Nine Thousand Years
After another half hour of work, Xu Ruoyan finally sorted and packed all the medicines.
"I'll take it back with me when I get home tonight." She neatly stacked the medicine packet in the cabinet below.
She straightened up, wiped the sweat from her brow, and squinted at the high-hanging sun outside: "It's time for lunch. I'll treat you to a nice meal today!"
The five exhausted children instantly perked up: "Great!"
Pei Jue laughed as well: "Where would Madam like to take us for a meal?"
Xu Ruoyan turned to look at him: "Good question. I'm not familiar with this area yet, how about you recommend a place?"
Pei Jue thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go to Zuixianlou. I used to go there often, and the food is still pretty good."
“Alright, let’s go to Zuixianlou then!” Xu Ruoyan made the decision, and the group set off in a grand procession.
Zuixianlou is not far from here, but you have to cross two streets. As one of the top restaurants in the entire capital, it is naturally located on the most bustling street.
Xu Ruoyan and Pei Jue led the children through the bustling crowd and finally squeezed their way to the front of Zuixianlou.
“Hey, wait a minute,” Xu Ruoyan pulled a mask out of her sleeve and handed it to Pei Jue, “Wear this, just in case.”
Although Zhu Ying had already altered Pei Jue's appearance after arriving in the capital, his temperament and demeanor remained unchanged even if his face was different. Xu Ruoyan didn't want to cause any more trouble, so she decided to be careful in everything she did.
"Alright, let's go!"
As soon as she stepped inside, the noisy crowd hit Xu Ruoyan hard. When she looked up again, she was even more overwhelmed by the magnificent five-story building. Everything in front of her seemed to be covered by a thin veil, making it difficult to see clearly.
"My God..."
"What's wrong?"
Xu Ruoyan felt her legs go weak and hurriedly grabbed Pei Jue's arm tightly: "I knew this place would be luxurious, but I didn't expect it to be this... extravagant."
Pei Jue patted her hand reassuringly and said to the servant beside him, "We need a private room."
Xu Ruoyan weakly turned his head around: "He's over here."
The waiter chuckled twice and bowed and scraped before them, saying, "Gentlemen, please go upstairs."
Xu Ruoyan lowered her head and helped Pei Jue up the stairs. The stairs were high and steep, so she had to keep a close eye on Pei Jue's feet.
"There aren't as many people here at noon as in the evening. It'll be a different story when it gets late," Pei Jue said.
Xu Ruoyan almost fainted just imagining the scene of excessively high carbon dioxide concentration.
"Next time, remember to recommend a less noisy place," she said through gritted teeth.
Fortunately, the food here was really good, and Xu Ruoyan was quite ruthless, wolfing down the dishes as soon as they were served.
"Eat slowly, no rush." With that, Pei Jue added another piece of meat to her mountain of food.
"I'm afraid of choking on my poop."
Pei Jue was completely bewildered: "What is Madam talking about?"
Xu Ruoyan forced down the meat stuck in her throat and sighed contentedly, "I said, I'm afraid they'll try to take it from me."
The five children looked at each other, each holding a bowl.
Pei Jue couldn't help but laugh out loud: "It's alright, we can just order more if it's not enough."
Xu Ruoyan pinched him playfully, "Then I'll still pay!" Then, she turned to the group of hungry children, "Eat whatever you want, don't be shy, your lady has brought enough money."
Five pairs of big eyes suddenly lit up at those words, and then five pairs of chopsticks began a fierce battle on the round table—
Xu Ruoyan was so shocked that she forgot to chew the food in her mouth.
"What?! You're saying that just these five dishes and seven bowls of rice will cost me one hundred and twenty taels of silver?!"
The waiter still wore his standard smile: "Sir, our prices are all clearly marked."
Oh my god.
Xu Ruoyan tossed the purse to Pei Jue, then fled this heartbreaking place without looking back.
"Madam, I'd like to visit Mr. Li, who lives in the west of the city, this afternoon. Would you like to come with me?"
"Mmm." Xu Ruoyan seemed to have been completely drained of her energy.
The thought of having to spend a large sum of money again made Xu Ruoyan unwilling to open her eyes again.
Thud, thud, thud—
"Avoidance—All unauthorized personnel must avoid this area—"
Xu Ruoyan's eyes narrowed, and she hurriedly pulled Pei Jue aside.
The once bustling street suddenly fell silent. The vendors who had been hawking their wares all stopped talking, and the people who had been strolling around quickly moved to the sides of the street and stood properly with their heads down.
Xu Ruoyan followed their example and lowered her head, but she couldn't resist her curiosity and secretly raised her eyes to peek upwards.
Just as she looked up, a procession of dozens of constables came into her view. The two at the front held up flags that read "Silence" and "Avoidance," while the constables behind them sounded gongs in unison, the deafening sound almost overturning the carriages on the street.
After a few more seconds, the wheels she had anticipated finally came into view. The huge wooden wheels rolled over her less than three feet away, crushing the small pebbles mixed in with the dust into dust.
Xu Ruoyan quietly raised her head slightly again. Her gaze moved upwards, and she saw a lavishly decorated, enormous carriage, and…
She quickly lowered her head; at that moment, she truly understood the feeling of her heart pounding like a drum.
