"Is it you?" The old man also looked frightened, jumped a few steps away, turned around and ran away.
This old man was the one who sold counterfeit medicines at the Grand Pharmacy Fair that day. Gu Shiba Niang watched him squeeze into the crowd, his movements were very flexible at such an old age, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Sister, where are we going?" asked the boy driving the car.
Gu Shiba Niang sighed, threw the medicine basket into the car, looked back at Master Dong's door plaque, and got into the car, "Go back."
The boy responded and led the donkey forward.
The weather has gradually turned cooler, and a gentle breeze is blowing on her face. She counts on her fingers and realizes that more than five months have passed since she "woke up" unconsciously. It was said that it passed in the blink of an eye, and it was only now that her tense nerves relaxed slightly. At one point, these past few months have been like a dream.
Gu Shiba Niang couldn't help but raise her hand and bite her finger gently.
"Little girl, does it hurt?" someone asked from the side.
Gu Shiba Niang was shocked when she saw the old man selling counterfeit medicine again. He was dragging his torn sack and walking on the right side of the donkey cart with small steps.
As he spoke, his little eyes blinked at Gu Shiba Niang's fingers, as if he was really curious about whether it hurt.
"Try to bite it." Gu Shiba Niang pursed her lips and smiled.
"Go, go, keep going. Don't blame me if I bump into you." The boy scolded him.
The old man ignored the young man at all. Instead, he held up his hand and got into the car.
"You old man! Get down!" The boy was frightened and angry, and hurriedly came over to grab him.
Gu Shiba Niang raised her hand to stop him, "Since he's older, let's give him a break."
The boy glared at the old man, muttered that there were no rules, and ignored him.
"Little girl, you are kind-hearted." The old man said with a smile.
Gu Shiba Niang smiled and said nothing.
"Little girl, why didn't you call for someone to arrest me?" the old man couldn't help himself and asked.
"Catch you? Why?" Gu Shiba Niang turned to him and asked him curiously, "Old man, what bad things have you done?"
The old man looked depressed and stared at the little girl.
"You didn't steal or rob, you just sold some wheat dongxu walnut and catalpa peel at the medicine fair. Why should I ask people to arrest you?" Gu Shiba Niang also stared at him.
When the old man heard this, he looked at her face with an indescribable expression, a little surprised, more like the depression of a child after his little trick was exposed.
"You know? Do you know what it is?" The old man said in surprise, with a bit of disbelief, "Then why didn't you tell the government that it was not a fake medicine...?"
This old man was so brave that he didn't run away, but stayed here to inquire about the lawsuit.
That's right, the fake Qinpi bark shopkeeper Zhou bought was walnut catalpa bark. To be honest, it was also a medicine, just like the Ophiopogon japonicus fibrous roots used as polygala.
Of course, Gu Shiba Niang did not tell anyone this.
"So what about walnut catalpa bark? Although walnut catalpa bark is also medicine, it is sold as walnut bark, so naturally it is fake. What's the big deal?" Gu Shiba Niang said with a faint smile.
As a lesson from heaven and earth, the fibrous roots of Ophiopogon japonicus bought by Gu Shiba Niang were not sold as polygala. There was a big difference between the two.
The old man laughed and said, "You are right."
"Besides, old man, I never said what I was selling from the beginning to the end, whether it's Yuanzhi or Qinpi, but you all said it yourself. Even if you sue me, you're not afraid..." He blinked his small eyes, flashing A cunning light.
Gu Shiba Niang thought about that day and realized that it was indeed the case. She couldn't help but smile. Who is this old man? Where did Shopkeeper Zhou find it
"So, the young lady saw it at the medicine stall?" the old man continued, his eyes brightened, but then he looked depressed again, "I just made it, how come I was found out the first time I showed up..."
Gu Shiba Niang pretended not to hear, waving the small fan in her hand to occasionally block the sunny September sun.
"Am I too stupid?" The little old man was still muttering, and he shook his head, "It's impossible, it's impossible, how could I be stupid...but the little girl is smarter than me!"
When he said this, he finally felt that everything could be explained. He laughed and clapped his hands, "Yes, yes, little girl, you are too smart..."
"No, I'm not smart, I've seen it before." Gu Shiba Niang said.
The old man laughed and shook his head rapidly.
"Impossible." He said, with a hint of confidence on his face, "It's the only one in the world. The treasure I just brought out this time will never be found anywhere else."
Seven or eight years later, Qinpi sales were greatly affected by... everywhere. Gu Shiba Niang thought to herself, could this old man be the origin of fake Qinpi
Gu Shiba Niang couldn't help but look at the old man twice. The old man was still hanging his mouth, looking depressed.
"It's definitely not that I'm stupid, but that you're too smart!" He continued to mutter.
Gu Shiba Niang couldn't help but smile. He didn't believe what she just said was true. It was really not that she was too smart, but that she had seen it before. In fact, she was a fool, otherwise she would not have ended up like that.
Thinking of this, the smile on her face disappeared in a flash.
"Little girl, why are you unhappy when I praise you for being smart?" The old man saw her mood and asked curiously.
Gu Shiba Niang said calmly that it was nothing.
Seeing that she didn't want to talk more, the old man didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he pulled the torn sack beside him and opened the treasure offering to her.
"Little girl, look, I have other medicine here, do you want it?" he said, winking, "It's very cheap."
This man is really... Gu Shiba Niang gave him a helpless look, knowing that this man was selling fake medicine, who would buy it
"You can't eat anything that doesn't kill you..." Seeing her expression, the old man quickly added with a smile.
Gu Shiba Niang couldn't help but roll her eyes, thinking that maybe she should send him to the Yamen, as if he was kept, it would be a disaster to the world.
"Where are you getting off?" she asked.
"I'll go on my own when it's time..." The old man didn't say it directly, but glared, "Young man, you can live longer by doing more good deeds, so what if you give me a little extra time?"
Did he teach himself a lesson? Do more good deeds? Gu Shiba Niang twitched her lips.
When the old man saw that she didn't drive him down, he shook his sack again and continued like he was coaxing a child, "Why don't you take a look if you don't want to buy... It doesn't cost anything..."
Gu Shiba Niang was amused by him again. She looked at him and said meaningfully: "Old man, only by doing good deeds can you live longer."
"How long can I live? I'm tired of living... I'm just waiting to go have a drink with the Lord of Hell..." The old man snorted, and then added hurriedly, "However, young people should avoid the invitation of the Lord of Hell. That’s it.”
After saying that, without waiting for Gu Shiba Niang to speak, she shook the torn sack in front of her and said, "Little girl, look at what kind of medicine these are, you can see..."
"What do you think?" Gu Shiba Niang asked lazily.
"I see, old man, I..." the old man tilted his head and thought, while groping around with his hands, shaking his sleeves, and fell out a heavy money bag and a yellowed, dog-eared book.
Gu Shiba Niang glanced over and landed on the title of the book, and her eyes lit up.
"Liu Gong's Seventeen Methods of Cannon-burning!" She couldn't help but read it again, and suddenly her heart skipped a beat.