"Precisely, we're from out of town and want to buy some medicinal herbs in Jiaozhou," Gu Zhaobei said. He knew that young attendants like this, who dealt with countless visitors daily, were incredibly well-informed, so he didn't hesitate to reveal their true purpose.
As soon as the attendant heard they were buying medicinal herbs, he launched into a torrent of advice about doing business in Jiaozhou. It turned out that when buying herbs in Jiaozhou, one shouldn't go directly to the apothecaries. North of Jiaozhou city was a medicinal herb market where merchants and herb gatherers from all over would set up stalls. The herbs bought there were the most comprehensive and the cheapest. However, if one bought from apothecaries, although the herbs were refined and saved some trouble, their prices would "whoosh" and skyrocket, sometimes doubling or even more.
Seeing that the young man had provided a lot of useful information, Gu Qingcheng gave him another three coins. The attendant was overjoyed.
After resting at the inn for the night, they ate the local specialty of knife-cut noodles the next morning. After breakfast, the carriage was waiting outside. As expected, the attendant had been efficient; the hired coachman, a sturdy-looking man in his thirties named Dacheng, appeared honest, and his carriage was about eighty percent new, clean, and comfortable.
Once they were in the carriage, it headed towards Jiaozhou city. The road conditions were quite good. Dacheng answered all their questions, explaining that because Jiaozhou city was a hub for medicinal herbs, merchants from all over the country traded there, so the surrounding roads were well-maintained. The carriage traveled non-stop, and by around three in the afternoon, they saw the city walls of Jiaozhou.
At this point, Gu Zhaobei suddenly remembered that they needed a travel permit to enter the city and realized he had forgotten about it. When Gu Zhaobei mentioned it, Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but smile and said, "Father, I already took care of it. Didn't you forget that Phoenix Village is officially designated administrative area by the government? We naturally have the village's official seal!" Gu Zhaobei's momentary panic subsided. Hu Lanfang even teased him, saying that despite his age, he wasn't as cautious as his daughter.
The family arrived at the city gate, chatting and laughing. After alighting and having their travel permits verified, the guards let them in. Dacheng drove them to the Yuelai Inn, mentioning that it was only a fifteen-minute walk to the largest medicinal herb trading market in the north of the city. Most merchants and traders preferred to stay there, though the rent was a bit higher. Gu Zhaobei didn't mind, saying convenience was key. He paid Dacheng 300 coins for the carriage fare and an additional 20 coins for his meals along the way. Dacheng bid them a happy farewell.
It was now around three in the afternoon. After dropping off their luggage at the inn, they didn't rush to eat but hurried to the medicinal herb market, as that was their primary purpose for the trip. With the market so close, they couldn't wait.
Upon arriving at the market, they were immediately struck by its reputation as the largest medicinal herb market in the country. Stalls lined up as far as the eye could see, bustling with medicinal herb merchants. Besides wholesale shops on the sidelines, there were also vendors selling entire carts of herbs, and herb gatherers with red cloths wrapped around high-quality ginseng, sitting by the roadside, patiently waiting for buyers.
Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo looked around with wide-eyed wonder, like Liu姥姥 visiting the Grand View Garden. They didn't recognize many of the herbs and were simply taking in the spectacle. Fortunately, Gu Zhaobei, despite being a Western medicine doctor, had to obtain a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner's license due to his work at a community medical station. Most of his patients were elderly community members who were deeply committed to TCM, believing it treated the root cause and had fewer side effects. Thus, Gu Zhaobei could understand ordinary medicinal herbs.
At this moment, a shrewd-looking middle-aged man approached them and said, "Esteemed guests, are you here to procure medicinal herbs? Is this your first time? Do you need an intermediary?" Gu Zhaobei scanned him and asked, "So, you're very familiar with this market?" "Naturally," the man replied, quickly introducing himself. "My name is Old Jin. I've been here for over 20 years; there isn't a single medicinal herb merchant I don't know."
"And what are your fees?" Gu Zhaobei inquired. "I'll help you find herbs. For every successful transaction, you'll pay me at least 100 coins in service fees. If rare herbs require considerable effort to locate, I'll charge one tael of silver per successful find," Old Jin stated. "Very well, deal," Gu Zhaobei said. He felt the price wasn't exorbitant. If Old Jin had indeed been in the market for over 20 years, he would truly know everything here, making their herb procurement much easier.
"I need to find these medicinal herbs," Gu Zhaobei said, shuffling the ingredients from Ge Hong's prescriptions together, then handing the combined list to Old Jin. Old Jin, even if he recognized the herbs, wouldn't know the secret of the prescription without the full formula. Old Jin took the list and examined it. "Some of these herbs are quite precious and rare. Finding them sometimes depends on luck. For instance, a century-old kudzu root and a five-petal ginseng are highly sought after and can be encountered by chance. The five-petal ginseng can only be found in valleys filled with miasma. It requires experienced herb gatherers familiar with the valley to sneak in on a night when the miasma is absent, collect the herb, and retreat quickly. Otherwise, inhaling the miasma could be fatal."
Gu Zhaobei asked, "Can you help me find these two herbs?" "It's possible, but if you're in a hurry, you can proactively post a bounty. For the five-petal ginseng, for example, offering 50 taels of silver should entice someone to go and gather it." "Then please post the bounty for me," Gu Zhaobei said. He wasn't concerned about the cost; finding the herbs was the most important thing.
Upon hearing Gu Zhaobei's tone, Old Jin knew they were generous people, which he liked. Gu Zhaobei first gave Old Jin 10 taels of silver as an advance for expenses and then began purchasing the ordinary medicinal herbs available in the market. Hiring Old Jin was indeed worthwhile; he was very familiar with the local herb market and knew which stalls offered good quality and which did not. Consequently, Gu Zhaobei and his family quickly acquired all the common herbs, initially buying a hundred pounds of each.
However, Gu Zhaobei found himself increasingly drawn into the buying spree. He bought many common herbs used for treating everyday ailments like headaches and colds. He discovered that the herbs here were both good and cheap, and they were already processed, ready for immediate use. For example, honey-processed licorice and the like didn't require further preparation back home, making it incredibly convenient. He was captivated and bought relentlessly.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't immediately store these herbs in the spatial cabinet in front of everyone. So, she said to Old Jin, "Is there a warehouse we can rent nearby? We plan to store the herbs there and transport them together when we leave." Gu Qingcheng's current satisfaction points had reached a staggering 450,000, and her wealth was comparable to billions. She spent money like water and didn't care about the cost at all. Most importantly, earning money was effortless, so she didn't begrudge spending it. As long as money could solve a problem, it was not an issue.