The fragrance of herbs is renowned throughout the five regions.

Wang Pan'er thought that after the initial opening period, the number of customers at the medicinal cuisine restaurant would decrease. However, as winter deepened and snow began to fall, the restaurant remained packed with people.

Many diners experienced improved health and became die-hard fans of Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant. Word spread and word of mouth spread, making it even more popular than when it first opened.

Aunt Tian was grateful to Wang Pan'er for taking her in, so she and her son Li Qingyan would come over to help out whenever they had free time.

Li Qingyan works as diligently as Aunt Tian.

He was efficient and decisive in his work, but Wang Pan'er always felt it was a waste of his talents to have such a learned scholar often doing menial tasks in the shop, such as sweeping and tidying up.

That day, the girl who was on duty looking after the children was going to a banquet. When Li Qingyan arrived, Aunt Tian urged him to go to the inner room to look after the children.

Wang Pan'er had a sudden inspiration.

Why bother with sweeping and cleaning? It would be much better to teach the shop assistants' children.

Which shop can offer such benefits? It would keep its employees firmly tied to their jobs, making them work diligently and responsibly.

Wang Pan'er consulted with Aunt Tian: "Yan Ge'er is very knowledgeable. What's the point of him doing odd jobs in the shop? He can only make the most of his talents by helping the children with their studies."

"Yes!" Aunt Tian nodded repeatedly. "I'll have Yan Ge'er prepare tonight so he can teach the children."

“Aunt Tian, ​​please don’t force Yan Ge’er. Just make sure he doesn’t miss the autumn examination next year. He can come whenever he has time. I’ll pay him 300 coins for each hour, 10 times a month. If Yan Ge’er is busy, that’s fine too. The shop assistants can also come along to learn to read and do arithmetic, and become more knowledgeable and intelligent.”

After making proper arrangements for Li Qingyan, Wang Pan'er called Wang Xiaoyao over: "I've been working so hard lately that my back and legs ache. There are too many diners, so I'm thinking of hiring a few more people. What do you think?"

Wang Xiaoyao skillfully calculated on the abacus while responding to Wang Pan'er: "It's necessary. No one made the pastries we sampled before. Everyone was working non-stop, and they all looked exhausted, which didn't give diners a good impression. If we hire more people to take turns, everyone will have an easier time. If someone collapses from exhaustion, we'll really be unable to keep up for a while."

Wang Pan'er then asked for everyone's opinions.

Faced with survival difficulties, everyone worked with great enthusiasm. Now the shop is operating smoothly, and the owner is generous, giving up two layers of profit sharing. The girls in the shop receive a minimum of seven taels of silver, a sum that even the men in their families cannot match.

Seven ounces is enough to support a whole family.

Making money is for living. If you have time to make money but no time to spend it, then what's the point of going to work?

The women, having turned over in their new homes, began to dictate to their husbands what to do, seeing it as the perfect time to enjoy life, and thus all agreed to the hiring plan.

Wang Xiaoyao's newly recruited ladies took their places, put pastries on the menu, and then discovered a new problem.

We have enough staff, but the kitchen is only so big, and the restaurant can only accommodate 40 or 50 tables. If we cram them in any more, it will definitely affect the experience, which would be counterproductive.

In this way, we can say that we have reached the ceiling of Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant.

If they want to increase their turnover further, they will have to find another store and open a branch.

The fear is that people will find medicinal cuisine novel, and after eating it for half a year or a year, their enthusiasm will begin to wane.

You can't get fat in one bite, so Wang Pan'er patiently decided not to expand blindly.

Ultimately, she had no choice but to adopt a marketing tactic from later generations—limited supply.

The Qi-boosting beef tendon is served in 50 portions per meal, on a first-come, first-served basis. We can serve diners at noon and 5 pm daily. During the remaining time, we prepare takeaway or pre-prepared foods such as pastries, tea, and seasoning packets.

Unlike her fellow workers who were exhausted, Tao Shuo was radiant with health during this time.

In just over a month, she accumulated a wealth of experience, putting her years of learning to practical use. Her medical skills improved daily, and she could now diagnose pulses within three breaths instead of needing to think deeply about them. She even had time to frequently visit Taihe Hall to learn from her senior brothers, which explains her radiant complexion.

The diners began to trust her. Look, here comes a lady with a child, eagerly placing the child's forearm on the counter: "Doctor, my son has been suffering from abdominal bloating for days and can't eat. Do you have any suggestions on what can help him eat and digest?"

Tao Shuo took the child's pulse, but her expression gradually became serious.

