The layout of Chixintang is the same as that of Cixintang. The store is filled with medicine cabinets made of black sunken wood.
This is a mom-and-pop shop. The proprietress is standing behind the counter, her abacus is clicking in her hands, and she is concentrating on checking the books.
The boss stood in front of the counter and carefully arranged a fresh ginseng that looked like it had just been unearthed.
Seeing customers coming in late at night, the landlady continued to check the books without raising her head. The boss hurriedly closed the ginseng box and came over to greet the four of them warmly.
"It's a bit unfamiliar to these distinguished guests, but it's their first time coming to Cixintang. I wonder if these distinguished guests want to take medicine according to the prescription? Or do they want to inquire about the number?"
"We want to buy ginseng."
Upon hearing that the four people from Jin'an were here to buy wild ginseng, the boss quickly led the four people to sit down at the tea table and personally handed them herbal tea. He said that in terms of ginseng quality, there was no other store that could compare with Ci Xin Tang.
They got better, and then asked expectantly what kind of ginseng they wanted to buy?
Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao, who entered the ghost shop for the first time, were still a little dizzy. They took the herbal tea and subconsciously wanted to drink it. They were secretly kicked by the old Taoist priest. The two brothers woke up as if from a dream and quickly put down the herbal tea in their hands.
Jin An: "Oh?"
"This is my first time buying wild ginseng. I didn't know there are so many tricks in it. Can the boss introduce it?"
The shopkeeper of "Cixin Tang" smiled and said: "There are three types of wild ginseng. One is the most precious wild ginseng, the second is the removed ginseng, and the third is the cultivated ginseng."
"As the name suggests, this wild ginseng is born from the earth and nourished by nature. It gathers the essence of heaven and earth and has the best medicinal properties. Yishan ginseng refers to those wild ginsengs that are of high quality but have not yet been heated, so they are transplanted to specially designated medicinal gardens.
Let it grow naturally, wait for more than ten years, and then dig it out after more than twenty years. To cultivate wild ginseng, you need to sow the seeds artificially and let it grow naturally."
"Below wild ginseng, transplanted ginseng and cultivated ginseng, there is also the most common ginseng, called garden ginseng. It is the most common ginseng that is planted intensively by pharmacists in medicinal gardens."
"If it is just for ordinary soups and chickens, the customer can just buy the most common garden ginseng. If there are other special needs, it will involve a lot of tricks. The specific needs of the customer will make a recommendation."
Jin An held the tea cup in his hand but never drank: "I wonder what kind of wild ginseng I buy the most when I come to Cixintang?"
The boss said without thinking: "Of course it's wild ginseng or mountain ginseng. Most of the people who come to our Cixin Hall to buy ginseng are middle-aged people with weak Qi and blood. Ginseng can greatly replenish vitality, strengthen the body, and nourish yang."
It is effective. And the longer the heat is, the more vitality it will replenish. The ginseng will not grow old and is worthless."
Jin An raised his eyes and glanced at the proprietress who was standing behind the counter, concentrating on checking the abacus and checking the books: "Mom-and-pop shop? Is that the boss's wife?"
The boss was stunned for a moment, then showed a happy smile: "It's the wife who is in charge of the inside and is responsible for careful planning. I'm the boss of the outside, doing business to support the family."
"The proprietress is very beautiful, with fair skin and smooth skin, and her charm is still there. It seems that she eats ginseng in the shop to nourish her grievances." Yuanqi and grievances have similar pronunciations but very different meanings. Jin An was vague about it.
The boss didn't hear the meaning in Jin An's words, and still said with a happy smile: "Yes, I didn't eat less, but it was all worth it."
"I know some fortune-telling skills, why don't you let me show the landlady's face?"
Regardless of whether the boss agreed or not, Jin An started to comment on the boss's wife on the spot in front of the boss: "The boss's wife's adultery has turned red. This is a sign of dissatisfaction and anxiety. It is also called 'peach blossom eyes' among the people."
If you have peach blossom eyes and spring water, boss, you look skinny, can you satisfy the boss lady?"
The boss frowned. Jin An's words were already too much for a man. However, in order to make money with kindness, the boss finally relaxed his brows and said, "I don't have to worry about the guests anymore. Only my family knows about my own affairs."
Jin An nodded, then looked at the boss with a smile: "Boss, why don't you ask the landlady, if she is dissatisfied with her desires every day, why not change it to me?"
"?"
"?"
"?"
The old Taoist priest, brothers Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao all turned to look at Jin An.
The boss' face darkened: "Guest, please respect yourself, your joke is too big."
Unexpectedly, Jin An chuckled: "Boss, do you think I'm joking?"
"Boss, you can go and ask the lady boss right now. If you feel uncomfortable with bloated chest after eating so much ginseng every day to replenish your grievances but not getting enough satisfaction."
The boss clenched his fists and looked unhappy: "It's the same if I suck it with my mouth."
Old Taoist priest, brothers Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao: "!"
