Cheng Ying was unused to this sudden burst of politeness; the reckless boy had always stormed in unannounced. Why the sudden knocking today? Had he taken the wrong medicine? She got up. "Come in."

Chi Wu subtly swept his eyes over Cheng Ying's room. Strictly speaking, this room usually belonged to the little fatty, and Cheng Ying was only a temporary occupant. But Chi Wu felt a prickle of guilt, as if he were sneaking a peek into a young lady's private quarters. Though curious, he dared not look directly. He recalled rolling around on Cheng Ying's heated brick bed back in the village, wondering why he was being so prudish now. "Yingzi, someone wants to buy your ginseng."

Cheng Ying let out an "Oh," her surprise evident. "You actually managed to set it up? The person who came today wasn't here about that, was he?"

"Yes, he was. After not hearing back from me for a few days, the man has gone to prepare the money."

"This boss isn't that wealthy, is he? Why does he need to prepare the funds in advance for such a small amount?"

Chi Wu glanced at Cheng Ying. "Yingzi, he had someone inspect it. Your ginseng is virtually indistinguishable from wild stock. This man knows our background, so he doesn't dare try to cheat us on the price. That's why he's preparing..."

"What do you mean? He agreed to the high price? Tell your big sister about it."

Chi Wu darted a look at Cheng Ying, who was staring at him. He awkwardly touched his hair. Yingzi had said this hairstyle suited him best; he wondered if she was noticing it now.

Cheng Ying lifted her leg and kicked him. "Spit it out!"

"Your ginseng roots are a bit small. If you let them grow for another ten or eight years, the price would be much better. I can get you eighty yuan per root right now."

Cheng Ying counted on her fingers. "An ounce of gold is worth over ten yuan now. My ginseng root is less than fifty grams. It should fetch a gold price, at least. Didn't you haggle with him at all?"

Chi Wu snapped back, annoyed. "How much more do you want? Can your ginseng even be compared to gold? Do you really think it's wild?"

"Do you understand business? Ask for the sky, settle on the ground. If you don't start high, how can they offer more?"

Chi Wu became angry. It was no easy task to be the good guy; who was he going through all this trouble for? "You can talk to him yourself tomorrow. I'm done with this." He started to leave, but seeing the glare Cheng Ying was giving him, he stopped. Fine. Chi Wu knew he had been thoroughly domesticated by Cheng Ying long ago.

Under Cheng Ying's pressure, he felt quite burdened. "Um, the thing is, you have too much of this ginseng; it depreciates the value. If there were less..."

Cheng Ying waved her hand, thinking him obstinate. "Can't you just find a few more buyers? Forget it, I can't reason with you. I'll see him myself tomorrow. Oh, did you seal the deal with him?"

"No, I didn't say it was final because I didn't know if you'd agree. But it's roughly settled; there won't be major changes. If you can't bear to part with it, don't sell it. It’s just growing on the mountain, essentially growing money anyway."

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu. Sister needs the money, otherwise, do you think I’d be willing to sell? It was a relief they had plenty of it, so selling a bit wasn't heartbreaking. "All right, we'll talk tomorrow. Regardless of whether this deal goes through, I have to thank you. I wouldn't have found such a big connection on my own."

Cheng Ying suspected she was being low-balled. Otherwise, as Chi Wu mentioned, a few thousand yuan wouldn't require a big boss to pool money together. She would see tomorrow. Lying down, she sighed. So, having too much ginseng actually devalued it. Thankfully, no one in this era talked about cultivating ginseng; otherwise, her stock would be worth even less.

When Chi Wu and Cheng Ying left again, Old Mrs. Chi watched their retreating figures with considerable displeasure. Running around the world like that—not at all like a proper young lady. Her own grandson was being dragged away from home because of her.

Old Man Chi said, "Old woman, the children are growing up. It's better for them to see the world than to stay cooped up indoors."

Old Mrs. Chi snorted. She then turned to amuse her little grandson, taking him to early education.

Old Man Chi could only sigh. This relationship had been this way for years; Yingzi's presence was a thorn embedded in his wife's side, constantly reminding her of her son's supposed grievances. But didn't his wife see that their son was enjoying himself? Did she notice even a hint of grievance? He was practically revolving around his wife. It was a blessing Yang Zhi wasn't some temptress; she only cared about running a household and treated Wu Zi well. Otherwise, this family would be in constant turmoil.

Cheng Ying’s cheeks trembled uncontrollably when she saw where Chi Wu had led her. This was a normal business transaction, not smuggling contraband. Why couldn't they find a proper place to talk? It felt like they were meeting secret agents. The location was wide open, a large public square, but the people squatting opposite them just looked completely out of place. Discussing a deal right here? This was far too epoch-making.

Cheng Ying coughed. "Excuse me, may I say something?"

The person opposite gave Cheng Ying a displeased glance. "We're discussing serious matters."

Cheng Ying rolled her eyes. "Can we discuss serious matters somewhere else? Somewhere we can sit down, how about that?"

