USWHC -Chapter 295 The Counter-Scam (Part 5)

Early the next morning, a couple appeared in town—one of those “rich but naive” types. Wait, why describe them like that?

Because the moment they arrived, they started splashing money around recklessly.

The woman wore a bright red floral jacket. Don’t assume a floral jacket is just some rural auntie’s attire—this one looked rustic, yes, but no ordinary countrywoman could afford it. The floral patterns were stitched with gold thread, and the fabric itself was smooth and shiny; at the very least, it was silk. The sheer number of embroidered flowers was dazzling to the eyes.

The man beside her was even stranger. He wore a dull yellow outfit, completely embroidered with golden large copper coins. His walk was peculiar, a little pigeon-toed; each step made him sway as if he were about to walk sideways.

He didn’t actually need to walk sideways—just looking at him was enough to make people think some pompous fool was strutting down the street. Anyone who didn’t know better might assume he was about to fall into a cesspit.

It wasn’t just their clothes—every bit of jewelry they wore was enough to shock ordinary townsfolk. The woman had a large gold flower on her head, a gold necklace around her neck, and three thick gold bangles on each wrist that jingled with every step. Someone unaware might think she had just robbed a goldsmith.

The man wore a dull yellow hat with a big gold ornament. Not jade or some delicate gem—gold. He also had a gold collar around his neck with a gold lock hanging from it, styled like those baby necklaces, just enormous in size.

The couple walked down the street like walking treasure chests—bright and flashy, practically holding a gold ingot in each hand. Were they challenging gold itself? Even wealthy people didn’t decorate themselves like this.

Passersby couldn’t help but whisper:
“Whose family are they from? Looks like some nouveau-riche landlord!”
“What? Don’t insult landlords! Our village’s landlords dress far better than that!”

At that moment, the man spoke: “Excuse me, could you tell us where the pharmacy is?”

Pharmacy? They were looking for medicine? And… their accent sounded odd. Not local at all.

He quickly explained: “We’re from Qi. Our father is sick, and we don’t have medicine back home. We thought we’d cross the mountains and try our luck here. Could you tell us where your pharmacies are?”

Oh, so they were rustic folk from Qi? No wonder they dressed so ostentatiously—they weren’t from Daliang. The townsfolk immediately nodded in understanding.

“Our town has plenty of pharmacies,” someone said proudly, “There are three large ones in a row up ahead. Whatever medicine you need, you’ll find it there. Go check it out!”

The man smiled gratefully, took the woman by the hand, and hurried off. Seeing their rush, some townsfolk grew curious: what medicine could they possibly be looking for?

The man rushed into a pharmacy and called loudly: “Do you have Shang Lu root?”

Ah, that’s all? Just Shang Lu root? Qi must be really poor if they don’t even have that.

The shop assistant replied, “Yes, one tael of silver per tael of root.”

That cheap? The woman even smirked slightly, as if looking down on such a low price.

“I want one root!” the man said earnestly.

“One root? Shang Lu is sold by weight, not by root!” the assistant looked at him with disdain. “We sell it sliced and weighed.”

But the man shook his head vigorously:
“No, no. I want a whole root—the kind that looks like a baby, with at least twenty-five tendrils!”

“What? Selling by whole roots? Shang Lu isn’t ginseng! Why count tendrils? You must be joking!” the assistant scoffed.

Hearing that they didn’t have it, the man grabbed the woman and rushed to the next pharmacy. They went from store to store, asking for a whole Shang Lu root with twenty-five tendrils.

Hmm? Why such a strange request? Everyone watching couldn’t help but be curious.