Chapter 55: Buying Medicine Storm

  Qin Lang furrowed his brow and rapped on the table, raising his tone to repeat: "Excuse me, do you have Di Fu Zi and Tong Ma Cao for sale here?"

  That man didn't even look at Qin Lang, narrowed his eyes and stared at the abacus in his hand, lazily saying: "Don't mention Di Fu Zi and Tong Ma Cao, even if it's a hundred-year-old wild mountain ginseng, our Rich and Noble Medicine House can get it for you. The question is, do you have money? Alright, a kid who hasn't even grown a single hair yet, don't mess around if you've got nothing better to do, scram!"

  Qin Lang was delighted to hear that there was a chance, and in his excitement, he didn't even care about the man's attitude. He took out his bank card and slapped it on the counter, "Take it out and let me check its quality."

  The ten kinds of medicinal materials he had previously obtained were generally priced, but he wanted the best quality and equivalent quantity, and in total spent less than 5,000 yuan.

  That is to say, there are at least 950,000 yuan left in this bank card. It should be more than enough to buy Di Fu Zi and Tong Ma Cao.

  The man glanced at the card on the counter with his eyes, and then looked at Qin Lang again. Obviously, he didn't expect this young man who seemed to still be in school to make a move so decisively, not even bothering to talk nonsense, and directly used a bank card to show off his wealth.

  After a closer look, the man suddenly realized that the young man in front of him, although dressed ordinarily and still young, had an extraordinary air about him, clearly not some poor scholar from a humble background.

  He almost missed a big fish! The man got excited, thinking that if he could close this big deal, he would have a thick bonus this month. A smile immediately filled his face, and the abacus and teacup were thrown aside as his short and stout body bounced up from the rattan chair.

  "Oh my, this young brother has a full forehead and a square face, just one look and you can tell he's from a wealthy family. Look at my golden fish eyes, I didn't even recognize him, truly sorry. I'm the Chinese medicine practitioner here, surname Cao, what do you need? Just give me orders, I'll definitely provide you with thoughtful service." The short and chubby man said with a flattering smile.

  Qin Lang saw that the other party was arrogant at first but polite afterwards, and he could guess the reason, but he was eager to get the two medicinal materials, so he didn't bother to argue with this selfish little man, and simply repeated his intention again.

  A short, chubby man who called himself Cao Yao Shi smiled and said: "Young brother, your luck is really good. Our store just received a batch of Chinese medicinal herbs, which happens to include the Tong Ma Cao and Di Fu Zi you need. However... I don't know if you've heard of the saying 'orphan medicine'?"

  Qin Lang furrowed his brow and nodded: "I know."

  "Ah, looks like you're a connoisseur, that makes things easier." Cao Yaoshi laughed even harder, "Tongma grass and Difuzi are both orphan medicines, the vast majority of pharmacies can't sell them. Only a large-scale pharmacy like ours has channels to get a small amount. I don't know how much quantity you need, little brother?"

  "How much I want, how much." Qin Lang said. He indeed had a large demand for these two medicinal materials, and one or two taels were far from enough. At the very least, he needed them by the catty. Moreover, this was an orphan medicine, so it would be better to stock up more now, and when needed in the future, they could be called upon at any time.

  Big deal, indeed a big deal! Cao Yao Shi laughed with his golden fish eyes narrowed into slits and hastily said: "Tong Ma Cao we collected a total of one jin three liang this time, Di Fu Zi has one jin seven liang, little brother are you sure you want it all?"

  "Is that all?" Qin Lang was somewhat disappointed, this amount could only barely make him brew fourteen zi yujin soup, wanting to stock up was impossible. He waved his hand and said: "Alright, I'll take it all, but first bring it out for me to check the quality."

  "Alright, just a moment, I'll get it for you." Cao Yao Shi hurried off to the medicine cabinet on his short legs and quickly returned with two sealed vacuum bags. The labels on the seals read "Tong Ma Cao" and "Di Fu Zi". He handed them over to Qin Lang saying: "You check!"

  Qin Lang took it and examined it carefully, soon a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

  Cao Yaoshi observed his words and appearance, and was somewhat surprised in her heart. This kid really knows how to identify good and bad medicinal materials? It's not common in this era anymore.

  He smiled and asked, "How about it, little brother? These two medicinal materials are not bad, right? I'm not bragging, but our Rich and Noble Pharmacy only deals with top-notch goods. Ordinary stuff can't even get through our door."

  Qin Lang immediately picked up on the ambiguity in the other person's words, which seemed to be referring to both medicinal materials and people. However, he didn't have the energy to think about it carefully, so he simply nodded and said, "It's actually not bad, how much does it all cost? I'll take everything."

  "Just a moment." Cao Yaoshi reached out and started tapping on the abacus next to him, quickly calculating. Soon, he smiled and said: "The total for Tongma Grass is 1.8 million, and for Difuzi it's 1.3 million, so together that's 3.1 million. But if you're buying everything, I can waive the small change, so we'll call it 3 million. Will you be paying in cash or by card?"

