Chapter 47: The Hundred-Year-Old Mountain Ginseng

  "Not bad, this character was written by Mayor Luo's father, Old Master Luo." Seeing the surprised expressions of these people, Jiang Tao said with a smile: "Doctor Wang plans to open a clinic in Zhongjiang, and Old Master Luo learned about it and specially wrote the door plaque and couplets for both sides."

  When he said this, Jiang Tao was very happy. After all, Wang Xu was the person he had brought in. At first, these people were not enthusiastic about Wang Xu, and although he didn't say anything, he naturally felt a bit unhappy in his heart. Now that Wang Xu took out Luo Hansheng's letter, it shocked everyone, and undoubtedly made his face swell with pride.

  "It turns out to be Old Luo's handwriting, no wonder it has such momentum." Upon hearing that the character was indeed written by Luo Tongquan's father, Zhang Tianyou's tone changed instantly. He still had a meticulous and critical expression, but his tone was vastly different from before: "Although this character doesn't have the style of a famous family, it is extremely elegant and refined. What a great character! The momentum alone is something that ordinary people can't imitate."

  "Not bad." Xufenghua also nodded in evaluation: "The writing style is steady and healthy, already has its own style, and with this momentum, it's not inferior to some famous families, and even surpasses them."

  "Hmm, this character not only has momentum, but also a kind of enlightenment, profound realm." Feng Shao said with his eyes narrowed.

  Listening to these people's sudden change in tone and their pretentious comments, Wang Xu couldn't help but feel amused. To be honest, Luo Hansheng's calligraphy wasn't bad, but it was far from being good. He had been studying under Wang Heyan since he was young, and his brushwork was definitely better than Luo Hansheng's. Although Luo Hansheng's calligraphy was strong and powerful, with a unique charm, this charm varied from person to person and wasn't exclusive to Luo Hansheng.

  From a person's words, one can see the nature of this person. This statement is absolutely not boasting. His grandfather Wang Heye could even tell a person's health condition from their handwriting. Luohan Xiang's handwriting was strong and powerful, but it was because he had a robust body, abundant energy, and an air of superiority. If judging the quality of handwriting solely on this point, it would be completely unfounded.

  The words are good words, that's true, but they're absolutely not as amazing as those people boasted, what can be compared to the real masters, and even surpass them.

  Of course, Wang Xu also knew that although these people were worth something in Zhongjiang, they absolutely couldn't afford to offend the Luo family. Even if Luo Hansheng's words were unpleasant, they didn't dare to point them out. If someone with ulterior motives were to spread it to Old Man Luo's ears, no one could guarantee whether the old man would get angry or not.

  As people age, their temperament becomes harder to fathom. They may burst out laughing and let things go, or they may harbor resentment in their hearts, nursing a grudge. No one dares to gamble on the outcome.

  No matter how good Luohan Xiang's calligraphy is, it has been many years since he last wrote a character for someone. This is an absolute fact. Even in the past, Luohan Xiang rarely wrote characters for people, and these were all influential figures who knew the situation. The fact that Luohan Xiang specially wrote a character for Wang Xu's small clinic proves that Wang Xu is absolutely not simple. For a time, these people became much more polite to Wang Xu, and no longer treated him with indifference as before.

  "Haha, today we're lucky to see Old Luo's calligraphy, our trip is worthwhile now. With Old Luo's piece leading the way, I'm afraid nothing else we bring out will be able to compare." The group of people surrounded the piece, admiring it for over 20 minutes before reluctantly letting Zhang Tianyou put it away and return it to Wang Xu. Chen Jingsheng couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

  "Yes, today is indeed worthwhile." He Zhendao also echoed.

  Several people sat back in their seats, and after a few more flattering remarks, Zhang Tianyou said, "Since Dr. Wang has already taken out Luo Lao's calligraphy as the first piece, who will be next to let everyone open their eyes?"

  "I'll make a fool of myself, but what I bring out must be inferior to Old Luo's calligraphy." Feng Shaoyu said with a smile, while speaking, he took out his own treasure from the package he carried with him.

  Wang Xu didn't understand antiques, so he naturally wasn't interested in admiring them. He sat alone on the side drinking tea, while everyone else swarmed around to watch and appreciate. Even Zhang Tianyou specially brought a magnifying glass to carefully study them.

  It's true that the things these people took out were not bad, Feng Shao Yu took out a Song Dynasty glass bottle, which is considered to be the best of Chinese jade and one of the seven treasures of Buddhism. Because ancient glass production techniques are complex, requiring multiple processes of water and fire, only a small percentage of products can be completed, so good quality Song Dynasty glass bottles on the market are not cheap.

  After Feng Shaoyu finished, He Zhengdao, Xu Fenghua and Chen Jingsheng also took out their own treasures one after another. Xu Fenghua's was a bronze wine cup, said to be an item from the Han Dynasty. The several people disputed it back and forth, but in the end they didn't discuss it to a conclusion.

  It turned out that Chen Jingsheng took out a Song Dynasty listening bottle, which was quite good in quality. Several people unanimously believed it to be genuine and Wang Lanlan bought it for 2 million.

  After a group of people had finished admiring, Feng Shaoyu smiled and looked at Zhang Tianyou: "Old Zhang, I heard that you got a wild ginseng over 100 years old, why don't you take it out to let everyone have a look?"

  This hundred-year-old wild mountain ginseng was the purpose of Wang Xu's visit, and upon hearing this, he immediately regained his energy. He had always thought that this Dongzi was someone among the few people on the right path, but unexpectedly it turned out to be Zhang Tianyou, the owner of this teahouse.

