39 An Old Man

The man had a hoarse voice. Given the surroundings, Jing Yunzhao would not be surprised if the man scared everyone away. 

"I came to sell these herbs," Jing Yunzhao said politely, gesturing at the woven basket in front of her. 

"Come in," the man said and glanced at the basket, then pulled it into the yard effortlessly. 

Jing Yunzhao entered the yard and was stunned at what she saw. In front of her were rows and rows of shelves full of jars and other things. Jing Yunzhao could tell that a lot more had been kept away, and that the unpleasant smell was actually coming from this yard. The smell didn't seem as bad as she got closer. 

"My master is busy so I will take these on his behalf. The quality of your dang shen is decent and we will pay 30 bucks per catty. I will pay you now if you agree to this price, or you may leave now and never come again," said the man directly, his expressionless face intimidating. 

Jing Yunzhao was not greedy and nodded in agreement, knowing that the price was reasonable for fresh dang shen. 

The man started cleaning the dang shen and examining each one meticulously as soon as Jing Yunzhao nodded. Had Jing Yunzhao not been a patient person, she might have been annoyed with this man's attitude. 

After checking it thoroughly, the man was impressed by the quality of Jing Yunzhao's dang shen. 

"I will pay you an extra 2 bucks for each catty. Do send all your goods here," said the man finally. He entered the house and came out not long after to pass Jing Yunzhao her payment of over four thousand bucks. 

"Any kind of goods? In any quantity?" asked Jing Yunzhao as she looked at the man. 

"Yes," he answered tonelessly. 

Jing Yunzhao felt relieved instantly. Even though the house and the people in it were weird, she wouldn't have to worry about money for the time being. Moreover, the owner of the house was probably rich judging by the types of herbs he had in the yard and their quantities, which meant that she also wouldn't have to be worried about making too many transactions with him. 

Jing Yunzhao took the money and turned to walk out of the yard. Just as she was stepping out of the door, she heard someone coming out of the house and turned around curiously.

It was a rather frightening old man who had come out of the house. The man Jing Yunzhao had dealt with just now immediately smiled politely and said cautiously, "I just bought some dang shen, Master. Its quality was surprisingly good." 

Jing Yunzhao couldn't help but study the old man. Despite his messy gray hair and sloppy clothes, he seemed somewhat elegant for his age. He was at most in his sixties, and his eyes were so dull and dreary that he looked almost pitiful. 

The old man quickly noticed Jing Yunzhao standing there. 

To everyone's surprise, the old man's eyes widened in shock and he quickly approached her. 

Jing Yunzhao took a step back fearfully, about to run out of the house. 

"Wait up!" The old man called out when Jing Yunzhao walked out of the door. 

Jing Yunzhao turned her head when she heard the old man's shaky and desperate voice, feeling odd.

"What is your name?" The old man asked absentmindedly, his gaze distant as if reminiscing about the past. He looked both surprised and disappointed to see Jing Yunzhao, and it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking from his complex facial expression. 

"Jing Yunzhao," Jing Yunzhao replied warily.