Rent a shop
After finishing his shift, Lu Tong walked out of the county government office and headed towards the central street. He went into a pastry shop and bought a bag of peach blossom pastries that Liu Anan loved.
When he returned home, he saw Liu Anan standing at the door, looking out.
What happened? Lu Tong felt uneasy after seeing this and immediately quickened his pace.
"Husband," Liu Anan called out happily when she saw Lu Tong coming back.
"Why are you waiting for me at the door today?" When Lu Tong saw the smile on Liu Anan's face, his heart, which had been hanging with worry, finally relaxed.
Seeing that his personal maid was not around, he asked again, "Where is Tao Ye? Is she out?"
Liu Anan remembered what she had told Tao Ye, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes, and she nodded and said, "I asked Tao Ye to go out and check some things. She should be back soon."
"Husband, we have been here for almost a year, but there is still no movement in my belly. Taoye said that Doctor Xu of Xinglin Hall is very skilled in medicine and has helped many women get pregnant, so I asked Taoye to investigate."
Lu Tong lowered his eyelids, hiding the sadness in his eyes. He reached out and held Liu Anan's wrist, and they went back to the house together.
"There's no rush for this. I'm an orphan and don't care about the number of children I have. Even if you can't get pregnant, I won't blame you."
"I know my husband is good to me. But I just want to give birth to a child for him." Liu Anan's expression was moved, but she still insisted on her own idea.
The sound of their conversation gradually faded away, and Tao Ye, who had gone out to inquire about the news, walked in with a happy face soon after.
The autumn wind blew, and the dead leaves of the trees danced in the air before slowly falling to the ground, where they transformed into nutrients upon contact with the soil, nourishing the earth. Dewdrops still covered the leaves of the roadside grass, and the clear dew reflected the white clouds and pale blue sky.
Shi Yanqing walked through the still bustling street, into a quiet alley, and finally stopped outside a courtyard.
Under the eaves of a house with blue bricks and black tiles, a middle-aged man was squatting on the ground, lowering his head and eating the mixed flour pancake in his hand. He had just gotten up not long ago, and his eyes were still a little wandering, not very clear-headed.
At this moment, there was a sudden movement at the door, which attracted the attention of the middle-aged man. When he saw Shi Yanqing, he quickly put the mixed flour pancake in his hand into his clothes on his chest, stood up and walked forward.
"Madam, you're here now because there's something wrong with the servant you bought the other day?"
This person is none other than Wang Zhongyi, the manager of the pawnshop.
Shi Yanqing came alone this time. She did not go in, but talked with Wang Zhongyi at the gate of the courtyard.
"There's nothing wrong with those guys. I came here to see if you have a suitable shop here. If so, I'd like to rent it."
Hearing this, Wang Zhongyi nodded happily: "Of course! I know every shop available for rent in the city very well."
"Madam, please tell me your requirements for the shop first, and then I will take you to see the shop."
Shi Yanqing's pharmacy didn't need to be large; around 60 square meters would suffice. She wasn't looking for a profit, and the shop didn't need to be located on a busy street; Xiang'an Street would be ideal. After all, Xinglintang was located there, and having the pharmacy there would allow her to secretly observe Doctor Xu and determine if he was indeed a witch doctor.
After finishing his request, Shi Yanqing saw Wang Zhongyi lower his head and think for a moment.
He soon looked up and said, "Madam, as you requested, there is indeed a shop for rent on Xiang'an Street. However, it was originally a clinic, but something happened and the owner closed the shop and left Yunshui County."
"Take me to see it first." Shi Yanqing did not make a decision immediately, but wanted to check the situation on the spot.
Xiang'an Street was some distance away from the shop, so for the convenience of the customers, Wang Zhong took Shi Yanqing to the shop in a carriage.
The door that had been closed for a long time was opened by Wang Zhongyi with a key. After pushing the door open, he was greeted by the stirred-up dust.
Shi Yanqing covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief to avoid inhaling the dust.
She followed Wang Zhongyi inside, but the place was very empty, without any decorations or furniture.
Wang Zhongyi promptly explained, "Everything here has been sold by the original owner, and now only this shop remains."
Shi Yanqing didn't say anything. She walked around the wall to see if there were any cracks.
When she reached the door, she stopped and made a decision. "Okay, I'll rent this shop. If there are any other procedures to go through, try to finish them this morning."
"Alright!" Wang Zhongyi said excitedly. He turned and walked towards the carriage parked at the door. "Madam, please wait a moment. I have the lease in the carriage. Just sign it."
This shows how thoughtful Wang Zhongyi is. Regardless of whether to rent the property or not, he prepares the lease first.
After signing and sealing the contract, Wang Zhongyi gave the key to the shop to Shi Yanqing, took the warm silver, and drove the carriage back to the pawnshop.
Shi Yanqing did not leave, but stayed in the shop and started painting with the paper and pen he got from Wang Zhongyi.
There is nothing in the shop now, and everything needs to be purchased from scratch.
From small ornaments to large medicine cabinets.
The east side of the shop is close to the door, so the counter can be placed directly opposite the door. The medicine cabinet is placed on the west side, and a small brick warehouse is built to store miscellaneous items.
