Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42 Earnest Money
Wang Hao froze in place after hearing Chen Hongying’s words.
It took him several seconds to regain his composure, and he said in a deep voice, "It’s one thing to suspect me, but don’t you trust Uncle Su?"
Chen Hongying quickly shook her head with a smile, explaining,
"You misunderstand, I mean this Lingzhi is more than a hundred years old, at least two hundred years old."
"This is extremely rare, a treasure of the ages. Lingzhi of such age and quality can usually only be found deep in the primitive forests."
Wang Hao suddenly realized his lack of knowledge on the subject.
Since it was a two-hundred-year-old Lingzhi, as for the price...
Wang Hao couldn’t help feeling elated inside and eagerly asked, "Then could you take a look and see how much this Lingzhi could sell for?"
"It’s hard to say right now. I can’t determine its exact age yet; I need to taste it."
After saying this, Chen Hongying prepared to pinch a bit to taste.
"Taste it? Won’t that damage it?"
Wang Hao prepared to step forward to stop her, as Su Zhenping had repeatedly instructed the need to keep the Lingzhi intact to sell it for a good price.
Now this woman actually wants to taste it?
"Relax! I’m taking this Lingzhi. I’ll just taste some spore powder," she said.
Chen Hongying then scooped a clump of spore powder with her hand and placed it into her mouth.
Wang Hao was shocked by her action.
Aged Lingzhi is a potent medicinal material, to be consumed only under a doctor’s advice.
This woman just scooped up so much and swallowed it; hopefully, there won’t be any accidents.
As expected, in less than five minutes, Chen Hongying’s face turned crimson, and blood began streaming from her nose.
Feeling her nose wet, Chen Hongying touched it, and was instantly stunned.
"Quick! Get me some tissue..."
Before she could finish, she blacked out and collapsed onto the ground.
Wang Hao hurried over to pick her up and place her on a chair, using tissues to stop the bleeding.
But the blood just kept flowing out, unable to be stopped.
Wang Hao started to panic.
"What do I do now? She can’t die here!"
Wang Hao stamped his feet in anxiety.
The Lingzhi was harvested by him.
If she died here because of eating the Lingzhi, not only would he make no money, but he could also be charged with murder and thrown into prison.
If he had known earlier, he might as well have sold the Lingzhi to any random shop, even for a lower price!
Just as Wang Hao felt completely at a loss, Su Zhenping happened to return.
From a distance, he saw the blood on the ground and Wang Hao pacing anxiously beside it.
"Wang Hao, what happened? Did you hit someone?" Su Zhenping asked in astonishment as he entered and saw Chen Hongying, still bleeding from her nose.
"No, Uncle Su, she just insisted on tasting the Lingzhi, and then this happened," Wang Hao explained.
Seeing the Lingzhi missing a chunk of spore powder, Su Zhenping understood what had occurred.
"Uncle Su, she’s not going to die, is she?" Wang Hao couldn’t help asking.
After all, Chen Hongying had been bleeding continuously, which made his scalp tingle.
"Don’t worry, she won’t. Help me lift her up, and I just need to give her a couple of acupuncture needles to let some blood out," Su Zhenping reassured him with a laugh while taking out his medicine box.
Wang Hao looked puzzled, wondering how Su Zhenping could still laugh about it; wasn’t he afraid of ruining his reputation if someone died right there?
But Wang Hao also understood that if Su Zhenping could speak so calmly and confidently, he surely knew what he was doing.
As expected, Su Zhenping inserted several needles around Chen Hongying’s ears and at the top of her head.
As wisps of green smoke rose from the needles, large beads of sweat slowly formed on Chen Hongying’s forehead.
In no time, she began to come around, and the nosebleed stopped.
Wang Hao stepped closer to look, filled with admiration.
He handed a towel to Chen Hongying to wipe the beads of sweat, only to notice her complexion seemed even rosier than before.
"Sister Hongying, how do you feel? Any better?"
