Chapter 80

It shouldn't be—Chenyu's a rascal, but that's fine; how did Chenjing also lose?

In a corner nobody paid attention to, the Ye old gentleman lowered his head, muttering, his whole spirit listless.

Lin Meng naturally didn't know what the old gentleman was thinking; seeing he seemed listless, she hesitated.

Could that Jade Marrow Pill be ineffective? Or is the old gentleman's body so depleted that one Jade Marrow Pill isn't enough?

Just then, Ye Xiangrong adjusted his mindset, raised his head and smiled at Lin Meng.

His complexion was clearly ruddy, his spirits full; Lin Meng couldn't help but stare for a moment.

"Little girl, you're here? Come sit down, you must be hungry; let's have a quick meal, then we can discuss these medicinal materials."

Lin Meng rubbed her belly, indeed a little hungry, so she didn't decline.

At the table, the old gentleman deliberately had Ye Chenjing sit beside Lin Meng, while he himself sat on her other side.

Ye Chenyu, left aside, could only pout and sit next to his elder brother.

Dishes were quickly served, and the old gentleman enthusiastically helped Lin Meng with food.

"Come, little girl, don't be shy, treat this as your own home."

Lin Meng felt a bit embarrassed, quickly replying: "Ye Grandfather, I'll serve myself; you eat too, you all eat—it's awkward for me alone to serve dishes."

After the meal, Lin Meng felt puzzled; the old gentleman was overly enthusiastic—surely not just for that one pill?

Although he's the Ye Group's former chairman, the old gentleman had no airs, just like an ordinary hospitable old man.

But this was good; Lin Meng genuinely felt the old gentleman's sincerity toward her, gradually making her less reserved.

As the meal neared its end, Zhu Zhen Guo arrived with three old friends to pay a visit.

Ye Xiangrong should have risen to greet them, but he kept chatting with Lin Meng, completely leaving the four eminent figures aside.

Ye Chenjing had no choice but to arrange for the old gentleman, letting the four first sample tea.

Zhu Zhen Guo and company stared at each other, all seeing Ye Xiangrong's worthless expression—actually being fervently enthusiastic toward a girl who looked very young.

They personally watched Ye Xiangrong serve the girl food, pass soup, and occasionally say a few words to her.

Zhu Zhen Guo couldn't help muttering to his old friend beside him: "When did Director Ye get a granddaughter?"

"I haven't heard the Ye family has a daughter; could it be related to the unilateral engagement the old fellow mentioned last time?"

For a moment, the four usually serious old men all took interest in the Ye family's gossip.

They speculated in their hearts about Lin Meng's identity, wondering which family's young miss could make the Ye family's former chairman so attentive.

Looking again at the Ye family's two juniors, they seemed to have little interaction with the girl; for a moment they couldn't tell which one was meant to be engaged.

From the moment the four old men entered, Lin Meng also quietly observed them.

Judging by their attire, one wore a white robe, with an immortal aura; all had extraordinary bearing, clearly not ordinary old men.

Could they be the buyers Ye Chenjing mentioned?

"Little Lin, are you full?"

Lin Meng quickly nodded: "I'm full, actually stuffed; you go ahead and entertain the guests, I won't keep you."

Eager to see how the medicinal materials were selling, Lin Meng proactively rose and gave up her seat.

Ye Xiangrong nodded, then turned his head to look at Zhu Zhen Guo and the others.

His expression changed, and he greeted them with a faint smile.

"Aren't you the three senior scholars of the Medicinal Herb Association? Oh, Doctor Huang, you're here too—quick, quick, let's go to the tea room and catch up."

Huang Ziming snorted coldly, turned his head away, too lazy to glance at Ye Xiangrong.

That old fellow had long known they were coming, yet pretended to have just seen them, basically not taking them seriously at all.

Zhu Zhen Guo, being more modest, hurried out to smooth things over.

"Hahaha, we've been friends for decades, so we won't stand on ceremony—bring out your treasured tea, let's drink and discuss matters."

The group quickly reached the tea room; Ye Chenjing summoned people to move the five baskets in together, then gestured to Ye Chenyu.

Having received his elder brother's order, Ye Chenyu immediately led Lin Meng into the small warm room next to the tea room.

"Lin Meng, this small room has a one-way mirror through which you can clearly see what's happening in the tea room."

Lin Meng followed over and indeed saw a floor-to-ceiling mirror that gave a clear view of the tea room's occupants, not missing a word of their conversation.

"Hehe, you keep watch here; I'll slip out first—just don't betray me."

Lin Meng waved her hand indifferently: "Go wherever you like; staying here she still finds it noisy."

In the tea room, the people took their seats one after another, while Zhu Zhen Guo and the four fixed their gazes on the five large baskets, their shock plainly visible.

"Little Ye, you said on the phone the medicinal materials weren't few—do you mean all of these five baskets in front of us?"

Zhu Zhen Guo's hand pointing at the medicine basket trembled slightly; the other three also stared nervously at Ye Chenjing.

They had already learned from Old Zhu that Ye Chenjing possessed at least one perfectly formed Wild Ginseng over three hundred years old.

If the medicinal materials in these five big baskets were all of that grade, their trip would be extremely worthwhile.

Ye Chenjing didn't answer directly, but said to the four seniors:

"Let me say up front, these medicinal materials aren't ours; someone entrusted me to handle them, so please don't make things difficult for me later."

Meaning, don't press too hard on the price.

The four are all sharp—how could they not understand?

If the materials came from the Ye family, given their rapport with Old Ye Chairman, they could get some discount.

But Ye Chenjing had given advance notice, so they couldn't use their connection with the Ye family as leverage.

Zhu Zhen Guo, eager to see the materials, immediately waved his hand upon hearing that.

"Price is secondary; we care about the medicinal materials themselves—rest assured, if the materials suit us, the Medicinal Herb Association will not be stingy."

Ye Chenjing nodded, then turned his gaze toward Huang Ziming.

He had only notified Old Zhu, never expecting that Doctor Huang would also get the news and rush over.

Doctor Huang Shenyi is indeed one of the few hidden experts in the whole country; his medical skill rivals that of Hua Tuo alive.

It's just right to wait for the trade to finish, then have Doctor Huang Shenyi feel Grandfather's pulse, so we can confirm exactly how Grandfather's health really is.

Huang Ziming felt Ye Chenjing's gaze, and immediately stroked his white beard, saying:

"Little Ye, rest assured, I'm happy to spend money on anything related to medicine; if this batch of goods contains the medicinal materials I need, I might even be able to bid against those few from the Chinese Medicine Association."

Old Master Ye sipped his tea, handing over all matters to Ye Chenjing.

He thought to himself, Chenjing handled things beautifully this time, surely leaving a good impression in Lin Meng's heart.

In the warm room, Lin Meng saw that the four were of noble status, and for a moment she also looked forward to it.