The little goateed man stared directly at Henry Sullivan's face. Seeing that Henry Sullivan neither confirmed nor denied, tacitly agreeing with the statement about polygonatum, the little goateed man continued, “Young man, I’m currently preparing a prescription, and it just so happens that I need polygonatum for it. Name your price for this piece of polygonatum today, and I’ll buy it from you. How about it?”

Henry Sullivan knew that the person before him must be someone of significance. He hadn’t even taken out the polygonatum yet, and the man had already guessed it in one sentence. It was best not to quote a random price to such a capable person.

Henry Sullivan didn’t name a price, but the village boys who had come along to join the fun had already started shouting out random bids in a rush.

“Five taels…”

“How can it be just five taels? It should be at least ten!”

“Have some ambition, will you? Brother Sullivan’s good stuff is only worth ten taels? I think it should be at least fifteen!”

The boys, who didn’t even know what polygonatum was, argued until their faces were red, and the bids kept climbing, from five taels all the way up to fifty.

The two strangers exchanged a smile. The little goateed man took out five shiny silver ingots from his bundle and said, “Here is one hundred taels of silver. As long as you’re willing to sell me this piece of polygonatum, all this silver will be yours.”

The sight of one hundred taels of silver stunned the mountain boys. Though they had been bidding enthusiastically, except for Henry Sullivan, none of them had ever seen even ten taels of silver, let alone a hundred at once.

Even the most prosperous family in Datian Town, the Zhang family, whose father was the best hunter in town, only made twenty or thirty taels a year from hunting. That was already considered quite wealthy in Datian Town.

Judging by the way the boys were practically drooling, the two strangers thought the deal was as good as done.

Henry Sullivan was also shocked by the price, his heart pounding wildly. After a moment, he shook his head and said, “I really can’t sell it to you two…”

Hearing this, the little goateed man was taken aback, then said, “Polygonatum is rare, but even if you sell it to a pharmacy, it’s only worth twenty or thirty taels. I’m offering a hundred…”

The other stranger, who had been silent all along, interrupted the goateed man, saying, “If you’re not satisfied with the price, I’ll add another twenty taels. How about it?”

One hundred and twenty taels—a decade’s income for an ordinary family in Datian Town. Even for Henry Sullivan, it would take three or four years to earn that much. Some of the boys were already flushed with excitement, staring at the six silver ingots gleaming in the sunlight, feeling like they could hardly breathe.

Henry Sullivan took a deep breath, steadying his somewhat wavering spirit.

“Uncle Brooks has been talking about wanting a piece of polygonatum for years. If he finds out I got one but sold it to you, he’ll lower the price when he buys herbs from me in the future. As tempting as a hundred taels is, I can’t cut off my own future, right?”

Henry Sullivan stated his reasoning, and everyone present, including the two strangers, nodded in approval. The other adults in the shop buying medicine looked on with envy—why couldn’t they have a son like this!

“Interesting, very interesting.” The two strangers smiled slightly and left with great poise. As soon as they left, Old Brooks, having heard the news, hurried out from the inner courtyard.

“Polygonatum, you found polygonatum?” Old Brooks’s voice arrived before he did. Nearly eighty years old, he was still full of energy, his face ruddy, and he moved with a spring in his step. As soon as he saw Henry Sullivan, he called out anxiously, “I heard someone tried to outbid me for the polygonatum? Where is it? Did you sell it?”

“Here, I saved it for you.” Henry Sullivan loosened his grip on the polygonatum, revealing a yellow pebble the size of a pinky nail in his hand. A faint yet rich fragrance immediately spread, overpowering the many herbal scents in the pharmacy.

“Polygonatum, it really is polygonatum…” Old Brooks, despite his age, could no longer contain his emotions at the sight of the herb. He rushed over in a few quick steps, took the polygonatum from Henry Sullivan, and examined it closely, tears of joy streaming down his face.

“Kid Sullivan, how much do you want for this piece of polygonatum?” After a while, Old Brooks finally calmed down and asked seriously, “I heard someone just offered one hundred and twenty taels?”

Henry Sullivan nodded and said, “How much do you think you can offer?”

“Medicinal herbs don’t have a fixed price. If someone’s life depended on it, even a thousand taels wouldn’t be too much for this piece of polygonatum. But right now, I can only offer thirty taels.” Old Brooks gently rolled the polygonatum between his fingers, praising, “What a treasure, what a treasure!”

This price was far lower than the previous one hundred and twenty taels. Before Henry Sullivan could respond, the boys behind him started protesting.

“Someone else offered a high price, but you’re offering so little. And to think Brother Sullivan saved it for you!”

“Yeah, it’s outrageous, such a big difference…”

…

“I won’t force you. If you can’t sell it, just take it back!” Old Brooks rolled the polygonatum faster, looking reluctant to part with it. Although polygonatum was extremely rare and priceless, the thirty taels he offered was already quite fair.

Henry Sullivan smiled slightly, stopping Old Brooks from handing back the polygonatum, and said, “Thirty taels it is. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be where I am today! After all, I picked it myself, so it doesn’t matter if I sell it for more or less. Let’s just call it fulfilling your wish!”

Old Brooks, moved and overjoyed, clutched the polygonatum tightly in his hand, as if afraid someone would snatch it away if he let go for even a second.