Wang Hao asked with concern.
"Ah! So comfortable!"
Chen Hongying took a deep breath, seemingly savoring the power of the Lingzhi mushroom.
Standing aside, Su Zhenping kept a straight face, thinking to himself that she sure was comfortable after consuming such a large chunk of spore powder.
"And the Lingzhi? What about it?"
Wang Hao asked curiously with a smile.
"Not bad! It truly is top-notch! I’ve had my share of good stuff over the years but never once have I encountered something that could make me faint—this one must be well over a hundred years old," Chen Hongying said with certainty.
Upon hearing this, Wang Hao was inwardly delighted; it seemed this woman really knew her stuff. How much would she be willing to pay?
"So, how old do you think it is?" Su Zhenping asked cheerfully.
Chen Hongying hesitated for a moment.
She had indeed tried for many years, and today’s incident was a first for her; she couldn’t quite pinpoint it.
"How about this? I’m certain I want the Lingzhi. I’ll pay a deposit first, and after I have someone an expert in dating Lingzhi have a close look, we’ll decide on the price. How’s that?" Chen Hongying proposed.
With Su Zhenping, the expert, in the room, it wouldn’t be good for Chen Hongying to just name a price.
"How much for the deposit?" Su Zhenping asked.
"I originally planned to spend 1.5 million to buy the Lingzhi, so how about I give all of that as the deposit?" Chen Hongying asked tentatively.
Wang Hao shivered. A deposit of 1.5 million alone—if so, what would the total sum be?
This woman had been in the medicinal herbs business for years, surely she wouldn’t make a losing deal.
Su Zhenping was also shocked, but tried to stay calm.
"The Lingzhi was found by Wang Hao, so let’s let him decide," he said.
Seeing Su Zhenping leaving the decision to him, Wang Hao also feigned composure, saying,
"Fine, then let’s do as Sister Hongying suggests. But just to be clear, you need to set a time to come over. If you miss the agreed date, we will not refund the deposit."
Chen Hongying thought for a few seconds then nodded in agreement.
"Deal. I’ll transfer the deposit to you now, and bring someone over on Sunday."
"If I haven’t arrived by Sunday, you’re free to do what you want with the Lingzhi, and the deposit won’t need to be returned."
Wang Hao stood stunned; he had expected Chen Hongying to try and haggle a bit more, not agree so quickly.
Looking at Chen Hongying’s shapely figure, Wang Hao couldn’t help but reflect.
Money really is a woman’s preservative, huh? Is trading medicinal herbs really this profitable?
If I were to deal directly with primary buyers in the future, would the profit margin be even larger?
Wang Hao began to calculate in his head...
Chen Hongying handed Wang Hao a bank card with a balance of 1.5 million and hurried off to find someone.
As Wang Hao took the bank card, it still felt somewhat unreal. Who could have thought that what he and Su Lin had risked their lives for was a mere card, which held a staggering 1.5 million inside?
"Hurry up and secure the card and Lingzhi, don’t lose either—they’re both too precious to lose."
"If she comes on Sunday and doesn’t see the Lingzhi, you won’t be able to repay even if you offer your life!"
Wang Hao nodded seriously, placing the bank card in his inner pocket.
As for the Lingzhi, he decided to quietly bury it in his backyard that evening.
Now he could rest easy, waiting for Chen Hongying to come and pay a good price for it. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
...
The next day, Su Lin, feeling better, came looking for Wang Hao.
Seeing Wang Hao, her face turned red with a hint of shyness as she said, "Big Brother Hao, can you not tell anyone about yesterday’s incident, please?"
"What happened yesterday?" Wang Hao asked, seeing her shy demeanour, and couldn’t resist teasing her.
Su Lin lifted her head, staring at Wang Hao with her big sparkling eyes.
When she noticed the teasing smile in Wang Hao’s eyes, her little fists landed squarely on his chest.
"Big Brother Hao, you’re so bad!"
