"Me and Shen Yu?" Wan Xueying looked at Pei Xuanqing. "What can we do? What should we do?"
But when she realized her kindness was misplaced, she stopped paying it forward and didn't pay much attention to Shen Yu during this period. However, she still sent Qiu Shi to deliver food to him, even giving him the summer heat-clearing medicine.
Shen Yu had always wanted to apologize to her in person, but Wan Xueying hadn't given him the chance, leaving him feeling quite depressed. Fortunately, Shunzi had sent word that the case against the Duke of Ping's mansion had been suppressed by the Emperor, presumably to see how he would perform.
Thinking of the task he was about to face, he had to give up the idea of actively looking for Wan Xueying. He even did not ask Wan Xueying in front of Qiu Shi whether she had calmed down or how she was doing now.
Hearing Wan Xueying's counter-question, Pei Xuanqing smiled. "You're actually throwing the question back at me?" He compromised, "Just pretend I didn't ask." He then changed the unpleasant topic, "Didn't you just want to know about the price of the summer-heat soup?"
"Yes," Wan Xueying's eyes lit up, "You haven't told me how much you'll give?" Her good mood returned so quickly.
"Just set the price yourself, it will definitely be the same as yours." When it comes to money, this old man is just like Shen Yu in the past, and he doesn't care much about it.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a reasonable price." Pei Xuanqing's attitude towards money was something she admired. But even though she wanted to make money, she wouldn't go against her conscience, and certainly not be so foolish as to ask for exorbitant prices from the officials.
"Then you can stay up longer tonight, and I'll have someone come get it tomorrow morning."
"Absolutely no problem." Wan Xueying agreed readily.
Because the first business was off to a good start, people saw that the Yulin Guards felt refreshed after drinking Wan Xueying's summer heat soup, so they came to buy more. Among them was Ma Xiaoqi, who was sent by Captain Hao.
Considering that his immediate superior had already paid for the summer-heat soup, Ma Xiaoqi didn't dare act pretentiously in front of Wan Xueying. His only request was that she buy the exact same summer-heat soup that Pei Xuanqing and the others had been drinking.
"Sir, how many bowls would you like to buy?" Wan Xueying charged by the bowl for easier collection, as one bowl per person per day was sufficient to relieve the summer heat. This man was no ordinary escort, so she had to be polite.
"Just enough for thirty people." Ma Xiaoqi included both long and short defecation.
"If you only want thirty servings, I won't charge you the first time. If you think it's effective, I'll charge you the next time you come to me to buy it." After she separated from Pei Xuanqing and his group, she still expected this group of escorts to take care of her. Therefore, she had to establish a good relationship with them.
However, in front of this man, Wan Xueying did not bow down or call herself a "common woman". She also had her own pride.
"How could I possibly do that?" Ma Xiaoqi had already asked his fellow Imperial Guards. A bowl of summer-heat soup cost ten coins, so thirty bowls would be three hundred coins. It wasn't much, but if they were giving it away for free, it showed that the young lady of the Wan family held them in higher regard than the Imperial Guards escorting the Third Prince. His mood brightened instantly.
"You are welcome, sir. I have a business to discuss with you."
"Oh?" Ma Xiaoqi raised his eyebrows slightly, "Miss Wan Er, please tell me if you have anything to say." He had a vague feeling that something good was about to happen, and he became more and more expectant.
"I wonder if you're interested in selling this summer-heat soup?" While selling summer-heat soup was profitable, as she'd mentioned before, it also came with considerable risk. If she were solely responsible for brewing it and the escorts were to sell it, no one would dare blame them if something went wrong. This was why Wan Xueying approached Ma Xiaoqi about this business deal.
"Are you really going to hand over this business to us?" Ma Xiaoqi had already foreseen the profit involved.
"That's right." Wan Xueying smiled faintly, "I don't know what you think, sir?"
"Wait until I go back and discuss it with the captain and then I'll give you an answer."
"Okay, then I'll wait for good news from the adults."
Only a fool would not make money, especially since they didn't have to do anything. There were so many exiles and people following the exile group here, unless it was raining or cloudy, wouldn't the money flow in endlessly?
Escorting prisoners thousands of miles back and forth is not only arduous, but also involves facing various dangers. The government pays them very little. So why are so many people still vying for this job?
It's because they can get a lot of silver from the exiles.
