Liu Yang could barely believe it. Even Xia Fang, who was watching them from the side, was caught by surprise.
“Ah!” Liu Yang looked at Xia Fang enviously.
This made Xia Fang very happy. She looked at Liu Yang smugly and said, “Hmph, I can let you taste one of the roots from my ginseng.”
Even though wild ginseng was rare and priceless, no matter its age, Xia Fang was very confident that she could repay this nice gesture from Qiao Mei.
“Aye, alright, alright, alright.” Liu Yang hurriedly went to pick out the best ginseng among the three.
Then he studied it for a long time to find the root that would belong to him.
He looked so comical that Xia Fang and Qiao Mei laughed non-stop beside him, but neither of them could interrupt him from choosing seriously. He studied it for almost 10 minutes.
“Liu Yang, you only get a ginseng root. Do you have to take so long to choose?” Xia Fang said as she looked at Liu Yang impatiently.
That ginseng belonged to her after all. She had not even taken a look, but Liu Yang was already picking out the ginseng root he wanted.
“Haha, I have to choose carefully since it’s such good ginseng,” Liu Yang said.
He then pointed to a medium length root on one side and said, “I want this one. Remember to give it to me when the time comes.”
Xia Fang looked at Liu Yang curiously and said, “Oh my, this doesn’t seem like your style. Why didn’t you choose the longest one?”
Although Liu Yang was a stingy person, he was still good to people who were close to him. However, he would never waste a chance to take advantage of someone or something . That was why she thought that he would take the chance to choose the longest one.
“What do you know! This is the biggest one.” Liu Yang stared at the ginseng in his hand happily.
He had already taken advantage of her in a way that she did not understand.
Liu Yang was a Western doctor, but his teacher had a background in Chinese medicine and the knowledge rubbed off on him as well. Now, he would study Chinese medicine every month to pick up new knowledge.
He would not be able to take a pulse and diagnose a patient, but he was able to recognize medicinal herbs and distinguish between good and bad ones.
As he held the 30-year-old wild ginseng in his hand, he was so happy that he could not stop smiling.
Xia Fang rolled her eyes at Liu Yang’s silly look and said, “Useless thing, hurry up and come to dinner!”
Qiao Mei had already placed all the dishes on the table while Liu Yang was still looking at the ginseng. She had made a total of eight dishes and they all smelt really good. He had been so focused on the ginseng that he did not see the table full of dishes.
“Oh wow, there are so many nice dishes. This Xia Zhe’s wife has got some skills,” Liu Yang said.
He patiently wrapped up the wild ginseng in his hand and put it aside before sitting at the dining table eagerly.
“There are so many dishes. Are you welcoming me?” Liu Yang said with a smile.
“You still expect us to welcome you. Qiao Mei has made extra dishes for you.” Xia Fang scooped some rice for Liu Yang with some annoyance.
Liu Yang hurriedly stood up and went to the kitchen to help out. After everything was neatly arranged, they started eating.
The Xia family had a house rule that everyone had to be present at mealtime before they could eat. It was meant to signify unity and happiness for everyone in the family. They would keep waiting for a family member who was not present unless they were given advance notice that the person was not joining.
“Mei Mei, I’m your uncle, right?” Liu Yang said as he raised his wine glass.
“Yes, you’re my uncle.” Qiao Mei looked at Liu Yang in confusion.
“Although I’m your first cousin once removed, your aunt and I grew up together and can be said to be the closest. So I’m like your real uncle!” Liu Yang said.
When Qiao Mei saw that Liu Yang was happily high from drinking too much, she echoed, “Yes! My real uncle!”
“Aye! That’s right! So, if you have any good ginseng next time, remember your uncle. Any price is fine, but don’t make it too expensive. Your uncle can’t afford it, hahaha.” After saying that, Liu Yang drank another glass of liquor.
“No problem! Leave it to me!” Qiao Mei said with a smile.
When Xia Fang saw Liu Yang like this, she knew that he had drunk too much and all he could think of was ginseng. It was rare to encounter such good ginseng, so it was understandable that he felt so happy and drank more than usual.
However, the ginseng belonged to her!
Yet Liu Yang was so happy, like he was the one who received the ginseng as a gift.
He was already so happy with just a ginseng root. Xia Fang shook her head helplessly and secretly pointed at Liu Yang behind his back, mouthing to Qiao Mei that he had drunk too much.