It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

Song Zhi came back to her senses and smiled apologetically. She frankly told the two of them about her trip to the pharmacy to buy medicine yesterday.

"I just didn't expect the price of the medicine to be so different."

The two were not surprised by such things. "To be honest with you, common Chinese medicines like star anise are not expensive in the local area."

"It's just that the journey is long, and with the transportation, labor, and waste along the way, I have to add another 30% to 40% to the price once I get here, so that this trip can be considered profitable!"

"As for the medicine entering the clinic, it's common for the pharmacy to add 20% to 30% to the price. Your county pharmacy is still pretty good. You've never seen a county with only one pharmacy. That's called arbitrary power, setting whatever price they want!"

Song Zhi saw that the two people opposite seemed to be accustomed to such things.

She sighed and said, "I understand you. You've come a long way to transport the herbs here, living in the open air and enduring hardships. It's understandable that you're selling them at such a high price."

"I just think that it is really unacceptable for a clinic to set high prices without restraint and arbitrarily." Song Zhi sighed.

"What can we do about this? Being a doctor is a profession with very high barriers to entry. Ordinary people can't even distinguish medicinal herbs, so how can they know their true prices?"

Song Zhi understood what the other party meant, which was that there are many types of herbs, and most people have no idea of their true value.

Ordinary people may think that medicine is expensive, but they don’t understand why it is so expensive and whether the high price is justified.

After this conversation, Song Zhi had some ideas in her mind and planned to think about the feasibility after returning.

She didn't dwell on the topic that was already going nowhere, and instead said, "I don't need many herbs, just ten pounds each of star anise and cinnamon. I wonder if Mr. Li might be able to sell them to me."

Since Song Zhi wanted a small amount, she didn't bargain with him.

No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat. Li Xiangcheng was very decisive. He turned his head and waved to the servant behind him, and told him to ask the steward to weigh the herbs.

"Wait." Song Zhi stopped the person.

"Well, I heard from the doctor that Panax notoginseng is known as the 'essential medicine for wounds,' and has excellent effects in stopping bleeding, dispersing blood stasis, and relieving swelling and pain. I happened to find you have some, so I'd like to buy two pounds of Panax notoginseng just in case."

"But I just heard you say that Sanqi is 500 wen per catty, but I heard that the price of Sanqi is based on the number of heads. The fewer heads there are, the higher the price."

"Of course, I don't know how many heads of Sanqi that Master Li mentioned earlier, which costs 500 coins per catty?

That way I can weigh which one to buy.”

Xu Feng couldn't help but look at Song Zhi in surprise.

He originally thought that the girl in front of him only knew some common herbs, but he didn't expect that she even knew about Panax notoginseng from the south.

Even though he himself did not know the ins and outs of Panax notoginseng, it was only after Rong Bo's explanation and chatting with Li Xiangcheng that he realized that Panax notoginseng actually has different categories.

Xu Feng felt that she had exceeded his expectations once again, but seeing her calm look, it seemed reasonable.

Xu Feng subconsciously warned himself in his heart that when he goes out in the future, he must remember not to judge people by their appearance.

Li Xiangcheng also looked at Song Zhi in surprise, but he didn't expect her to have such a question.

After all, there was no Panax notoginseng in the north at that time, and even doctors in ordinary pharmacies rarely saw it.

But then he thought again, she just said that the doctor told her, so this is not strange.

Li Xiangcheng gathered his thoughts and replied, "It's true that the fewer Panax notoginseng heads there are, the better the quality, and the higher the price."

"The price I quoted just now was 37% for fourteen head. I also have 37% for twenty, thirty, and forty head."

"The prices are three hundred coins, one hundred and fifty coins, and one hundred coins. I wonder which one Madam Song would like."

Song Zhi wanted to prepare some Panax notoginseng at home. Firstly, Panax notoginseng is a very good hemostatic medicine for external injuries. Secondly, she also knew a traditional method of making facial cream using Panax notoginseng as the raw material.

The northern region has strong winds and a dry climate. When she has some free time later, Song Zhi plans to try making some moisturizing cream to test the water.

If she is popular, this may be her means of making a living in the future.

Unfortunately, she was short of money. Regarding the two requests mentioned above, Song Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I wonder if I could give you a pound each of the best and the worst?"

Li Xiangcheng nodded and signaled his followers to go back to the inn to get it.

The three of them sat in the teahouse for about half a cup of tea before the servant who had just left came back, trotting over with a cloth bag in one hand and a scale in the other.

"Master, here are the herbs this lady wants."

Li Xiangcheng nodded and signaled his servant to weigh the medicinal herbs she had purchased in front of Song Zhi.

After confirmation, both parties will settle the payment and goods.

Seeing that the matter was over, Li Xiangcheng and Xu Feng said goodbye and left.

A monkey squatting in the corner saw the person opposite leave and immediately rushed to Song Zhi, asking curiously, "Did the good man make the deal? Do you need to look for other medicine dealers?"

Song Zhi waved her hand to refuse, "I have already bought the medicine, thank you again this time!"

The monkey scratched his head and said cheerfully, "It's good to be able to help kind people."

"Well, if you have no further instructions, I will continue to keep an eye on them. I will notify you if I find anything further."

Song Zhi nodded, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard, it's not hard!" After saying that, the monkey disappeared around the corner like a nimble little animal.

After Song Zhi learned the approximate price of the medicinal materials, she led her younger brother to the grass market in the east of the city.

Along the way, Song An noticed that the little guy frequently turned his head to look at her, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

She thought about it and thought that maybe it was because she mentioned the Sanqi incident that made him curious.

She simply asked, "But what do you want to ask?"

Seeing that her sister had spoken, Song An no longer held back and asked curiously, "Sister, how did you know about Sanqi?"

Song Zhi lied without blinking, "My uncle broke his hand, so I asked Doctor Zheng if he had any herbs to reduce the swelling and relieve the pain. Doctor Zheng told me a few herbs, including Panax notoginseng."

"They say Panax notoginseng is a rare and valuable commodity, but it's not available in the North. Since we've stumbled upon it, we might as well buy some to keep in stock."

Song Zhi seriously pushed the matter onto Doctor Zheng, but Song An nodded repeatedly after hearing it.

Song Zhi saw that the little guy believed it.

Still, I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, "Alas, I clearly understand some pharmacology, but I can't express it to others."

It's no use for her to keep hiding it like this. Now she can make food and people say she is gifted and kind.

But if she still wants to make the facial cream as just imagined, it will be difficult to convince her without certain pharmacological knowledge.

It seems that she still needs to find a way to learn medicine, so that she won't have to worry about being exposed in the future.