Free Web NovelChapter 370: Chapter 370: Unscrupulous Trader
The Xiangbei region is a major producer of Chinese herbal medicine, and Zao City is not only a metropolis in the Xiangbei area but also has the largest Chinese herbal medicine trading market in the region.
Every day, merchants from all over the country, and even the world, come here to purchase Chinese herbs.
Since it’s the biggest herbal medicine market in the area, naturally it attracts a large crowd.
In other cities, real estate is the lifeblood industry that drives the economy, but Zao City has both real estate and the Chinese herbal medicine market, which can be said to support Zao City’s economy alongside real estate.
"Freshly harvested millennium wild ginseng from the mountains, come take a look and buy, a once in a millennium opportunity!"
"Tianshan snow lotus, the rare Tianshan snow lotus, don’t miss out!"
"Selling Lingzhi mushrooms, hundred-year-old Lingzhi kings, perfect for making medicine or brewing wine, not only strengthens the body but also prolongs life!"
Millennium wild ginseng?
No way, if that were real, it would sell for at least ten million, who would hawk such precious items on the street like this?
The Tianshan snow lotus claim is also far-fetched since Tianshan snow lotuses grow in extremely cold places and would be dried up by the time they reached Zao City.
But the vendor indeed had a fresh-looking snow lotus in hand, which anyone knowledgeable could tell was a fake made from some unknown material.
The Lingzhi king is also a scam, it looks sizable, but it’s just an ordinary meaty Lingzhi, with no real medicinal value.
"Excuse me, how much for this wild ginseng?"
Believe it or not, there really are people who fall for these things.
Wang Hao thought for sure this must be someone with more money than sense, obviously, these were all deceptive tricks, and the fact they couldn’t see through them, they deserved to be cheated.
But upon closer observation, the one asking about the price was an elderly man, his temples grizzled and his clothes tattered.
"Old man, I must say you have a discerning eye, this is the authentic millennium wild ginseng, it can cure all diseases for the sick and strengthen the body for the healthy!"
The vendor saw an easy target in the naive-looking old man and immediately went over and began talking to him.
"It really can cure all diseases?"
The elderly man was still somewhat skeptical.
"But is millennium wild ginseng supposed to be just this small?"
"Concentration is the essence!"
The vendor hastily came forward to explain.
Then, the vendor, holding the ginseng in hand, went on at length about its benefits, extolling even the roots of the ginseng as a magnificent treasure.
In the vendor’s mouth, the ginseng not only supposedly cured all maladies but could even bring the dead back to life, a hundred times more powerful than the elixirs brewed by the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord.
The old man didn’t seem to know much about Chinese herbs and was bewildered by the vendor’s pitch.
"Then how much are you selling this wild ginseng for?"
The elderly man asked cautiously.
"Old man, I can see you really want to buy, so I usually sell it to others for two hundred thousand, but today I feel a connection with you, so I’ll just take a loss and sell it to you for one hundred thousand," the vendor said earnestly.
Wang Hao couldn’t help but want to laugh upon hearing this, because that ginseng was obviously cultivated and, while it still had medicinal value, it was nowhere near as valuable as the wild ginseng harvested from the mountains—worlds apart, in fact. freewebnoveℓ.com
Such cultivated ginseng was sold by the kilogram, with one kilogram costing at most five hundred yuan.
The vendor only had a small piece that weighed less than one kilogram.
But it was clear that the vendor had picked out a particularly unique farmed ginseng to pass off as wild ginseng, with an unusually developed root system that made it look similar to the wild type at first glance.
Anyone who made a careful comparison could easily spot the significant differences between it and real wild ginseng.
"Boss, look, I only have fifty thousand yuan here, and I still need to go pay for my spouse’s hospital bills. Could you possibly make it a little cheaper?"
The elder seemed to be persuaded by the vendor and looked very eager to buy the ginseng.
"I can’t do that, elder, I’m already selling at a loss at one hundred thousand. I really can’t lower the price anymore."
The vendor refused, itching to get the words out, and promptly denied the request.
"But... Boss, the doctors at the hospital told me that it would be best for my spouse to use wild ginseng in their medicine, or they won’t survive the month. Please, show some kindness and sell it to me for a little less!"
The elder pleaded desperately.
"Ah, elder, you’re lucky to have met a kind-hearted person like me today. Any other vendor here wouldn’t sell it to you."
The vendor pretended to be reluctant as he spoke.
"Fifty thousand it is then, but I really can’t go any lower on my price now!"
"But... I still need to pay for my spouse’s hospital fees! If I give all the money to you, then what will I..."
The elder thought of their partner lying in the hospital and began to waver once again.
"How about this, I have a family heirloom snow lotus flower here. Could I give that to you at a discount instead?"
The elder was practically begging.
"Elder, I agreed to sell to you because you seemed honest, but I didn’t expect you to be a con artist too!"
The vendor, pointing to the still very fresh Tianshan snow lotus in the box, said.
"Once picked, snow lotuses wither. Moreover, where can you find such fresh snow lotuses now? If it was plucked and brought here, it would have withered long ago. And yet yours is still so fresh, and you say it’s a family heirloom? Who are you trying to fool?"
As the vendor spoke, the people around also joined in mocking the newcomer.
"But I still need to pay for my spouse’s hospital fees, so this money..."
The elder showed great distress.
"Let me tell you, elder, if your spouse ate this wild ginseng of mine, they wouldn’t need to stay in any hospital."
The vendor continued to deceive the elder.
"But what if..."
The elder was still hesitant.
Just then, a local came over, wanting to remind the elder to be careful and avoid being tricked. But the vendor’s expression suddenly turned fierce, and in an instant, several sturdy men approached from the side.
Seeing the situation turn dire, the local could only hastily leave.
"Don’t hesitate any longer, elder. Opportunities like this come once in a thousand years. This is the king of wild ginseng. If your spouse takes it, they are sure to recover."
"Don’t listen to those quacks; they just want to trick you into staying longer so they can charge more medical fees!"
The vendor spoke with conviction.
A few others standing by chimed in, and the elder grew even more tempted.
Seeing the elder hand over the money to the vendor and then express their heartfelt gratitude, the crowd around couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh.
"Haha, found another fool. Today’s sales have been good, made a big profit, time to go home and rest!"
Once the elder had left, the vendor laughed unabashedly.
Wang Hao frowned upon seeing this. The vendor was just too unscrupulous; that was the elder’s money to save their spouse’s life, yet they dared to scam such money, utterly devoid of any conscience.
But by then, the elder had already left, and Wang Hao didn’t want to meddle any further.
Who would have thought, just a few steps after Wang Hao left, the elder came back, and Chen Hongying came back with them.
