Chapter 183 Clinic Owners
Xu Yinxi walked alone in the morning breeze on the way to her shift change.
Now she and Qian Zhenniang each have their own workload, so it is difficult for them to take on the secretary position. Therefore, she only works as a personal secretary for half a day, and the other half a day is responsible for setting up the medical building.
She walked to Lao Liao's stall and ordered a bowl of wontons.
The white wontons are wrapped in fluffy dough. The base soup is made from large bones and meat, sprinkled with a few green onions. When you take a bite, even if there is still some spring chill, it seems to melt in this bowl of soup.
Xu Yinxi ate slowly and watched as the children finished their lunch break and went off in groups to attend literacy classes. The aunties in charge of street cleaning and security had red silk tied around their arms and were discussing the newly introduced "Three Guarantees" policy for shops with the vendors at the next stall. The public horse-drawn carriages to the demonstration base had already started running, and there happened to be a stop right in front of the county government office. Many people were carrying goods on their shoulders and getting on the carriages to do some small business there.
Xu Yinxi smiled knowingly.
Thinking about the cement Xu Zhenying mentioned, I still don't know what it looks like or what its use is. But if something is so highly praised by the city lord, it must have its extraordinary features.
For the first time, Xu Yinxi felt that this was what a life full of hope and dreams was like.
I used to live in a daze, confined to the square space in the backyard every day. It seemed that there was nothing to do except waiting to get married and fantasizing about life in my husband's family.
As a result, she has become one of the most important figures in Lan County. No matter where she goes, people recognize her, greet her warmly, and call her "Secretary Xu". She feels indescribably sweet in her heart.
These days are so much more promising than before.
Xu Yinxi had just scooped a spoonful of wontons, but before she put it into her mouth, she saw a few familiar faces. They seemed to be anxiously looking for someone, looking around in the crowd with anxious looks on their faces.
Why them?
Xu Yinxi quickly lowered her head, but she was spotted by the sharp-eyed Shopkeeper Wang, who called out from a distance, "Secretary Xu! Secretary Xu!"
Xu Yinxi had nowhere to escape now. She had no choice but to put down the dishes in her hands, raised her eyes and put on her signature smile, "Manager Wang——"
"Oh, Secretary Xu, you've been so hard for us to find. You said that our city lord couldn't be found these past few days, and neither could you. We were so worried that we couldn't eat or drink. Today we finally found you, and we have to have a good talk with you. Hey, hey, hey, boss, what did Secretary Xu eat? Give us one portion each—"
Some people who are knowledgeable and interested have already gone to pay the bill quietly.
The leader, Shopkeeper Wang, owned the largest pharmacy in Lan County, and the others behind him were also herbalists. A few days ago, the doctors who had originally decided to only temporarily teach at the medical school, had somehow, after hearing some deceptive advice from the city lord, resigned from their positions and dedicated themselves to research at the medical school.
Now, the owners of these medicine cabinets are furious.
Building a medical building was already scary enough for them, but in the end all the famous doctors in Lan County jumped ship to teach there.
Not only that, these shopkeepers are all sharp-eyed people. Since the construction of the medical building began, they have been running around more diligently than Xu Yinxi, and they send people to inquire about the progress almost every day.
Just as a medical department had just been built in the medical building, the carpenters had just completed the cubicles for stethoscopes and treatments, and had also made the prototype of a herb cabinet, the owners of medical clinics in Lan County immediately smelled the scent and came to arrest them.
Xu Yinxi also knew that there was no way to avoid it, so she had to bite the bullet and go ahead, pretending to listen attentively: "Dear shopkeepers, do you have any difficulties that you would like to contact us?"
"That's a lot of trouble!" Shopkeeper Wang, a portly man, sat down, still panting. "Let's not talk about that. What did the City Lord tell us in the beginning? He said... the establishment of a medical school wouldn't affect our business, and that the doctors in our clinic were just nominal, occasionally giving classes. But... look what's going on now. Every doctor with a good reputation in Lan County has been snatched up by the medical school! Secretary Xu, please judge for yourself. They say officials shouldn't compete with the people for profit, so why is the City Lord trying to steal our business?"
As soon as Xu Zhenying entered the city, he gained a very good reputation.
