"Then... Father, do we have any ginseng at home?" Liang Lan asked.
Qiao Qiang did not lie. He nodded and said, "Yes."
"Then, how about you give us two if you don't need them?" Liang Lan asked expectantly.
Qiao Mei suddenly laughed out loud. She had thought that the Liang siblings were just stupid, but she did not expect them to be incurable.
Back then, their family chased Qiao Qiang out of the house after making use of him. Now that they felt that Qiao Qiang was useful to their family again, they wanted to take him back and expected him to give them everything he had.
What kind of logic was this? Even bandits would not do such a thing.
"These things are decided by Mei Mei. It's not my concern," Qiao Qiang said.
The grandfather and granddaughter had a tacit understanding. Qiao Mei immediately said, "It's not impossible if you want ginseng, but nothing in this world comes for free. What can you give me in exchange?"
"We're family! There's no need to be so calculative as a family!" Liang Lan said shamelessly.
"Then why do you need ginseng?" Qiao Mei asked.
Liang Lan said hesitantly, "My... My mother-in-law is sick! I need ginseng to nourish her body!"
She really did not even think twice before she lied. She could even curse her own family members. It took a special kind of person to do this.
Although Liang Lan said that she wanted to give it to her mother-in-law, she was probably trying to curry favor with the He family. Previously, when Qiao Mei was in the capital, she had heard from Xia Zhe that the Liang family had become very close to the He family recently. It was no longer a secret that He Ning needed the ginseng that Qiao Mei had.
"You also know the importance of this thing. Otherwise, you won't have asked me for it. Isn't it a little too late to tell me that we're a family? Moreover, even biological brothers have to settle accounts clearly. I don't know what kind of ginseng you want from me. The price of ginseng varies depending on its age. Even for those of the same age, the price will also vary based on how it looks," Qiao Mei said.
Liang Lan stammered and could not speak. When she was in the capital, she had heard that the cheapest ginseng Qiao Mei had was worth 100,000 dollars. She could not afford it even if she sold everything she owned.
"Don't say that. How about this, can you lend it to me? Lend it to us and I'll return it to you later," Liang Lan said with a smile.
Qiao Mei once again refreshed her impression of Liang Lan.
As the saying went, when one lent something, one would not know how it would be returned. If she let them borrow the ginseng, there will probably only be an empty box left at the end!
"No. Either you exchange something with me or you give me money. 100,000 dollars for 10-year-old ginseng, 200,000 dollars for 20-year-old ginseng... and so on," Qiao Mei said as she turned her head.
Putting aside the price of ginseng that was 10 or 20 years old, such a thing would not catch He Ning's attention at all. Given his status and illness, he needed ginseng that was 50 years old or more.
However, they did not have a house as big as the Cao family's house. Even if they sold all those small houses they owned, they would not be able to get 500,000 dollars. This was simply impossible.
"You don't lack a house or money. Not long ago, you even exchanged a 100-year-old ginseng for a house in the capital. Even if there are any nice things now, I'm afraid they won't catch your eye," Liang Lan said as she pretended to be in a difficult position.
Qiao Qiang did not know about this, but he did not show any reaction. These things belonged to Qiao Mei to begin with and it was up to her to decide how she wanted to use them. He had no right to interfere.
Chen Hu was so surprised that he dropped his chopsticks on the table. He knew that there were good things on the mountain around where Qiao Mei lived. Previously, when he bought supplements for Qiao Qiang, he was surprised to find ginseng slices in his water and had asked about it.
He also understood that this kind of thing was very valuable, but he did not expect it to be that valuable.
"What house? Mei Mei, you're amazing. You even have a house in the capital!" Chen Hu exclaimed.
"It's just the house that's part of the backyard of Xia Zhe's house. It's nothing much," Qiao Mei said.
Liang Lan put on an envious look and said, "It's more than that! That's Xia Zhe's grandmother's house! It's a standard courtyard house with more than 20 rooms in that part of the backyard! Qiao Mei is now famous in the capital! Everyone knows about it!"
"If you have such a big house, I can also give you 100-year-old ginseng in exchange for it," Qiao Mei said.
Hearing what Qiao Mei said, Liang Lan started to think about it. Qiao Mei must still have more 100-year-old ginseng in her hands. The Liang family could be saved!
However, how could she trick Qiao Mei into giving her the ginseng?