Expensive Gift From Valentina

"I suppose not," Leonard finished speaking and didn't hurry off. Instead, he looked at William and was hesitant to speak. William asked, "What do you want to say?" Then he quickly lowered his head to look at the document. After pondering, Leonard voiced his thoughts, "Mr. Felton, do you think this girl might take advantage of having the support of the Felton Family and Rory to behave recklessly?" William asked him dismissively, "So, the life of Lewis isn't worth this price?" Leonard trembled inside, realizing he had said the wrong thing. He quickly said, "That's not what I meant. I'm just... Today, it's S&W Group, what about next time? I'm just worried that if we keep cleaning up after her, it might cause unnecessary trouble for you and the Felton Family." William retorted, "So you think we, the Felton Family, should be ungrateful to our lifesaver?" "Not at all," Leonard was terrified and dared not speak. "She doesn't seem like a troublemaker, and even if she really makes a huge mess, do you think I can't handle it?" "Regardless of how clever and brave she is, she cannot stir up any significant troubles in the small Mapleville. You're overestimating her," William glanced at him. "Get back to work." The next day, Valentina arrived in Biddeford. After leaving the airport, she hailed a cab and headed for her destination. Bright Hall - an all too well-known herb medicine shop in the country. Franklin, who consulted in the hall, was a national-level physician, a stalwart in the world of herb medicine, holding a highly influential position within the entire medical community. Upon entering the door, Valentina could smell the familiar scent of medicinal herbs. Behind the long counter were two massive auburn-brown medicine shelves, all neatly and uniformly arranged. The dispensary was large, with an apprentice chopping herbs. Upon seeing a customer, the apprentice lifted his head and asked, "Are you here to see the doctor or to collect medicines?" "Prescribe the medicine," Valentina took out the prescription. This was for Augus's treatment. The medicine apprentice looked at it and found that the effects of several ingredients were too potent. He asked Valentina, "Who is the doctor that prescribed this? What is it for?" "To improve blood circulation and to enliven the blood," Valentina replied casually. "How old is the patient? What are the symptoms?" the apprentice asked further. "Isn't Franklin in the store?" Valentina countered. The apprentice looked at Valentina and said, "Wait a moment." He took the prescription and walked into the innermost tea room. After a while, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit came out with the prescription, "Is this your prescription?" he asked. Valentina said straightway, "Just tell me whether these medicines can be sold or not." "Of course, they can. But do you know how rare and expensive two hundred-year-old wild ginseng is? Even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy it," the middle-aged man said. "Given that I came here, I obviously know that your store has it. Let's just talk about the price." The middle-aged man cheerfully smiled and then opened his entire hand, "Fifteen million dollars, per piece. Do you have enough money?" Valentina looked at the middle-aged man, her eyes narrowing slightly, "Fifteen million dollars?" The price was indeed worth it, but she asked, "Is this fifteen million dollars set by Franklin, or is it your price?" The middle-aged man was not Franklin. "You shouldn't care who the bid is. Just tell me if you can afford it." "I'm buying this out of urgency," Valentina said, as if reminding him of something. "What a joke, who buys such expensive medicine if not in urgency?" The middle-aged man could see that Valentina was not an ordinary girl. Despite her ordinary dress, her demeanor was something different. She obviously had seen the world and seemed like a young lady from a wealthy family out to buy medicine for her family. Valentina glanced at the middle-aged man and did not reply. Instead, she said to the apprentice, "I had an appointment with Franklin." She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, "Where is he?" "Are you Miss Ricardo?" The medicine apprentice flipped through the appointment list. "Yes." "Mr. Franklin just got an emergency call on his way here. He should be back soon. Would you like to wait for him in the store?" "Sure." "Well, girl, are you here to buy medicine or to see a doctor?" Hearing that Valentina was looking for Franklin, the middle-aged man put down the prescription he was holding, pressed it on the counter with his palm, and asked with frowned brows. "Thanks for your concern, but I'll purchase the medicine from Franklin." "What do you mean by that? Do you think there's a problem with what I'm selling, or do you think there's