Business was slow at the shop, and the young man, seeing that Jiang Zhi had actually sold medicine at the same store before, decided to talk to her for a while longer.
Baicaotang in Lihua Town is a branch of the Huo family. The old manager there was knowledgeable in medicine and would prescribe medicine for customers.
Old Huo's medical skills are just a hobby; he can treat common illnesses, but his main business is selling medicine.
Before the disaster struck Lihua Town, thousands of people would come to the market every day.
Prescriptions are given free of charge and medicines are cheap, making it a charitable institution for farmers, which naturally leads to the booming business of Baicaotang.
So, Old Huo, the shopkeeper, would stay in the city on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and 8th, and go to Pear Blossom Town on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and 9th, running his business in both places.
However, the old shopkeeper happened to be in Pear Blossom Town during the war last year. Although he escaped with his life by hiding in the cellar, he was frightened and his health deteriorated. He then fell ill after being caught in the rain and getting cold on New Year's Eve.
The old shopkeeper said that the disaster victims were suffering and he wanted to help as much as he could, but he fell ill and could only let his eldest grandson, Huo Yanjie, manage Baicaotang.
Unlike the kind-hearted Old Manager Huo, this young Manager Huo naturally wants to run Baicaotang well, with making money as the main goal.
Without Old Manager Huo, business here has slowed down, and now even on market days, business is down by half.
Jiang Zhi listened and nodded silently.
No wonder Li Laoshi could sell 300 coins for medicinal herbs in just three days; even the most expensive Asarum heterotropoides wouldn't sell for that much.
This is why the old shopkeeper wasn't making any money while collecting medicine.
As for why the price of medicinal herbs is being reduced today, Manager Huo has something to say: "My grandfather has done good deeds over the years, and although the family has two pharmacies, they have not made any money."
If this continues, the pharmacy will not only lose money but also have to close down. I can only keep this pharmacy going by controlling costs.
"Okay, tell me the price of rush pith first."
Jiang Zhi had a very good impression of Huo Family Pharmacy. When there was a misunderstanding when selling acacia flowers in the county town, the shopkeeper took the initiative to verify with the master craftsman instead of speaking ill of them.
Now, with Old Manager Huo's kindness and Young Manager Huo's immediate explanation of the price reduction after examining the medicine, they are both upright and honest people, and we can get along with them.
As long as we make things clear, a reduction of one or two cents is negotiable.
Jiang Zhi wasn't someone who lived in seclusion, clinging to her faith.
I used to be used to seeing discounts and promotions every day, and now I also treat medicinal herbs as a business.
Since it's a business, it naturally needs to make a profit. If one party loses money, the business won't last long.
Seeing that Jiang Zhi had no objection to the price, and unlike others who cursed him for being heartless because there was no free service and less money, he couldn't help but be happy.
Huo Yanjie was on the verge of a breakdown from hearing all the curses he heard this month.
He didn't understand why his grandfather, who had been administering medicine for several years, was being scolded for not reducing or waiving the cost of medicine for just one month.
Huo Yanjie smiled and offered the same price as previous years for first-class products, without lowering it by 10%: "Your rush pith is bright in color, without any mold spots, and the stems are thick. I'll give it to you for thirty-five coins a pound. Can Auntie accept that?"
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Jiang Zhi nodded: "Okay, I'll sell it!"
The bundle of rush pith weighed three jin and seven liang. Huo Yanjie took out one hundred and forty wen: "Ten extra wen is Auntie's understanding of Baicaotang."
Jiang Zhi accepted it without hesitation.
These rushes represent the entire harvest of rushes from last year.
Although there is a lot of this grass by the water, not all of a large stalk can be used to make lamp wicks; it has to be carefully selected.
In modern times, the quality of rush pith from Sichuan is generally considered to be poor, as the stems of those with thin stems cannot be extracted to obtain the pith.
The stems of those produced in Guizhou and other places are thin and the pith is small, so they cannot be peeled.
Only the rush produced in Suzhou is of the best quality. Its outer skin is used to make raincoats and can also be used to weave mats, while the pith of the stem is only a by-product.