With this additional source of income, Captain Hao readily agreed to cooperate with Wan Xueying, even purchasing her soup at a price of ten coins per bowl. This meant that Wan Xueying could still earn the same profit without having to deal with the sales process. However, he also stipulated that Wan Xueying could no longer sell her summer heat relief soup to anyone except Pei Xuanqing and his group.
Wan Xueying originally thought that the escort would at most double the price of the summer-heat soup, to twenty cents a bowl, but it turned out that her idea was too conservative.
They directly offered fifty cents a bowl, take it or leave it.
During this period, several people had died of heatstroke. After the deaths, the escort would find a few young and strong exiles to help dig a pit, cover it with straw mats, sprinkle some white lime, and then fill it with soil.
Their relatives were not even worthy of mourning. As soon as the deceased was buried, they would be urged by the escort to continue on their journey, otherwise they would be whipped.
Exile is hard enough, and if they are beaten to pieces by whips and do not receive timely treatment in such a hot day, death will be waiting for them.
The first two people to be sacrificed to the heaven during this exile were those who were whipped for dawdling and not returning to the team on time on the day of departure.
It was not until this time that Wan Huqing, who had always thought that he was riding in a grain cart, and the others who had paid money to squeeze in with him realized that what was under them was not grain, but straw mats and white lime used to deal with dead bodies on the road.
The escort definitely came prepared.
Now that there's an officially certified summer-heat-relief soup with visible effects, people are flocking to buy it. Compared to the fifty cents a bowl of summer-heat-relief soup sold by the escort, those people would definitely still want to pay the factory price of ten cents to buy it from Wan Xueying.
However, Wan Xueying has already cooperated with the authorities, so she can only engage in wholesale and not retail, and she is powerless to stop the sellers from raising prices.
"It's okay to say that you, a woman, are cold-blooded and heartless, but how can you be so cruel? Haven't you seen how many people have died because they couldn't afford the summer heat soup?" Lin Yingnan, who was full of justice, saw another elderly woman and a child die of heatstroke. She angrily went to find Wan Xueying when everyone was taking a break in the middle of the day.
Wan Xueying frowned slightly, her expression filled with displeasure. She looked at Lin Yingnan coldly and said, "If you think the summer-heat soup is too expensive, why don't you ask for a messenger?" She glanced around at the people watching the excitement, some even sharing Lin Yingnan's indignation, and continued, "Everyone knows that my summer-heat soup is only ten cents a bowl."
"But if you hadn't sold the summer-cooling soup to the escort, why would the escort sell it at such a high price?" He meant that the source was still Wan Xueying.
"Just because I can make a summer-cooling soup, does that make me a heinous crime? But if I only give the summer-cooling soup to my own people, won't those people still die?" It's not that she is cold-blooded, but the worst thing to do on the road of exile is to be a pushover, otherwise you won't even know how you were eaten alive.
"But why can't you make some more summer-cooling soup and give it away for free to people who can't afford it?" Lin Yingnan's words immediately resonated with most people.
"Yeah! Isn't it just a few bowls of summer-cooling soup? Why can't it be given away for free?" someone followed.
"Why should I give them away for free?" Wan Xueying looked at everyone coldly, "Didn't I spend any money on so many herbs? Am I wrong to only charge for the herbs and the labor of making them? There is no such thing as free food in this world. Are you beggars?" She turned to look at Lin Yingnan, "If you want to be a good person, why don't you buy more out of your own pocket and give them to them? You are reluctant to spend money, so why do you use other people's money to build a good reputation for yourself?" Moral kidnapping is so disgusting!
"I……"
"What do you mean by 'you'? How dare you criticize others for something you can't do yourself? Who gave you the face?" Wan Xueying's words were not polite at all.
Then, she shouted to the people around her, "Again, if anyone can't bear to see anyone die from heatstroke again, then spend money to buy more summer-cooling soup and give it to them. What I can do is to make summer-cooling soup every day, ensuring the quality and quantity, so that those who drink it will not suffer from heatstroke!"
To be honest, as a pharmaceutical manufacturer, she is conscientious enough to ensure that she does not make fake medicine and does not dilute the summer heat soup for the sake of profit.
If someone could stand up at this time and dare to fight against the jailer, she would definitely admire that person for being a man or a woman! Picking on her is just bullying the weak and afraid of the strong!
If you were to say, the thing the world lacks most is smart people, and there's no shortage of people who know how to act. After Wan Xueying publicly declared she would never give away her summer heat soup for free, someone approached her.
