The bustling and lively Tianjiekou.
The four shops are connected together, divided into two storefronts. Above them is a red cloth fluttering in the wind, and below are the five smiling owners.
From Zheng Ruqian to Jiang Sheng, they were all dressed in brand-new clothes and new cloth shoes with multi-layered soles, greeting and seeing off guests at the door.
Xu Mo was the most understated, still wearing a narrow-sleeved cotton robe with a light-colored cloak over it, and a matching headband. Just standing there, he was already as graceful as a willow tree and as elegant as a jade tree in the wind.
Zheng Ruqian wore a plain silk robe with wide sleeves and a belt around his waist. A jade pendant hung on the left side of the belt, and a large purse in the same color as his clothes was on the right. His long hair was tied up with a jade crown, revealing his broad and smooth forehead.
Chang Yan and Wen Zhiyun were dressed simply, both wearing the most common cross-collar cotton robes. However, Wen Zhiyun was thin and wore a sleeveless vest, which made him look even more frail.
It's Xiao Jiang Sheng's turn.
Aunt Zhang clearly favored this only little girl, and specially took the time to sew her a fine cotton dress.
She wore a light blue half-sleeved top, paired with a moon-colored short jacket and a light pink pleated skirt. It fit the eleven-year-old girl perfectly. Even the ribbons for her two little pigtails were changed to light pink, which echoed the pleated skirt and made her look more lively and cute.
Behind them, two shops had their doors wide open, openly displaying the items inside.
A bakery with countless pastries.
A store with a wide variety of medicinal herbs.
A passerby couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Do you sell pastries or medicinal herbs here?"
Zheng Ruqian answered loudly, "These are the two shops that my brother and I own."
The passerby suddenly realized.
He refused to give up the opportunity and continued to introduce his products, saying, "My brother is a miracle doctor who can cure all diseases. My shop has countless pastries, and you can have whatever you want to eat."
But passersby walked away quickly, showing no desire to enter the store.
Zheng Ruqian frowned, his mind filled with doubt.
Wen Zhiyun, standing next to him, blushed and whispered to Chang Yan, "Second Brother is exaggerating a bit. I can't cure all diseases. At most, I can only cure fifty or sixty minor ailments."
"Fourth Brother, 'a hundred diseases' is just a figure of speech. Second Brother's shop only has a dozen or so kinds of pastries, but he still boasts that there are countless." Changyan comforted him softly. "Do you know that being able to cure fifty or sixty diseases is considered extremely powerful?"
Even the imperial physicians in the palace might not be able to cure hundreds of diseases.
A person's energy is limited in a lifetime. It is already difficult to master a disease to an extraordinary degree, let alone Wen Zhiyun, who is only twelve or thirteen years old. He has countless hours to do better.
The word "medicine" requires talent, but also hard work.
When Wen Zhiyun practiced acupuncture, he didn't hesitate to prick himself with needles, studied late into the night, and even tested medicines until his nose bled. His efforts were no less than Xu Mo's, and his dedication far exceeded Xu Mo's.
"Fourth Brother, you may not be the best doctor in Fengjing now, but in the future, your medical skills will definitely be the most exquisite and powerful." Changyan held Wen Zhiyun's hand, which was covered with needle marks. "I believe in you, I will always believe in you."
Although the fourth brother was thin and weak, he never gave up. He always tried to be strong, capable, and to protect his younger siblings, learning to be a qualified older brother.
He was Changyan's close brother of the same age, and also his best fourth brother.
Just then, the sun shone brightly.
Xu Mo gestured to indicate the direction of the shadows and raised his voice, "The auspicious time has arrived!"
Jiang San and Jiang Si sprang up like monkeys, each standing under a plaque.
With a slight nod from Zheng Ruqian and Wen Zhiyun, the two of them jumped up, leaning on their long canes, and pulled off two pieces of red cloth, revealing a gleaming golden plaque underneath.
A shop with an irresistible aroma of cakes, "Jiuzhenfang".
A place with a strong medicinal smell, "Wen's Medical Clinic".
The signboard was specially made by Zheng Ruqian, featuring a red background with gold lettering and a gold border. Compared to other shops with red backgrounds and black lettering, it was more eye-catching and had a more flamboyant style.
Wen Zhiyun was a little shy, but feeling encouraged by his fifth brother, he walked into the Wen family clinic with a graceful demeanor. He hung up a piece of Xuan paper at the entrance, which read: "Clinic Opening, Free Consultation for the First Three Days".
Afterwards, Dr. Wen straightened his robes, sat down in his consultation seat, and waited quietly.
In the blink of an eye, two people rushed over and extended their wrists.
Then came five, seven, and ten.
Wang Xiaozhu rushed out to direct the process, "Line up properly. No one who doesn't line up will be seen. Stand in line one by one according to the order of arrival."
In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a long queue had formed in front of Wen's Medical Clinic, moving as fast as if they had hired shills.
"We didn't hire any shills, did we?" Zheng Ruqian rubbed his eyes, almost dumbfounded.
Xu Mo smiled and said, "Free medical consultation, do we still need to hire shills?"
Taking advantage of others doesn't discriminate between the poor and the rich. The poor are reluctant to see a doctor to save a few cents, while the rich will join in the fun whenever they see the word "free".
Regardless, Wen Zhiyun's move was brilliant.
By offering free services for just three days, the clinic was able to quickly build a customer base. Even if only one-tenth of the customers went to get medicine, it would still bring profits to the clinic.
It's hard to believe that the usually quiet Xiao Si has such a calculating mind.
Xu Mo nodded approvingly, then turned to look at Zheng Ruqian, who was completely dumbfounded, "Why don't you try to apply what you've learned to other situations?"
Zhu Sihuan had already appeared with his men at the street corner, and it wouldn't be long before the pastry shop became lively.
But this liveliness will return to its previous coldness once the acquaintances have left.
Ultimately, patronizing the shop is just a matter of social interaction; the shop's real business still depends on passersby and ordinary people who genuinely buy the pastries.
While the clinic could offer free medical consultations, his pastry shop couldn't just give them away for free.
Zheng Ruqian took a deep breath, quickly calculated the cost price in his mind, and finally rushed into the clinic, grabbing Wen Zhiyun's writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone.
Everyone thought he would wander around the snake and dragon.
However, Zheng Lao Er directly presented it to Xu Mo, saying, "Brother, please write 'Try before you buy, buy one get one free' for me."
The "try before you buy" policy is designed to attract people who like to get a good deal.
Buy one get one free is a genuine discount promotion.
Even so, considering all the costs, there is still a profit to be made.
Xu Mo nodded slightly, and with a stroke of his thick ink brush, he imprinted eight regular script characters, ending with the signature: "Only for the first three days of opening."
Then, Zheng Ruqian brushed paste on the door of the pastry shop and shouted, "Jiuzhenfang is open for business! Buy one get one free! Enjoy as many freshly baked pastries as you like!"
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