Chapter 15
โThis?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 sheโd been half-asleep, and the details were fuzzy. She hadnโt needed it in Jinston, so sheโd just shoved it in her bagโpartly because she was still annoyed that her master had left without explanation. The token stayed, forgotten at the bottom.
โYeah. Can I take a look?โ The clerkโs voice buzzed with sudden energy as he stared at the token in her hand.
โSure.โ Zinnia handed it over without a second thought.
The clerk took the token in both hands, studying it. At first glance, it looked ordinaryโjust 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 himโthis was the real deal.
โMiss, what herbs are you selling? Weโll 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 didnโt know why a girl like her had it, but that wasnโt his problem. His job was simpleโfollow orders.
โI only have five,โ Zinnia said, tucking the token away and pulling out a small white tin. She hadnโt planned to sell moreโthe rest were for something else.
โWill you buy these?โ She opened the box, revealing a messy pile of ginseng roots.
The clerkโs eyes went wide. โThisโฆ 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 thisโwild, with perfectly preserved rootsโwere extraordinary. It was not quite ancient, but the wild growth made it worth a fortune.
โYeah,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 couldnโt bear to watch Zinnia manhandle the ginseng any longer. โPlease, miss, donโt trouble yourself,โ he said hurriedly. โWeโll take it all. Just leave it to me.โ
This wasnโt just any rootโit was rare, wild ginseng, worth a small fortune, and she was treating it like some common herb.
That single rootlet could have fetched thousandsโyet 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 couldnโt help but wince. He shook his head in disbelief. โDoes she truly not understand how rare this is? Or does she just not care?โ
But Zinnia didnโt understand his reaction. To her, it was just ginsengโ nothing special. Sheโd grown up surrounded by it in that small town, where her master had once ground it into bitter pills sheโd 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 hadnโt gone well. After Betty fainted that first dayโsending the family scrambling to the hospital while Zinnia stood forgotten in the empty houseโshe changed her mind.
Months passed, and the ginseng remained tucked away. By now, sheโd made up her mindโthe Shaws didnโt 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 wasnโt one to forget a grudge. Wrong her, and sheโd return the favor with frost. Offer kindness, and sheโd 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 bestโjust 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 ginsengโs staggering worth in Jinston. Back home, this much money could have fed them properly for monthsโno more making do with just two vegetable meals and a single meat dish each day.
She didnโt understand much about ginsengโs value. Her master had simply told her one root could buy a meat meal, and sheโd 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 sheโd quietly asked the Lynnsโ chef, he told her their best beef cost just a few hundred per portionโa tenth of what theyโd paid back home.
โNo wonder our town was always so poor,โ she thought. โWhen meat costs this much, no one eats well.โ
With a million dollars, she could eat meat every day if she wantedโno more strict limitations of her past. But she decided to take breaks sometimes, just to avoid getting sick from eating too much.
Zinnia wasnโt 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 hadnโt once gone shopping. The Shaws provided mealsโnothing fancy, but enough to get byโso she never learned what things cost in the city.
Her masterโs words still rang in her earsโseveral thousand for a proper meat meal. Sheโd 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 sheโd never see that breathtaking man again.
Zinnia loved being around good-looking peopleโtheir pleasing faces never failed to lift her spirits. Truth be told, the main reason sheโd stayed at the Shaw residence so long was because everyone there was so attractive.
The Lynn familyโs driver stood waiting by the car when Zinnia emerged from the mall. Spotting her approach, he hurried forward to take her shopping bags. โFind everything you needed, Ms. Shaw?โ he asked.
โThanks.โ Zinnia offered him a courteous smile as she slid into the backseat.
โYour 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.
Zinniaโs efficient shopping meant theyโd indeed return right as the meal was being served. โOkay,โ she replied with a satisfied nod.