a problem with the price?" The middle-aged man thought to himself, "It seems I've misjudged her. She's a pauper." Valentina glanced at him, and a seemingly amused smile danced on her lips. "If you’re unsure whether there's an issue, feel free to ask Franklin when he gets back." The man's expression immediately changed, and he threw away the prescription he was holding. "How dare you cause trouble in my Bright Hall!" He quickly ordered the medicine apprentice, "Kick her out." Then he turned around and walked away. "Wait," Valentina spoke up to stop him. The middle-aged man turned his head back. Valentina glanced at the prescription on the ground and emotionlessly said to him, "Pick it up." But the middle-aged man just snorted coldly at her, then shouted at the apprentice again, "What are you waiting for? Call security to kick her out. If she makes a scene, have her sent to the police station." "What's going on?" A lofty voice echoed from the entrance at this moment. A white-bearded elderly man with an aura of benevolence and wisdom strolled in. It was Franklin that Valentina was looking for. The appearance of Franklin conveniently dispelled Valentina's consideration of causing a scene in the store out of respect for Franklin. "Miss Ricardo?" Franklin came over and uncertainly sized up Valentina. "Yeah, I came here to get something and also get some medicine." Seeing that it was indeed Valentina, Franklin promptly turned to the two security guards behind her. "This is my guest. What are you doing?" The two security guards looked at Franklin, then at the middle-aged man. Under the middle-aged man's suggestive gaze, they silently retreated and stood guard. "I have prepared the things you wanted, and I will give them to you in a while," said Franklin, patting an old-fashioned medicine box made of raw wood carried by his assistant. "What medication do you need? I will start preparing it for you." "No need. I can't afford it." Valentina let out a bitter laugh, intentionally glancing at the middle-aged man. The man's complexion subtly changed as he warned Valentina with his eyes. Franklin frowned. The price range for herb medicine could be vast - from a mere few bucks to thousands of dollars for a single prescription. Although thousands of dollars for an ordinary person was indeed expensive, the item that Valentina sought from him was valued at close to three million dollars. How could it be possible that she couldn't afford medicine? "Do you have the prescription? Let me take a look." "Yes." Valentina looked down at the ground. Following her gaze, Franklin saw a piece of paper quietly laid on the floor. Franklin guessed that Valentina might have had an unpleasant interaction with his disciple earlier, which led him to shoot a slight glare at the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man lowered his head without making a sound. The assistant picked up the prescription and handed it to Franklin. After examining the prescription, astonishment spread across Franklin's face. Excitedly clutching the prescription, he asked Valentina, "Who wrote this prescription?" Having devoted decades to the study of herb medicine, this was the first time Franklin realized that these herbs could actually be combined in such a way. "I'm sorry, but it's not convenient to disclose that." Franklin immediately looked disappointed, but considering this was another doctor's prescription, his inquiry was sort of breaking the rules. Suppressing his curiosity, he asked regretfully, "You just mentioned that you couldn't afford it - which ingredient are you referring to?" Valentina replied, "200-year-old wild ginseng." After hearing this, Franklin immediately questioned his disciple and the medicine apprentice with the prescription in hand, "Didn't I say that those two wild ginseng roots are for emergencies? If a patient needs it, we provide it for free. How many times have I told you? Who allowed you to sell them?" Valentina, wearing a hoodie with large pockets, slipped her hands into the pockets, laughing lightly. "Providing for free? This gentleman here is offering fifteen million dollars for one." "You...." Franklin trembled in anger upon hearing this. These two rare wild ginseng roots were given to him by a young girl two years ago, the items were so precious that he dared not accept them for nothing. But she didn't care at all, casually tossing down the astronomically priced wild ginseng and then leaving like it was no big deal. At that time, Franklin had promised that as long as someone needed these two wild ginseng roots, he would provide them to patients for free. He would never sell them at high prices to the wealthy for their personal health. What Franklin didn't know was that this girl standing before him now, Valentina, was the same girl who had given him the ginseng roots all those years ago.