She had previously examined healthy individuals, at most providing dietary adjustments to make them feel more comfortable. However, the child before her was showing obvious signs of illness.

His face was pale and bluish, his tongue was coated with a yellow and greasy coating, and he had loud, gurgling bowels. When asked, the woman said that he had not had a bowel movement for four days, which seemed to be a sign of obstruction.

Medicinal cuisine is for conditioning the body, while illnesses require proper medical treatment. Children's illnesses are more urgent and serious than adults', so Tao Shuo dared not be careless and decided that it would be safer to send the child to a medical clinic.

Wang Xiaoyao summoned Wang Pan'er from the kitchen. Upon seeing the situation, Wang Pan'er said to Tao Shuo, "I will accompany you to take the mother and son to Taihe Hall. If there is any obstruction, we cannot delay."

After saying that, he instructed Wang Xiaoyao: "Bring out some of the cakes prepared in the kitchen and brew some barley tea to entertain the guests. We will resume business when Tao Shuo and I return."

When they encountered a sick child, the adults were understanding and urged Wang Pan'er to quickly accompany the mother and child to see a doctor. Furthermore, the exquisite pastries served by the young ladies made the diners feel the host's sincerity, and they were all patient and even began to talk enthusiastically about what would happen next.

"Although Dr. Tao is a woman, her talent and learning are in no way inferior."

"I heard that Doctor Tao is a fellow disciple of Doctor Yu from Taihetang."

"They are not from the same school. Doctor Yu was a disciple of Doctor Tao's father, and Doctor Tao's medical skills can be considered a family tradition."

"It's a pity she's a woman; now she can only condescend to work in this medicinal cuisine restaurant, severing people's pulses."

...

I was in a hurry the whole way.

Wang Pan'er was panting heavily as she leaned against the door of Taihe Hall, while Tao Shuo rushed into the hall carrying the child.

When Doctor Yu saw his junior sister barging in with her entourage, he immediately took the child and performed a series of diagnostic methods using the four diagnostic methods of observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation.

"It is indeed a case of obstruction. Fortunately, you arrived in time. If it had been delayed any longer, the child would have vomited feces."

The phrase "spitting out feces" startled the woman.

She probably couldn't imagine how serious the illness was, and she covered her face and wept bitterly.

Tao Shuo patted her back and comforted her, saying, "Although this illness is urgent, it is not incurable. After my senior brother performs acupuncture and massage, the child will recover immediately after defecating."

After inserting needles into the three acupoints of Zusanli, Tianshu, and Zhongwan, Dr. Yu applied a hot salt pack to the child and then gently pressed the abdomen clockwise.

Within moments, the child burst into a sharp cry, struggling to resist the doctor's touch on his abdomen.

The woman's heart, which had just been at ease, was now in suspense again. She clutched the hem of her clothes, her brows furrowed, and her eyes filled with unease.

Doctor Yu said to Tao Shuo, "It's quite serious and requires intestinal cleansing. You come with me to boil a large pot of Da Chengqi Decoction. The rest of you go out and wait."

Doctor Yu carried the child into the inner room, and Tao Shuo followed.

Wang Pan'er stayed in the outer hall to keep her anxious mother company.

In modern times, intestinal obstruction is basically a condition that can be treated in an outpatient setting. It sounds scary, but as long as you seek medical attention in time, you can recover quickly.

Wang Pan'er comforted the woman, saying, "The scene of the bowel cleansing is not a pleasant sight, so it's not appropriate for us to go in. Besides, Doctor Yu and Doctor Tao are both here, so don't worry, I'll wait with you."

The child's cries continued intermittently for about half an incense stick's time, followed by a series of loud exhaust blasts, then the sound of heavy objects falling into a wooden barrel with a "thump, thump," accompanied by a foul stench.

After everything quieted down, Doctor Yu led the child out of the inner room, while the young apprentice carried the chamber pot toward the outhouse.

The woman rubbed her eyes in disbelief: "That's it?"

Dr. Yu returned to his consultation table, picked up his pen, and wrote a prescription: "Alright, I'll prescribe a box of 'Qi-regulating pills' for your child. These days, he should drink warm liquids, such as rice porridge, and avoid greasy, meaty, and hard-to-digest foods."

The woman was moved to tears.

Tao Shuo's eyes shone brightly: "Senior brother, if I treat any sick customers in the future, can I still bring them to you? Can we treat them together?"

"You!" Doctor Yu tapped his junior sister's hair bun. "Of course you can. If you treat it in time before symptoms appear, the injured person will not suffer, nor will you need to spend a lot of money on treatment. As the saying goes, a superior doctor treats illness before it occurs. It's quite a coincidence that you went to the medicinal cuisine restaurant to take people's pulses."

