Chapter 123: Chapter 55: An Adultery-Catching Fiasco (Part 2)

"It’s only been a few days, and she’s still in her postpartum confinement. She couldn’t resist sneaking out to meet her lover. She truly has no sense of shame," Jie Jingjue cursed.

Afraid of being discovered by Qin Mei, Jie Jingjue didn’t dare get too close and trailed her from a distance. At the end of the alley, he watched from afar as Qin Mei got onto a bicycle. Once seated, she intimately wrapped her arms around the rider’s waist.

Jie Jingjue was seething with anger. They were on a bicycle, making it impossible for him to catch up. He could only watch their figures recede until they vanished into the night.

At the black market, Mrs. Xie was dressed in men’s clothing and a hat, not a single strand of her hair visible. Qin Mei hadn’t gone as far as a full disguise like Mrs. Xie, but she was concealed so well that unless someone knew her personally, it would be impossible to recognize her.

"Xiao Mei, we need to be quick," Mrs. Xie reminded in a low voice.

’We were caught at the black market last time. If we get caught again, we’ll lose all face and dignity.’

"Mom, don’t worry. I already picked it out last time." She just hadn’t had the chance to make a move before she was caught. This time, Qin Mei had come prepared.

"Last time?" Mrs. Xie asked in surprise.

Qin Mei pulled Mrs. Xie along, and using her memory from the last visit, she quickly found the stall selling medicinal herbs.

"What can I get for you two?" the old man selling herbs greeted them warmly.

"Sir, I’ll take all of these herbs. Name your price," Qin Mei said, getting straight to the point.

"All of them?" The old man was stunned.

"Yes, all of them," Qin Mei confirmed with a firm nod.

"Are you sure?" the old man asked again. When he saw Qin Mei nod, he stopped hesitating and named his price.

"Fifty?" Mrs. Xie asked, looking at the five fingers the old man held up.

The old man shook his head. "Five hundred."

"Five—" Mrs. Xie’s eyes widened in shock. Realizing she had lost her composure, she covered her mouth and asked in a hushed voice, "Five hundred? Are you sure this pile of herbs is worth five hundred?"

The old man glanced around warily and whispered, "This pile of herbs isn’t what’s valuable. These are."

The old man opened a nearby urea sack for Qin Mei to inspect. After a single glance, she decided to buy. "Five hundred it is."

The old man was overjoyed. The herbs were valuable, but they would only sell to a true connoisseur. He had been trying to sell them at the black market for two months without finding such a person. Clearly, this young lady knew her stuff.

"Young lady, do you know anything about Chinese medicine?" the old man asked.

"My family comes from a long line of Chinese medicine doctors," Qin Mei replied with a smile.

Hearing this, the old man beamed. Since the young lady was so decisive, he decided not to be outdone. He knocked one hundred off the price for Qin Mei. "Alright then. Seeing as your family comes from a line of Chinese medicine doctors, I’ll give it to you for four hundred."

Qin Mei lived by the principle that only a fool passes up a good deal. She immediately took an envelope from her crossbody bag, pulled out one hundred yuan, put it back in her bag, and handed the remaining four hundred in the envelope to the old man. "Sir, please count it."

The old man took the envelope, opened it, wet his finger with a bit of saliva, and began to count the money right in front of her. "Not a yuan more, not a yuan less. Exactly four hundred."

The old man gleefully pocketed the money and deftly packed the herbs into two large urea sacks. Qin Mei took one, Mrs. Xie took the other, and the two of them quickly departed the black market.

Once they were out of the black market, Mrs. Xie could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The herbs were all dried and didn’t weigh much. Qin Mei sat behind Mrs. Xie, holding one of the bags.

"Xiao Mei, is your family really from a long line of Chinese medicine doctors?" Mrs. Xie asked doubtfully.

"No." Qin Mei shook her head. ’My family comes from a long line of Chinese medicine doctors, but the original owner of this body’s family does not.’

"Then why did you..."

"I was lying to him," Qin Mei said with a smile, interrupting Mrs. Xie. "You can never be too careful. By saying that, I made sure he wouldn’t dare try to pass off low-quality herbs as good ones."

Mrs. Xie smiled in understanding. ’Qin Mei is so thoughtful and cautious. That’s very good.’

Mrs. Xie suddenly thought of something, and her expression darkened. "He gave you a hundred-yuan discount so easily. There isn’t a problem with these herbs, is there?"

Mrs. Xie didn’t know anything about Chinese medicine, so she certainly didn’t know anything about herbs.

"They’re fine," Qin Mei said with certainty. After a moment of thought, she added, "We were both wary of each other, but he also wants my business again in the future. Giving me a discount of one hundred was a gesture of goodwill. Mom, I have a feeling that the next time we go to him for herbs, he’ll take us to his home or choose a safer place to make the deal."

The mention of a "next time" made Mrs. Xie’s heart skip a beat. She asked, "How many herbs does Jing Qi need to treat his leg?"

"Some of these herbs are for Jing Qi, and some are for Jie Jingchen. I have other uses for the rest," Qin Mei said without elaborating.

"Jing Si?" Mrs. Xie was taken aback, then asked with a hint of excitement, "Jing Si’s right hand... can you treat it?"

"Mom, do you want me to treat him?" Qin Mei didn’t answer directly, asking a question in return.

Mrs. Xie fell silent. ’His right hand is crippled, which is why Jing Si had to retire from service. If Qin Mei could actually heal it... that would bring both joy and sorrow.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com