“How can I let my sister serve me? I’ll do it myself!” said Madam Liu, reaching out to take the bowl and spoon from Aunt Zhao’s hands.
Aunt Zhao bowed slightly, "I am but a servant, and serving my mistress is my duty. Besides, the bowl that was just served is still a bit hot. If it burns you, sister, wouldn't that be my fault? Please let me serve you!"
Liu wanted to say that they were a poor family and didn't have such rules, but seeing Master Wang staring at Aunt Zhao with approval, she had no choice but to swallow her words.
The bird's nest in the porcelain bowl was sweetened with brown sugar, making it very cloying. After a few bites, Liu felt a burning sensation in her throat and could no longer eat.
But Aunt Zhao kept feeding her spoonful after spoonful, so she couldn't refuse and had no choice but to grit her teeth and finish the bowl of bird's nest.
Moreover, Aunt Zhao had told her that if she wanted the baby in her belly to be healthy, she should eat more and get enough nutrition, so that the baby would grow up to be healthy and chubby.
Liu had been unable to conceive for over ten years since marrying into the family, and now that she was finally pregnant, she wanted the baby in her womb to be safe and healthy more than anyone else.
So she's willing to eat anything that's good for the child!
No matter how bad it tastes or how much she doesn't want to eat it, she has to eat it!
Thinking of this, Madam Liu looked at Master Wang and said, "Master, I'm due to give birth after the New Year. I'd like to find a midwife to stay at home in advance so that I won't be unable to find one when I give birth."
"Alright!" Master Wang readily agreed. "I'll have my steward invite the best midwife in town for you. You can stay home and rest assured, and give birth to my precious son safely!"
Liu asked helplessly, "How did you know I was carrying a son?"
"Master is blessed with good fortune, and Madam will surely give him a son to inherit the family business! So this child will definitely be a son!" Aunt Zhao said with a smile.
She continued, "Midwife Wang from the east of the city is quite good; she delivered both of my babies. If you need her, Madam, I can invite her over."
"Thank you for your kind offer, sister, but I already have someone in mind for my role as midwife," Liu said with a faint smile.
As the saying goes, childbirth is like passing through the gates of hell for a woman, so the midwife must be someone she can trust and rely on.
Therefore, she plans to go and invite them herself.
Aunt Zhao was still unwilling to give up. "Midwife Wang is indeed very experienced. Sister, you can invite her into the mansion first and compare her with the midwife you found. Then you can decide which one to keep."
Madam Liu thought Aunt Zhao's words made a lot of sense, so she agreed.
Since Xiao Ling left, Shen Yuan has felt a little uneasy. Without someone to help her, she was really struggling to manage the shop by herself.
Shen Yuan thought that perhaps she should hire a helper, so that at least someone could watch the shop when she went out to collect herbs.
The pharmacy has been open for a month, and its total revenue for the month is about 130 taels, of which 45 taels are from the sales in the first three days after opening.
The price of aconite is not high, so the profit is only 20%. The profit of 130 taels is 26 taels. After deducting the cost of giving away eggs when opening the store, as well as the cost of purchasing medicinal materials and renting a car and the losses, the pharmacy's net profit this month is 20 taels.
The wages in Jian'an City are also expensive. The cheapest helper costs eighty coins a day. If you need helpers who can build tiles and walls or who can read and do accounting, the wages are much higher than other ordinary laborers, ranging from one hundred to two hundred coins a day.
If Shen Yuan wanted to hire helpers for her pharmacy, the workers not only had to be literate and good at accounting, but also had to understand some basic pharmacology. This would be considered a skilled worker, and at 200 coins a day, it would cost about six taels of silver a month.
Six taels of silver accounted for one-third of the pharmacy's monthly profit.
Human resource costs are indeed the most expensive human resource cost!
Shen Yuan suddenly realized that Xiao Ling was still the most convenient and cheap option. She could make him happy for days with just one string of cash.
But no matter how expensive it is, we still have to hire these workers.
Shen Yuan believed that the helper she hired for six taels of silver would definitely bring more than six taels of silver in benefits to the shop, which was worthwhile!
After making the decision, Shen Yuan posted the job posting outside the door that morning.
Looking at the notice she had written, Shen Yuan couldn't help but think of Xiao Ling again, because he used to write the notices for the pharmacy, and he had taught her a few words for the notice she was writing now.
In less than a month, Xiao Ling corrected many of her spelling mistakes.
That's why seeing the notice posted on the door brought back Xiao Ling's image to Shen Yuan's mind.
But she quickly forgot those images because someone entered the pharmacy.
Shen Yuan stared blankly at the luxurious carriage parked in front of the pharmacy, then stepped forward and asked, "Is the distinguished guest here to buy medicine?"
A maid stepped out of the carriage and bowed slightly to Shen Yuan.
Although Shen Yuan did not know why, she still bowed and returned the greeting.
The maid then said, "May I ask if there is a midwife named Liu in this pharmacy? My mistress would like to see her."
Are you looking for Granny Liu?
Shen Yuan suddenly remembered that two days ago, a man who looked like the steward of a wealthy merchant came to see Granny Liu, saying that he wanted to ask Granny Liu to be the midwife of the household, but Granny Liu refused.
Because Granny Liu had witnessed many of the shady dealings within the inner quarters of the household, she no longer wanted to work as a midwife for wealthy families.
Moreover, she was worried that Shen Yuan wouldn't be able to manage the pharmacy alone for two months, so she refused at the time.
Shen Yuan didn't want Liu Mama to take any more jobs. Pregnant women are going through the gates of hell when they give birth, and so are the midwives in wealthy families. They also bear risks. If the master of the house gives birth safely, the master may be happy and give the midwife a reward. But if there is any mistake, or if there is a difficult or dangerous birth, the midwife will face the master's scolding and punishment.
So when she saw that Granny Liu didn't agree, Shen Yuan didn't try to persuade her.
Anyway, with her taking care of Granny Liu in her old age, Granny Liu won't have to work hard as a midwife to earn money anymore!
But to everyone's surprise, the family didn't give up and came to invite her grandmother back in person.
Since the other party was so polite, Shen Yuan couldn't just send them away. She could only stand by the carriage and persuade them, "My grandmother's surname is indeed Liu, and she knows how to deliver babies, but she is now very old and really doesn't have the energy to be a midwife anymore. Please find someone more capable!"
As soon as Shen Yuan finished speaking, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Liu's face peeked out from inside.
She stroked her belly with one hand and pulled the curtain with the other, looking at Shen Yuan: "Miss, it's not that I want to make things difficult for your grandmother. It's just that my pregnancy is a bit strange. These past few days, I've been restless and worried that I won't be able to give birth safely."
“My best friend was delivered by your grandmother. She couldn’t give birth no matter what she tried, but your grandmother’s skillful pushing helped her deliver the baby.”
"Upon hearing that I was pregnant, she strongly recommended your grandmother to me. I searched for you at the address she gave me, and after many twists and turns, I finally found you in Jian'an City."
After saying this, Madam Liu looked at Shen Yuan with hopeful eyes, "Child, please let me see your grandmother, just to fulfill a mother's wish."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan hesitated, wondering how to refuse, when Liu suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out in surprise.
"Ouch...that hurts!"
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