Xu Zifan offered a very straightforward price: "If you want the whole ginseng, it'll be five thousand yuan in cash, plus various coupons. Grain coupons, oil coupons, cloth coupons, and the like are the more commonly used ones, half of which must be nationally valid coupons, while the rest, such as bicycle coupons, watch coupons, and industrial coupons, will be less common."
"You can pay any price you like. This price is higher than others, but it's good stuff. You can buy ginseng slices, not the whole ginseng."
Before the middle-aged man could speak, the vice president advised, "Brother Li, this ginseng is no ordinary ginseng. I have never seen such a good quality ginseng before. Moreover, it is complete with all the roots and tail. It can be called the best in the world. Although it is only a few decades old, it is really a good thing. I think it is worth it."
The middle-aged man immediately said, "Sir, I'll take all of this ginseng. But I'm in a hurry to save someone. How about this, I'll make a call and have my family prepare it and send it over. Can you let me take the ginseng slices to save the person first? You can have some tea here with the vice president while we wait. He guarantees that everything will be fine."
Xu Zifan nodded and sat down on a chair. "Helping others is helping yourself. I trust you. Go ahead."
"Thank you so much, sir! Thank you so much! My name is Li Zhenhong, and I'm the director of the Grain Bureau. You can rest assured, I definitely won't cheat you. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back!" Li Zhenhong took the ginseng slices that the vice president had personally accepted, and then hurriedly ran out.
Xu Zifan hadn't expected the other party to be the bureau chief. He looked at the vice president and asked, "Is Director Li's wife's condition very serious? I saw him rushing around; did his family come to help?"
The vice president sighed, "Director Li was on vacation today and went shopping with his wife. Who knew that when they came out of the mall, they bumped into someone. That person was running too fast and knocked Director Li's wife down. The child is quite big, and she is only eight months pregnant. She has already been in labor for three hours."
His family did come to help, but they all went out to find ginseng slices. Director Li just rushed back after finally finding them. If his mother and child are safe, you've really helped a lot, sir. This is a child he went through so much trouble to have; he only has one.
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "It's all fate. I dug up some wild ginseng today and came to the county to see if I could trade it for something. Who knew I would run into Director Li like this? I hope his wife and children are safe and sound."
She was hit so hard that she went into premature labor and then gave birth for three hours. She must have been exhausted. No wonder she needed ginseng slices.
It was quite a coincidence that his wild ginseng was grown using a large amount of spiritual spring water. Other ginseng would not have been able to save Li Zhenhong's wife and children, but as long as he gave her a piece, the woman in labor would definitely be able to get through this ordeal.
Another half hour passed, and the office door was suddenly pushed open. Li Zhenhong strode forward excitedly and grabbed Xu Zifan's hand. "Uncle! My wife gave birth! She gave birth to a son weighing six and a half pounds. The doctor said they are both fine, it's all thanks to the ginseng slices. Uncle, I really don't know how to thank you enough, thank you so much!"
Xu Zifan patted his hand and laughed, "It's good that you're safe. You're lucky. I just happened to sell you a ginseng."
Li Zhenhong said with emotion, "I really met a benefactor. If you hadn't reminded me that there was a problem with the ginseng, I might have rushed to give it to my wife. Who would have thought that what looked so good and smelled so nice was fake ginseng?"
"Oh, sir, I haven't asked your name yet? Where do you live? Are you visiting someone in the hospital today?"
"My surname is Xu, and my name is Xu Zifan. I'm an old farmer from the fourth production team. I've been going into the mountains a lot, which is why I know ginseng so well. I'm here to visit a relative today, but I don't have much to do. I was just about to go to town to see where I can exchange some things."
Xu Zifan claimed to be an old farmer, but his calm demeanor lacked the awe villagers often showed towards officials. Instead, he exuded an air of equality, which pleased Li Zhenhong. He had seen too many people who knew his status and fawned over him. Xu Zifan's consistent behavior was even more appealing to him.
