The Prodigy Herb Gatherer
“Uncle, I overheard something earlier. There's supposed to be an amazing herb gatherer deep in the western market street.”
“An amazing herb gatherer?”
“They said the best herbs we bought at the herb shop today were all picked by that gatherer.”
“Then shall we make one last stop there before heading back?”
“Yes!”
But Danmok Seong shook her head.
“Since we're out on the street, we should buy gifts for the family on the way home.”
Danmok Hyeon-u nodded at his niece's sharp words. Bundles of herbs hardly counted as proper gifts.
“Then...”
“I spotted a jewelry shop on the way here.”
“Good. We'll visit the herb gatherer first, then swing by that shop. Sound good?”
Both girls nodded vigorously.
They arrived to find a small, shabby hut-like house. Thick, wild trees crowded behind it, while the front yard baked under harsh sunlight, barren and stark. A broken fence stood clumsily tied together with straw rope.
“This is... the place?”
At that moment, a girl carrying a full basket of dried herbs spotted them and froze. She was thin, but her upturned eyes held a fierce glint.
“Who are you?”
The girl asked defensively. It was odd for such a group to seek out this rundown corner: a young man in his late twenties and two little girls.
But Ryeon swallowed her pang of longing. This was Yak Yeo-cheong. Her young, innocent face was sunburned from scaling mountains all day, and her skinny limbs spoke of hardship.
Ryeon steadied herself and pointed to the basket in Yak Yeo-cheong's arms.
“We're here to buy herbs.”
“All the way... here?”
Yak Yeo-cheong's eyes mixed disbelief with wariness. Ryeon smiled brightly and nodded.
Shimmering text floated over Yeo-cheong's basket.
Dried Deutzia Fruits
Status: Top Quality
Even the Herb Hall we just left didn't have anything this good!
“Grandma! Grandma, we have customers! Um, come on in.”
Yak Yeo-cheong had caught Ryeon’s eyes sparkling at the herbs. She yelled toward the back and led them inside.
A small side room was set up like a tiny apothecary. A gentle breeze carried a bittersweet, refreshing scent.
“Looking for any specific herbs?”
Yeo-cheong swiftly pulled out a stool, climbed on, and stowed the deutzia fruits in a drawer as she asked.
Ryeon glanced around. Not a huge quantity, but mostly top quality, with a few good ones.
“Yeah, platycodon root.”
“What for?”
“Making platycodon syrup.”
Yeo-cheong pursed her lips thoughtfully, then fetched a bundle of prepared platycodon from inside. Four small baskets, each with three roots.
Ryeon gasped softly at the sight. Refreshing air swirled around the platycodon. She'd never seen anything like it.
“Um, for a basket like this... five coins...?”
“...?”
Yeo-cheong ventured cautiously, glancing nervously as if Ryeon might bolt at the price. Five coins wouldn't even buy a family bowl of noodles.
“Er... f-four coins...?”
Ryeon furrowed her brow at the basket. The herb shop had asked forty for one.
“Who'd buy it at that price?”
“Ah... no, I mean... even Cheonun Herb Hall up front...”
Yeo-cheong shrugged, mumbling excuses.
“Do they sell this much for four coins?”
“Actually, they buy from me for three... but buying straight from me is still cheaper than them, even at four...”
Yeo-cheong stammered. Ryeon clenched her fist. Now she understood the clerk's hesitation. The merchant was buying cheap from Yeo-cheong and marking up outrageously!
Not outrageously, considering the quality. But three to forty?
“Do you know what they sell these for?”
“Six coins...?”
Ryeon glanced at the clear autumn sky. That bastard...
A girl living with her grandma in a shack—young but desperate and skilled. He'd exploited that.
Danmok Hyeon-u, who'd been listening silently, clicked his tongue. “Even for a merchant, that's no business ethic.”
Sensing the group's mood, Yeo-cheong fidgeted more.
Ryeon nearly laughed at this naive side of the Yeo-cheong she knew—but the girl's anxiety killed the mirth.
“I'll pay extra for these. Package them up, please,” Ryeon told Yeo-cheong, then turned to Danmok Hyeon-u. “Among all the herbs we've seen, hers are the best quality. We should source from her for our pharmacy.”
“Better than Hoseon Medical Pavilion?”
“Yes!”
“But... isn't she awfully young?”
Danmok Hyeon-u whispered.
“Age doesn't mean no skill or talent.”
He stared at Ryeon, then nodded. She was living proof.
“Alright, let's do it. I can't ignore talent being mistreated after seeing it myself.”
Danmok Hyeon-u finished settling the bill. “She can't supply everything alone, so we'll keep Hoseon for the rest. Okay?”
“Yes!”
As Danmok Hyeon-u and Ryeon wrapped up, Yeo-cheong shyly reappeared clutching the packaged platycodon.
“Is this... for real?”
“Yes. And we'd like to keep buying from you. Possible?”
“From... me?”
“Yeah. We want your herbs for our pharmacy.”
Yeo-cheong blinked in disbelief, then snapped to life and bolted inside. “Grandma! Grandma!”
Clattering dishes and frantic footsteps echoed, then an elderly woman appeared, hunched over a cane in one hand, gripping the girl's arm with the other.
“Grandma, these people!”
“What? I said we're not selling the shop.”
“No, they want to keep buying my herbs! Keep buying!”
Yeo-cheong shouted. The old woman squinted at Ryeon, Danmok Hyeon-u, and Danmok Seong in turn.
She jabbed at the platycodon package. “You call that packaging for customers? Do it over!”
A sharp smack on the girl's back. Yeo-cheong winced, twisting away with the bundle, and vanished inside.
The room fell eerily quiet without the little girl.
The old woman cleared her throat and asked Danmok Hyeon-u, “So, you want to keep trading... what exactly?”
Danmok Hyeon-u glanced at Ryeon. She peeked toward where Yeo-cheong had gone.
“Um, we'd like to steadily buy herbs from your herb shop going forward.”
“And who might you be...?”
The woman's eyes narrowed. Realizing the little girl called the shots amplified her suspicion.
Ryeon realized she'd forgotten to introduce herself properly and smiled awkwardly. “From the Danmok family estate.”
The woman's eyes widened. “Danmok? The ones who thrashed the Geum Gajang young lord recently?”
“Not thrashed, exactly.”
Ryeon waved it off with a laugh. The woman's eyes darted left and right, as if abacus beads clacked in her head.
“Ahem. As you see, all our herbs are picked by that wild girl Yeo-cheong...”
“Yes. That's why we want to trade.”
“For real? What makes you say that?”
“The platycodon. And the other herbs.”
Ryeon eyed a tattered canopy in the yard where deutzia hung drying. To her Divine Eye, it all screamed Top Quality! Top Quality! Top Quality!
Before loyalty to Yeo-cheong, they had to secure this. No other pavilion had spotted it yet—a miracle. Probably dismissed a child gatherer.
“But what if we don't sell elsewhere? What if we end up with extras...?”
“We'll buy it all. We want Zhejiang's best herbs in Danmok Pharmacy.”
The woman flinched at Zhejiang's best herbs. Her grip tightened on the cane. Her throat bobbed.
“W-well, do you perhaps... know this old bag?”