Come in 15
Posted on July 07, 2025 ยท 0 mins read
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Chapter 15

โ€œThis?โ€ Zinnia dug it out from the bottom, where it had been buried for weeks. Her master had given it to her, muttering something about how she could take it to some shop if she ever got into trouble. But sheโ€™d been half-asleep, and the details were fuzzy. She hadnโ€™t needed it in Jinston, so sheโ€™d just shoved it in her bagโ€“partly because she was still annoyed that her master had left without explanation. The token stayed, forgotten at the bottom.

โ€œYeah. Can I take a look?โ€ The clerkโ€™s voice buzzed with sudden energy as he stared at the token in her hand.

โ€œSure.โ€ Zinnia handed it over without a second thought.

The clerk took the token in both hands, studying it. At first glance, it looked ordinaryโ€”just a plain brown piece of wood. But when his fingers touched the bottom-right corner, he recognized the texture. His pulse jumped as the truth hit himโ€”this was the real deal.

โ€œMiss, what herbs are you selling? Weโ€™ll take everything you have.โ€ The clerk smiled as he handed back the wooden token, his tone shifting from polite to friendly in a heartbeat.

The higher-ups had been clear: Anyone with this token got whatever they asked for, no questions. He didnโ€™t know why a girl like her had it, but that wasnโ€™t his problem. His job was simpleโ€“follow orders.

โ€œI only have five,โ€ Zinnia said, tucking the token away and pulling out a small white tin. She hadnโ€™t planned to sell moreโ€“the rest were for something else.

โ€œWill you buy these?โ€ She opened the box, revealing a messy pile of ginseng roots.

The clerkโ€™s eyes went wide. โ€œThisโ€ฆ this is wild ginseng! At least eighty years old!โ€ His hands trembled as he reached toward the roots.

The store handled plenty of ginseng, but specimens like thisโ€“wild, with perfectly preserved rootsโ€“were extraordinary. It was not quite ancient, but the wild growth made it worth a fortune.

โ€œYeah,โ€ Zinnia replied casually. She glanced at the tangled roots, suddenly guilty for stuffing them in carelessly. As she tried to straighten them out, a thin rootlet snapped between her fingers.

The clerk couldnโ€™t bear to watch Zinnia manhandle the ginseng any longer. โ€œPlease, miss, donโ€™t trouble yourself,โ€ he said hurriedly. โ€œWeโ€™ll take it all. Just leave it to me.โ€

This wasnโ€™t just any rootโ€“it was rare, wild ginseng, worth a small fortune, and she was treating it like some common herb.

That single rootlet could have fetched thousandsโ€”yet Zinnia snapped it off without a second thought, as if it were worthless. Worse still, she carelessly stuffed the precious roots into a bare metal box before tossing the whole thing into her bag.

The clerk couldnโ€™t help but wince. He shook his head in disbelief. โ€˜Does she truly not understand how rare this is? Or does she just not care?โ€˜

But Zinnia didnโ€™t understand his reaction. To her, it was just ginsengโ€” nothing special. Sheโ€™d grown up surrounded by it in that small town, where her master had once ground it into bitter pills sheโ€™d long since grown tired of.

Zinnia had thought about giving the ginseng as a gift when she first arrived at the Shaw residence.

But their first meeting hadnโ€™t gone well. After Betty fainted that first dayโ€“sending the family scrambling to the hospital while Zinnia stood forgotten in the empty houseโ€“she changed her mind.

Months passed, and the ginseng remained tucked away. By now, sheโ€™d made up her mindโ€“the Shaws didnโ€™t deserve it. It was not because of its value, but because she no longer cared to give them anything at all.

Spending the money on herself felt infinitely better than handing it over to the Shaw family.

Zinnia wasnโ€™t one to forget a grudge. Wrong her, and sheโ€™d return the favor with frost. Offer kindness, and sheโ€™d match it tenfold. If someone disliked her, the sentiment was always mutual.

To her astonishment, the five wild ginseng roots sold for one million dollars.

Jinston never failed to surprise her. She had expected a few thousand at most.

Back in that small town, wild ginseng might fetch a few thousand at bestโ€”just enough for her master to put meat on the table for a week or two before the coins ran dry.

But now she was sitting on a fortune, enough to keep her in meat for life if she wanted.

These were only the smaller roots. Her suitcase still held bigger ones, and more grew untouched in Tareston. Zinnia grinned, imagining future meals always heavy with meat.

With the herbs neatly packed, Zinnia left the mall, eager to get home and properly position her treasured good-luck charm.

The price these gnarled roots fetched was staggering. Had she known their true worth earlier, she would never have swallowed all those ginseng pills her master gave her. Each one could have fetched a small fortune in this city.

Zinnia marveled at the ginsengโ€™s staggering worth in Jinston. Back home, this much money could have fed them properly for monthsโ€“no more making do with just two vegetable meals and a single meat dish each day.

She didnโ€™t understand much about ginsengโ€™s value. Her master had simply told her one root could buy a meat meal, and sheโ€™d taken him at his word.

The one million dollars now sitting in her account sent a warm thrill through her. For now, she was staying with the Lynns, where meat appeared on the table without her spending a coin.

Once she moved out, she figured a few thousand would buy her meat every day.

To her surprise, food in Jinston actually cost less than in her remote town. When sheโ€™d quietly asked the Lynnsโ€™ chef, he told her their best beef cost just a few hundred per portionโ€”a tenth of what theyโ€™d paid back home.

โ€˜No wonder our town was always so poor,โ€™ she thought. โ€˜When meat costs this much, no one eats well.โ€™

With a million dollars, she could eat meat every day if she wantedโ€“no more strict limitations of her past. But she decided to take breaks sometimes, just to avoid getting sick from eating too much.

Zinnia wasnโ€™t hard to please. A solid meat meal once a day kept her happy. One million would keep her fed for a long time. She tapped her fingers absently, working out the math in her head.

Since arriving in Jinston, Zinnia hadnโ€™t once gone shopping. The Shaws provided mealsโ€”nothing fancy, but enough to get byโ€”so she never learned what things cost in the city.

Her masterโ€™s words still rang in her earsโ€“several thousand for a proper meat meal. Sheโ€™d dealt in sums like that since she was a girl, so one million meant little beyond more frequent feasting.

As her elevator descended, Zinnia noted the other display still showed 18. With a sigh, she accepted sheโ€™d never see that breathtaking man again.

Zinnia loved being around good-looking peopleโ€”their pleasing faces never failed to lift her spirits. Truth be told, the main reason sheโ€™d stayed at the Shaw residence so long was because everyone there was so attractive.

The Lynn familyโ€™s driver stood waiting by the car when Zinnia emerged from the mall. Spotting her approach, he hurried forward to take her shopping bags. โ€œFind everything you needed, Ms. Shaw?โ€ he asked.

โ€œThanks.โ€ Zinnia offered him a courteous smile as she slid into the backseat.

โ€œYour grandma just called, saying that Mr. Jackson Lynn has returned. We should arrive back just in time for lunch if we leave now,โ€ he informed her while stowing the packages in the trunk.

After securing her purchases, the driver circled back to the front, started the engine, and pulled smoothly out of the parking space.

Zinniaโ€™s efficient shopping meant theyโ€™d indeed return right as the meal was being served. โ€œOkay,โ€ she replied with a satisfied nod.


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