Chapter 239: Chapter 239: An Illusion?
"Young Master, Miss Su is here."
A Feng was sure that his young master would be overjoyed to know Su Qing had come, so he led her directly to the study.
An Zhihan was in the study, quietly reading. When he heard A Feng’s words, he didn’t even notice the corners of his own mouth turning up in a slight smile.
"Quickly, show her in."
Su Qing heard that voice from the study—a voice that belonged only to An Zhihan, gentle with a hint of crisp clarity.
"I’m not disturbing you, am I?" Su Qing asked quickly when she saw An Zhihan reading in his study.
"Not at all. Please, sit." An Zhihan quickly instructed A Feng, "Go bring some tea and snacks."
"Yes, sir." A Feng had already noticed the faint, almost imperceptible smile on his young master’s lips and was inwardly ecstatic. Hearing An Zhihan’s order, he answered in a hurry and rushed to the kitchen.
"I heard Uncle Fang came looking for me a few days ago."
"I heard you went to Beijing."
Su Qing and An Zhihan spoke at the same time. They glanced at each other, then both gave a soft laugh.
"You first!"
"You first."
Their voices rang out at the same time again, and they both stared at each other for a moment, stunned.
An Zhihan was the first to recover. He smiled and said, "Uncle Fang went to see you because he wanted to buy some ginseng. But you weren’t home. The people in your village said you’d gone to Beijing."
Su Qing smiled. "That’s right. I was in Beijing for a while and bought a house there."
"Oh, you bought a house in Beijing?" An Zhihan was a little surprised, but not shocked. He knew Su Qing had the money from selling the ginseng—enough to buy several houses in Beijing.
Su Qing nodded. "I figured while I had the money, I should buy a couple of properties to hold onto. That way, I’ll have a place to stay when I go back to Beijing."
An Zhihan nodded. "That’s a good idea."
Su Qing thought of Fang Lutian looking to buy ginseng and asked, "Is the ginseng from last time all gone?"
"Almost," An Zhihan said. "I was just wondering if you have any more wild ginseng. If you do, we were hoping to buy another one."
After speaking, An Zhihan gave a faint smile. "To be honest, it’s my own body that’s failing me. It needs ginseng to nourish it. Uncle Fang and the others have been worried sick these past few years, searching everywhere for ginseng for me. The wild ginseng we bought from you last time was much more effective than any we’ve had before, so Uncle Fang was hoping to buy from you again."
Su Qing nodded. "I do have more ginseng. If you need it, I can bring it over tomorrow."
"Really? That’s wonderful." An Zhihan smiled. "And don’t worry about the price. We won’t let you take a loss."
"I’m not worried about that at all," Su Qing said with a smile. The price An Zhihan’s family had given her last time was already on the high side. However, Su Qing didn’t feel the least bit guilty. ’The ginseng I have has been kept in my space, soaking up the Spiritual Energy there. Of course it’s more effective than ordinary ginseng.’
"Thank you," An Zhihan said with a smile.
Su Qing gave a faint smile. "You need to buy ginseng, and I happen to have some to sell. We’re both getting what we need, so there’s no need for thanks. By the way, has your health been any better recently?"
"It’s actually been a bit better than in previous years." Speaking of his health, An Zhihan found it quite miraculous. He wasn’t sure if it was because Su Qing’s ginseng was more effective, but his coughing this winter had been much less frequent than before. He’d also been hospitalized fewer times. In past years, he would be hospitalized three to five times every autumn and winter, and even that was considered a low number. This year, however, he had only been admitted once and was discharged quickly.
"That’s good to hear."
As they were talking, A Feng brought in the tea and snacks. While A Feng was setting them out, Su Qing secretly sent a bit of green mist toward An Zhihan. ’I don’t know if I can convince Mr. Gong to treat An Zhihan’s legs,’ she thought, ’but I can’t bear the thought of such a handsome young man spending his entire life depending on a wheelchair and crutches.’
An Zhihan wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he suddenly felt his chest loosen just a little. Ever since the car accident, the situation had been so critical that even though he was saved, his internal organs had sustained lasting damage, especially his lungs.
For years, his chest had always felt tight and constricted. Even during the autumn and winter seasons when he wasn’t coughing much, it was still very uncomfortable. This had improved somewhat after taking the ginseng and mushrooms Su Qing had sold him, but his chest still didn’t feel completely at ease.
But just now, his chest had suddenly cleared up a bit, feeling less tight.
’Is it my imagination?’
An Zhihan lowered his gaze slightly.
Then he heard Su Qing say, "I think you should try to get out more often. It might be good for your recovery."
Looking at An Zhihan’s complexion, Su Qing could tell he must spend his days cooped up at home. His skin was very pale, but not in a healthy way.
Su Qing casually glanced at the back of An Zhihan’s hand. His skin seemed paper-thin, the delicate veins beneath it clearly visible. She felt that if she were to shake his hand, she might accidentally break one of them.
After hearing Su Qing’s words, An Zhihan thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "You have a point. Maybe I should get out more often."
A Feng, who was standing to the side, was delighted to hear this. The young master rarely ever went out. At most, he would spend a little time in the courtyard; most of his days were spent in the study. In A Feng’s memory, aside from trips to the hospital, the young master basically never left the house. The one time he went to the supply and marketing cooperative before the New Year was only after the old madam had persuaded him for a long time.
’I can’t believe it. Miss Su says one thing, and the young master agrees right away!’
A Feng couldn’t help but shoot a grateful look at Su Qing.
It wasn’t long before Fang Lutian rushed back.
Su Qing already knew Fang Lutian had been looking for her about the ginseng, so she said to him, "Uncle Fang, I already know what this is about. As it happens, I do have more ginseng. I’ll come by again tomorrow and bring it with me."
"Good, good." Fang Lutian rubbed his hands together excitedly and quickly asked, "Miss Su, I was wondering, how many ginseng roots do you have?"
Su Qing raised an eyebrow at his words.
Fang Lutian said sheepishly, "It’s just that real wild ginseng is so hard to come by these days. If possible, I was hoping to buy several from you at once, Miss Su. As you know, our young master’s health..."
Su Qing understood. "I have two more aged wild ginseng roots, both around seventy or eighty years old. I’ll bring them both for you tomorrow."
"Really!" Fang Lutian was overjoyed to hear this. "Thank you so much, Miss Su! I’ll wait for you here tomorrow, then."
"Alright."
After settling on a time to meet the next day, Su Qing bid farewell to An Zhihan and the others, leaving East County Street and heading straight for Hongji Hall.