  As he spoke, his eyes fell on the bank card on the counter.

  "Three hundred thousand?" Qin Lang was stunned, he really hadn't expected that these two medicinal materials, totaling only about three catties in weight, would actually cost thirty million. This was equivalent to one tael being worth ten thousand, and one gram being worth two hundred, which was almost the same as the price of gold. The balance in his bank card was far from enough.

  Cao Yao Shi's warm smile froze for a moment, thinking to himself, "This kid probably can't afford it, right?" He then probed, "Young brother, our Rich and Noble Pharmacy does business with integrity, emphasizing fair prices. You can go ask around at other pharmacies whether the market price of these two medicinal materials is this high or not. Thirty million isn't expensive at all; besides, for a wealthy and handsome guy like you, thirty million might not even be enough to cover the cost of one meal."

  Qin Lang was in a difficult situation, the money he had on hand wasn't even enough for one-third of it, and even if he bought just a part of it first, it would be of no use. Even with three catties, it could only barely make fourteen servings of Yu Jin Rou Gui Tang. So either he wouldn't take any or he would take all of it.

  He must get them! Qin Lang was secretly calculating in his heart, he knew that this orphan medicine wanted to find again, didn't know how much energy and time would be spent, so for now he simply had no other choice, he must take away the two medicinal materials from the Fu Gui Da Yao Fang.

  "You... you didn't bring enough money, did you?" Cao Yao's expression began to turn sour, and he even changed the way he addressed Qin Lang from "you" to a more informal "you", clearly seeing that Qin Lang was embarrassed.

  Qin Lang nodded, "I didn't think it would be so expensive, so I didn't bring enough money. I don't know if it's possible to pay in installments. I'll try to gather the money as soon as possible."

  Cao Yao's face suddenly turned black, and he snatched the two sealed bags containing medicinal materials from Qin Lang's hand. He sneered: "Installment payment? Do you think this is buying a house? Go ask around and see if there has ever been such a thing as installment payment in our traditional Chinese medicine industry since ancient times. You're just a country bumpkin, no money, what are you pretending to be a big shot for? It's really wasting my time, get out, get out, hurry up and leave."

  Qin Lang's face changed, previously it was others who came to him begging for materials, now he himself came to buy materials but received such treatment, this made his heart temporarily unable to accept such a drop in status, and he wanted to explode.

  Just then, a figure rushed up from the side and pointed at Cao Yao Shi, shouting: "What's your attitude? What's wrong with installment payments? Can't you even ask about it? Is this how the wealthy and powerful pharmacy treats its customers, not even allowing them to ask a question?"

  Qin Lang was taken aback for a moment before turning his head to see that the person who had rushed up to help him was none other than the young man who had been lurking around the area.

  It seems that this guy has been staring at me all the time? What's his intention anyway? Qin Lang was lost in thought, and for a moment, he suppressed the idea of making a move.

  Cao the pharmacist didn't expect this country bumpkin youth to have an accomplice, and suddenly flew into a rage, glaring at the young man who had rushed up and cursing: "I'm just like that, what's wrong with it? This is a pharmacy, not a bank. If you want to pay in installments, go out and turn left, there's a bank over there, go make trouble over there, don't affect my business here. What bad luck, running into two country bumpkins."

  "Who are you calling a bumpkin?" The young man was furious, rolling up his sleeves in a threatening manner. However, his eyes kept darting towards Qin Lang, and seeing Qin Lang's calm and composed demeanor, he felt more confident and bolder, slapping the counter with a loud bang.

  "What's wrong with scolding you, country bumpkin? Don't look at your appearance, carrying a street stall goods bag, and pretending to be a big shot? Can you even get one cent out of that bag of yours? It's really ridiculous." Cao Yao Shi retorted without hesitation, shifting the spearhead to this young man.

  The young man thought to himself, "My dad's package is worthless, but the equipment inside it is worth a lot of money." He quietly adjusted the direction of the package in his hand, intentionally or unintentionally aiming it at Cao Yao Shi. With a loud shout, he said, "Where is your leader? Let your leader come out! I want to ask, does this wealthy and prestigious pharmacy still want to do business?"

  The quarrel soon attracted the attention of some people nearby.

  Several pharmacists next to him, seeing that things had gotten out of hand and were bad for business, hastily pulled Cao pharmacist aside, "Forget it, forget it, Old Cao. What we do isn't this kind of poor and shabby business. Why bother with them? You'll just end up getting angry and making things hard on yourself."

  Cao Yao Shi suppressed his anger and pointed at Qin Lang and the young man, saying: "You still want to see our leader? Don't you know your place? Even if I underestimate you, with just these two medicinal materials, can you take out 2 million? If you can, I'll make an exception and sell it to you. The remaining money, I'll cover for you. Can you do that?"

