Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Liu Tianbao and his wife returned home in a disheveled state, furious.

"Honey, that brat is really like a rock in a latrine, both smelly and hard!"

Even though you're a scholar, she doesn't give you any face!

You'd better do well on this exam. Once you become an official, punish the entire eldest son's family and let them know the consequences of offending you!

Wei said angrily.

"We'll talk about that after I pass the exam and become an official. Right now, if I can't get my hands on ginseng, I won't be able to please Lord Cai."

It's all your fault. If only you had given one room in the house to my older brother and his family before.

They won't be living in that haunted house anymore, and maybe Peach Girl will be willing to lend us money.

Liu Tianbao began to complain about his wife, Wei.

Hearing this, Madam Wei was also unhappy and retorted, "You only know how to blame me. You weren't like this to my elder brother before!"

It's either mockery or manipulation. You think you're any better than me? We're evenly matched, so neither of us should criticize the other!

"Alright, fine, I give up. Let's not talk about this anymore."

Let's think about how to raise the money!

Liu Tianbao waved his hand impatiently.

"What money are we raising?"

"Didn't that girl say she wanted a thousand taels of silver to buy that century-old ginseng?"

Liu Tianbao said irritably.

"Liu Tianbao, are you sick in the head?"

"Are we really going to spend money to buy that century-old ginseng?"

At the time, she said that writing an IOU was just for show; she never intended to pay a single penny.

They just wanted to get something for nothing.

"What else can we do?"

This is related to my future career.

What's a thousand taels of silver!

You probably don't know how many students buy their way into official positions. Do you really think that many people actually pass the exams?

The officialdom is very dark. Being a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) is nothing special, but becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) is like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge; very few people can actually pass the exam.

"Si Lang, but where would we get a thousand taels?"

With what we had scraped together from our families, we only had five hundred taels of silver left, barely half of what we had saved.

Besides, our daughter is getting married soon, and we still need to prepare her dowry!

We can't just spend all the money.

Wei felt sorry for the money.

"If all else fails, go ask your father for some money. After all, you're his only daughter, and the money is meant for us anyway. We're just getting it out for us to use in advance."

"When I become an official in the future, I will take care of him and ensure he lives a good life."

Liu Tianbao set his sights on his father-in-law, Wei Donglai.

"My father has already helped us a lot, and I'm afraid he doesn't have much money left."

He needs to save that money for his retirement; he can't touch it.

Madam Wei shook her head, unwilling to touch her father's savings for his coffin.

"Long hair, short wit; we're just using it temporarily as a temporary fix."

Is your husband's career path more important, or what?

We'll take care of him together and support him in his old age.

If he really can't bear to part with that money, he can mortgage his current shop to get more.

My father-in-law owns a small shop, but it's big enough to hold a thousand taels of silver as collateral.

After hesitating for a moment, Wei finally nodded.

"Then I'll give it a try!"

Meanwhile, Tao'er, along with her second brother and Qingfeng, drove a mule cart to the county town.

This time, we went to the pharmacy first, and Li Chenhao happened to be there.

Upon seeing Tao'er dismount from the mule cart, he immediately greeted her warmly.

"Miss Liu, you've arrived! What good things have you brought for me this time?"

"Young Master Li, you guessed right. This time there are indeed some good things, even better than last time."

Tao'er said with a smile.

"Oh, then hurry up and come inside to talk."

I just happened to have some newly arrived Longjing tea and some crab roe and osmanthus cake that I just bought.

Li Chenhao extended a warm invitation.

"Second Brother, Qingge, bring in the medicinal herbs, the deer, and the blue sheep together."

Tao'er nodded and turned to her second brother and Qingge.

After saying that, he carried the basket on his back and followed Li Chenhao into the inner room.

Liu Tiezhu and Qingge immediately followed.

Once inside, Li Chenhao called for the shop's staff to bring over the crab roe and osmanthus cake.

Then he personally brewed a pot of tea and poured it for Tao'er and the other two.

Qingge was still a little uncomfortable, but otherwise she was fine.

Liu Tiezhu looked flattered and silly.

He never expected that a rich man's son would personally pour him tea.

Tao'er introduced, "This is my second brother, Liu Tiechui. He hunted all the game that was sent over last time."

This is Qingge, who is also considered family to me.

In the future, it's very likely that most of the people delivering medicinal herbs and game will be my second brother.

I brought him here today so you could get to know him.

Tao'er introduced her second brother and the others.

"I'll remember that, Miss Liu."

I'll let the shopkeeper know later.

