“Big brother, don’t laugh at me for saying this, but we’ve been guarding this treasure mountain all along and only know a few types of mushrooms and fruits. If we knew how to identify medicinal herbs, it would add a little extra at home. No need to run so far to trouble ourselves. Show us a sample at least, and if possible, teach us how to prepare it. Otherwise, even the best seedlings lose their value by the time they reach the prefecture city.”
Seeing samples was fine, but teaching preparation? Impossible.
Lu Yang pressed on, trying to talk him around: “We certainly won’t sell to anyone else, nor run this business ourselves. Any business requires know-how. We barely recognize a few herbs ourselves. As we said, these are rare herbs—only for you. Just do us this favor; we’ll earn a little money.”
The herbalist still refused to share the preparation methods without seeing their herbs first.
At that moment, Li Feng arrived, overhearing some of the conversation. He exchanged a glance with Lu Yang. Lu Yang quietly asked, “Do you have any good herbs on hand?”
Li Feng still had several ginseng roots unharvested, marked deep in the mountains. He said he had a few, but the herbalist snorted, thinking him a liar.
Li Feng described the ginseng seedlings. Ginseng leaves change shape as they grow; the ones he found all had six leaves. He had dug one root before but couldn’t identify the leaves yet. Thinking the deep forest had plenty of good plants, he hadn’t expected to unearth ginseng.
The herbalist asked about the surrounding plants and environment, and Li Feng answered in detail.
“This mountain is very remote,” the herbalist remarked.
Li Feng nodded: “Yes, it’s deep in the mountains, formerly uninhabited. That’s where we make our living.”
When asked further, he added that they had hunted deer as well. Deer antlers were rare too.
The herbalist still wouldn’t teach preparation, only asking which herbs Li Feng could identify. He selected a few and said next time he encountered ginseng or deer antlers, he would make a list.
San Miao muttered: “Why not say so earlier?”
The herbalist also learned that the deer had been hunted recently; the sinew was still fresh. He asked for it, but Li Feng refused.
That concluded their conversation. Lu Yang returned with the group to their stall, and the herbalist ran after them, chattering about mushrooms and mushroom-like rare herbs—reishi included—which he also wanted. That would be discussed next time.
After exploring, they had a clear idea of how to sell.
Dock merchants were sharp; normal calls and casual talk worked best. Faking customers wouldn’t succeed, especially with these mountain men who clearly couldn’t act.
Having grown up eating wild mushrooms, Lu Yang told them to speak freely. They described each mushroom’s texture and flavor: crisp, tender, soft, or velvety, referencing dishes from Deng Gao Lou to entice buyers.
Wild mushroom soup was fresher than chicken broth. For those at home who couldn’t eat meat often, mushroom soup offered a flavorful substitute. Whoever bought from them wouldn’t regret it—they’d savor every bite.
Lu Yang hung up a sign reading “Live off the Mountain, Eat from the Mountain.” Soon, customers began to inquire.
They didn’t have much stock, so they entertained casual buyers too. Dock visitors were generous; some bought thirty to fifty catties, and before long, their four-hundred-catties stock dwindled. Guarding a stall was lonely, but business was brief and intense.
Even after this, they didn’t rush off. Lu Yang left an assistant at the stall and continued wandering with Li Feng and Wang Meng, checking for interesting goods.
Lu Yang still hadn’t picked a birthday gift for Xie Yan. Dock stalls had varied merchandise, and traveling vendors often entrusted familiar stalls to sell their goods.
A young man was shouting, “Gambling stones! Buy now! No returns! Jade or worthless stone, test your eyes!”
Lu Yang glanced over. The man was short, blending into the crowd, and the stall was crowded.
Li Feng informed him: “That man’s stall is full of stones.”
Lu Yang went to inspect the stones. He remembered Xie Yan’s name—“Shan Zhi Shi, capable of carving jade.”
He examined the stall, noting the price ranges: faintly jade-colored stones sold for one to three taels each; half-exposed jade stones sold for ten taels each.
There was a basket of dull gray stones with no jade—thirty wen each, four for a hundred.
Lu Yang paced, selecting a slightly jade-colored stone. Xie Yan was like this stone: unremarkable at first glance, yet with hidden potential.
He picked one with a pale, angular corner, color muted but soft and pleasing. This was the base price, one tael. Its corner clearly displayed its uniqueness.
This would be Xie Yan’s birthday gift.
He asked Li Feng if he wanted to buy one for Lu Liu. Li Feng, lacking the eye for stones, declined, preferring to buy a golden wheat ear for Lu Liu instead.
Lu Yang smirked: “You’re a thoughtful man.”
He also picked two dull stones to keep as mementos. These gray stones, seemingly worthless, revealed their brilliance only after hardship and polishing—a metaphor he intended for his brother.
They were ready to face challenges head-on.
After leaving the docks, they went to Deng Gao Lou for a meal.
Lu Yang had reserved the table in advance, clarifying:
“This meal celebrates my husband’s birthday. I’m paying; it’s not a celebration of profits. Each of you, give a wen as your gift for his birthday.”
The group was amused, taken aback by this unexpected explanation. A wen was nothing; they all contributed, joking, “Lucky scholar indeed.”
The assistant joined in, offering well-wishes fluently, bringing a smile to Lu Yang’s face.
During the meal, the innkeeper told Yu Boss, who, hearing it was for Xie Yan, dropped by with a bowl of longevity noodles. Yet Xie Yan wasn’t present. Hearing Lu Yang’s explanation, Yu Boss laughed and joined in the gift.
Yu Boss didn’t hold back. They ate sparingly, drank tea, puzzled by why the men didn’t drink wine.
Lu Yang said: “Wine gives courage. If we offend some ancestor out there, it could cost us our lives.”
Yu Boss nodded in agreement, admiring how Lu Yang, as a husband, led a group of men in business—truly impressive.
Asked about their business, Lu Yang replied simply: “Everything sold out. Lots of people at the docks, mostly small sales, ten or so bought in bulk.”
Yu Boss let him hear the restaurant’s orders.
Mushroom dishes had only been on the menu a few days, yet returning customers had appeared. As one of the city’s largest restaurants, the daily turnover was high. Diners became repeat customers and brought friends. Traveling merchants and casual visitors trusted their cuisine; whenever a new dish appeared, they eagerly tried it. Except for a few who didn’t like it, feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
