Chapter 123: Reselling the Medicine

Seeing Xie Qingtang’s steadfastness, Dong Weiyi said nothing, simply smiling and nodding as he accepted the money. Then he said, “If our market ever receives any rare medicinal herbs in the future, Doctor Xie, you can come to me anytime.”

“That’s wonderful,” Xie Qingtang replied happily. “I happen to be searching for several herbs right now. If Mr. Dong could procure them, it would be a tremendous help.” Her eyes flickered cleverly as she wrote down the names of all the herbs Gu Xiujin needed.

As the owner of the traditional medicine market, Dong Weiyi was somewhat knowledgeable. When he saw the list, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he said nothing and simply nodded in agreement.

After he left, Xie Qingtang, beaming with satisfaction, carried the wooden box to the backyard. At that moment, a swift figure suddenly lunged at her.

Seeing the figure pounce directly on the wooden box, Xie Qingtang quickly snapped it shut. She sighed deeply, a bit helpless, and grabbed the small bird’s wing. “If I hadn’t closed the box so quickly, your little beak would have pecked at this stone ganoderma. Do you know what this herb is? If you eat it, you won’t survive.”

The little bird didn’t understand her words. It felt a strong longing in its heart, urging it to eat the herbs inside the box. It kept hopping on the box, flying back even after being driven away.

“You do have good taste, knowing there’s something valuable inside the box. But you really can’t eat this herb—I still need to trade it for money,” Xie Qingtang said with a playful smile as she headed into her room.

Previously, she had given Gu Xiujin the four-leaf ghost needle grass she retrieved from the forbidden area, repaying all the favors he had done for her.

Xie Qingtang was a rational and clear-headed person. Since returning to Su City, Gu Xiujin had not only helped rescue her grandfather but had also assisted her in many small ways, even saving her from trouble multiple times.

She remembered all these kindnesses and, at the start, gave Gu Xiujin the four-leaf ghost needle grass for free to settle the account between them.

Now that everything was squared away, the stone ganoderma in her hands was certainly not going to be given to Gu Xiujin for free.

With this in mind, she called Gu Xiujin and asked him to come to the Canshan Hall.

“I understand. I’ll come tonight,” Gu Xiujin didn’t refuse. After hanging up, he hesitated briefly, then said to his butler, “I think the kitchen made some extra dishes today. I won’t be eating at home tonight, so take them with me when I go to Canshan Hall.”

“Ah, yes, Young Master, understood,” the butler said after a moment’s surprise. In truth, the kitchen hadn’t yet started cooking, and if Gu Xiujin wasn’t going to eat at the villa, the chefs wouldn’t have prepared any meals. But the butler understood the unspoken meaning and instructed the kitchen to prepare several dishes that Xie Qingtang liked.

By evening, Gu Xiujin arrived at Canshan Hall carrying a food container. As he entered, he immediately sensed an unusual atmosphere.

“You’re here!” Xie Qingtang parted the curtain and, seeing Gu Xiujin’s appearance, smiled as if she had met a wealthy benefactor bringing her money.

Feeling her gaze, Gu Xiujin grew uneasy, as if he were a greedy mouse being eyed by a cat, ready to be nipped at any chance.

“Just come on in, why bring gifts?” Xie Qingtang smiled warmly as she looked him over, then her eyes settled on the food container carried by Li Zhao. Her nose twitched as she caught a familiar aroma.

Without hesitation, she took the container from Li Zhao, opened it, and saw several dishes she liked. She immediately smiled and went back to the backyard.

Ignored, Gu Xiujin’s mouth twitched slightly. He shook his head helplessly, said nothing, and followed her to the backyard, greeting Xie’s grandfather and the others.

Once everyone was seated, Gu Xiujin got straight to the point. “You said you wanted to tell me something important. What is it?”

“Gu Xiujin, sometimes I have to marvel at your extraordinary luck. I happen to have something good you need,” Xie Qingtang cleared her throat and, without beating around the bush, placed the stone ganoderma on the table.

Gu Xiujin was stunned. He picked up the wooden box, opened it, and exclaimed in surprise, “Where did you get this stone ganoderma?”

“Oh, why do you care where I got it? I remember Li Zhao saying you spent a lot of money posting a bounty online to find these herbs. I wonder how much this stone ganoderma is worth?” Xie Qingtang leaned closer to him, her eyes gleaming with the light of money.

Gu Xiujin immediately regained his composure. He closed the box, glanced at Xie Qingtang coolly, and said, “I’ll pay you the full bounty price for this stone ganoderma, not a penny less.”

“That’s wonderful! It’s not like I didn’t put in a lot of effort to find this herb for you,” she said deliberately, not intending to reveal that she had stumbled upon it by chance.

Gu Xiujin didn’t delay. He instructed Li Zhao to transfer a large sum of money to Xie Qingtang’s bank account.

Seeing the amount with all those zeros, Xie Qingtang’s eyes lit up instantly. She smiled contentedly, like a cat that had just caught a fish, wagging her tail in satisfaction.

For some reason, seeing her fervent love of money didn’t repel Gu Xiujin as other materialistic women might have. Instead, it stirred a peculiar sensation in his heart, as if some dust had been gently swept away, revealing a renewed brightness within.

“All right, let’s eat,” Xie Qingtang said, putting away her phone. She happily began to enjoy the dishes Gu Xiujin had brought, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

Gu Xiujin’s lips also curved into a rare, faint smile, and the atmosphere grew warm and harmonious.