In addition, the universal education and land reclamation by refugees after the beginning of spring left a deep impression on the people of Lan County.
Nowadays, no one in Lan County calls them a makeshift troupe. While they respect them, they are less afraid of them.
Look, now that Xu Zhenying’s policy has come out, there are actually people who are dissatisfied and dare to come and argue directly.
No wonder Xu Zhenying has been avoiding them these days.
Xu Yinxi mumbled, "This... this was the doctors' own decision. It's hard to blame our city lord, right? Besides, the city lord built several large medical buildings. She must be trying to advance medicine. How could she possibly be thinking of competing with the people for profit?"
"Secretary Xu, we've seen the doctor's counter! We've also seen the medicine cabinets. And you're still saying you're going to sit in and listen to the doctor's consultations?"
"That's right. We already know of over a dozen doctors who've gone there. Surgeons, internal medicine doctors, pediatricians, and even pediatricians—they've all been booked up. People will definitely flock to the medical school for treatment. Who would want to come to our clinic?"
"That's right, how could the city lord steal our talents? We rely on these doctors to make a little money. How could the city lord, who has such a huge fortune, set his sights on our small fortune?!"
Xu Yinxi listened with a smile all the time, which allowed the owners of these clinics to vent their anger. By the time they finished talking, the wontons in the bowl were almost cold.
Oh, why is it so difficult to have a meal?
Everyone in the county government office said that the wontons made by Lao Liao at the door were delicious, but she hadn't even taken a bite yet.
Resentment.
However, Xu Yinxi's face was still full of smiles. After listening to their complaints, she slowly said, "Don't worry, everyone. Let me explain. The City Lord certainly has her own plans, but you should also know that since entering Lan County, the City Lord has never said that she would infringe on anyone's interests. However, we have been thinking of a solution these days. Since you are anxious, I can also reveal a little bit to you."
Several owners immediately listened attentively.
"This medical school must be built. From the perspective of ordinary people, having one place that can treat all kinds of illnesses, without having to run all over the city to get treatment for multiple conditions, would definitely make things more convenient for them. You, too, would surely wish for a place where you could treat everything from head to toe, wouldn't you?"
Xu Yinxi's voice is soft, but has a convincing power.
Especially when she spoke, she was neither impatient nor anxious, making people reluctant to interrupt her.
"Furthermore, don't look at things with old eyes. Think about it carefully. The medical school is planned to be located outside Lan County. There are tens of thousands of refugees there. Business will definitely be booming in the future."
When everyone heard this, they became even more anxious.
Boss Wang, sweat dripping from his forehead, didn't even touch the wontons in front of him. He said anxiously, "Yes, Secretary Xu, that's exactly the point! If all the patients go to the medical school, will there be any hope for us?"
Xu Yinxi sighed softly. "If all the doctors were gathered together, not only would it be more convenient for the common people to see a doctor, it would also be a hundredfold benefit for the doctors themselves. Think about it, there's a place with a large number of patients of all kinds, with instructors following them, and herbs and books readily available. This would greatly reduce the cost of training a doctor. Establishing a medical school is beneficial to the common people and the doctors, but it's disadvantageous to you, the owners of the medical clinics. But how can we turn this disadvantage into an advantage? You come to our medical school every day to inquire, but how come you don't notice that the herb shelf is empty?"
Seeing that everyone was still at a loss, Xu Yinxi bluntly said, "If I were you, I would simply not have doctors and focus on the herbal medicine business. Don't you think about it? There's a row of shops behind the medical school. According to the design of the medical school, people register in the front, see the doctor in the middle, and get medicine in the back!"
Shopkeeper Wang immediately understood what he meant and his face lit up with joy: "You mean, let us do business in the medical building as well?!"
Someone immediately objected, "But the location over there is so great, with Lan County on one side and the Demonstration Village on the other, and there's a public carriage transfer point in between. It's a well-developed area with lots of people coming and going. I'm afraid the prices in the shops will be exorbitant, right? How can a small business like us afford that?"
Xu Yinxi smiled, "It seems that you all know a good place?"
"Of course! Who can't see that it's well connected? I'm afraid it will be extremely prosperous in the future!"
"Yeah, there are so many people in the demonstration village. I think they've reclaimed thousands of acres of land, so how many people are there to live there? They all have headaches and fevers, and this is all about money!"
