At that mont, Sun i happened to overhear. She was an avid reader of novels and had a vivid imagination. Thus, connecting it to the Spiritual Spring water in Zhao Zhitong’s space, she recalled many novel plots where spiritual spring water could strengthen the body.
Perhaps the plants watered with Spiritual Spring water could also have body-strengthening effects.
She then considered that they had been in this world for so long without falling ill even once, not even catching a cold.
So, without batting an eye, she started making things up, "We’ve been growing dicinal herbs in our vegetable field for many years. The soil has retained the dicinal properties of the herbs, and the vegetables absorbed these properties, turning into dicinal vegetables that can strengthen the body. However, our vegetable field is rather small, so it might not be enough to supply all your shops."
Hearing his wife spin such a wild tale, Zhao Dong’s eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead. But when he caught her eye, he imdiately smiled and chid in, "Yes, that’s right, Brother Wang."
After hearing Sun i’s explanation, Wang Fuhai thought to himself, The sensation of my body being revitalized must be genuine, yet I can’t be entirely certain.
So he said, "It doesn’t matter if there’s not much. A small amount each month will do. Why don’t you sell one today? I’ll take it back for my master to examine."
What he really wanted was to return and verify whether the vegetables truly had body-strengthening effects.
This put Zhao Dong and Sun i in a bit of a bind.
The main issue was, they didn’t know what price to set for the vegetables. Setting a high price now seed inappropriate. But if they set a low price and later discovered the vegetables could fetch a premium, it would be awkward to raise the price then.
Just then, Zhao Zhitong suddenly ran in, clutching a cabbage. She approached Wang Fuhai, handed him the cabbage, and said in a sweet, childlike voice, "Uncle Wang, it’s such a rare pleasure to have you visit! Mommy, Daddy, and I are so happy. Please accept this cabbage as a small token to commorate our new cooperation.
After you return, you can discuss it with your master. Then you can co back to us to buy vegetables, how about that?"
Wang Fuhai was taken aback for a mont, then accepted the cabbage with a smile.
This young girl is quite clever! If I hadn’t noticed Zhao Dong and Sun i giving her no cues, I would have sworn her parents had coached her.
In fact, it was Grandpa Bai in the space who had taught her.
Grandpa Bai had told her, "Those cabbages and radishes, nurtured with Spiritual Spring water, are exceptionally valuable. If the proprietor of Guang Ju Restaurant is astute, he’ll understand what kind of remuneration you deserve."
And so, Zhao Zhitong had co in, cabbage in arms, to enact this little scene.
Having received two prescriptions and what seed to be an invaluable cabbage, Wang Fuhai happily took his leave.
After seeing Wang Fuhai off, Zhao Dong closed the door. Sun i then pulled Zhao Zhitong into their room and whispered, "Tongtong, tell Mother, can the Spiritual Spring water in your space really strengthen the body and cure illnesses?"
Zhao Zhitong didn’t know for sure; Grandpa Bai had only just told her. He said that repeatedly watering vegetables with Spiritual Spring water would imbue them with spiritual energy, which could strengthen the body. But he hadn’t ntioned that the Spiritual Spring water itself could be consud for that effect.
So, she went to ask Grandpa Bai. A short while later, she relayed his answer to her mother, "Mother, the Spiritual Spring water can’t be drunk directly. It can only be used to water plants. After many waterings, the plants will absorb the spiritual energy from the water."
Upon hearing this, Sun i seed even more excited than Zhao Zhitong. She hugged her daughter tightly and kissed her cheek, thinking, Our family is going to strike it rich!
---
anwhile, Wang Fuhai, who had hurried ho, carefully cut a few slices of the precious cabbage, arranged them on a plate, and then summoned a young apprentice who was suffering from a cold.
The mont the apprentice ca up, he heard his shopkeeper, Wang Fuhai, tell him to eat the cabbage on the table.
He was terrified. Is it poisoned? Does he want to kill ? He imdiately threw himself to the ground, begging, "Shopkeeper, spare ! I... I only took so leftovers that custors didn’t finish ho for my wife. I never took fresh ingredients! Shopkeeper, please forgive this once. I’ll never do it again..."
Wang Fuhai rubbed his forehead and waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright. You’re forgiven this ti. Get up."
The apprentice scrambled to his feet, ready to flee.
Wang Fuhai stopped him. "Hey, where do you think you’re going? Co back!"
The apprentice froze, then hesitantly turned back. "Shopkeeper, wh-what is it?"
Wang Fuhai pointed to the cabbage on the table. "Eat this before you leave."
The apprentice stood rooted to the spot.
It looks like the shopkeeper is determined to end my life!
Then, with trembling hands, he picked up a slice of cabbage from the table, put it in his mouth, and, too scared to chew, swallowed it whole. Wang Fuhai frowned at the sight. What a waste of such fine produce!
After the apprentice had swallowed it, Wang Fuhai asked, "How do you feel?"
The apprentice looked utterly bewildered. "Feel? I... Am I... going to die?" he stamred, on the verge of tears.
Wang Fuhai was exasperated. "I’m asking how your body feels! Do you feel a sense of clarity, a refreshing sensation? Your nose, is it unblocked? Does your head still ache?"
Only then did the apprentice realize the shopkeeper wasn’t trying to kill him. He let out a huge sigh of relief. Then, to his astonishnt, he found that the lethargy that had plagued him was gone, his headache had subsided, and his nose was clear.
He then told Wang Fuhai about these changes.
Hearing this, Wang Fuhai could barely contain his surging excitent and trembling hands. He took a deep breath, then waved his hand. "Alright, that’s all. You may go."
The apprentice departed, utterly mystified by his shopkeeper’s strange behavior.
Little did he know then that he had just consud a dicinal vegetable, a type of produce that would soon be madly sought after by nobles, sothing that even a thousand taels of gold couldn’t buy!
When he eventually learned the truth, he was ecstatic and boasted to all his friends and relatives that he had once eaten dicinal vegetables.
But when his friends asked him about the taste, whether it was as incomparably delicious as legends claid, he would stamr, unable to describe it.
Consequently, his friends would laugh at him, calling him a braggart.
How he regretted it then, beating his chest and stamping his feet, lanting that he had swallowed it whole without savoring its exquisite flavor! Naturally, all this was yet to pass.
Currently, however, Wang Fuhai, thrilled, was already carrying the cabbage and riding posthaste to find his master.
By the ti he reached Luoyang City and arrived at the Dong Family residence, it was already the following day; he had ridden nonstop through the night.
Dusty from his journey, he had a servant inform the master of his arrival and then waited outside.
anwhile, Qian Youliang was shocked to learn that Wang Fuhai had co to see their young master again. "It’s only been such a short ti," he exclaid. "Has he obtained another good prescription?"
The informant shook his head. "That, I don’t know. However, I did see him carrying a basket of cabbage."
Hearing this, Qian Youliang was puzzled. Cabbage? What’s so novel about that? Isn’t it incredibly common? Nevertheless, still feeling uneasy, he rose, intending to go and see for himself.
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