âJust you wait.â The old man lowered his head. His two calloused hands pulled open the cloth bag. His hands dug around inside and pulled out a fresh herb. There was still fresh soil at the root.
âThis is the one. Do you want it?â The old man handed the herb in his hand to Qin Shu as if he was presenting a treasure. It was evidenced however, that he was only interested in the money.
In order to find herbs, Qin Shu did a lot of research on herbs in order to help her in her search for herbs. If it was useful, she could buy it for Gu Yan.
If it was useless, she didnât need to waste the money.
She wasnât cash strapped but she did not want to be taken advantage of.
âLet me take a look.â She took the herb from the old man and looked at it carefully. The herb looked unfamiliar, but she felt like she had seen it somewhere before.
She turned it over and looked at it again.
The old man saw that she was silent and was looking at the herb repeatedly. He was afraid that it would not sell well if she handled it carelessly. He said, âDo you want to buy it? If you donât want to buy it, then donât keep touching it. It will be difficult to sell after.â
Qin Shu glanced at the old manâs greedy look. She lowered her eyes and looked at the herb in her hand again. She said after much consideration, âIâll buy this herb. Name a price.â
Her grandfatherâs gaze swept over Qin Shu. He looked at the bag behind her. It didnât look like she was carrying cash.
âWell. Do you have any cash with you?â
Qin Shu said, âHow much do you want? I do not have much on me.â
The old manâs eyes lit up. Greed flashed past his eyes. âDo you have ten thousand?â
âYes.â Qin Shu paused. âThen you have to answer a question.â
âAsk away. Iâll definitely answer if I know the answer.â The old man answered sincerely.
âHow did you find this mountain?â Qin Shu was purely curious because the driver had mentioned that there was no mountain nearby.
The old man glanced at the mountain. âI found it by accident. It is a bit secluded, so no one knows. This mountain is a treasure trove...â
The old man realized that he had divulged too much. He changed the topic immediately and appeared greedy again. âItâs good that you have cash. Hand over the money and Iâll hand over the goods.â
Qin Shu understood what the old man had said just now. He had found this mountain by accident and it was a treasure trove because many things here could be sold for money.
The old man didnât change at all. He still looked very crafty.
Qin Shu opened the zipper on the side of her bag and took out a wad of money. It was a total of ten thousand dollars. From last time she took it out, she hadnât used it since, and hadnât taken it out from her bag.
She handed the ten thousand dollars to the old man. âItâs exaactly ten thousand dollars. Do tally it.â
The old man took the money and wetted his finger at the corner of his mouth. He then started counting the money. He was quick, with speed comparable to a bank teller.
In a short while, he finished counting the ten thousand dollars.
âLittle girl, itâs exactly ten thousand dollars.â The old man handed the herb to Qin Shu. âHere you go. This herb isnât readily available on the market. You have picked up a bargain.â
Qin Shu couldnât help but smile. She didnât believe that she had gotten a bargain, especially a bargain from a money-grubber.
She took the herb over and looked at them carefully. There were only two leaves amd the roots were reddish. There were indeed no herb of this kind on the market.
She squatted down and took off her backpack. She unzipped it and took out a transparent bag. She put the herb in and put it into her backpack.
The old man also wrapped the ten thousand dollars cash with a piece of embroidered silk cloth and stuffed it into the cloth bag.
Qin Shu carried her bag and looked at the old man. â Iâll leave first. Iâm in a hurry to find someone.â
âGo, go. I should get out of the mountain. Iâve gained a lot this time.â The old man waved at her and turned to walk down the mountain.
Qin Shu retracted her gaze and looked at Boss. âLetâs go too. I donât know if we can catch up to him tomorrow.â
âMeow!â Boss ran forward with his four limbs and short legs.
Qin Shu quickened her pace and followed him.
There was no sight of Fu Tingyu the next afternoon as well.
Qin Shu glanced at Boss who was running in front. Although different from normal cats, it was still a cat after all. It was very tiring after walking in the mountains for three days.
This also made her heart ache a little.
She shouted at Bossâ petite figure, âBoss, take a rest.â
Boss stopped and turned to look at Qin Shu. He waited for her to walk over and meowed at her
âTake a rest first. Iâll give you some fish jerky.â Qin Shu walked over and sat down on a mound. She took out a bag of fish jerky from her bag. After tearing it open, she started feeding it to Boss.
Boss sniffed and started eating with his mouth open.
At this moment in the capital, Fu Tingyan woke up earlier than usual. He glanced at the bed across from him. The mattress was folded neatly. He realized that Bo Ye woke up earlier than him every day.
He yawned, stood up, and walked to the bathroom. He reached out for the door knob but realized that the bathroom was locked from inside.
He frowned and pushed the bathroom door. âBo Ye, why did you lock the door ?â
âWait a minute.â Bo Yeâs clear, cold voice came from inside.
Fu Tingyan was a little displeased. âWhy are you more troublesome than me?â
After a while, he heard the sound of flushing water.
He waited for a while, but no one came to open the door. He pushed the door impatiently and made a ruckus, âWhy donât you open the door?â
âWait a minute.â Muffled sounds came from the batheroom. Bo Ye must be brushing his teeth.
Fu Tingyan put his hands on his waist. His face darkened, indicating his impatience.
After a while, the bathroom door opened from the inside. Bo Ye had already washed up and walked out dressed neatly.
His hairstyle was the same as usual. Thefringe slanted right and covered some of his brows. His expression was cold.
Fu Tingyan espressed unhappily. âWeâre both men. Is there a need to lock the door?â
Bo Ye replied, âIâm used to it.â
Fu Tingyan raised his eyebrows. âChange it.â
âItâs my habit. I canât change it.â Bo Yeâs expression didnât change.
âThen should I help you change it?â
âNo need.â
âYou canât be...â
Bo Ye turned his head to look at Fu Tingyan in confusion. Fu Tingyan had just lowered his body to approach him. He wanted to ask him, but when he saw him turn his head, he stopped moving.
The two of them were facing each other. The tip of their noses was pressed against each other. They were very close, so close that they could see each otherâs skin.
A faint peppermint scent waved between them because the toothpaste Bo Ye used was peppermint-flavored.
The two of them were flabbergasted.
Fu Tingyan looked at Bo Yeâs pair of thick eyelasahes which fluttered like a small fan.
His skin was very white and delicate. There werenât even any pores on it.