After the two talked for a while, Li Zhenhong's younger brother arrived with a cloth bag containing 10,000 yuan in cash and various kinds of tickets, all neatly categorized and clipped together. There were quite a few tickets.
Xu Zifan was taken aback. "What's this?"
Li Zhenhong said solemnly, "Uncle Xu, you saved my wife and child's lives, you are my great benefactor. Even if we just happened to meet, I still appreciate your kindness. Here is a small token of my appreciation besides the money for the ginseng, please accept it!"
Seeing this, Xu Zifan didn't refuse and readily accepted it. The ginseng he nurtured with spiritual spring water had even saved two lives. To be honest, Li Zhenhong got a great deal at this price, and he accepted it with a clear conscience.
Afterwards, the Li brothers invited Xu Zifan and the vice president to a state-run restaurant for dinner. The four of them ordered six dishes and a soup, and also drank some wine. They chatted happily during the meal. After drinking some wine, Li Zhenhong held Xu Zifan's hand and told him several times to come to him if he needed anything, as if he couldn't feel at ease if he didn't do something for Xu Zifan.
Xu Zifan looked up at his face and realized that he had difficulty having children and might have no children or only one son in his life. It was clear that this child was indeed hard-won, and he understood why the dignified bureau chief was so excited and grateful.
For someone of Li Zhenhong's wealth and status, if he isn't made to repay this favor, he'll probably hold onto it for a long time.
Xu Zifan thought for a moment and then said, "I do have something I'd like to ask Director Li for help with. I just separated from my children and now live alone. Everything else is fine; I'm doing quite well. The only thing I'm really looking for help with is that I want to buy a small house in the county to settle down and live far away from them, so I won't have to see them or worry about them."
Today I was hoping to find someone willing to transfer their house. I know it's difficult, I can only wait and try my luck. I didn't expect to run into Director Li. If it's convenient for you, Director Li, could you please help me out and see if anyone has a house they don't live in and could transfer it to me?
Upon hearing this, Li Zhenhong immediately made a guarantee, "What's inconvenient about that? Uncle Xu, leave this to me. I guarantee I'll find you a suitable and comfortable courtyard. Once I've found one, I'll have my brother come to the fourth production team to pick you up and take a look. Just wait for my good news."
Xu Zifan raised his glass and clinked it with his, "Then thank you in advance, Director Li."
"Don't mention it, don't mention it, Uncle Xu. From now on, you're family to me. If you need anything in the county, just let me know, and I'll definitely help you."
None of the three people at the table asked Xu Zifan about his family. They assumed that the old man's separation from his family meant he didn't get along well with his children and grandchildren. They had all thought the old man had an excellent character and personality, so it must be his children who were disappointing.
Li Zhenhong had originally intended to ask the vice president to look after Xu Zifan's relatives at the hospital, but he abandoned the idea after learning about this matter. If Xu Zifan needed anything, he would definitely ask; since he hadn't, he shouldn't interfere and might do more harm than good.
After dinner, Li Zhenhong wanted his younger brother to take Xu Zifan home. After all, there was so much money and tickets involved. In those days, being a "ten-thousand-yuan household" was a big deal, and so were the tickets. Sometimes, a family would fight over a bicycle ticket. They were all precious things. He was afraid that something might happen to the old man on the road. It would be one thing if the things were lost, but if something happened to him because of these things, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
However, Xu Zifan refused. To prove that he was alright, he told Li Zhenhong about how he killed a wild boar by himself, which surprised Li Zhenhong and made him think more highly of him. He felt that the old man had quite a legendary story.
After parting ways with them, Xu Zifan wandered around alone. When he reached a secluded spot, he put his belongings into his spatial storage and then leisurely strolled through the streets.
Now that he had money in his hands and someone was helping him look after houses, he wasn't in a hurry at all and just wandered around aimlessly.
He had lived in this era once before, but that was a long time ago, so everything in front of him felt both familiar and strange.
