Chapter 51 Shopkeeper
The sun rises late in winter, so Su Tong got up at around five o'clock and set out in the dark, carrying a backpack.
It was just past six when we arrived in town, and the sky was just getting light. Then we took the bus to the county, and it was already past nine when we arrived in the county town.
Su Tong did not delay and found out the largest Chinese medicine store in the county.
This is an old brand called "Ji Fu Tang". It is said that their ancestors have been practicing medicine for generations and it is also quite famous in the capital. Although the branch was opened in the county only in recent years, it is very recognized by local people.
The pharmacy is very large. There is a tall counter as soon as you enter the door. On both sides are wall-to-ceiling cabinets with hundreds of windows. On the other side is a glass counter with some Chinese patent medicines such as medicated liquor, ointments, cooling oil, and Baifeng Pills.
Seeing such scale and grandeur, Su Tong felt relieved.
After searching around, I found a small blackboard on a counter in the corner. It said "Buying Medicinal Materials" and listed the prices of some common Chinese medicinal materials densely. They were all Chinese medicinal materials that are very easy to find nowadays, and the unit prices were not high. Some of them also had purchase requirements specified.
Su Tong looked towards the counter and saw a young man not far away who was looking at a prescription and preparing medicine. He looked very young, about seventeen or eighteen years old.
Every time a medicine was weighed, it was evenly divided into portions onto several pieces of kraft paper, on which various medicinal materials were already piled up in a small pile.
But he didn't seem very skilled, and he always poured too much for one portion and too little for another, so he had to use tweezers to pick up some more.
She waited for a while, but no one came over, so she called out "comrade", and the man turned around.
Su Tong explained his purpose, and the young man pointed to the small blackboard and said, "The prices are listed above. The herbs must meet our standards before we can accept them."
Su Tong said, "Comrade, my medicinal materials are not on your blackboard. Can I talk to your boss?"
"I'm sorry! If you don't have it, we won't accept it. This is what the master has decided."
"My herbs are not common, so they are not written on the blackboard, but your pharmacy will definitely need them."
"I'm sorry! We have our own supply channels. If there's anything not listed, then there's no shortage."
The young man didn't even raise his head. He answered politely and refused straightforwardly. I guess there are many people like her.
The young man seemed to have finished preparing the medicine and began to pack the medicine in front of him into medicine bags one by one.
Su Tong leaned over there and said, "Comrade, how about this? I'll do you a favor, and then you do me a favor, okay?"
The young man raised his head, his expression a little dazed, "But I don't need your help!"
"No, you do."
Su Tong smiled slightly and pointed at the medicine bag in front of him, "What if I tell you that you missed a medicine."
The young man was stunned for two seconds, then seemed to suddenly react. He lowered his head and opened the medicine package, took the prescription on the side, quickly compared it, and looked up in surprise.
Su Tong asked, "There is one insect missing, right?"
The young man cried out: "How did you know?"
The whole worm stock in the medicine cabinet had been used up just now, and before it was replenished, he jumped to prepare the next medicine. As a result, he was interrupted in the middle and bandaged the wound as soon as he finished preparing it. If the girl hadn't noticed it, he would have made a big mistake.
At this time, another young man came from behind with a wooden drawer and shouted:
"Shanzi, all the insects have been taken."
Then add medicine to the medicine drawer marked "Quan Chong".
Shanzi quickly took a small scale and weighed the whole insects, added them to the medicine bags, rewrapped the bags, and placed them in a place with "Medicine Pickup" written on it. He then looked at Su Tong deeply and said:
"Wait a moment."
Su Tong didn't wait long before she saw Shanzi coming out and said to her:
"Come with me!"
Su Tong smiled, put on the backpack and followed.
"Ji Fu Tang" is indeed the largest Chinese medicine store in the county. It has a large backyard and several rows of houses.
Although it is winter, there are many Chinese medicinal herbs drying in the yard, all of which require regular ventilation.
Shanzi took her across the yard, walked to a house at the back row of houses, and knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
Someone answered from inside the door, and from the sound of the voice it sounded like a middle-aged man.
Shanzi pushed open the door and said respectfully, "Master, the person is here."
Then he stepped aside to let Su Tong in.
As soon as Su Tong entered the door, he smelled a strong medicinal fragrance coming towards him. After entering, he found that it was a small reception hall with a door next to it, which should be an operation room for preparing pills.
An elderly man with a goatee was walking out while taking off his sleeves, looking like he had just finished something busy.
He was an old man, probably in his early fifties, with a ruddy complexion and a calm and penetrating look in his eyes. He nodded at Su Tong and said, "Miss, please sit down for a while. I'll go wash my hands and come back."
At the same time, he turned around and said to Shanzi: "Shanzi, make a cup of tea for the guest."
Shanzi responded and went out. When he made the tea, the old man came over after washing his hands.
The old man sat down. Probably because his ancestors were doctors, he was very polite and said, "I am the owner of Ji Fu Tang. My surname is Lin and my given name is Shanwen. May I know what your name is, young lady?"
Su Tong thought for a moment and replied, "My name is Su Tong. Su means "Su" in Gusu, and Tong means "Tong tree". Shopkeeper Lin, you can just call me by my name."
When in public, just use your original name. The former Wu Tong didn't know any medical skills, and it would be bad if the name were to get out.
Shopkeeper Lin nodded, "Su Tong, Shanzi told me what happened just now. He has not been learning for long and made a mistake just now. Fortunately, you found it and it didn't turn into a big mistake. I have already criticized him severely."
Su Tong was a little surprised. Shanzi was a very honest man. If it were an ordinary person, he would have kept the matter secret, but he took the initiative to confess.
Shopkeeper Lin continued, "Shanzi's aptitude is a little lacking, but his heart is pure and his character is good, which is why I accept him as my disciple. But I am a little confused. I heard that you didn't see the prescription, so how did you find out that he missed a medicine?"
Su Tong smiled, "I saw that the medicine he prepared included Panax notoginseng, Astragalus, Leech, Lycium barbarum, and Peach Kernel, so I knew that this prescription must be used to treat liver and kidney deficiency, Qi deficiency and blood stasis. Although I don't know how many herbs he needs to prepare in total, I know that this prescription must include whole worms, so I reminded him."
"Oh! Could you please explain why the whole insect is indispensable for this recipe?"
Shopkeeper Lin asked with a smile, clearly intending to test him.
"The whole worm can relieve pain, dilate blood vessels, and lower blood pressure. It is used together with Panax notoginseng as the main ingredient. Without this whole worm, the prescription would be useless."
Shopkeeper Lin nodded repeatedly, "Rare! Rare! I didn't expect that you, a young girl, know so much!"
Then he said to Shanzi, "Look, Shanzi, you have been learning for more than half a year, and now you can only help prepare medicines. You must work hard!"
Shanzi nodded repeatedly, his face flushed, and he was a little at a loss.
Su Tong said hurriedly: "You are too kind! I only know a little bit."
But I thought to myself, you have only studied for half a year, but I have been learning medicine since I was a child, from traditional Chinese medicine to Western medicine. In total, I have probably studied for 10 to 20 years.
Shopkeeper Lin then returned to the main topic, "Su Tong! I heard that you are here to sell medicinal herbs. Show them out."
Su Tong breathed a sigh of relief, finally getting back to the topic.
She uncovered the soft cloth in the basket, took out a small bunch of "Poplar Coriolus" and placed it on the small table in front of Manager Lin.
Shopkeeper Lin didn't pay much attention at first, but when he saw what was in front of him, he widened his eyes in surprise, "This, this is 'mulberry yellow'?"
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