Shen Qinghe's eyes held worry, heartache, and an indescribable persistence; anyone who saw them would likely soften their heart. But Meng Zhao merely glanced at him indifferently.
"Shen Qinghe, don't forget, you're just a seventh-rank official." Her voice was calm and indifferent, as if stating a simple fact. "What makes you think you can protect me?"
Shen Qinghe's heart sank, as if he had been stabbed by something. He knew that his official position was low and his power was limited, but that did not mean that he was incapable of protecting her. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but Meng Zhao did not give him the chance.
"Besides, when have I ever needed your protection? If you have that time, you should take a better look at your own situation." Ever since she came, everything has changed. Gone are those years of lurking in the shadows. Shen Qing's mindset is completely different now.
In the book, he's preoccupied with seizing every opportunity to climb the ranks, but now he's huddled in front of his bed, rambling on about nothing, even changing his name. So, who can say for sure whether he'll become the Grand Secretary?
Shen Qinghe stood there, stunned. At this moment, Huang Cui returned from outside, brought over a small table, and laid out several dishes one by one. Meng Zhao, out of Huang Cui's sight, silently said to Shen Qinghe, "Get out!"
Shen Qinghe clenched his fist, but had no choice but to leave. Watching his lonely figure, Meng Zhao felt bad too. She picked up something, ate a few bites, and then, feeling dizzy, went back to sleep.
Last night, Huang Cui stayed in Meng Zhao's room all night. This morning, as soon as Meng Zhao opened his eyes, she hurriedly went out to inform everyone: "The manager is awake!"
Upon hearing the news, everyone gathered around Meng Zhao's bedside and asked with concern, "Manager, how are you feeling now?"
Meng Zhao smiled slightly, her voice still a little weak: "Apart from feeling a little weak, I'm much better."
Meng Zhao had sweated last night, and her undergarments were still a bit sticky. Because she had caught a chill yesterday and couldn't wash up, she asked someone to bring her hot water, quickly washed herself, and changed into clean clothes.
When Madam Gu arrived, she saw Huang Cui and the others urging Meng Zhao to drink her medicine by the bedside. "Manager, just drink it. The doctor prescribed six doses, and you've only taken one. How can you expect to get better?"
"Please spare me, I'm almost better now. If I drink this bitter stuff again, I'm afraid I'll get even sicker."
Seeing this, Madam Gu stepped forward and said, "This won't do. We can't let you do whatever you want. Besides, this kind of illness is very prone to recurrence. You're better now, but what if you get a fever again tonight? Listen to me and drink your medicine."
Seeing everyone urging her to drink, Meng Zhao felt embarrassed and gulped down the bowl. The bitter taste immediately spread across her tongue, and she couldn't help but gag several times by the bedside. Gu Shi quickly brought her a bowl of tea to rinse her mouth, while Huang Cui quickly took out the pastries and candied fruits she had bought yesterday and handed a few pieces to Meng Zhao to help her suppress the bitterness in her mouth.
Seeing that Meng Zhao had stuffed her mouth full and returned to her usual self, Madam Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Apart from the time you were injured by the bandits, I have never seen you so weak. It really startled me."
Meng Zhao had already learned from Huang Cui that Madam Gu was worried and had come to check on her several times last night. Moved, she said, "It's alright, godmother. My illness comes and goes quickly. I'll probably be fully recovered by tomorrow after another night's sleep."
"Indeed, you look much more energetic today, but that Princess Danyang is not doing so well."
"What happened to her?" Meng Zhao was shocked to hear this, worried that his rescue had been in vain.
Madam Gu sighed and said, "I heard from outside that the Princess's residence sent out many people last night to knock on the doors of every clinic and invite all the top doctors in the capital. It caused quite a stir in the city. This morning, they also went to the palace to invite many imperial physicians. I haven't heard anything about the specifics, but I know that the illness is quite serious."
After all, it was a human life at stake, and Meng Zhao was somewhat worried. But then she thought that as long as she didn't drown right in front of him, the matter shouldn't be related to him, so he felt a little relieved.
However, since that was the case, she couldn't recover too quickly. So, Meng Zhao asked the doctor who had stayed yesterday to prescribe a few more medicines for her and ordered someone to go to the pharmacy to get them.
A few days ago, Meng Zhao was busy going out every day, but now she stays at home. Apart from the Shen family and a few maids coming and going, the gates of the Meng residence are tightly closed. Even the people sent by the Marquis of Zhongyong to ask questions were not able to enter. They all announced to the outside world that Meng Zhao had caught a cold and needed to rest and could not see outsiders.
That day, Yin Chun brought in several forms and reported, "Manager, the people sent by Qu Yang have arrived. Since it's inconvenient for you to see them, I've arranged for them to stay in the other courtyard. The workshop workers have also been recruited almost completely, and we can start production at any time. This is the first batch of production forms we made based on the sales of various products in the shop before. Please take a look and see if there are any changes needed."
Meng Zhao took the form and looked at it carefully. According to the time, Meng Dashan and Xu Yunrong should have already set off. They would bring a batch of products for the initial use of Zhenbaoge during its opening. The batch made by the villa at this time was for subsequent replenishment. Meng Zhao was a little unsure and worried that either too much would lead to inventory buildup or too little would result in stockouts. He could only rely on his experience to make a judgment.
"Although scented soap and bath soap are inexpensive, they are high-volume products, so you must stock up on them. You absolutely cannot be short."
"Soaps have always been a best-selling item in the shop. Choose three or four of the best-selling scents and make more of them. Don't make other soaps with special ingredients or unique scents for everyday use. With fewer varieties, it's easier for the workshop to produce them. Besides, with more scents to choose from, it can be difficult for some customers to decide."
After a pause, he continued, "However, it's not that we won't do it at all. If the shop has any anniversary celebrations or holiday events in the future, we will make some with unique scents and sell them all at once for a limited time. This way, we can get a good price and also increase the sense of novelty."
"We need to stock up on popular items like the Renewal Gift Box, Snowfield Skin Renewal Cream, Resurrection Grass Essence, and Seven White Seed Set. We can't afford to run out of stock for at least the first month. In the months leading up to the opening, we must implement purchase limits. If any customers want to buy more, we need to find a way to refuse them. In the early stages, we should only serve individual customers and get the shop's business booming. Then, we won't have to worry about customers coming to our shop later."
After saying that, he took out a blueprint with a card design on it. "Make ten gold cards according to this template. Leave the name slots on the back blank for now, just in case."
Book categories, authors, and full-length book rankings
Homepage Click Ranking Recommended Ranking Favorites Ranking Temporary Bookshelf
PC version of all novels, latest updates, site map, member bookshelf
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