He saw a few nice houses and asked about them, but when he said he wanted to buy one, the people looked at him strangely and refused to sell to him.
These days, houses are scarce, and many families are crammed into one house. If they sell it, where will they live? Unless it's a house that's about to be moved out of the county or there are no children to inherit it, then you can only try your luck and see if you can find one. Ordinary people might not even be able to get one.
Xu Zifan couldn't help but sigh to Shaohua, "[I'm really lucky in this life. With Director Li's help, the house issue is definitely not a problem. Once things improve in a few years, we'll go somewhere with a nice climate to retire comfortably.]"
[Shaohua: Congratulations, host! [Fireworks]]
Xu Zifan smiled, then went to the supply and marketing cooperative and the department store before heading back. This trip had given him a pretty good understanding of the county town, and he'd even made the acquaintance of an official—fantastic! This could be considered an added bonus for releasing the snake!
Wang Baoguo had been waiting for news. When Xu Zifan told him that Xu Shengnan was alright, he felt relieved, and the tense atmosphere in the village eased considerably. However, many people were still discussing the incident when they got home, repeatedly warning their children not to go into the mountains, lest they be bitten by poisonous snakes like Xu Shengnan, who had almost harmed the villagers.
Xu Shengnan is famous now!
It wasn't just her unreliable behavior; her past incidents—causing her grandfather to faint, her poor academic performance, and her reluctance to do chores—were also brought up again, making everyone's impression of her worse and worse. What good qualities did this girl have besides her pretty face?
As for her face, I don't know how she's taken care of herself these days. Her skin is fair and tender, her eyes are watery, and she's unbelievably beautiful. But she also tucked in her clothes to show off her figure. She doesn't look like a decent person at all. Even this can't be considered a good point!
The villagers go to work and come home every day, and besides working, they have nothing else to do. They can spread gossip very quickly, and by the same day, someone in the next village already knows about it. The Song couple were recently looking for a partner for their son and asked several people to inquire about good girls. As soon as they heard about Xu Shengnan, they started talking about it at home.
Song Xinzhuang, a strong young man from the Song family, is tall and handsome. After finishing his work, he would take off his clothes and reveal his muscular physique. He would take a shower and then pick up a bowl and eat heartily.
Song's mother picked up a piece of food for him and said, "I heard people say that the Xu family's eldest granddaughter is beautiful and her parents are hardworking and honest. I thought she was a good person and even wanted you two to meet. Who knew this would happen today?"
This kind of restless, disobedient, and lazy girl is not suitable for our family. Even if she were an angel, she would be a troublemaker. We need a virtuous wife; Mom will find you another good girl from another family."
Song Xin nodded to indicate that he had no objection. He had never met Xu Shengnan before, so he had nothing to be reluctant about. If his parents wanted to change the person, then they would change the person. He would just wait for the appointed time to meet her.
Song's mother and sister-in-law talked about Xu Shengnan's bad behavior again, and the more they talked, the more disgusted they felt. They were both glad that they had learned about Xu Shengnan's character in time, and decided that in the future, they would have to find out more about who Xu Shengnan was going to marry.
After listening to the conversation over the course of a meal, Song Xin's impression of Xu Shengnan had become extremely negative. However, since it was none of his business, he put her out of his mind after finishing his meal.
Xu Shengnan, who was still having nightmares in the hospital, returned to her past life in her dream and experienced those things again.
She saw that she and Song Xin were getting along well and went home full of joy to wait for good news. However, a few days later, the old man arranged for Song Xin to marry Xu Jingwei, the second wife.
She saw herself marry Wenhui, a sent-down youth, out of spite. Wenhui was a gentleman, cultured and well-mannered, and worked as a scorekeeper in the production brigade.
She was a member of the Communist Party, much more respectable than Song Xin, who toiled in the fields, which made her very proud. She felt superior to Xu Jingwei and seemed extremely happy.
But she knew it was all an illusion, and that she would soon begin a life of torment.