  "These words were spoken by you." The young man said with wide eyes.

  "What's wrong with what I said? Once my words are out, even a team of horses can't catch up. I've been here all day, as long as you guys take out 200,000, come anytime, and I'll sell it to you anytime. And you still dare to come and show off in front of me? You're just a country bumpkin, I've seen many of your kind before, can't even afford to take out 100 yuan from your pocket, and yet you come here pretending to be a rich guy? Spit!" Cao Yaoshi spat on the ground with contempt.

  "It's just 200,000 yuan, I'll make a phone call and someone will bring the money over." The young man boasted, nodding at Qin Lang: "You said so, right?"

  Qin Lang ignored the young man, put away the bank card on the counter, gave Cao Yaoshi a cold glance, and turned around without saying a word.

  The young man was stunned, he thought this little master could hold the governor's pen, how could their relationship not be close? With such a close relationship, it would be easy to get 200,000 yuan. As long as they put out one word, many people would send money over.

  Now, Qin Lang turned around and left, which made him confused. He thought to himself in confusion, could it be that I was wrong? Could it be that what he held in his hand wasn't the provincial governor's pen at all, and had nothing to do with the provincial governor? Otherwise, how could he still endure it after things had reached this point? This is being slapped in the face, how can you not slap him back in the face?

  Young people don't know that Qin Lang actually has nothing directly to do with the provincial governor.

  In fact, Qin Lang turned around and left not because he could swallow his pride or didn't want to save face. It was because he knew very well that without real power, recklessly trying to regain face would only lead to more humiliation for himself.

  There's a saying that goes, "Those who know the times are heroes." If Qin Lang had sufficient funds at his disposal now, he would unhesitatingly slap 200,000 yuan in Cao Yao Shi's face, leaving him speechless. But the problem is, he doesn't have it. He lacks the power and confidence to slap Cao Yao Shi in the face.

  Even with violence, Qin Lang's current body can't do it anyway.

  Cao Yao Shi burst out laughing and jeered at Qin Lang's back, saying: "Hurry up and leave, the faster the better. It's best to retreat into your shell and not come out again to lose face."

  Qin Lang's footsteps paused, and he suddenly turned his head. In an instant, he was like a sharp sword that had been unsheathed, his eyes coldly staring at Cao Yao Shi: "Shut up."

  Cao Yao Shi was about to continue teasing, but suddenly met Qin Lang's gaze, and instantly felt a chill all over his body. A kind of fear seemed to emerge from every corner of his body, making him afraid to speak again.

  "Remember your words, 200,000. I will bring it to you." Qin Lang coldly threw down a sentence and only then turned his head back, quickly walking away.

  It took Cao Yaoshi a while to come back to his senses, as if he had just woken up from a dream. He couldn't help but feel a little scared: this kid's eyes are really creepy, damn it, I almost got frightened to death.

  He immediately saw the young man still standing there, Cao Yao Shi shook off his spirits and drove away the fear in his heart, shouting: "What are you still standing for? Hurry up and leave, go further away, don't block our business here."

  The young man hummed, but his eyes were fixed on Qin Lang's already disappeared figure, hesitating whether to chase after him. Just now, he had spoken up for Qin Lang solely because of the provincial governor's pen, wanting to get in touch with Qin Lang. But now, he was a bit unsure if he had made a mistake.

  He thought for a moment, then walked towards an empty corner on the side, while walking, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

  The phone connected, and the young man laughed: "Hey, Old Li. Yeah, haha, I'm doing an undercover investigation right now. Yeah, yeah, uh, don't mention it, this undercover job is really tough. Oh, right, I wanted to ask you something, didn't you tell me last time that the Provincial Governor likes to use his special pen to write calligraphy? Me, I've also been wanting to practice calligraphy lately, so I want to buy a good pen like the Governor's. You have relatives working in the provincial government, don't you know what brand of pen the Governor uses? Ah? What? The Governor gave that pen away as a gift? It's customized, can't be bought? Oh, okay, never mind, I'll just find some random pen to practice with, okay, see you later."

  He hung up the phone, and the young man became excited again. After a round of inquiry, he finally figured out the answer in his heart. Since the governor's pen was one-of-a-kind and had been given away, it was undoubtedly that the young master who just held it was holding the governor's pen.

  He immediately chased in the direction where Qin Lang disappeared, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find anyone. He couldn't help but secretly blame himself for missing a great opportunity.

  However, he immediately recalled Qin Lang's words when he was about to leave and thought to himself: That's right, I can wait here. Since that young master has spoken his mind, he will definitely come back to buy medicine. As long as I wait here, I'll definitely run into him again. Next time, I must seize the opportunity to make a good impression on this young master.

  As he thought about it, he couldn't help but hum excitedly: "We ordinary people are really happy today..."