Negotiations

"Alright, I'll take these three Lingzhi mushrooms for 500 silver taels!"

Xin Lijie announced his offer.

Mingyu was stunned for a moment. He had been in the capital before so he was no stranger to large amounts like this.

But what surprised him was that the mushrooms that his wife and brother took a day to find would actually cost enough money to supplement every family in Shenghuo village for a year!

Shufen knew Lingzhi was valuable but he did not know it was this valuable ah. He was literate but he hadn't seen as much of the world as his eldest brother, so the emotional impact on him was even greater.

Mei Li, however, remained impassive. "Young Master Xin, I believe you are a person who does upright business. I hope you can give us a fair price."

"1,000 taels is just about right." Mei Li confidently announced.

Mingyu and Shufen nearly stopped breathing. The wife was too courageous!

Xin Lijie's eyes flashed. "The lady surely has a lion's appetite. Lingzhi is valuable but I've seen bigger and fresher ones than these."

"How many years ago was that?" Mei Li was quick to reply. "Lingzhi is very rare in the wild and it can take days to scour a mountain to find it, and years for good specimens to appear."

"Plus, this is the king of mushrooms we are talking about. It has plenty of benefits. It can protect the heart and save a life. I believe it would be easy for Young Master Xin to sell these mushrooms for triple or even four times the price I'm asking now."

Before Xin Lijie could haggle further, Mei Li said things that knocked him out.

"Young Master Xin, you can hold an auction at your Xintang Medicine Hall in the capital with the Lingzhi as the grand finale item. You can auction them starting from the smallest to the largest, with increasing prices."

"You can auction other valuable herbs as well. Not only will this help your hall earn more money, it can gain prestige as well and help your hall to advertise your capabilities."

"I'm sure that with your family's skills in spreading the word, you can easily have people fight over the Lingzhi mushrooms in the capital. You might even sell them for ten thousand taels!"

Xin Lijie smiled with more respect in his eyes. He didn't even think of conducting an auction.

He only thought of presenting the mushrooms to his father and being rewarded.

But if he suggested the auction and carried it out successfully, he might actually get the go ahead to open more branches under his purview.

"The Lady Mei Li sure has a broad vision. This one has opened my eyes today."

"Alright, then I'll give you 1,000 taels!" Xin Lijie decided.

Truth be told, Xin Lijie could easily afford this amount. It was just that haggling is part of businesd and must not be overlooked. But he was also not a fool and knew when to advance or retreat.

Mei Li was rejoicing inside but she didn't show it on her face. Her whole day spent climbing the mountains was so worth it!

But, she wasn't done yet!

"Thank you very much for your generosity, Young Master Xin." Mei Li smiled sincerely after she received the money.

She then said to the two people across from her. "I wonder if the young master is open to hearing another proposal?"

Xin Lijie was curious. "Does the lady have more good things?"

Mei Li motioned for Shufen to take out the two tea boxes.

"These are the special teas blended by our family. My husband, Shufen, practices medicine and I love cooking. We decided to combine our skills to produce these two herbal teas with the curative properties and taste guaranteed."

Mei Li dug deep to find her talent for advertising.

Xin Lijie blinked. "Wait, didn't you say you were his wife?" He pointed to Mingyu.

Shopkeeper Yang coughed awkwardly. "Young Master, she is from Shenghuo Village."

"So?"

"Over there, they practice wife sharing…"

Xin Lijie was speechless for a moment. "You mean…you're his wife?" He gestured towards Mingyu. "...and also his wife?" He asked again and pointed towards Shufen.

"You're a wife of two people?"

Mei Li smiled. Since she decided to live with the Jin brothers, she already expected this situation to happen at some point.

So she answered without scruples, "Actually, I have three more husbands at home. I have five husbands in total."

Xin Lijie was struck dumb for the nth time that day.

Mei Li rescued him from the awkwardness. "I hope Young Master doesn't disdain us for this. I'm sure you have been to many places before, right? For sure you have noticed that every place has their own customs and traditions."

"Our Shenghuo Village may be small, but the people there are real and our traditions are as real and valuable to us as in other places."

"We believe that as long as we live honestly and not harm people, then we can be upright citizens of our great empire."

Xin Lijie snapped out of it and shook his head. "No, you mistake me Lady. I was just surprised. As you said before, we should not judge things easily just based on looks. I believe you are good people and Shopkeeper Yang said so as well."

"So, what about these boxes? You said they were tea?"

Mei Li was glad to meet such a broad-minded person. She pushed the small wooden boxes towards Lijie and pointed towards the labels.

"This is our JinMei Valley special tea blends. This is the Calming Tea and this one is the Appetite Tea."

Mei Li then explained the qualities of each.

The Appetite Tea was a blend of rhododendron flowers and holy basil leaves. Rhododendron is great for improving one's digestive health, and it even stimulates appetite. Holy basil, meanwhile, helps reduce stress and can improve one's ability to fight many diseases.

The Appetite Tea, therefore, was great for those who are feeling listless and don't feel like eating most of the time. It was also good for people with minor stomach ailments and can help avoid common illnesses.

As for the Calming Tea, it was a blend of chamomile, licorice root, peppermint leaf, passionflower herb, skullcap herb, and valerian root.

This tea promotes calmness, encourages restful sleep, and relaxes someone who is feeling high tension and heavy stress.

"If Shopkeeper Yang can provide us with hot water, we can brew some to taste."