Uncle Nine, where are you running to?

There are several clinics in the town, but Xinglintang has the most reasonable price for medicinal materials. Lin Jiu took a few quick steps to lead the way and took Jingzhi straight to the clinic.

"You are... a doctor?"

Jingzhi looked at the young and elegant man standing in front of the medicine cabinet with some surprise.

He was wearing a light beige gown. He was tall but not thin. He had neat short hair with a few bangs on his forehead. His eyes behind his glasses always had a faint smile.

He doesn't look like a doctor, but more like a scholar.

"Why? Don't I look like a doctor?"

Jingzhi looked him up and down again, shook his head and said, "He looks like a teacher."

Before she could take another look, Lin Jiu took two steps, stopped in front of her and asked:

"Zhongyao, where is your father?"

Zhong Yao smiled, bowed to Lin Jiu and said:

"It's Uncle Jiu. Long time no see. My father said he's been treating patients his entire life and it's time for him to 'step down and let others take over,' so I had no choice but to return from the provincial capital."

Having said this, he pointed at Jingzhi who was jumping up and down behind Lin Jiu and said:

"That girl looks unfamiliar. May I ask who she is...?"

At this moment, a white and tender hand was raised from behind Lin Jiu, and she said straight to the point:

"I'm Uncle Jiu's assistant. I'm here to sell herbs today. I don't have time to prepare them. Do you accept fresh herbs?"

"I collected it. Can you show me what kind of medicinal herbs it is?"

Seeing that she was talking, Lin Jiu felt it was not appropriate to surround her anymore, so he turned sideways to make way for her. However, his expression gradually darkened, and he looked at the two of them inconspicuously without saying a word.

Jingzhi saw him standing there like a doorpost, so she lifted the medicine basket from behind him and took it off.

"Put it down. Here, I'll give you the kettle."

She placed a basket of herbs on the counter, raised her chin to Zhong Yao and said:

"Look, they were all freshly picked yesterday."

As she spoke, she carefully took out a piece of cloth-wrapped ginseng about 70 years old from her own cloth bag, placed it on the counter and said:

"This is what I picked yesterday. It's pure wild ginseng, with the roots intact. What price can you get for it?"

Zhong Yao was originally looking through the herbs in the basket. When he heard that there was wild ginseng, he quickly brushed off the dirt on his hands, pushed up his glasses, and picked up the ginseng to take a closer look.

"Oh? Uncle Jiu, you have such a good thing, and you're just bringing it over now?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Ginseng is hard to find nowadays, especially wild ones."

Lin Jiu said calmly:

"I didn't pick them, she did."

Seeing his puzzled expression, Jingzhi was a little confused. She turned her head and asked expectantly:

"How much is that worth?"

Zhong Yao pondered for a moment before slowly speaking to Jing Zhi:

"I'll give you five dollars for this basket of herbs. As for the ginseng, I'll give you one dollar every two years. This plant is about seventy years old, so the total is 5 dollars.

However, I have heard that Mr. Zhang is looking for ginseng. His son is sick and weak, and he relies on ginseng for survival. He only has this one precious son. If you sell it to him, you can get more money than if you sell it to me.

Upon hearing this, Jingzhi was undecided for a moment, so he turned around and looked at Lin Jiu with an inquiring look.

Seeing her look, Lin Jiu straightened his back and his gloomy expression brightened up a lot.

"Yes, I've heard of it. I know the place. I'll take you there."

After that, he knocked twice on the cabinet glass and said to Zhong Yao:

"Pay the bill, we have somewhere else to go."

Zhong Yao handed the medicine basket to the shop assistant, then took a handkerchief and slowly wiped the dirt off his hands. Then he said to Lin Jiu:

"Uncle Jiu, it's a rare opportunity for you to come here, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea before leaving?"

As he spoke, his gaze slid from Lin Jiu's face to Jingzhi's face, and stayed there for a few seconds.

Lin Jiu's hands behind his back gradually clenched.

“…No, maybe next time.”

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Zhongyao's lips. He opened the drawer, counted out five dollars and handed them to Jingzhi.

Jingzhi didn't answer. She glanced at Lin Jiu, who had his eyes downcast, wondering what he was thinking. Then she knocked on the counter and said:

"Put it here, I'll get it myself."

The curve of Zhong Yao's mouth widened a little. He secretly looked at Lin Jiu's expression and gently put down the five silver dollars.

Only after his bony hand withdrew from the counter did Jingzhi reach out to take the money. Then, looking at Lin Jiu happily, he said, "Uncle, let's go to that man's house!"

Lin Jiu rarely gave her a genuine smile, "Okay, let's go."

As soon as he agreed, Jingzhi rushed out of the clinic without looking back, and chatted about the good news with Qiu Sheng and Wencai who were waiting outside the door.

Seeing her quick action and no sign of reluctance, Lin Jiu heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sister Jingzhi, how much did you sell the medicine for?"

"Ding ding ding ding! 5 dollars!"

Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai were confused at first, wondering how much five dollars was. But when they saw the five silver dollars in her hand, they were so shocked that they couldn't even blink.