Xu Yinxi sighed, a mysterious expression on her face. "Originally, the City Lord was still considering this matter. I told you, don't tell anyone that I told you!"
Everyone nodded quickly, wishing they could swear.
"I guess... I'm just guessing, the city lord might be willing to lend you the dozen or so shops behind the medical school for free."
"What?"
Everyone was stunned.
Old Liao was getting very anxious as he watched the wontons getting cold and no one was eating them.
Xu Yinxi lowered her voice and said, "The city lord wants to give you a way out. He wants you to move your herbal medicine shop there so that it will be more convenient for patients. However, there are some conditions. This is an elimination system."
"Elimination system?"
"What is that?"
"Secretary Xu, please explain it more clearly."
"The elimination system means these stalls aren't given to you for free. I estimate they'll have to be replaced after a period of time, maybe half a year, or even a year, depending on the quality of your herbs, your service attitude, and patient reviews. For example, if you have patient complaints or financial disputes this year, your store will definitely be at the bottom of the list, and other herbal medicine vendors will be able to move in next year."
When everyone heard this, they suddenly understood and smiled. "Don't worry, Secretary Xu, our store's products are well-known in Lan County!"
Some people were skeptical, "Such a nice place, such an expensive shop, are they really going to give it to us like this?"
Xu Yinxi smiled and said, "You guys, the city lord is someone who does great things. How could she care less about your little money? This is mainly for the convenience of the people. Even the construction of this medical building is to promote the development of medicine in the Great Zhou Dynasty, train more good doctors, and make it easier for the people to see and get treatment. As long as you provide good medicinal materials and serve the patients well, the city lord has many good policies, and you are guaranteed to make money!"
These words made the owners of these clinics excited. If they could move their shops to the medical school, with so many people there, they would make more than just a fortune!
As for ensuring the quality of drugs, it goes without saying that if people in their line of work cannot control the quality, they will fall flat on their face!
Now the owners of the clinics no longer mentioned Xu Zhenying's poaching. Instead, they all gave him a thumbs-up and praised his honest and righteous conduct. "How shameful! We didn't expect the City Lord had already figured out a plan for us. We were still suspicious and dissatisfied. It's us who were acting unfairly!"
Shopkeeper Wang was even more eager to seize this opportunity, and he immediately patted his chest and said, "Since that's the case, why don't you ask the City Lord, Secretary Xu, and Secretary Qian to do me the honor of setting up a table at Zuixianlou at noon, and we can discuss the matter of joining the medical school in detail."
The others immediately echoed: "Yes, yes, the city lord has worked so hard for us, we have to show our appreciation -"
Xu Yinxi smiled and declined, "The City Lord has been busy with standardized pig farming lately. As you all know, this is the first time in the Great Zhou Dynasty that castrated pigs have been mass-produced. I don't know how the final results will be. If you really want to repay the City Lord, why not wait until this batch of pigs is ready, bring more people to buy them, and help promote our Lan County pigs. It would be best if we could promote it nationwide. That way, the people of Lan County will definitely follow us in raising pigs next year, and wouldn't that solve their food and clothing problems?"
This time, the shopkeepers heard this and finally couldn't hide their awe, "The city lord is so kind!"
"It's because we are too narrow-minded and are still focused on the few profits in front of us. Little do we know that the city lord only cares about the people."
Xu Yinxi also took the opportunity to say, "That's right. As long as you and the doctors work together to make our medical school a success, that would be the greatest reward and help to the City Lord. Just think about it, if all the doctors in the Great Zhou Dynasty graduated from our medical school, and all of them were proud to study at our Lan County Medical School, how prosperous would our Lan County be! I'd say it would be a thousand times more prosperous than Jinzhou Prefecture!"
"Yes, yes, Secretary Xu is right. Our Lan County now has over 100,000 people, making it one of the largest in Jinzhou Prefecture! Once the land is distributed and the people have settled down, they will all be Lan County residents from now on!"
"That's right. If you go out to Lan County now, you will see that other counties are in a mess except for ours. Many people have starved to death. Only here is a paradise!"
Xu Yinxi smiled and said, "This is all thanks to everyone. The construction of Lan County is due to all of your contributions."
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