There is a protruding space on the west side. By building a wall, it can become a small room. It is not big, about 20 square meters.
After finishing the rough layout, Shi Yanqing looked at the empty space on the west side where the medicine cabinets were placed. He thought for a moment, picked up his pen and drew a long table.
There was a screen painted not far from the table, thus separating the two spaces.
She sometimes provides free medical treatment, and this place can be used to receive people who come to see a doctor.
After locking the shop door, Shi Yanqing returned home.
She handed over all the decoration matters of the shop to Dan Ye. It was Dan Ye who was in charge of the previous medicine shop in the capital. Shi Yanqing felt relieved to hand it over to her this time.
After that, she stayed in the room peacefully and opened the medical book.
About an hour later, there was a knock on the door.
"Sister-in-law, it's me."
Shi Yanqing put down the book in his hand, stood up and walked towards the door.
It was still early and not time for dinner.
When Shi Yanqing opened the door, she saw Zhou Hangui's face full of joy. She couldn't help but feel puzzled: "Hangui, what happened to you? You look so happy."
Zhou Hangui did not hide anything and said directly: "Sister-in-law, I found the place where the great scholar lived in seclusion!"
Shi Yanqing's eyes widened slightly, and he was also a little happy: "Really? Are you sure that the great scholar is there?"
Zhou Hangui knew that Shi Yanqing cared about him, so he nodded and said affirmatively, "Really!"
"After I entered Nanhai County, I asked the escorts to help me find out where the great scholar was in seclusion. Qi Jin just received a message from the escorts, saying that someone had seen the great scholar in Shaoshan."
"Shaoshan? It's in Beiyuan County, at least four days' journey from here." Shi Yanqing thought for a moment and confirmed the address of Shaoshan. "Han Gui, what else is written in the letter? Do you have any more accurate information?"
Zhou Hangui nodded. "The letter also said that there was a teacher living in a village not far from Shaoshan. He was once a student of the great scholar. There's no further information, but I think this news is most likely true."
When the young man said this, his eyes sparkled like gold powder in the dark night, glowing uncontrollably.
"Your eldest brother doesn't know about this yet. When he comes back, you might as well ask for his opinion." Shi Yanqing was still worried about the teenage boy studying away from home alone. She still wanted to send someone to Shaoshan to confirm the truth of the news before letting the boy go out.
"What do you want my opinion on?" Zhou Hanzhang's voice came from the courtyard gate.
The man was wearing a dark red official uniform, which made his skin look fair. However, there were several scratches on his fair skin, and dark red bloodstains were attached to his skin, which was very conspicuous.
"What happened to you?" Shi Yanqing came forward to check the wound and found that it was just a little skin break.
"Brother, did you fall or get beaten?" Zhou Hangui also came over and looked at the wound, his eyes full of worry.
He clenched his fists, as if as long as Zhou Hanzhang said that he was beaten, he would immediately rush out the door, find that person and beat him up.
Seeing the two people's concerned looks, Zhou Hanzhang felt a little happy in his heart. He waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I just accidentally bumped into the wall when I was leaving."
"By the way, what were you asking me for my opinion on just now?"
Shi Yanqing turned to look at Zhou Hangui and found him staring at Zhou Hanzhang's scratches without saying anything. Then he said, "Hangui got news that the great scholar is living in seclusion in Shaoshan. I said I wanted to ask for your opinion on whether to send someone to Shaoshan to confirm the truth."
Zhou Hanzhang: "We should indeed send someone to Shaoshan to confirm the authenticity of the news. However, I don't have anyone to send right now. If all else fails, I can only ask Shi'an to go to Shaoshan."
"No need, big brother." Zhou Hangui joined the conversation, "I have already sent Qi Jin to Shaoshan, and there will be news back soon."
"Since you have already made preparations, your sister-in-law and I will not interfere. Let's talk about this matter after Qi Jin comes back." Zhou Hanzhang was not surprised by his brother's behavior. After all, he had experience studying abroad.
The three of them chatted for a while and then went to the front yard to have dinner together.
Tan Ye also returned home at this time. She washed her hands and helped Liu Niang put the dishes and food on the table.
"These dishes tonight are spicier than the previous ones."
Shi Yanqing prefers light taste. Her cheeks turned red from the spiciness. She picked up the tea beside her and took a sip to relieve the spiciness in her mouth.
"Madam, I didn't buy any sweet peppers today, so green peppers are indeed spicier." Although Liu Niang had only cooked a few meals for Shi Yanqing and the others, she already knew their tastes.
The three of them all have mild tastes and cannot handle spicy food.
She had gone to buy bell peppers today as usual, but all the bell peppers at the vegetable stall were sold out, leaving only the green peppers.
After buying the green peppers, she took out all the seeds and washed them several times with clean water.
I thought it wouldn't be very spicy, but I overestimated the host's tolerance for spicy food.
"What a coincidence! The canteen in the county government office also used green peppers to stir-fry dishes today. I heard from Lu Tong that they usually stir-fry dishes with half sweet pepper and half green pepper. After all, there are people in the government office who can't eat spicy food." Zhou Hanzhang also picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. The spiciness made cold sweat appear on his forehead.
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