Jin An put down the tea cup in his hand and said with a half-smile: "Boss, didn't you say that the quality of your ginseng is the best in Jiangzhou Prefecture, and that eating your ginseng can strengthen the body, nourish and strengthen yang? Why did it happen to you?
It’s useless, your family is running a black shop, deliberately trying to trick us into not understanding it, right?”
"When did I say that I was useless? Customer, you came to smash our shop sign on purpose, right?" The boss's eyes contained anger. No man would allow anyone to make fun of his wife, let alone being told that he was not good enough.
Jin An had pinpointed the man's two biggest weaknesses. The boss only got angry and didn't hit anyone on the spot. He was already very tolerant. He opened his business to be friendly and make money, so he tolerated it as long as he had to.
Jin An still said the same thing: "Boss, ask the boss lady to come over and check with me."
The boss was extremely angry but calm, and his expression turned calm: "The customer has not seen our ginseng, how do you know that our ginseng is not good? It just so happens that our store has just received a fresh ginseng. The customer will make a decision for our store after seeing it."
The boss got up and walked to the counter and brought the ginseng box that he had put away before.
During this period, Fengyun's wife was still busy making calculations and checking the accounts. The two of them didn't exchange a word. The boss took the ginseng box and sat back down.
"Guest, please take a look." The boss pushed the ginseng box in front of Jin An.
Jin An picked up the ginseng box from the tea table and opened it. The ginseng box was tightly wrapped in gold, silk and red cloth. Folk legend has always said that Laoshan ginseng can turn into essence, so when grabbing Laoshan ginseng, red silk rope or red cloth must be used.
covered.
As the red cloth was peeled off layer by layer, a blood ginseng inside was finally revealed. The roots of the blood ginseng were well developed and complete. This is a ginseng with completely preserved roots.
But in the eyes of brothers Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao, who had opened their heavenly eyes with cow tears, the ginseng box was clearly a mass of flesh and blood, with blood vessels pulsing, and an illusory human face struggling in pain on the flesh and blood.
, but the face was not that of Mr. Yu who had disappeared, but that of a middle-aged man about thirty years old.
Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao were just ordinary government officials. The most brutal murder scene they had ever seen in their lives was just a case of dismemberment. Never had they seen anything so absurd and weird. The two brothers were so frightened that they stood up from their seats.
"Isn't it just a blood ginseng? Don't just stand there like a stupid young man who has never seen the market before. There will be a lot of eye-opening things in the future." The old Taoist priest came out to smooth things over, and pulled Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao to sit back down.
seat.
Jin An pretended to be nonchalant and wanted to reach out and pick up the blood ginseng, but the boss stopped him and told him that the valuables could only be seen but not touched, lest the sweat on his palms affect the appearance.
"The heat for this blood ginseng is too low." Jin An pushed back the ginseng box and pretended to be dissatisfied.
"This is a blood ginseng, which is more precious than ordinary mountain ginseng. It is rare to find, and it is a top-quality blood ginseng that cannot be exchanged for a hundred dollars." The boss was angered by Jin An's words and thought that Jin An was ignorant of the goods, so he explained.
Jin An sneered: "Ginseng is not old and worthless. You, the boss, said this yourself just now."
The boss put away the blood ginseng with gloomy eyes, turned around and brought out another ginseng box.
When Jin An opened the ginseng box, he showed a surprised expression: "Is this husband and wife ginseng?"
Seemingly satisfied with Jin An's surprised expression, the boss said proudly: "This time, the customer knows what he is buying. This is indeed husband and wife ginseng."
Jin An looked at it for a while and sneered: "Boss, don't you have good ginseng in your store? Why do you take out defective ginseng every time? The blood ginseng just was not cooked enough, and the husband and wife ginseng this time is one big and one big."
Small, one fat and one thin, they look like a fake couple, artificially glued together."
Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao's eyes widened. They finally found the whereabouts of the missing Master Yu!
The ginseng in the ginseng box suddenly showed the illusory face of Master Yu! I also saw the illusory face of the concubine who was eaten by Master Yu!
The two of them were frightened at this moment, and there was a chill in their hearts.
Not long ago, two big living people were turned into ginseng by a ghost shop in less than one night. The ginseng here is not the name of a medicinal material, but real ginseng.
Zhang Hu was more alert than Zhang Bao. After being reminded by the old Taoist priest just now, Zhang Hu pretended to be calm and sat back in his seat, and used a look to signal his brother to sit still and not to cause trouble to Jin An.
But no normal person could sit still in the scene in front of him. Even the vigorous Zhang Bao was on pins and needles. He only dared to rest his butt half on the chair. If the situation was even slightly wrong, he would immediately draw his sword to resist.
The owner of "Cixin Tang" was angered by Jin An's words: "Guest, what you said is too much. You are already pointing your finger at me and scolding our store as a black shop selling fake medicine. I thought the ginseng the customer bought was fake, so I deliberately came to damage our store."
The signboard is real, right? You’ve been picking on me since you entered the store."