"My dear lady, my name is Gu Ming. I have lived with my mother since I was little. Because my hometown was struck by disaster, I originally planned to come to the capital with my mother to seek refuge with my relatives. However, upon arriving in the capital, I learned that my relative had passed away. With no other choice, my mother and I decided to try our luck in the northern border."
After a pause, he continued, "But who would have thought it would be this hot for so many days in a row. My mother has been feeling unwell these past couple of days, and I'm thinking it might be due to the heat, so I thought of coming to discuss something with you, young lady."
"Oh?" Wan Xueying raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what you want to discuss?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Gu Ming with an unsure expression, which made Gu Ming's heart tremble slightly. He wondered if what he was going to say next could impress the other party?
Then he thought, he had already said so much, so he might as well say it all at once.
"I don't have much money to buy some summer-heat soup, but I can hunt, catch fish, dig wild vegetables, and chop wood. At the very least, I still have a lot of strength. I'm thinking of doing things for the young lady along the way, so I can earn a bowl of summer-heat soup for my mother every day."
Wan Xueying didn't rush to answer. She bent her fingers and tapped them on her legs, then asked, "Have you ever been to school?"
"My father was a scholar when he was alive, and I learned a few characters from him in my early years."
"I see!" So, he only wanted to work for her in exchange for the summer-heat soup, rather than sell himself into slavery. She then launched into another soul-searching question: "Do you think doing this work every day is worth fifty cents?" If it was, then anyone could afford the summer-heat soup.
"Uh... not worth it."
Just when Gu Ming thought that this matter was going to fail, Wan Xueying raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said, "But I think it's worth it." She gave a reasonable explanation, "In two days, we will be taking a mountain road. Most of my men are guards. They may not be able to do what you said. It is very likely that you will need to take the trouble to teach them." Just like finding a master of wilderness survival skills for the guards, this deal is still quite feasible.
She gave him this opportunity because she admired him, his intelligence, and his courage. In addition, she thought this was the right way to ask her for the summer heat soup.
Why should she give away the summer heat soup for free? Can't those people, who have no hands or feet, earn money through labor?
She had agreed with Captain Hao that the summer heat soup could only be sold to them and Pei Xuanqing, but her people could drink it freely. If this person wanted to work for her, then he could be classified as one of her own, so giving him the summer heat soup was natural.
Another solution she thought of was to trade herbs. She needed a lot of herbs to make the summer heat soup, right? So, wouldn't it be a big deal for her to exchange them? She didn't want to burden everyone, so she'd trade any herb, even the cheapest wormwood.
He asked Gu Ming to spread the word that those who couldn't find herbs before they set off on the mountain road could buy them on credit. However, there was a prerequisite: only those who really couldn't afford the summer heat soup could do so.
She wasn't a philanthropist, and she had no obligation to extend kindness to everyone. Furthermore, if everyone came to her to exchange herbs for summer-heat soup, would the escorts still have business? If she wanted to offend the escorts in this way, why did she cooperate with them in the first place?
As Wan Xueying expected, when some people came to her to exchange for the summer-heat soup, Ma Xiaoqi went to Captain Hao to complain. Captain Hao smiled and said, "Have you calculated how much less money we made from selling the summer-heat soup these past two days?"
"Not yet." Ma Xiaoqi shook his head.
Captain Hao kicked him and said, "Then go and settle the score."
When Ma Xiaoqi finished counting, he found that there was indeed a shortage, but not by much. He felt very strange and went to find Captain Hao again.
Captain Hao smiled again after hearing this, "That's because the young lady of the Wan family is only willing to help those who can't afford the summer-cooling soup. If she doesn't help, those people won't come to buy our summer-cooling soup because they can't afford it. As for those who can afford the summer-cooling soup, she won't help them, so those people will have to come to us to buy it. This way, it won't have much impact on our business." This young lady Wan is really a wonderful person!
Seeing that someone could go to Wan Xueying to exchange some herbs for summer-heat-relieving soup, the Wan family, who had been feeling the pain of spending a lot of money in recent days, turned their attention to Wan Xueying again.
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Because I have to post a clip at midnight, tomorrow's update will be postponed to 23:00. Thank you for your continued support. Leave a comment on this chapter and you will receive a small red envelope. In addition, I implore you to bookmark the author in the author column and also bookmark the pre-collected articles. I would like to express my gratitude.
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