite. He even had a smile that made him look less scary and a little caring. “Shifu, the Poor Man’s Ginseng just now, their quality is quite rarely seen…”
Jing Yunzhao looked at the old man carefully.
The old man’s hair was white but he still had the appearances of when he was a youth; Very spirited. But his white hair was messy and his clothes showed that he didn’t care about his appearance. He wasn’t extremely old, only around 60 years old or so. But his eyes were without light, expressionless. He seemed a little… pitiful.
(FH: Okay so I fixed the untranslated part with the help of my roommate, but she herself thinks that the whole paragraph is very contradicting and bad use of descriptive phrases everywhere but all we can do is question the author in our minds :’) )
Jing Yunzhao’s stare was too obvious, causing the old man’s penetrating gaze to come rushing at her.
In the blink of an eye, the old man’s pupils constricted. That sharp form of his, despite his age, moved as if he was flying, charging straight towards Jing Yunzhao!
Jing Yunzhao’s reflexes were pretty fast. When she saw the old man acting strangely, she naturally dodged. Yet, when she stepped out of the door, she heard the old man anxiously calling out. “Wait!”
Jing Yunzhao turned her head involuntarily.
“What’s your name?” The old man was looking at her. His eyes seemed as if he was in a trance, as if he was remembering something. There was glee but also disappointment. His gaze was confusing.
Even so, Jing Yunzhao answered, “Jing Yunzhao.”
