It had to be said that Wang Li's words were truly a bit too piercing for Feng Chengmin.
To be precise, "piercing" wasn't the right word; this was like stabbing Feng Chengmin right in the windpipe.
Wang An, who was laughing loudly, looked at Feng Chengmin—who still wore a murderous expression but was now full of regret—and hurriedly said
"Now look here, Old Great-Uncle, that's enough. This is all in the past, what's the point of dwelling on it? The bear galls we three brothers hunted last year didn't fetch a good price either. Hurry up and grab your galls; we need to head to the county seat immediately."
Feng Chengmin took a deep breath to soothe the scratching, suffocating feeling of frustration in his chest. Once he exhaled, he spoke
"I'm afraid thieves might be eyeing them, so we three brothers kept the goods in separate places. I need to stop by my eldest brother's and younger brother's rooms. You guys eat some pine nuts and hazelnuts while you wait; I'll be back in a moment."
The moment Feng Chengmin left the room, Wang An and the other two looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter again. Wang Li said while laughing
"I thought Old Great-Uncle was going to show off for a bit, but then he immediately looked so miserable. I find this absolutely hilarious, hahaha!"
Mu Xueli also laughed loudly and said
"Exactly! Comparing it like this makes me feel so much more balanced. Those were over ten bear galls, hahahaha!"
It must be said that regardless of the situation, comparisons are the worst; yet, once a comparison is made, many things that felt miserable can suddenly become easier to accept.
However, the schadenfreude in the laughter of Wang An and his companions was a bit too eager. Feng Chengmin, who had just stepped outside, heard it crystal clear. He paused in his tracks, nearly turning back to give the three of them a beating.
Ten minutes later, Feng Chengmin returned, but he was accompanied by Old Aunt Wang Yulian, who had been visiting neighbors.
Generally, Wang Yulian wouldn't leave the house when Feng Chengmin wasn't home; she only had the chance to go out and gossip when he was around.
It couldn't be helped; Feng Chengmin's house had quite a lot of valuables and money, and she always felt uneasy if no one was home.
After Wang An and the others greeted Wang Yulian, they drove Feng Chengmin toward the county seat.
Upon arriving at the Railway Guest House, the security guard saw the two cars and let them into the courtyard without asking a single question.
This was normal. In this era, the number of people who could drive a car was incredibly small. Anyone who drove one was undoubtedly either wealthy or powerful.
As soon as he got out of the car, Feng Chengmin remarked with emotion
"These cars are great. They're comfortable, warm, and the speed is lightning fast."
As he spoke, Feng Chengmin checked his watch and added
"It only took twenty-some minutes to get here. Tsk tsk, this thing is truly wonderful!"
Wang An said with a smile
"Then why don't you buy one, Old Great-Uncle? It's not like you can't afford it."
Unexpectedly, Feng Chengmin shook his head
"Forget it. Spending 50,000 yuan on a thing like this is too impractical. Besides, it's not of much use."
With that, the four of them, carrying the bags of bear galls and bezoars along with the small scale, walked into the guest house.
The receptionist told Wang An and the others that Li Yongrui and his party were in Room 206, so the four of them headed there.
Li Yongrui was very pleased by their punctual arrival. When Wang An mentioned that Feng Chengmin had brought another six bear galls, Li Yongrui's eyes brightened significantly.
After a few brief pleasantries, Li Yongrui said impatiently
"Shall we start inspecting the goods now?"
Wang An nodded and turned to Feng Chengmin
"Old Great-Uncle, how about you go first?"
Feng Chengmin didn't decline and immediately produced six shriveled-looking bear galls.
Of the six galls Feng Chengmin brought, there were two black bear "gold galls," one black bear "iron gall," one black bear "grass gall," one brown bear "iron gall," and one brown bear "grass gall."
Li Yongrui looked at the six galls on the table, then turned to take a toolbox out of his backpack, extracting a heap of very professional-looking tools.
Among them were stainless steel scissors, a stainless steel awl, a stainless steel tray, a tool that looked very similar to an ear pick, a magnifying glass, a balance scale, a funnel, several small brushes of unknown material, as well as several transparent glass bottles and laboratory-style beakers.
After arranging these items, Li Yongrui said to Feng Chengmin in a very serious and solemn tone
"Sir, if you confirm that you want to sell these galls to me, I must inspect them one by one. If I find anything inside the gall other than gall powder, I will refuse to purchase it. However, we will not take responsibility for the damaged gall skin."
After Li Yongrui finished speaking, Feng Chengmin looked toward Wang An. Clearly, despite having sold many bear galls, this was the first time he had experienced such a process.
When the supply and marketing cooperatives or medicinal herb collection stations bought galls, they simply looked at the indentation of the string tying the gall's mouth, poked a small hole, and had the inspector taste a tiny bit of the powder. That was it.
Seeing Feng Chengmin's gaze, Wang An took the initiative to speak
"That's fine, inspect them however you like. We have a scale here too, so once you've weighed them, we'll weigh them again. Also, before you start, why don't you teach us how to verify if a bear gall is genuine? That way, after you leave, we can help you collect galls here and sell them all to your family."
Hearing this, Li Yongrui immediately nodded and smiled
"Of course. The weight must be accurate. Verifying the galls is simple; I'll explain it to you while you watch. You'll get the hang of it after one go."
As he spoke, Li Yongrui began the operation.
He first picked up a gold gall and used the awl to poke a hole in the bottom center. After poking the hole, he said
"Generally, if a bear gall is adulterated, the powder-like substances are added right after the gall is extracted. Regardless of what is added, it will settle at the very bottom."
As he spoke, Li Yongrui used the ear-pick-like tool to scoop out a grain-sized amount of gall powder and placed it on the stainless steel tray.
Next, he took a tiny bit of the powder and placed it into a glass of water.
Once the powder entered the water, it sank to the bottom in a linear streak, and the streak did not disperse.
Li Yongrui added
"See? Genuine gall powder will absolutely not disperse if left unstirred after entering the water."
Then, Li Yongrui continued
"If you aren't afraid of wasting a bit, you can put a small pinch in your mouth to taste. Bear gall powder is different from other types; it dissolves instantly in the mouth, and the bitterness spreads immediately, but at the same time, you'll feel a distinct coolness. After swallowing, you'll notice a slight sweetness in your mouth."
The four of them, including Wang An, listened with the intensity of primary school students.
Subsequently, Li Yongrui spread the small amount of powder on the tray and observed it with the magnifying glass.
While observing, Li Yongrui spoke once more
"The particle size of bear gall powder is uniform; there will never be a variation in size. However, this depends on one's eyesight; it's hard to explain in detail."