Gorgeous Female Tenants

Chapter 133 Hundred Herbs Revitalizing Hall

After leaving the Ouyang family’s large courtyard, Xu Xiangbei glanced at his watch. It was 11 PM, and he began to ponder about buying the herbs.

He needed an elixir that could quickly restore his Inner Strength, invigorate the blood and dissolve stasis, expel evil, and support the righteous. The "Spirit Medicine Chapter" from the "Ancient Text" mentioned a Taiqing Pill with precisely these effects.

However, he knew nothing about the herbal market, and the ingredients to refine the Taiqing Pill were not ordinary herbs, requiring even a millennium-old ginseng. Where on earth could he find it?

Suddenly, he thought of Zhang Xuesong. Zhang Xuesong had been practicing medicine for decades and was always the director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department at the People’s Hospital, responsible for all herbal medicine procurement. He definitely had experience with the herbal market.

With an excited smile on his face, Xu Xiangbei, disregarding the late hour, called Zhang Xuesong.

It took a while for Zhang Xuesong to answer, and his voice was muffled, clearly having been awakened from sleep.

A slow, gentle voice came through the phone: "Who is it?"

Xu Xiangbei laughed heartily: "Good disciple, it’s me! Are you asleep? How about coming out for a skewer and a midnight snack? My treat."

Recognizing Xu Xiangbei’s voice, Zhang Xuesong smiled helplessly: "Thank you for your kind offer, Master, but we middle-aged folks need a regular lifestyle, unlike you younger energetic types. It’s sleeping time now, and I shouldn’t eat. What do you need from me, Master? Just say it, no need to treat me to food."

Xu Xiangbei chuckled: "You’re really like a worm in your master’s stomach, I want to buy some herbal medicine, does the hospital pharmacy have any?"

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Zhang Xuesong yawned and asked, "What kind of herbal medicine do you want to buy, and how much do you need?"

Xu Xiangbei joked: "About a few hundred pounds. If the pharmacy has it, just send it to me; if not, I’m okay with paying for it."

Zhang Xuesong nearly dropped the phone; the hospital sells herbs by gram weight. If Xu Xiangbei wanted a few grams or tens of grams, he could send them due to his connection as the department director.

But Xu Xiangbei was asking for hundreds of pounds; even the entire pharmacy at the People’s Hospital wouldn’t have that much.

He explained helplessly: "Advisor Xu, our traditional medicine department’s herbal medicines are procured according to a plan, so we can’t spare any for you, let alone hundreds of pounds. You’d be lucky if you get ten pounds. If you want to buy herbs, you’d better go to the West City wholesale herbal market. We have longstanding relationships with several herbal stores there, they offer cheap and authentic herbs."

Knowing that he had startled Zhang Xuesong, Xu Xiangbei laughed: "I see, since the hospital can’t send, I’ll buy myself. Where’s the West City wholesale herbal market? I haven’t been able to find it."

"The herbal market is tricky; the origin of an item can mean a huge price difference. You’re not familiar with this trade, so it’s easy to get scammed. How about this, I have nothing going on tomorrow, no clinic appointments, let’s go together, and I’ll help you check the quality."

That was exactly what Xu Xiangbei wanted, so he chuckled: "Deal, we’ll head to the wholesale herbal market together tomorrow. I’ll drive; my Ferrari is fast."

Zhang Xuesong didn’t forget to remind: "It’s best to go early tomorrow; good goods will be picked if we’re late. I’ll wait for you at the entrance of Jiangcheng District at 6:30 in the morning. Can you wake up?"

Xu Xiangbei, with a disdainful expression, replied: "I can go sleepless all night, see you at 6:30 AM sharp!"

The next morning, Zhang Xuesong woke up at 5 AM, prepared breakfast for his wife and son, and ate a simple meal himself. Around 6:20, he went downstairs to wait for Xu Xiangbei at the district entrance.

He lived a very disciplined life; it had been like this for decades, and he dressed meticulously, never wearing casual clothes while working.

Even today, going to the herbal wholesale market, he was dressed in work attire.

He wore a neatly pressed long-sleeve shirt, pants as smooth as water without a crease, shoes polished to a mirror-like shine reflecting his image, and carried a black briefcase.

The work attire added to his mature male charm.

Seeing the minute hand on his watch pass the agreed time, Zhang Xuesong uneasily shook his head, preparing to take out his phone to check with Xu Xiangbei.

A roar of an engine was heard, distant at first, but in no time, a fiery red Ferrari performed a graceful drift and parked steadily in front of Zhang Xuesong.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Xu Xiangbei’s handsome face, tinged with a mischievous aura.

"Director Zhang, I’m not late, am I?"

Zhang Xuesong got into the car and joked: "You’re on time, albeit a minute late."

"Alright, next time I’ll wait a minute earlier. Which way to the herbal wholesale market? How long till we get there?"

"Exit the city from here and head west; it should take about an hour by car."

"Buckle up, let’s set off. Director Zhang, do you know any herb traders at the market?"

"Yes, there’s a place called the Hundred Herbs Revitalizing Hall. I’ve always sourced herbs from there. The owner’s surname is Zhou, and he’s been in the herbal business for decades. It’s said he can tell the authenticity of herbs just by their scent. Their herbs are genuine and top quality; I’ve bought from them for years."

"Great, we’ll head straight to Hundred Herbs Revitalizing Hall."

Setting off early and with Xu Xiangbei’s fast driving, they reached the West City herbal wholesale market in just over half an hour instead of the usual hour-long drive.

From a distance, they saw a grand, ancient-style red and green archway, with the words "West City Herbal Market" written on it.

Outside the market, there was a parking lot; Xu Xiangbei finally found a spot, parked the car, and followed Zhang Xuesong into the market.

The market was bustling with people, not only Jiangcheng locals but also herbal traders from half of Huaxia gathering there to procure herbal medicines.

In the center were ordinary herbal stalls, small stands selling simple, inexpensive herbs, sacks filled with herbs piled inside the stalls.

On the market’s sides were shopfronts of a few dozen square meters, exquisitely decorated with traditional charm, their signs varied, like Jiuchun Hall, Huichun Pharmacy, Miao Shou Medicine Hall, and so on.

Many shopkeepers and assistants stood in front of the herbal stores; they all knew Zhang Xuesong, recognizing him as the traditional medicine procurement specialist, and greeted him with smiles.

Zhang Xuesong returned the greetings with a smile but didn’t stop, heading directly towards the southeast corner of the market, where the herbal stores were noticeably more substantial, equating to several small storefronts, each a hundred to two hundreds square meters of large herbal stores.

One such store, with red lacquer and green tiles, had an impressive frontage, red lacquered beams, red walls with glazed tiles, resembling a famous historical site.

In the center, flamboyant gold characters read: Hundred Herbs Revitalizing Hall.

On both sides were golden couplets: Shennong, a hundred herbs for the world, Miao Shou, reviving the society.