Chapter 31: A Wily Rabbit Has Three Burrows! Buying a New House

After Liu Qi left, Chen Jie returned to the Zhilin Garden pharmacy.

The apprentice at the pharmacy looked up, and his face brightened with delight upon seeing Chen Jie. After Chen Jie had purchased wild ginseng there last time, he had been quite generous with his tips. Furthermore, Chen Jie had specifically requested that they stock older wild ginseng.

The apprentice hurried over with a beaming smile. "Sir, you've returned! I didn't steer you wrong with the wild ginseng from last time, did I? The medicinal potency was top-notch!"

Chen Jie nodded and said, "The quality was decent, but it lacked a bit in age. How did you fare with what I asked you to prepare? Have you managed to procure any older wild ginseng in the last few days?"

The apprentice nodded vigorously. He smiled and replied, "Sir, rest assured, I haven't forgotten a single word of your instructions! After hearing your request, the manager personally made a trip to Shanhai Pass and only returned yesterday."

"I heard there's fighting in that area, but the manager managed to secure one 120-year-old ginseng and three 100-year-old ones."

Chen Jie suddenly recalled what the second manager at the Ji Pharmacy had mentioned yesterday: due to the ongoing war, many medicinal herbs had been bought up, leading to shortages. It seemed the price of the newly arrived ginseng at Zhilin Garden would be higher than it had been last week. This was understandable; with supplies cut off and demand exceeding supply, prices were bound to rise.

The apprentice didn't keep chatting but instead ran to the back to fetch the manager. The manager was a man in his fifties. After the apprentice introduced them, the manager smiled and said, "Sir, in the past, while wild ginseng was precious, it wasn't exactly rare. There are many ginseng diggers in the Changbai Mountains of the Northeast who head deep into the forests, so the supply was steady. We would see a few 300-year-old specimens every year."

"But lately, following the defeat in the naval battle off the East Sea, many goods from the Northeast cannot pass through the customs and have been seized by the Japanese. Because of this, the prices are much higher than they were a short while ago. Fifty-year-old roots are two silver dollars, eighty-year-old ones are three, one-hundred-year-old ones are six, and the 120-year-old one is fifteen!"

Chen Jie frowned slightly upon hearing this. The price had more than tripled! Previously, a 50-year-old root was only 600 copper coins, and an 80-year-old one was just one silver dollar. However, the older the ginseng, the harder it was to find; he couldn't afford to miss this opportunity. He had checked at the Ji Pharmacy yesterday and they had nothing in stock—not even 50-year-old roots, let alone anything over a century old.

Chen Jie was not short on silver dollars, so he asked directly, "How much do you have in total?"

The manager replied, "One 120-year-old root, three 100-year-old ones, seven 80-year-old ones, twenty-six 50-year-old ones, and quite a few 30-year-old ones, which haven't risen much in price—only 300 copper coins each."

Chen Jie nodded calmly. "I'll take them all. Calculate the total for me."

The manager smiled, "Very well, sir, please wait a moment."

He began clicking away on his abacus. A moment later, he handed Chen Jie a list. "Sir, the total comes to one hundred and seventy-four silver dollars. Let's round it down to one hundred and seventy. How does that sound?"

*That much?* Chen Jie was a bit surprised, but he looked over the list and realized there were 227 of the 30-year-old roots. After a moment's thought, he didn't argue and told the manager to pack them up. Even though the younger roots weren't as valuable, they were the easiest to sell. As for Old Chen, once he woke up, he would need something to nourish his vitality, and the 30-year-old ginseng would be the perfect choice.

Fifteen minutes later, the manager had his apprentices gather the herbs and personally oversaw the packing. Once finished, he handed the large parcel to Chen Jie. Chen Jie took a pouch of silver dollars from his bag and placed 170 on the counter. Fortunately, he had brought 200 with him. He had already given 20 to Liu Qi, leaving him with 180; otherwise, he would have come up short.

After counting the coins, the manager smiled and said, "Sir, your silver dollars are of very high purity. They look brand new—were they minted recently?"

Chen Jie felt a flicker of alarm. "Is there a problem?"

The manager laughed heartily. "No problem at all! How could there be? Counterfeit coins are easy to spot. I was just curious; they look so new, they must have been minted quite recently. Are you perhaps from the Imperial Palace, sir?"

*Er—!* Chen Jie didn't know how to respond. However, the manager’s offhand comment made him more vigilant. The coins were indeed very new. He would have to have He Xiaoyuan artificially age them slightly in the future.

Chen Jie said coldly, "As long as the coins are genuine, that’s all that matters. Manager, there are some things you shouldn't ask about, lest you invite trouble. Understand?"

Since the manager had assumed he was from the palace, Chen Jie saw no reason not to leverage that status and issued a warning with a mysterious air. Sure enough, the manager looked startled and apologized profusely. "Understood! Understood—sir, please, let me give you this Ganoderma as a gesture of my apology!"

Chen Jie didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it. Seeing this, the manager finally let out a sigh of relief. He was now convinced that Chen Jie was someone on official business from the palace. Why else would someone carry so much money to buy herbs, specifically wild ginseng? If he were an ordinary person, he would have gone to a wholesale dealer rather than paying several times the price at a pharmacy.

With the large bag of ginseng on his back, Chen Jie left the pharmacy and wandered around the area near West Gate Street. He still had ten silver dollars left and decided to look for a house to buy. It didn't need to be large, but it had to be sturdy, and the walls had to be high. Because of the time discrepancy between the two worlds, his transit point had to be secure. Moreover, there were things he needed to store privately, out of sight.

Soon, deep in an alley, he found a house that perfectly met his requirements. It was small, less than a third of the size of his current residence, but it was well-hidden, tucked behind several complex, winding alleys. If anyone were following him, it would be easy to spot them. Furthermore, the front door led toward the street, while the back door exited in a completely different direction. The house was built of solid blue brick with a stone floor, and most importantly, it had high perimeter walls. The price was eight silver dollars.

Chen Jie inspected the place carefully and became more satisfied the longer he looked. Without hesitation, he bought it. After paying the money, receiving the deed, and signing the contract, he became the owner of the house by evening. The efficiency was remarkable. The house was fully furnished and ready for immediate move-in.

Chen Jie found a room and stowed the ginseng away. He walked around his new private base twice more, feeling increasingly pleased. A cunning rabbit has three burrows; this place would serve as his foothold, facilitating his travel between the two worlds and keeping his valuables safe.