While the medicine sellers were talking, Li Laoshi couldn't sit still. He kept wandering around, occasionally running over to check on Xiaoman and the others' business, wanting to help them negotiate prices and sell their goods.
Jiang Zhi inquired about other medicinal herbs, such as Lysimachia christinae and Plantago asiatica, which were indeed cheaper, costing only four coins per pound when dried.
There are just too many of these kinds of herbs, but the sales volume is also large, so we buy them all as long as they meet the standards.
After selling the medicine, Jiang Zhi was about to leave when she saw Li Laoshi running over with a hunched back: "Sister Jiang, someone is arguing with Xiaoman!"
Ugh, really, it never stops!
Jiang Zhi hurriedly went to the place where Er Rui and Xiao Man had set up their stall.
There were many people who enjoyed the lively atmosphere at the market, and a crowd had gathered around the stalls. Before Jiang Zhi could even squeeze in, she heard a young woman's voice: "Xiao Man, your family is heartless. They have grain but refuse to help their own relatives. Now they're even selling it at the market."
Xiaoman's voice was filled with anger: "Save who? Save a heartless bastard like you? You forged documents to cheat my family out of our land, and now you have the nerve to say I won't help you?"
Xu Errui also said, "Genbao's wife, everyone in the village knows that you want to cheat Xiaoman's family out of their land. Do you think you can fool people by talking nonsense?"
Genbao's wife jumped up and down, cursing: "You two are despicable bastards. Now you'd rather sell your own things than help your own family. Besides, I've already given you money."
A bystander chimed in, "Everyone has their struggles, so it's okay if there's less. The straw sandals are made by our own hands, and those firethorn berries aren't anything special. We can pick them again next year!"
That's like talking nonsense; there are saints everywhere!
Jiang Zhi frowned and squeezed in, and saw a young woman holding straw sandals in one hand and red thorns in the other, muttering "stingy, immoral" as if Er Rui and Xiao Man's things should belong to her.
Xiaoman and Errui blocked the way, but Genbao's wife was not much older than Errui, so the two young men couldn't easily pull her away and could only block her with their bodies, putting them in a very passive position.
As soon as Jiang Zhi entered the crowd, Genbao's wife, Wang Xiaoju, visibly flinched and was momentarily stunned.
Granny Jiang, what brings her here? I didn't see her just now!
She knew all too well that when Granny Jiang started acting up, she was completely unrestrained.
Jiang Zhi is no longer the original owner of this body, and she hasn't sworn in a year. Now, she's really not used to swearing in front of so many people on the street.
But you can still move your hands, so you can practice swearing!
They're used to fighting tough, stubborn wild boars, and even Nini is quick and efficient at it.
Before Jiang Zhi could say anything, she grabbed the five coins that were lying on the ground, and stuffed them, mud and all, into Wang Xiaoju's mouth without waiting for her to spit them out.
With her left hand, she skillfully grabbed the hair bun at the back of his head, and with her right hand, she slapped him hard across the face before cursing, "You woman who disgraced the Xu family and was sent back to your parents' home, you weren't satisfied with stealing and cheating in the Xu family, now you dare to rob at the market!"
That's the gist of it. As for what was stolen and what was robbed, that's up to you, the readers, to fill in the blanks!
Human beings have a weakness: they love to do sneaky and underhanded things. The more ambiguous and confusing something is, the more excited they get, and then they listen to one side of the story and fill in the blanks with their own imagination!
Wang Xiaoju was clearly stunned by Jiang Zhi's words. She wanted to scream, but with five copper coins stuffed in her mouth, she was afraid of choking if she moved.
She had no choice but to grit her teeth and take the slap. Her eyes were wide open, and she kept crying out "Waaah!" while clutching her straw sandals.
The people around burst into laughter: "Who knew this young wife was so capable? No wonder she wanted to take things for just five coins. She wasn't satisfied with stealing, she wasn't ashamed of robbing, and she didn't let go even when she was beaten. Impressive!"
Wang Xiaoju finally came to her senses, dropped her straw sandals and red thorn berries, and ran away with a copper coin in her mouth and her face covered.
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