Once the rumbling sound faded away, people got up and went back to doing their own things, as if nothing had happened.
Xu Ruoyan stood with one hand on her hip and the other on her chest. Despite the cold winter day, she was sweating profusely, her chest and back were soaked with sweat.
I really can't be so bold again.
After finally catching her breath, she couldn't help but recall the pair of eyes she had just seen.
Those were gray, cloudy, and aged eyes.
But at the same time, they are also eyes filled with ambition and ruthlessness.
Then she couldn't help but shiver.
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the temperature had dropped by ten degrees in just a few minutes.
Xu Ruoyan tightened her cloak, looked around, let go of Pei Jue's hand, and went to a stall selling hairpins.
"Boss, how much is this one?" She casually picked up a hairpin inlaid with pearls from the stall.
"Oh, young lady, you have excellent taste!" The shopkeeper immediately beamed, rubbing his hands together in preparation for opening for business. "These beads are from the South China Sea. Look at the color, look at the texture..."
“Hmm, it’s really quite nice,” Xu Ruoyan interrupted his endless sales pitch, picked up the hairpin and examined it with an air of expertise, then suddenly leaned closer and asked, “Do you know who that person who just passed by was?”
The boss instantly switched to a speechless expression.
Your topic transition was rather abrupt.
"Who else could it be but the Ninth Prince?" Seeing that she had no intention of paying, the shopkeeper clicked his tongue impatiently and snatched the hairpin from her hand.
Xu Ruoyan pouted and turned to leave.
She returned to Pei Jue's side, tugged at his sleeve, stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "I just asked, and people said that the person who just passed by was the Ninth Prince."
"Yes, I know." Pei Jue's fists were clenched so tightly they turned white.
Xu Ruoyan looked at him strangely: "You know? How do you know?"
Pei Jue chuckled, his voice so cold it could freeze everything around him instantly.
"We're old acquaintances, how could I not recognize you?"
Xu Ruoyan sensed that something was off about his tone, so she wisely shut her mouth.
Although she didn't say it, that glance they made kept flashing through her mind.
For some reason, she always felt a strong sense of unease about that person, but this feeling was fleeting and she couldn't put it into words.
I only saw the eyes, and only once, so I must have been mistaken.
Unable to come up with a solution, she could only console herself with this thought.
She sent Banxia and Rendong back to the pharmacy to mind the shop, then asked Maidong to drive a carriage back with Qingdai, leaving only Sanqi with them.
Li Sheng's family lived in the west of the city, while they were now in the center of the capital. It would be more convenient to travel there by carriage, so Sanqi took on the task of driving the carriage.
“I was thinking of opening a free clinic at the pharmacy for two days in the next two days to see if we can attract some ordinary people to come for treatment,” Xu Ruoyan said in a muffled voice, resting her chin on her hands. “I know that we can’t rely on these ordinary people to make big money, but we can’t rely on those high-ranking officials and nobles either.”
Pei Jue wholeheartedly agreed with her idea: "People are most susceptible to illness in winter, and I have faith in your medical skills, Madam. If these people can spread their reputation, it will definitely be of great help in the future."
"But I still have something to worry about."
"Um?"
Xu Ruoyan pouted unconsciously, her face clouded with worry.
"The day I went to the medicine market, I came back late, and actually, I met a rich businessman there. He seemed to be a medicine dealer. Let me tell you, you have no idea how wealthy he was; the gold on his body was practically blinding!"
Hearing Xu Ruoyan's exaggerated description, Pei Jue couldn't help but chuckle: "I can roughly guess who Madam is talking about. Madam must be referring to the Sun family, the largest pharmaceutical merchant family in the capital. The youngest daughter of Old Master Sun is the current emperor's favorite concubine, and the eldest son is the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor. Therefore, this family has a great deal of influence in the court. If Madam wants to expand and strengthen her pharmacy, they are indeed a formidable opponent."
"Moreover, as far as I know, for the past hundred years, the three pharmacies in the capital, Qingrentang, Heniantang, and Baifutang, have divided the market among themselves. Although their business direction is different from that of the Sun family, they have almost monopolized the pharmaceutical industry in the capital."
Xu Ruoyan's brows furrowed more and more as she listened; she simply couldn't believe what kind of competitors she would be facing in the future.
Suddenly, a warm sensation rose to her brow. Startled, she looked up and saw Pei Jue trying to smooth her furrowed brow.
"I believe my wife can do better than them all." As he spoke, Pei Jue gently took Xu Ruoyan's hands in his warm hands again.
Xu Ruoyan carefully felt the warmth that didn't belong to her body. Her heart felt as if it had been gently caressed and washed with warm water, making her feel incredibly comfortable and at ease.
"Yes, I believe in myself too." She smiled and scratched Pei Jue's palm.
Then Pei Jue's heartbeat stopped again.
He seemed to hear something flowing, flowing out of his heart and then into Xu Ruoyan's heart.
Fortunately, the carriage stopped at that moment. Pei Jue let out a soft breath, and without making a sound, placed his slightly itchy palm on Xu Ruoyan's forearm, firmly supporting her.
"Let's go see what this scholar is like."
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