Jin An didn't say any unnecessary nonsense, but sarcastically said: "Isn't there a saying, 'A hundred years of cultivation can make you cross the same boat, and a thousand years of cultivation can make you sleep on the same pillow.' Do you think this couple is of the same mind and has their own thoughts? It's true love."
You are still being hypocritical, boss, your eyesight as a ginseng seller is probably not as good as mine, a layman."
The boss put away the couple's ginseng and walked back to the rows of medicine cabinets. This time he took out three ginseng boxes at once.
Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao's expressions darkened. How many lives had this ghost couple killed during this period? Why didn't the local government report it?
"This is Codonopsis Codonopsis and Codonopsis ginseng, taken from the far north."
"This is white ginseng and husband's ginseng. It tastes as sweet as sucrose."
"This is blood ginseng and husband's ginseng, the best of the best. It is priceless in the market. It is the treasure of our store. Customers will not sell it no matter how much they pay."
Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao saw the faces of dead souls on the three Codonopsis ginseng and Codonopsis ginseng, a middle-aged couple who fell into the water and drowned.
White Ginseng and Husband and wife Ginseng are an old couple with gray hair who have grown old together. They have frightened expressions on their faces, as if they were frightened to death after seeing some terrible scene.
As for the blood ginseng and the couple's ginseng, you can't see the soul of the dead. Just looking at it will make you feel that your eyes are covered with blood, your chest will be tight and short of breath, your head will be dizzy, and you will have many hallucinations.
In the end, the old Taoist priest pinched the thighs of the two of them with his nails and twisted them violently. The pain made the two of them feel cold in their hearts, and they immediately regained their clarity from the influence of the bloody red light.
Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao rubbed their thighs violently in pain, and kept sucking cold air from their mouths.
The old Taoist priest continued to sit as if nothing had happened.
Jin An's eyes swept over several ginseng roots one by one, his eyes were calm, and no one could tell what was going on in his heart at this time. Only the old Taoist priest who accompanied Jin An day and night could vaguely guess some of Jin An's inner changes.
, Alas, the old Taoist priest sighed in his heart and silently recited Supreme Taiyi to save Kutianzun, "Supremety Taiyi saved Kutianzun"...
"How come they are all husband and wife ginseng?" Jin An's eyes finally stopped at the blood ginseng and husband and wife ginseng.
The boss smiled proudly and said: "Husband and wife ginseng is a great tonic. Eating one ginseng is equivalent to replenishing two ginseng. For some people, it is a great tonic. Moreover, our store is a mom-and-pop shop, so we prefer to buy ginseng."
Jin An: "Then do you have Husband and Wife Fei Tablets?"
boss:"?"
Jin'an: "Pig lung is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. It is a traditional Chinese medicinal material and is often used for coughs due to lung deficiency, hemoptysis and hoarseness. Slice pig lungs, fry them with sesame oil and eat them with porridge, which can cure lung deficiency coughs. Boiled pig lungs
Slice it into pieces, boil it for twenty cents, grind it into powder, and eat it with sliced pig lungs to cure hoarseness. Boss, don’t you open a pharmacy? How come you don’t even know this little common sense in life?”
Zhang Hu and Zhang Bao looked at Jin An in shock. This was the first time they had heard this common sense in life.
Only the old Taoist priest muttered something, and the little brother started fooling the ghost again.
The boss was surprised: "It turns out that the customer was referring to the couple's pork lung slices. I thought..."
Jin An: "What did the boss think? Did you think I was referring to the couple's lung slices cut from people?"
The boss laughed, neither admitting nor denying it, and then asked Jin An which box of ginseng he was interested in.
When Jin An selected the box of blood ginseng and husband's ginseng, the boss replied: "As I said just now, this blood ginseng and husband's ginseng is priceless in the market. It is the treasure of our store. No matter how much the customer pays, he will not sell it."
.”
"Guests may wish to choose from among blood ginseng, couple's ginseng, Codonopsis ginseng and couple's ginseng, and white ginseng and couple's ginseng."
Jin An: "I want this blood ginseng and husband's ginseng."
The boss shook his head resolutely: "This is the treasure of our store, and it really cannot be sold."
Jin An's tone was calm: "What if I must buy blood ginseng and husband's ginseng?"
The boss's eyes darkened and he wanted to put away the ginseng box containing the blood ginseng and husband's ginseng, but was suppressed by Jin An's palm.
"Does the customer want to buy or sell by force today?" The boss' eyes gradually became gloomy and cold.
"The boss is so concerned about the blood ginseng and husband's ginseng in the ginseng box. It seems that I have a good taste. The boss is destined to bear the pain and give up today."
Jin An turned to the old Taoist priest and said, "Old Taoist, you pay."
"Huh?" The old Taoist priest looked stunned. When had the Five Zang Taoist Temple ever asked him to manage money?
The old Taoist priest thought for a while, and finally took out a thick stack of evil-proofing charms from his Tai Chi Bagua bag and slapped it on the table.