Chapter 162 City Streets 62

Chapter 162: City Life 62

Qin Banban’s sudden voice drew the attention of the father and son selling herbs. The young apprentice at the shop nodded, explaining with a smile, “This is Qin Banban, an apprentice under Doctor Fang of Huichun Clinic!”

The father and son, seasoned herb gatherers, knew Apricot Forest Street intimately, including its clinics and doctors. Naturally, they were also aware of the city’s sole female physician, Fang Liuyin.

Upon hearing Qin Banban was also studying medicine, the old man and the young man grew wary, seemingly reluctant to show her their herbs. However, with the apprentice watching closely, a refusal might arouse suspicion.

*Fine! This girl looks young; she probably doesn't have much skill!*

The old man shot his son a glance. The young man subtly nodded, then forced a simple, honest smile. “Go on, take a look! They’re all fresh, prime ginseng!”

Qin Banban remained silent, walking over to meticulously examine the ginseng held by the young man.

She first inspected the two smaller roots, no thicker than a pinky finger. They were freshly dug, their roots still caked with mud, but a faint medicinal scent wafted from them when she leaned in.

This scent was only present on the two smaller ginseng roots; the larger one merely smelled of earth.

But how could that be? How could a century-old ginseng lack the fragrance of a mere decade-old one?

Seeing Qin Banban’s silence, the apprentice anxiously asked, “Qin Banban, what’s wrong? Is there something amiss with this ginseng?”

Qin Banban still didn’t speak, merely glancing at the nervous apprentice.

The apprentice was young, only sixteen or seventeen, lacking experience and easily deceived.

She sighed softly, then turned to the father and son. “I’m afraid you’ve made a mistake. The two smaller ones are fine, but this larger one isn’t ginseng.”

Qin Banban had tried to phrase it as gently as possible, suggesting an honest mistake rather than intentional deceit, thus saving their dignity.

However, the old man’s expression had already darkened when the apprentice asked, “Is there something amiss with this ginseng?” He scowled at his son, and upon hearing Qin Banban’s words, both their faces turned grim.

The young man shot Qin Banban a sharp glare, snatching the large ginseng back from her hands. “A young girl like you might not recognize old ginseng, but that’s no reason to speak nonsense.”

The old man quickly added, “Exactly! We spent three months tracking this ginseng! Three months in the deep mountains! We even encountered wild boars—we risked our lives for this! We won’t tolerate you tarnishing our reputation without cause!”

They spoke with such conviction, yet Qin Banban’s explanation seemed equally plausible.

“Ginseng naturally carries a fresh, medicinal scent. How could an older ginseng be less fragrant than two younger ones?”

“True ginseng has a naturally curved rhizome, like these two smaller ones. But this large one has a thick, straight rhizome with no growth rings. The older the ginseng, the more densely packed the growth rings should be, but this one has none. It looks more like a pokeberry root.”

The rhizome is the stem-like part at the top of the ginseng, and growth rings are the natural indentations formed where leaves and stems have fallen off over the years. Fake ginseng either lacks these scars or has artificially carved ones with harsh, unnatural lines.

Pokeberry roots resemble ginseng, and unscrupulous herb sellers often pass them off as ginseng to cheat people.

Losing money was one thing, but pokeberry roots were toxic. Accidental ingestion could cause rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, severe vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, followed by dizziness, headaches, convulsions, and in severe cases, even suffocation and death.

This was profiting at the cost of others’ lives!

The apprentice listened, instinctively glancing at the large ginseng in the young man’s hands, trying to see if it matched Qin Banban’s description.

But whether out of anger or guilt, the young man tucked the ginseng away, refusing to let anyone see it.

He waved his hand indignantly. “If you don’t want to buy it, fine! We’re not begging you to! We’ll just take it elsewhere! A century-old ginseng for two hundred taels will sell anywhere!”

With that, he stormed off, dragging the old man along as if he were the one wronged.

The apprentice sighed, “Ah…”

It dawned on him belatedly that he had likely encountered swindlers.

Two hundred taels of silver!

Wiping cold sweat from his brow, he turned to Qin Banban with grateful excitement, repeatedly thanking her. “Qin Banban, I owe you one this time! If it weren’t for you, I might have been tricked by that father and son!”

Counterfeit medicine could be dangerous. If it were sold to a patient and caused death, the consequences would be dire!

Qin Banban wanted to warn the young apprentice to be more careful—this was a matter of life and death, not something to take lightly. But since they weren’t close, it wasn’t her place to lecture him.

In the end, she just smiled and couldn’t help but say, “You’re welcome. Be more careful next time.”

With that, she took her things and left.

After exiting the herb shop, she saw that the father and son had already gone.

The pair wandered around Apricot Forest Street for a while, hoping to find another opportunity to sell the “ginseng” in their basket. But such chances were hard to come by! They had spent half a day scouting before finding this shop with only a young apprentice minding it—an easy target.

The apprentice had believed their story, and with a little more persuasion, the deal might have been sealed! Who would have thought some random girl would show up and expose their scam!

Feeling guilty, the father and son didn’t dare linger and quickly fled with their basket.

After leaving Apricot Forest Street, Qin Banban didn’t head straight home. Instead, she browsed a few nearby stalls selling hair ribbons and jewelry. Her attention was entirely captured by the bracelets, hairpins, and earrings in her hands, completely unaware that the father and son were quietly following her.

“Dad, it’s that damn girl who ruined our plan!”

“Let’s follow her and see where she goes! If she enters a narrow alley, we’ll go in and teach her a lesson!”

“Yes! She shouldn’t have meddled and ruined our business!”