Qiu Sheng: "Wow, Master charges 10 yuan for a feng shui reading, and your basket of grass is only worth 5 yuan? Treat me!"

Jingzhi chuckled and handed a dollar to Wencai, who looked envious. "Hey, thank you for carrying the medicine back for me. This is your errand fee."

Qiu Sheng's eyes turned red. "What about me? Sister Jingzhi, you can't be partial to one and treat the other differently!"

Jingzhi tutted, put her hands on her hips and asked him, "So, tell me, what did you do to help?"

Qiu Sheng rolled his eyes and was about to make up an excuse when he was suddenly slapped on the back of his head.

"You just keep finding trouble for me all day long! Let's go to Mr. Zhang's house."

Qiu Sheng turned around and received a cold look from Lin Jiu, frightening him into silence.

Lin Jiu walked in front, Jingzhi was sandwiched between his two apprentices, following closely behind him. The three of them whispered about what they could buy with five dollars.

After discussing for a while, Jingzhi finally realized that five dollars was worth an ordinary worker's monthly salary, so it was quite profitable.

She thought about it and wondered if Tingting had given too much.

How could she spend money like this when her family was going through turmoil?

So she took out a ginseng from her pocket and handed it to Wencai, saying:

"Here, here you go. Please help me deliver it to Tingting. Um...just say it's a condolence gift, otherwise she won't accept it."

Wencai responded, turned around and ran happily, muttering, "Let's go to Tingting's house!"

Qiu Sheng came closer and asked her in shock:

"You're just going to give it to her like that?" He pointed to his ear and said, "I just heard this one is worth 35 dollars. If you sell it to that wealthy man, it might be even more."

Jingzhi crossed her arms, nodded without hesitation and said:

"It's only right to reciprocate. She's given us a lot and even had people come to renovate the yard. This ginseng... is for her to nourish her body. She's a young girl. Her mother passed away early, and her father has passed away too.

During those days at the charity cemetery, her face was as pale as a ghost. It was truly pitiful."

Qiu Sheng stopped, nudged her elbow and said:

"So you don't want to sell it? Are we still going to that man's house?"

"Go ahead, I still have one!"

"...Wow, where did you dig that? Next time you have something like this, please remember to invite me along."

……

Jingzhi didn't plan to touch the century-old ginseng that she picked at the beginning. She didn't need it, but Lin Jiu was in his forties and there would always be a time when he would need it.

She thought it would be better for her to make it herself and keep it for future use.

The three of them went to the wealthy man's house for a visit, and Jingzhi earned a net income of 50 oceans. In an instant, she became a wealthy woman.

So he took Qiu Sheng shopping and bought a lot of clothes, daily necessities, cakes, etc.

I don’t know if the things she bought were cheap, or if this dollar really lasted a long time, but she and Qiu Sheng’s hands were almost full, and even Qiu Sheng had two strings of pastries hanging around his neck, which only cost him two dollars.

Qiu Sheng lowered his head and sniffed the paper bag hanging on his chest and said:

"Wow, the chestnut cakes smell so good fresh out of the oven. Can I have one first?"

"Do you really want to eat now? I was planning to treat you to a meal at a restaurant!"

Qiu Sheng: "Really?!"

Wencai came running from a distance, shouting excitedly:

"Yeah! Wait for me!"

He ran to Jingzhi, took the things from Jingzhi's hand and put them in the basket of Qiu Sheng's bicycle.

Just as she was about to take the long box and the soft package from her hand, Jingzhi took the two things back into his arms and said, "No need, I can take these myself!"

Wencai withdrew his hand, scratched his head, said "oh", and his old face smiled again. He smiled at Qiu Sheng.

After all, his master is the most stingy.

Except for birthdays or when clients invite me to a restaurant, I generally don’t choose to eat out.

This time they won’t get their money’s worth!

……

The four of them came to the restaurant. Qiu Sheng called the waiter and ordered several meat dishes. He also wanted to order some wine, but was stopped by Lin Jiu.

"You had a stomachache last night, and you're already craving alcohol today?! If you don't want to live, Master, I'll take you on your way."

Lin Jiu called back the waiter who was about to go downstairs, removed two meat dishes and replaced them with vegetarian ones.

"Ajiu, you finally come out to relax. If you don't want to drink, just let them eat meat."

Wencai: “Yes, yes.”

Qiu Sheng was stared at by Lin Jiu and dared not say anything. He just secretly complained in his heart that his master was so stingy!

Lin Jiu retracted his gaze, looked at Jingzhi seriously and said:

"Good luck doesn't come every day, so spend it sparingly. Besides, they haven't been without meat since you came."

Jingzhi thought about it and nodded, it seemed...that's right.

Yesterday's lunch and dinner were either rabbit or chicken.

Qiu Shengwencai was instantly discouraged when he saw that he could not enjoy himself.

Jingzhi pointed to the cakes next to the chair and said to them:

"Hey, everyone has a share of these. Let's go back and eat together."

As soon as the words came out, the two men's drooping faces instantly lifted up, and soon they started playing around again, patting each other and bumping into each other.

When the food was served, there was no talk for a while.