Li Chenhao nodded.

"Second Brother, Qingge, this is Li Chenhao, the second young master of the Li family, and also the young owner of this pharmacy."

Tao'er then introduced her second brother and Qingge to each other.

"Greetings, Young Master Li!"

Liu Tiechui and Qingge shouted at the same time.

"You are Miss Liu's family, so you don't need to be so polite in the future."

If you need any help, feel free to contact me.

"Thank you very much, Young Master Li!"

The two spoke in unison, displaying a rare moment of tacit understanding.

Li Chenhao sized up Liu Tiezhu and Qingge for a while and could tell that both of them were capable of fighting.

Moreover, this Qingge doesn't seem like an ordinary person; she must be a skilled martial artist.

Such a powerful figure is willing to stay by the side of Liu Tao'er, a country girl. Liu Tao'er's identity must be even more extraordinary.

This Liu Tao'er could never be an ordinary country girl.

Therefore, cultivating good relationships with them is definitely more beneficial than harmful to him.

"Now that the introductions are done, let's get down to business!"

Those sika deer and blue sheep are both rare and valuable items. Young Master Li, are you going to buy them both?

Li Chenhao nodded. "I'll take them all. That one is a fully grown sika deer. I'll give you a thousand taels of silver."

I bought the other blue sheep for five hundred taels of silver.

Miss Liu, you're not going to tell me that the biggest surprise is these two, are you?

"Of course not, it's this, Young Master Li. How much silver do you think this ginseng is worth?"

Tao'er took out the ginseng that Baihu had led her to find; she planted the other small ginseng directly in the medicinal field in her space.

I plan to let it grow a little longer before harvesting it.

When Li Chenhao opened it, a wild ginseng in perfect, almost complete condition was displayed in front of him.

"This is incredible!"

Miss Liu, this is a wild ginseng! Judging by its age, it must be at least five or six hundred years old. Finding this must have been quite difficult!

This thing can save lives in a critical moment; you can't buy it even if you have money!

"Aren't you perhaps the mountain's own daughter?"

Since Li Chenhao got involved in the medicinal herb business, he has become quite knowledgeable about these herbs.

Both century-old Ganoderma lucidum and century-old ginseng are extremely rare and hard to come by, yet she managed to find both.

"I'm just lucky!"

Actually, I didn't find this thing myself; a white tiger helped me find it.

Tao'er quickly explained, otherwise Li Chenhao would have mistaken her for a god.

"That's even more incredible, the King of White Tiger Mountain actually took you to collect ginseng."

You are definitely a person with great fortune.

I'll also share in your good fortune.

Last time, his father praised him for the medicinal herbs and Ganoderma lucidum he received.

His status in the household rose accordingly, and even his stepmother no longer dared to treat him as she used to.

Not only that, his father also entrusted him with managing two other shops.

With the addition of matsutake and morel mushrooms, the hotel attracted many dignitaries, and business improved significantly.

My father said he would take over the hotel.

"Young Master Li is joking; that's your own ability."

You are an excellent person in every way, so as long as you are given the opportunity, you will succeed in whatever you do.

Tao'er modestly praised Li Chenhao in return.

Li Chenhao was pleased, so he got back to the main topic, "Miss Liu, this ginseng was originally bought for 1,200, but I'm giving it away as a gift, so I'm buying it for 1,500."

The ginseng is 1,500 taels, and the sika deer and blue sheep together are 1,500 taels, making a total of 3,000 taels of silver. If you think it's acceptable, I'll give you the silver.

I just had the shopkeeper weigh the other herbs, and they came to about three taels and nine mace of silver. I'll round it up to four taels of silver.

Ok?

If you're not satisfied, we can discuss it.

He met a court official through a friend. His mother was seriously ill and needed ginseng to prolong her life. He wanted to exchange ginseng for this connection.

In this way, he can stand firmly on his own in the future.

They will also have powerful backers.

"I'm fine with it, I'll do it your way."

Tao'er nodded, knowing that the offer was already quite generous.

One should not be too greedy; only then can one go far.

After completing the transaction, Li Chenhao gave the silver to Tao'er and then went to take care of other matters.

Tao'er led her second brother and the others out of the pharmacy.

Then they went straight to the same big hotel as before, and Manager Hu bought the mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and other game at the highest price, earning another two hundred taels of silver.

When they came out of the hotel, they were being watched.

"Go, find out all the information about this brat!"

If they can't find the cause, bring them your head.

"Yes, young master, this servant will go immediately!"