sbdcsierra Chapter 505 King Ginseng
Chapter 505 King Ginseng
The two returned to the village along the mountain path, and Li Xiangyang was in a particularly good mood.
This adventure was worthwhile; not only did we obtain valuable wild ginseng, but more importantly, we established a reliable source of information.
In the industry of purchasing mountain products, information is often more valuable than money.
When they returned to the village entrance, they ran into Wang Ergou walking over from the purchasing station.
"Xiangyang, where have you been? The station is almost overwhelmed with work," Wang Ergou said with a hint of complaint.
Li Xiangyang chuckled and patted the wooden box in his arms: "Come with me, I'll show you something good."
The two arrived at the small hut behind the purchasing station. Li Xiangyang closed the door before opening the wooden box.
"My God!" Wang Ergou gasped. "This is wild ginseng? Judging by its quality... how old must it be?"
“At least twenty years old,” Li Xiangyang said proudly, “just picked from the cliff.”
“I can’t say for sure the exact year,” Li Xiangyang carefully placed the ginseng back into the wooden box, “but judging from its shape and rootlets, it’s at least twenty years old.”
Wang Ergou leaned closer for a closer look, his eyes filled with envy: "How much can this thing sell for?"
“At current market prices, a ginseng of this quality would be worth at least three or four hundred, or even more,” Li Xiangyang said, closing the wooden box. “However, I don’t intend to sell it.”
"Not selling?" Wang Ergou was taken aback. "That's several hundred yuan!"
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "Although it can fetch a good price now, these kinds of things will only become increasingly rare, and their value will rise accordingly. Besides, if an elderly person or child in the family has a sudden illness, this could be a lifesaver."
Wang Ergou nodded: "That's true. Money can be made, but wild ginseng like this is extremely rare."
“When he has time, let Grandpa Zheng Defa take a look,” Li Xiangyang said, carefully putting the wooden box away. “He’s the most experienced in this area and can tell the exact year.”
Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the door.
"Mr. Li, is Mr. Li here?" It was an unfamiliar voice.
Wang Ergou opened the door and saw a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit standing in the doorway, followed by two other people.
"May I ask who you are?" Wang Ergou asked.
"My surname is Zhao, and I come from the provincial capital. I heard you buy mountain products here?" the middle-aged man said politely.
Hearing the voice, Li Xiangyang came out: "I am Li Xiangyang. You must be Boss Zhao? Please come in."
The three entered the house. Boss Zhao looked around and nodded in approval, saying, "A friend recommended Xiaoliang Village, saying the local produce is of good quality and reasonably priced. I came here specifically to take a look."
"I wonder what kind of goods Mr. Zhao wants to buy?" Li Xiangyang poured tea for the three of them.
"It's mainly medicinal herbs," Mr. Zhao said bluntly. "I own several traditional Chinese medicine shops in the provincial capital, and the supply is always quite tight. If the quality is good, you definitely won't be shortchanged on price."
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up; this was a big client. He quickly called to Wang Ergou, "Go to the warehouse and get a few items of our goods."
A short while later, Wang Ergou brought over several burlap sacks filled with various medicinal herbs.
Mr. Zhao, being an expert, picked up a handful of codonopsis pilosula for careful examination, then smelled it: "Not bad, this is of very good quality."
He then examined several other medicinal herbs, including astragalus and platycodon, and became increasingly satisfied: "Mr. Li, the quality of your goods is indeed excellent. I'd like to ask, how much can you supply per month?"
Li Xiangyang quickly calculated in his mind: "Currently, we have about 100 jin of Codonopsis pilosula, about 200 jin of Astragalus membranaceus, and varying quantities of other medicinal herbs."
“The quantity is acceptable,” Mr. Zhao nodded. “Regarding the price, I can buy it at 10% above the market price, but there’s one condition.”
"What conditions?"
"I need you to guarantee consistent quality and sign a long-term supply agreement, at least one year."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance; this was indeed a good opportunity.
“No problem,” Li Xiangyang readily agreed, “but I’d like to understand Mr. Zhao’s specific needs first.”
Mr. Zhao took out a piece of paper from his briefcase: "This is a list of the medicinal herbs I need and their quantities. Please take a look."
Li Xiangyang took the list and looked at it carefully. Most of them were common medicinal herbs, but the quantity was indeed quite large.
“Mr. Zhao, this quantity is a bit challenging for us,” Li Xiangyang said frankly, “but we can find a way to contact several surrounding villages to supply the goods together.”
"That would be perfect. If Mr. Li has anything of value, feel free to let me take a look," Mr. Zhao said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiangyang's heart stirred, remembering the wild ginseng he had just collected.
"We just received a fine wild ginseng today. Mr. Zhao, would you like to take a look?"
As he spoke, Li Xiangyang took out the wooden box again and took out the ginseng.
Mr. Zhao had only glanced at it casually at first, but when he saw the ginseng in its entirety, he was instantly stunned.
He slowly stood up, his eyes fixed on the ginseng in Li Xiangyang's hand, his breathing becoming rapid.
"This...this is..." Boss Zhao's voice trembled slightly.
He took out a magnifying glass, brought it close to his eyes, and became increasingly shocked as he looked at it.
"Mr. Li, where did you get this ginseng?"
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Li Xiangyang was a little nervous by his reaction.
Mr. Zhao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself: "Problem? There's no problem here, this is simply... do you know what this is?"
“Wild ginseng, it must be quite old,” Li Xiangyang answered truthfully.
"Quite a few?" Boss Zhao gave a wry smile. "Boss Li, this isn't a ginseng that's only twenty or thirty years old. Judging from the luster of the ginseng body, the density of the fibrous roots, and this unique patina, this ginseng is at least a hundred years old!"
"A hundred years?" Wang Ergou almost jumped up. "How much would that be worth?"
Mr. Zhao carefully held the ginseng in his palm: "A hundred-year-old wild ginseng, this is called the 'King of Ginseng' in our trade. I've been in the medicinal herb business for over twenty years, and I can count on one hand the number of hundred-year-old ginsengs I've ever seen. Mr. Li, I'll offer three thousand yuan for this ginseng, what do you think?"
Three thousand yuan!
This number made everyone in the room gasp.
But Li Xiangyang hesitated only slightly before shaking his head: "Mr. Zhao, to be honest, I don't want to sell this ginseng for the time being."
"Not selling? You think it's too little?" Boss Zhao was taken aback. "Then I'll offer four thousand!"
Li Xiangyang shook his head again.
"Five thousand! Mr. Li, five thousand is the highest price I can offer." Mr. Zhao's tone was somewhat pleading.
“Mr. Zhao, it’s not about the money,” Li Xiangyang said sincerely, “I want to keep this, in case the elderly or children in my family have a sudden illness…”
Upon hearing this, Boss Zhao's face flashed with regret, but he quickly regained his shrewd business acumen: "Boss Li is indeed a discerning man. However, I'd like to ask, did you encounter any danger when harvesting this ginseng? For example... any wild animals guarding it?"