Chapter 39: Caution Keeps You Safe for a Thousand Years!

The next morning, after finishing his morning exercise, Chen Jie went to the hospital.

Actually, since Old Chen’s condition had stabilized, he was staying in the ICU and didn’t require visits. As long as the payment was settled, the hospital would notify him by phone if anything unusual occurred. Moreover, every day at ten o’clock in the morning, the hospital would send a text message updating him on Old Chen’s hospitalization details.

Before returning from the hospital, Chen Jie made a stop at an electronics store. He purchased a set of surveillance equipment — four cameras in total, which he installed at the four corners of his house. He did not hide them but placed them conspicuously so they could be seen. He had already posted an inquiry online for buying a new house and had contacted real estate agents. Everything was ready except for the final step — once the funds arrived, he could begin searching for a suitable home.

For some reason, living in this dilapidated countryside house gave Chen Jie no sense of security. When he was poor, it didn’t matter, but now that he owned valuable items, he was uneasy. His wild ginseng and jade pieces were kept inside the house, and if they were stolen, he would be devastated beyond words.

Therefore, until he found a proper home, the cameras were installed mainly to scare off vagrants. Some homeless people ventured into rural areas and liked to rummage through houses like Chen Jie’s shabby place, searching for anything they could sell, no matter how worthless it seemed. As long as it could be exchanged for money at scrap yards, they wouldn’t let it go. With the cameras in place, the situation would improve somewhat.

By the time everything was set, it was already afternoon. Chen Jie took out his phone and dialed Yuan Lu’s number at Rongji Chinese Medicine Hall in South China’s Guangfu City.

“Hello, is this Assistant Yuan?” Chen Jie greeted after the call connected.

Yuan Lu answered with surprise and delight, “Mr. Chen, hello! I was just about to call you during lunch today, but I held back, not wanting to disturb you. I didn’t expect you to contact me this afternoon.”

Because of the time difference, Chen Jie had spent nearly eight days over there, while here it had been less than one day. So effectively, the call was only a day after their last conversation.

Chen Jie got straight to the point: “About what you told me the day before yesterday, I happen to be free tomorrow and will make another trip to Guangfu City.”

“This time, I have several well-preserved wild ginseng plants: one that’s a hundred years old, and a few others that are eighty and fifty years old.”

“Arrange for your client to inspect and trade on-site! Any issues?”

Since Yuan Lu was just an assistant and couldn’t make decisions, she quickly said, “Please wait a moment, I’ll get back to you in ten minutes.”

After hanging up, Chen Jie fell into thought. Once Old Chen’s condition was stable, he would move him into a high-level care ward and hire professional caregivers. From then on, he wouldn’t have much time to visit the hospital.

Besides, neither the jade nor the wild ginseng would fetch good prices in Hengyang City. Only in first-tier cities like Guangfu City in South China was there a market. He would have to travel frequently, making hospital visits difficult.

Less than five minutes later, Yuan Lu’s call came through again. “Mr. Chen, we’ve arranged with the client. They agree to inspect and transact tomorrow morning!”

“If it’s inconvenient for you, we can come to your place—”

Chen Jie promptly declined: “No need! As usual, I’ll be at your company entrance around eleven tomorrow morning.”

“Just like last time.”

After a brief discussion, they ended the call.

—

The next morning, Chen Jie boarded a high-speed train and headed once again to Guangfu City in South China.

Around eleven o’clock, he arrived at the headquarters of Rongji Chinese Medicine Hall in Tianhe District.

This time, he was more cautious. Upon arrival, he carefully surveyed the surroundings. Better to be safe than sorry.

Trading valuable wild ginseng was never a straightforward matter. If things went wrong, it was easy to be summoned for questioning, possibly losing both money and freedom—not a laughing matter.

If it were just one or two ginseng roots, it might not be a big deal. But with larger quantities, one had to explain their origin, which was often difficult.

Therefore, being cautious was the best protection. Unless one had vast influence and connections to defy the rules, abiding by basic regulations was the wisest choice.

Before gaining power, even attempts to challenge the rules must be done carefully; discretion is paramount. Flaunting one’s dealings openly would be foolish.

After confirming no unusual activity nearby, Chen Jie called Yuan Lu.

A few minutes later, under her guidance, Chen Jie returned to the reception lounge on the fifth floor where they had met last time.

However, this time he did not see Professor Lin but an elderly man instead.

Additionally, beside Manager Huang from before, there was a man in his forties, exuding an imposing aura.

Through Yuan Lu’s introduction, Chen Jie learned this middle-aged man was the client interested in the wild ginseng, named Bai Yiheng.

The elderly gentleman was Tang Zhengyan, said to be an expert responsible for medicinal material inspection.

Although Yuan Lu did not explicitly state Tang Zhengyan’s identity, judging by his demeanor, he was no less authoritative than Professor Lin Zhiyuan they had met previously.

“Let’s begin! Five wild ginseng plants in total.” Chen Jie wasted no time and took out the five pre-packaged wild ginseng roots from his backpack.

One hundred-year-old, two eighty-year-old, and two fifty-year-old specimens — as agreed over the phone.

The thirty-year-old ones did not require separate negotiation and could be sold directly to Rongji.

Of course, Chen Jie had not brought the thirty-year-old roots on this trip.

Tang Zhengyan’s eyes lit up upon seeing the ginseng, especially the century-old root, which delighted him immensely.

The appearance alone was flawless.

After Chen Jie unwrapped the packaging and gave the signal, Tang Zhengyan began his inspection.

With Chen Jie’s permission, he carefully snipped a tiny piece of root hair from one of the eighty-year-old ginseng roots with scissors.

He did the same with the hundred-year-old root.

Then, he examined all five roots meticulously with a magnifying glass and flashlight.

After a moment, he placed the root hairs in his mouth, closed his eyes slightly, and chewed them for a while.

“Excellent! This is the purest wild ginseng, with potent medicinal properties. The eighty-year-old ginseng is even stronger in efficacy than ordinary hundred-year-old roots.”

“The hundred-year-old root’s medicinal power is extraordinary.”

“Rare! Each of these roots serves as a powerful medicinal catalyst.”

“Especially this hundred-year-old wild ginseng — such pieces are scarce in the domestic market.”

The higher the grade of medicinal herbs, the rarer they became.

Priced but with little market availability.

Typically, wild ginseng over a hundred years old only appeared at auctions.

Bai Yiheng, observing Tang Zhengyan’s enthusiastic appraisal, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He wasn’t worried about the price but whether the ginseng had sufficient medicinal potency.

He leaned toward Tang Zhengyan and whispered, “Director Tang, can you confirm these five wild ginseng roots all qualify as medicinal catalysts?”

Tang Zhengyan nodded, “One hundred percent guaranteed! This is the purest wild ginseng, with potency far surpassing those currently harvested on the market.”

“Most likely sourced from deep within Changbai Mountain, and judging by their perfect condition, the harvester was a true expert.”

“Proceed with the transaction — these roots are impeccable!”

He looked at the five roots before him, handling them with great care.

Bai Yiheng nodded and looked up at Chen Jie.

“Mr. Chen, I’m very satisfied with the items. Let’s talk price — what are you asking?”