Lin Jiu and Jingzhi usually don't speak at the dinner table unless it's something important.

Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai now had their mouths full of food and were eating with great concentration.

Just then, the diners at the next table suddenly started talking.

"Hey, I heard Lan Kwai Fong is having her farewell concert on July 14th, the day after tomorrow. Do you want to go?"

"I don't like watching plays, so I won't go."

The person who loved watching dramas moved his ears at this time, and he turned his head inexplicably to look at Jingzhi who was eating food.

"Hey, Master, aren't you a fan of his plays? Are you going?"

Lin Jiu didn't say anything, but glanced at Jingzhi silently out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing that his master ignored him, Qiu Sheng didn't care. He pushed Jingzhi's arm and said:

"Didn't you say last time that you love watching plays? Are you going?"

The last time she talked about watching a play, she seemed like she was about to cry.

Qiu Sheng thought that she must love watching it very much.

Jingzhi put down the bowl, thought for a moment, and found that there was nothing important, so he nodded and said:

"If you have nothing to do, then go ahead. The shows are usually at night anyway, so it won't affect your search for a cemetery during the day."

Thinking of this, she looked at Lin Jiu on her right and asked:

"Ajiu, are you going?"

Before Lin Jiu could answer, Jingzhi remembered his hesitation before leaving, thinking that he was not used to being alone with her at the moment, so she quickly explained:

"Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai helped me a lot. I invited them to go to the theater together. Would you like to go?"

Lin Jiu wanted to go very much, and when he saw her say that, he couldn't help but nodded in agreement.

After nodding, he seemed to feel that this hobby damaged his dignity. He coughed twice, picked up the bowl to cover his face and drank the soup.

Qiu Sheng and Wencai were extremely happy. From the dinner table to the way home, they kept calling "sister".

After returning to the charity cemetery, she packed her things, delivered the extra food she had packed to the infant spirit, and then took the long box and the package and knocked on Lin Jiu's study door.

"Ajiu? Can I come in?"

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and as soon as Lin Jiu returns, he is busy printing paper money for the dead in his study.

After all, orders for exorcising corpses and demons are not common, and there are three people in the charity cemetery who need to eat, so they have to make some paper ingots, paper people, ghost money and other things used for worship to sell in order to maintain their daily living expenses.

Hearing her voice, he inexplicably lowered his voice and said in a low voice: "Come in."

When Jingzhi pushed open the door, she saw a long table next to his desk. On the table was a huge roller wrapped in paper, and there were some printed banknotes on the table.

She walked over and took a look out of curiosity.

"Wow, 40 million, that's a huge amount! It would be great if it were true!"

Lin Jiu smiled slightly and said:

“No matter how big it is, you can’t use it.”

Speaking of this topic, he felt a little melancholy.

Jingzhi raised his eyebrows and said: "Don't worry, I have a little money now, don't panic!"

Lin Jiu calmed down while carefully cutting the paper money with a knife, and then asked her softly:

"looking for me?"

Jingzhi came back to his senses and put everything in his hands on the empty space on the table. "This is for you!"

The blade paused, Lin Jiu turned his head to look at the package and box, and cast a puzzled look at Jingzhi.

She scratched her face and said:

"Inside the box is a wolf-hair brush. I noticed your cinnabar brush was broken, so I bought you a new one."

"As for that package...it's a new dress. I thought the color suited you, so I bought it."

As if she was afraid he would refuse, she trotted to the door, stepped out of the door frame, and then turned around and said:

"They're just small things. They didn't cost much. As for the clothes...you can wear them to the theater the day after tomorrow."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurried out, closed the door for him, and ran away as if her feet were greased.

Lin Jiu put down the carving knife and slowly opened the box. A brown brush lay quietly inside. He picked it up gently, looked at it for a long time, and then put it back silently.

This was the first gift she gave him, not counting the handkerchief.

Lin Jiu's heart began to beat uncontrollably, and the beating rhythm seemed to burst through his chest.

His eyes were involuntarily drawn to the navy blue package lying quietly on the table.

He wondered to himself, did she understand...what it meant to give a man clothes?

This thought was like a naughty little beast, scratching at the bottom of his heart and making him feel uneasy.

Finally, Lin Jiu slowly reached out and gently untied the knot on the package.

As the knot of cloth loosened little by little, he became more and more nervous.

When the last layer of fabric slipped off and the dress underneath was completely revealed to him, he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.

This is a light yellow robe with a soft color.

He picked up the dress carefully, and as soon as his fingers touched it, he could feel its soft and smooth texture.

Such delicate material is of superb quality.

"It didn't cost much." Thinking of what she had said before, Lin Jiu couldn't help but smile bitterly.

How could it not cost a lot of money? Such good materials and such fine workmanship, how could it be cheap?

It's just her sweet talk.

Lin Jiu has always disliked accepting gifts from others, as he always feels that it is difficult to repay favors owed to others.

However, at this moment, facing this light yellow robe, he found that he did not feel any resistance in his heart. Instead, an indescribable joy was quietly spreading.

This feeling made him a little confused. Why was this gift an exception?

Is it the gift that wins his heart?

Or the one who gives gifts...