C19 Chapter 19

“Sir, could we take a look at your ginseng?” Lee Aimin was worried that after all this talking, they’d end up buying something they couldn’t use.

“Our ginseng’s already been promised to someone,” Liu Mingde said, putting on a full-on country-bumpkin act like he’d never seen the world.

Knowing they really did have ginseng, Lee Aidang finally relaxed. “Sir, don’t worry. No matter the size, I’ll take it. I heard you’re looking to trade ginseng for some food—that’s something I can help with, too. I know people at the grain depot.”

“Grandpa, when’s Great-Uncle getting here?” Liu Wenmei tugged on Liu Mingde’s sleeve and gave it a little shake. “He needs it to save his life. Let’s just give it to him first.”

“You, honestly…” Liu Mingde looked like he couldn’t do a thing with her. He pulled the ginseng he’d been keeping tucked close to his body and handed it to Lee Aidang.

After Lee Aidang took it, he passed it to Lee Aimin. The two of them stepped aside and examined it for a while. Lee Aimin could hardly believe it. Everyone knew there was ginseng in the mountains around here, but it was deep in the backcountry where nobody dared go. For this family to get their hands on it, they must’ve gone through a lot.

This root was nearly a hundred years old—way beyond what they’d expected. At first, they’d been hoping to buy something around fifty years old. They never imagined it would be this old. Older was better, of course.

Holding the ginseng, Lee Aimin nodded to Lee Aidang.

“Sir, we’ll take it,” Lee Aidang said, clearly excited after seeing Lee Aimin’s nod. “How much do you want for it?”

“Well… we don’t really know,” Liu Mingde said. “Why don’t you name a price?” Before the new government, he’d been in and out of herbal medicine shops often enough to know the age, but he was afraid he’d lowball it if he spoke first.

“Sir, a fifty-year ginseng root goes for $600 these days,” Lee Aidang said. “Yours is nearly a hundred years old. If you took it to the capital, you could get a much higher price. But we don’t have that kind of money. Between our families, the most we can scrape together is $2,000. And we don’t want you to feel shortchanged—we’ll also give you about 660 pounds of grain. How does that sound?” Lee Aidang had already talked it over with his family. If they found ginseng, everyone would pitch in, and $2,000 was the absolute most they could come up with.

Liu Mingde was thrilled—and relieved he hadn’t named his price first. The last ginseng root he’d sold had gone for twenty bucks, and it had pulled their family back from the brink.

This one could fetch two hundred dollars. Two hundred. What were they supposed to do with that kind of money? Liu Mingde lit a cigarette.

When Lee Aidang saw Liu Mingde smoking by himself and not responding, he figured the old man was backing out and started getting impatient.

Liu Wenmei tugged at Liu Mingde’s sleeve. He snapped back to himself. “Alright. Deal. You’re in a hurry to save someone, so the ginseng is yours.”

Lee Aidang and Lee Aimin both let out a breath. Lee Aimin took a leave from the hospital, then led the grandfather and granddaughter out. They stopped in front of an old house tucked into an alley.

Liu Mingde felt a chill of nerves. It was just him and his granddaughter. Forget whether anyone might be inside—these two grown men alone could overpower them if they wanted.

Seeing his tension, Liu Wenmei waited until the brothers had gone in, then patted his back and whispered, “Grandpa, don’t be scared. I’ve got you.”

Once they stepped into the yard, Lee Aidang shut the gate. “Sir, Wenmei—this is our old place. Doing business out in the open can draw the wrong kind of attention. It’s safer here.”

As he spoke, they went inside. No one else was there, but the place was clean—clearly someone came by to keep it up.

Lee Aimin, who had entered first, pulled out the cash he’d been keeping close. For the past few days, he’d carried it on him in case he ran into someone selling ginseng and didn’t have enough money.