…

The father and son trailed Qin Banban from a distance, their expressions venomous, teeth clenched in hatred.

They shadowed her stealthily for a whole street, watching as she turned into a narrow alley.

The alley ran alongside the Dan River. Beyond it was a docking area where Qin Banban planned to take a boat home—a fast and convenient route.

At first, she didn’t notice the pair following her, walking briskly and cheerfully. She had bought a silver-inlaid wooden bracelet carved with orchids, elegant and rustic. It was a bit expensive but perfect for an older woman.

Qin Banban immediately thought it would suit Cui Lanfang and bought it without hesitation, even though it cost several months of her allowance.

She wrapped the bracelet in a piece of red cotton cloth and carefully tucked it into her bag before stepping lightly into the alley.

As she walked, she sensed something amiss.

...Was someone following her?

Qin Banban frowned and instinctively quickened her pace, only to hear the footsteps behind her hasten as well.

Someone was definitely tailing her!

Being a young woman, Qin Banban panicked, her heart racing uncontrollably. But she was in a deserted alley with no one around—if she lost her composure now, she’d be done for!

Spotting two bamboo rafts leaning against the wall ahead, along with a pile of bamboo poles, she guessed it was the home of a raft-maker who hadn’t finished assembling them.

Qin Banban took a deep breath, suddenly lifted her skirt, and broke into a run.

“She’s running!”

"She saw us!"

"Hurry, chase her!"

The father and son also noticed and immediately gave chase. But after only a few steps, they saw Qin Banban put all her strength into pushing over the bamboo poles and rafts leaning against the wall, sending them crashing down on the two men.

Despite her youth and delicate appearance, no one knew where she found such strength to topple the rafts and poles.

Qin Banban glanced back briefly and recognized the father and son from the apothecary—the ones selling fake ginseng. She immediately understood they were disgruntled and seeking revenge.

After that quick glance, she didn’t stop but turned and ran again.

"Quick, chase her!"

"After her! After her!"

The two men, in disarray, scrambled out from under the pile of bamboo poles only to see Qin Banban already quite far away. They hurriedly got up and resumed the chase.

"You little bitch! Stop running! Halt right there!"

"Stop! You bitch! You ruined our business, and now you dare run!"

Cursing and shouting, the father and son chased after her. Though Qin Banban had a head start, her stamina and speed were no match for two men accustomed to working in the mountains. Before she could even make it out of the alley, they were closing in.

But Qin Banban was prepared. As she ran, she tore open a packet of quicklime and, turning abruptly, flung it into their faces. A cloud of grayish-white dust filled the air.

"Ah! Aaaaaah!!"

"My eyes! My eyes!"

"Damn you, you bitch! You little brat! Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll make you suffer!"

"Dad… are you okay? Can you open your eyes?!"

"Don’t worry about me, go after her! Hurry!"

While the two men yelled angrily, Qin Banban turned and sprinted away.

Beyond the alley, just a few dozen steps ahead, was a small ferry landing. But there was an upward slope of stone steps leading to it, and with pursuers close behind, she doubted she had the stamina to outrun them.

What could she do now?

To the right was a marketplace, full of people. Perhaps these scoundrels wouldn’t dare cause trouble there. But that was a gamble—if the onlookers were merely curious and unwilling to intervene, she’d still be in trouble.

To the left was White Horse Bridge. The bridge was just a street away from the magistrate’s office, and constables/officers occasionally patrolled the area. If she was lucky, she might run into one… but if not, she didn’t have the strength to run all the way to the office for help.

Wait—White Horse Bridge!

Wasn’t the He Family Escort Agency exactly right next to White Horse Bridge?

In an instant, Qin Banban had considered several plans and decisively turned, dashing onto the bridge and heading straight for the agency.

Just across the bridge was the He Family Escort Agency, very close by. Qin Banban ran stumbling, and from a distance, she could see the agency’s gate wide open. The sound of men shouting "One, two! One, two!" echoed from inside.

"Chen Sanxi!"

"Chen Sanxi!"

She shouted as she ran in, her skirt billowing, and ran headfirst into a young man who had rushed out to investigate—it was Chen Sanxi.

Right behind her was the medicine-selling man. He didn't notice his surroundings, didn’t even glance at the plaque above the gate, and followed her in.

"You damn girl! Think you can escape by coming here—"

Cursing, he charged in without looking, only to find himself in a spacious courtyard. Over twenty strong, muscular men were practicing shirtless, their bodies glistening with sweat all over.

The man: "…"

Holy crap—these men, with their physiques and muscles, looked like they could literally crush his skull with their arms.

The medicine seller swallowed hard and gave a nervous laugh at the group of escorts. "W-wrong place! Wrong place! My apologies! My apologies!"

He began edging backward, only to find two more escorts blocking his retreat.

The man: "…"

Chen Sanxi was also startled. He had thought he misheard Qin Banban’s voice but came out to check just in case. Before he could even step out of the courtyard, the young girl had rushed in and crashed into him.

Seeing Chen Sanxi, Qin Banban finally let out a sigh of relief and immediately hid behind him. The courage she had mustered earlier vanished in an instant. Only then did she realize her legs were weak, her body trembling, and cold sweat beading on her forehead. A chill ran up from her feet, and even her outstretched hand shook uncontrollably as she pointed.

She stammered, "H-he’s been following me."

Chen Sanxi followed her gesture and saw the deceptively honest-looking young man already completely surrounded by his fellow escorts. The man was nervous and sweating buckets.

Forcing another dry laugh, the man nervously waved his hands and said, "...Ha, a m-misunderstanding, just a big misunderstanding."