The man, dressed in a contemporary-style jacket and carrying a large bag, said, "Wu Zi, why did you bring along such a delicate young lady? Your little girlfriend? You need to control her. A man shouldn't let a woman interrupt when he's talking."

Chi Wu was quite pleased with this man’s perception; his judgment was excellent—he saw she was his little girlfriend. However, he disagreed with the part about her speaking less. This man was usually right about things. "Mm, talk less," he said, directing it toward Cheng Ying with considerable authority. As a man, Chi Wu was finally feeling a sense of purpose. Chi Wu found a moment of manliness.

The man raised an eyebrow. "That's more like it, a true man. The young master of the Chi family should treat women with that kind of attitude." He almost gave Chi Wu a thumbs-up.

Cheng Ying’s soles tingled; she wanted to kick someone. We’re giving face to Chi Wu.

Seeing Cheng Ying's expression, Chi Wu turned to the man and said, "Brother, let's change locations. This rundown spot really isn't suitable for an important talk."

The man glanced at Cheng Ying, thinking the Chi family child had folded too easily. But he still stood up from the ground and followed Chi Wu away.

In those days, guesthouses weren't places one could just enter casually, and cafes or entertainment venues were even rarer. There was only one option: a restaurant—and not in the ambiguous sense, but a place strictly for dining. The group found a restaurant with a decent facade and went in. To be honest, since it wasn't mealtime, the service staff were barely paying attention to them.

Cheng Ying didn't have high expectations; having a place to sit was enough. After ordering a pot of tea from the waitress, Cheng Ying felt more comfortable. This finally looked like a setting for doing business. It was just that the waiter nearby had a poor attitude.

Cheng Ying was displeased. "We aren't ordering a meal, you can leave now." For Cheng Ying, they were the consumers; their word was law.

To the gentlemen across the table, this was incredibly humiliating. They entered a restaurant, didn't order food, yet spoke with such an air of superiority. Where did Chi Wu find such a bizarre girl? She clearly had no sense of social graces.

Chi Wu didn't feel anything; Cheng Ying’s words seemed entirely reasonable. Although he had been to restaurants many times, perhaps his previous attitude was wrong. This time felt correct. He turned to the waiter, whose face was already sour, and repeated, "We aren't ordering. You can go now." This shamelessness is just asking for a beating.

The waiter had seen shameless people, but never this shamelessly entitled. People of that era were generally honest. After glaring disdainfully for a moment, the woman turned and left. These people probably brought their own rations. They came to the restaurant just to sponge up some tea. As they left, the service staff muttered that they had never seen anyone ask for water with such arrogance, completely lacking in etiquette.

In the room, everyone except Cheng Ying and Chi Wu felt ashamed. Of course, the one most mortified was the man across from Chi Wu who was there for the deal—since he was the leader. He certainly wouldn't mock the two young people. The man felt he had never been so disgraced; he couldn't even look his own associates in the eye.

Cheng Ying glanced down at her attire—it was fine, she didn't look like a beggar. She looked at Chi Wu, who was energetic. Then she turned and said, "The service staff here have poor judgment."

Chi Wu nodded along. They were indeed poor. How beautiful and commanding Yingzi looked; how could they mistake her for someone just seeking a drink of water?

The man felt shame. He never realized the Young Master Chi was a celestial being, untouched by earthly affairs. And yet, he didn't understand social niceties. It was a waste for him to earn so much money. It would have been better to leave these two sooner. "Um, let's discuss the main point. Brother Wu Zi, how about your ginseng? My offer was quite fair."

Chi Wu said, "I'm just the facilitator. The goods belong to her. You should discuss it with her." He introduced them directly to Cheng Ying. "This is Brother Li, he specializes in medicinal herbs. You two talk directly."

The man surnamed Li was truly clueless. He had thought the young girl was just tagging along. He had been complaining endlessly about how difficult Yingzi was being.

Cheng Ying smiled sweetly. "Hello, Brother Li. Wu Zi told me your offered price is indeed very good."

The man beamed. "Naturally. Aside from me, no one else could offer that price."

Cheng Ying pursed her lips. "Brother Li, those roots are all wild. Although there are many, they are still ginseng. We are in this business, so they might look ordinary, but if the right person needed them, they would be hard to find, regardless of price."

"That's true. But we are in business, after all. Little girl, be straightforward: do you find it suitable?" This was an attempt to suppress her and lower the price.

Cheng Ying got straight to the point. "Not suitable. Brother Li, as you can see, none of my ginseng roots are under fifty grams; they are all in the thirty to forty-gram range. People say they are priceless. If you truly want this deal, three hundred yuan per root. If any are under thirty grams, you pick them out."

The man sprayed the water from his mouth, "Girl, are you kidding? Are you going to raise the price like that? Do you understand the rules?"

Cheng Ying replied even more forthrightly, "I don't. My goods are worth that price."

The man argued, "Girl, go ask around. How much is a mature, ten-year-old, or hundred-year-old ginseng root? How can you shamelessly ask for that?"

"A hundred-year-old root, if just left sitting, is a waste; its medicinal properties are gone. Mine were just dug up. Mine are far better than those."