After saying this, Doctor Yu stood up and bowed to Wang Pan'er: "When the young lady invited me before, I thought that going to the dining hall to see patients would be beneath my status. Now it seems that we were arrogant and short-sighted. Doctors should have a benevolent heart and treat patients to save lives. We should not distinguish between occasions."

"I wouldn't dare accept that," Wang Pan'er said politely. "If Doctor Yu approves of our Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant, I would like to ask Doctor Yu for a collaboration."

"Please speak."

“If Tao Shuo diagnoses the illness in the future, we will use the wooden plaque as a token to allow customers to come to Taihetang. You can use this plaque to waive the consultation fee and only charge for the medicine. I will send a waiter to settle the account regularly.”

"This move may seem like a concession, but in reality it will make the people think that Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Shop is a medicinal cuisine shop recognized by Taihe Hall. The young lady is clever. However, it is a real benefit for the people, and I have no reason to refuse. I will inform the hall master and then tell the young lady."

Upon hearing this, Wang Pan'er clasped her hands in a fist salute: "Then I will trouble you, Doctor!"

After discussing the matter, Wang Pan'er and Tao Shuo led the recovered child out of the clinic.

After all that trouble, the cost of the medicine, excluding the consultation fee, was only half a string of cash.

The woman, holding the child's hand, was about to kneel down to express her gratitude.

Wang Pan'er quickly caught her, saying, "No, no, if you really want to thank me, why don't you come back to the medicinal cuisine restaurant with me?"

The woman looked puzzled, unable to understand Wang Pan'er's approach.

“There must be customers waiting for the result in the restaurant. Sister, you’ll have to be my living advertisement when you get back! I see the sun is almost at noon. If you’d like, I’ll ask the kitchen to cook some rice porridge for the children.”

Wang Pan'er touched the child's round head; his stomach was no longer bloated and painful, and his spirits were visibly much better.

"Today, Doctor Tao saved my son's life, so let's do as the young lady wishes."

Back in the shop, the curious diners were indeed still eagerly waiting.

In addition to the diners, an important guest also arrived—the manager of Tianchengyuan Money Shop.

Wang Pan'er guessed that it was related to Mu Chuan, so she gave Wang Xiaoyao a look, signaling her and Tao Shuo to bring the mother and son to make an appearance.

Wang Xiaoyao nodded and instructed the kitchen to prepare rice porridge, while Wang Pan'er welcomed Manager Xu and his two attendants into the inner room.

Manager Xu's attendant carried a very large wooden box and placed it on the table.

Shopkeeper Xu opened the wooden box and introduced it to Wang Pan'er: "The winters in Jinzhong are bitterly cold. These are fur cloaks and warm boots that Young Master Mu specially asked me to order from the capital because he was worried that you would get cold."

Wang Pan'er took out a cloak from the box. Its outer layer was embroidered brocade, exceptionally beautiful. The inner layer was even more luxurious, made of large, whole pieces of fur pieced together.

It's really heavy, and it's really warm.

"May I ask, shopkeeper, what kind of fur is this?"

"Fox fur is the most sought-after by women."

Goodness, they've really gone all out.

“Miss Wang will receive one, and Miss Er will also receive one. I have also prepared hand warmers and ear warmers as gifts for the two of you.”

Another package was served.

It's a bunch of random little gadgets.

The most unique items are the two hairpins. They look like hairpins, but they are actually hidden sword hairpins. If you pull out the hairpin, you can find a sharp knife that has been coated with a large amount of poison. It can kill a strong man instantly. They are self-defense tools that Mu Chuan specially made because he was worried about the two sisters.

Compared to the expensive cloak and "silver hairpin," the other items were merely small tokens of affection.

The gift was small but the sentiment was deep, suggesting that Mu Chuan and Tian Chengyuan had a close relationship.

Thinking of this, Wang Pan'er didn't stand on ceremony and gathered up all the things that Manager Xu had brought: "I've been too busy to prepare for winter, so thank you very much, Manager."

"You're too kind, young lady, but I have another favor to ask."

"Please speak freely, Manager Xu."

"My mother's birthday is in a few days. My wife is pregnant and has been suffering from morning sickness for days. She especially likes the pastries from your shop. So I came here today to ask you to prepare pastries for my mother's birthday banquet. I also sincerely invite you two to come and celebrate my mother's birthday together."

Wang Pan'er nodded: "Thank you for your patronage. My sister and I will gladly accept your offer."