  "Your news is quite thorough." Zhang Tianyou said with a smile, turned around and took out an exquisite wooden box and gently placed it on the coffee table.

  This wooden box is obviously made of high-quality red wood, with intricate carvings that seem to come alive. It also looks like it has some age on it. Even if Wang Xu didn't know much about antiques, he could probably guess that this box was worth at least over a hundred thousand.

  It's nothing to put a hundred-year-old ginseng in a wooden box worth over a million. Now, the 50-year-old ginseng on the market is worth around three million, and it's priceless. This hundred-year-old ginseng won't be taken away for less than five or six million. Even so, others may not sell it. This thing is used to save one's life in critical moments. Wang Xu just came to open his eyes, as for buying it, he really doesn't have the capital now.

  Zhang Tianyou put the wooden box on the coffee table, then took out a towel and carefully wiped his hands before gently opening the box. Inside, a layer of yellow satin was spread out, with a dried-up white radish-like object quietly placed inside.

  "This is the hundred-year-old ginseng, it can't be fake, right?" Feng Shaoyu said with a blink of his small eyes. To be honest, the appearance of this ginseng was not very good. The few of them had only heard of the name "hundred-year-old ginseng" and had never seen one before. At first glance, they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

  Generally, ginseng that has just been unearthed is naturally plump and smooth. After being stored for a long time, the essence inside will be lost, and it will gradually start to shrink, looking not very good.

  Identifying this stuff is absolutely a test of one's eyesight. Sometimes, artificially cultivated ginseng that has been processed can be barely distinguished from authentic wild mountain ginseng. In the popular TV series "Kangxi Incognito Travels" broadcast recently, there was an episode where the eunuch in charge of the imperial pharmacy replaced ginseng with dried white radish, almost killing Kangxi. Although this sounds exaggerated, it also indirectly proves the market value of wild mountain ginseng.

  "Fake!" Zhang Tianyou snorted disdainfully: "If you're capable, bring me a fake one too."

  "Hehe, just kidding." Feng Shao Yu chuckled and patted the old ginseng. As for antiques and jade, they could still tell one or two things apart, but this kind of old ginseng, they really couldn't see what was special about it.

  "Doctor Wang, take a look." Zhang Tianyou was too lazy to bother with Feng Shaoyu, and smiled as he spoke to Wang Xu. In his opinion, Wang Xu was a doctor and should know something about medicinal herbs. This ginseng was the best of all medicines after all.

  Wang Xu was here for the wild ginseng, so he naturally didn't decline. Upon hearing this, he walked forward and carefully examined it. Then, he stretched out his hand to pick up the wooden box, brought it to his nose and sniffed it before nodding: "It's indeed over a hundred years old, and more than 150 years at that."

  Wang Xu does not have such a precious wild ginseng by his side now, but it doesn't mean he has never seen one before. Wang He Nian had also collected one in the past, which was over 200 years old and even more precious than this one.

  When Wang Xu recorded the event, only a few pieces of wild ginseng were left. Later, it was used by Wang He to treat illnesses and save people, until it was completely consumed. However, he still knew the authentic taste of wild ginseng.

  Moreover, authentic wild ginseng has many roots and is tough and resilient. Its appearance is not necessarily good-looking, as the saying goes: "You can't judge a person by their appearance." The best wild ginseng may not look particularly impressive.

  After careful observation and identification, Wang Xu can confirm that this is absolutely a hundred-year-old old ginseng, and the year should be around one hundred and sixty years.

  "This ginseng is really over a hundred years old?" He Zhengdao asked in disbelief, and the others didn't believe it either, after all, the ginseng looked pretty ordinary.

  To know, this is the authentic wild ginseng from last year, which is even rarer than antiques. Antiques will only increase in number as long as they are not damaged by humans, after all, new ones are unearthed every year across the country. However, this wild ginseng is different, it's a consumable item, no matter how precious it is, it's meant to be used for medicinal purposes, and once used, it's gone.

  "I have nine cities to grasp, and I'm sure this is true." Wang Xu nodded and said, with a hint of regret in his heart that he didn't have enough funds at the moment, or else he would definitely buy this wild mountain ginseng.

  "Ninety percent sure." Feng Shaoyu and several others exclaimed, if it were the beginning, Wang Xu would be so sure, these people would not mind, even Zhang Tianyou would not let Wang Xu identify.

  But with Luo Hansheng's words earlier, these people couldn't figure out Wang Xu. No one thought that Wang Xu was just a simple doctor, so they had to treat his words with caution.

  "Dr. Wang has a good eye." Zhang Tianyou ignored the surprise of several others, and smiled in praise of Wang Xu, only then did he cover the box with satisfaction.

  "Boss Qian, I'll buy this ginseng for 8 million. How about it?" Just then, Jiang Tao suddenly spoke up. Others may not be aware of Wang Xu's skills, but Jiang Tao was crystal clear. Last night, Lei Peng's madness was cured by Wang Xu with ease, and his medical skills were unquestionable. Therefore, as soon as he heard Wang Xu say that this ginseng was over 100 years old, he had an idea. If he bought it, using it as a birthday gift for the old master in a month would be more meaningful than anything else.

  PS: The second volume has just started, and it's really difficult to write. I hope to create the best plot possible. These past few days have been spent thinking deeply about it. Today, I wrote and deleted this chapter repeatedly, never quite satisfied, but finally managed to upload 3,000 words. Hope everyone enjoys it.

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