Chapter 35 Jade Rabbit has a new idea for cooperation
She unfolded the letter.
There were only a few lines of scribbled writing on the letter. It wasn't really a letter, but more like a hastily written fragment.
To Miss Alice:
Since you've already inadvertently overheard my despicable confession, I won't hesitate to reveal a little more of my own selfish motives. Yes, you have mastered my emotions, as you wished. But you have been too cruel to me, allowing me to gain a new understanding while also destroying it. You have tempted me to make a new vow, and forced me to break the old one.
Even this sweetness that tempts me, you are so stingy as to grant me only a tiny taste. I've already reached the precipice of a precipice, and you reach out to me, only to cut the only rope holding me there, asking me to surrender my whole being to you. But I panic, dread. I don't know how long the sweetness in my mouth can sustain this empty feeling destined to remain unrequited, nor do I know when you will choose to let go. If you withdraw this favor, where can I go?
Please forgive my escape right now. As long as I'm by your side, I might not be able to think clearly. I need to leave here, go somewhere without you, before I can trust that my decision is rational. Perhaps I need a little more time, a little more time, to chart the course of my future destiny.
Your future.
There was no complete signature at the end of the letter, only half a piece of writing and tiny scratches as if it was unfinished. It seemed as if the writer couldn't stop writing here and didn't know what to leave behind.
"Did he say where he was going and when he would be back?" Alice asked John.
The servant wanted to stretch his neck to see but didn't dare, so he could only strain his face and look, hoping to get some information.
"No." John shook his head vigorously. "I wanted to find out where the gentleman went from the young lady, but it seems that's too much to hope for." He sighed loudly after saying that.
She was not completely unprepared for this situation, but she didn't expect that he would choose this path in the end.
Even the monkey had a Five Finger Mountain that he couldn't escape. How could Adrian Moran think that he was out of his control once he left London? How far could a tamed prey run?
Alice tossed the letter back to John.
He held the opened letter and was so curious that he couldn't help but take a glance at it. His eyes widened and he let out a low, controlled exclamation.
She wondered what had entered his mind after secretly reading the man's letter, but the next morning he came to the new house to offer his courtesy. Of course, she wasn't going to be polite. The pharmacy had just gotten busy. He was needed to expand Tzu Chi Pharmacy into parishes in and around London, primarily to communicate with the parish leaders. After all, John had often accompanied his master on parish affairs, so he was a familiar face. The Vicar of Soho was also very cooperative, saying he had specifically instructed her before leaving.
The advertising section of The Times and the Daily Advertiser both published the news that Oriental Alice Pharmacy had opened up the right to jointly sell the Awakening Cream to pharmacies outside London, which specifically detailed several additional conditions, such as the need to simultaneously sell medicines from its Tzu Chi Hall Pharmacy.
After the advertisement appeared, many druggists arrived, eager to secure the local sales rights; after all, it was still a novelty in their area. In England, the trend of emulating London never went out of style. Moreover, while most of the druggists outside the city were private pharmacists, they were also businessmen, shrewd individuals. Seeing the newspaper information, they naturally calculated carefully, and only when they saw a profit would they rush to London to seek cooperation.
Alice summoned Jane and Elizabeth to discuss the partnership, which was necessary to deal with so many drug dealers. To avoid disrupting the shop's business, all the discussions were held at a Bond Street café. After all, the contract terms had been clearly published in the newspaper, so there was nothing to hide.
Unexpectedly, through the word of mouth of the customers in the cafe, the details of the cooperation were spread more widely. People who were interested in the matter were more willing to believe that the news previously published in the newspaper was not mixed with water.
The Countess of Finsbury, who had once been treated by Alice and had benefited from her involvement in the Royal College of Physicians, was enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea at the manor. "Are you saying that Miss Alice is willing to share the profits of her most profitable wake-up cream, just to allow the entire lower-class British population to use her cheap and effective medicine?"
"Yes, ma'am, it is said that this matter first spread from a coffee shop. Many people heard Miss Alice and other ladies of the Bennett family discussing cooperation there." The butler responded respectfully.
"I saw the news of the partnership in the newspaper a while ago, and I also heard the priest mention the Tzu Chi Pharmacy during church service. It seems this young lady is a person of her word." She put down her teacup and said to the housekeeper, "Have the drug dealers in Finsbury and those other cities discuss this partnership with Miss Alice."
"We have quite a few pharmacies in London, so why not join in?" the butler wondered. "As long as your Madam wishes, I think the young lady will give in."
"It's obvious that Miss Alice is only willing to give up the market outside London." Mrs. Finsbury's eyes revealed her dissatisfaction with the housekeeper in front of her. "More importantly, we don't need the market for the Awakening Cream, but win-win cooperation on the Tzu Chi Tang pharmacy. Even if we can't get a share of the Awakening Cream, we must take over the Tzu Chi Tang pharmacy's medicines."
She studied the butler's expression, and seeing he still didn't understand, she simply pointed it out: "Miss Alice wants fame, and so do we. She makes money by selling medicine cheaply and bundling it with drug dealers for large-scale sales, and we make money by selling medicine cheaply. All our pharmacies sell medicine for only 2 pence each, which is cheaper than other drug dealers outside London."
The Countess of Finsbury took a sip of the special Chinese herbal tea she had purchased from Alice's Pharmacy before adding, "Especially in the industrial city constituencies we control, we must get this news to the ears of the voters."
"Madam, do our people need to identify themselves when they go to discuss cooperation with Miss Alice?" asked the butler.
"Of course, Miss Alice is a smart person. Since this cooperation is beneficial to those people, there's no need to be sneaky. Hasn't the news from the cafe taught you a lesson?"
After a moment's thought, the Countess of Finsbury stopped the housekeeper as he was about to leave and said, "Go and talk to Miss Alice in person to see if we can reserve exclusive sales rights in cities where we don't have pharmacies yet. It would be best if we could acquire a few more cities."
"Madam, she is just a daughter of a country gentleman. Even if she is good at making medicine and doing well in business, her knowledge is inevitably limited. Businessmen are only interested in immediate profits and may not understand your deep meaning." The housekeeper was worried that he could not discuss such an obscure cooperation with a young lady who had no experience in the world.
"Who can be sure that Miss Alice is not waiting for us, her real partners, to come?" The Countess only glanced at the butler lightly, then picked up the cup and continued her afternoon tea time.
The Bennet sisters had been busy lately, and today they had a rare opportunity to gather for a walk. Of course, they were joined by their new son-in-law and his family. Mr. Darcy also took the initiative to bring his sister along.
They took a walk not in Hyde Park, where they usually go, but in St. James's Park, which is located between Jane and Alice's houses and is also near Darcy's house.
The two youngest Bennetts had already left the walking group and were chasing and playing in front. Lydia was chattering away. She was having a party at Alice's new house every now and then, and it was a happy time. Catherine rarely did not argue with her or agree with her, but continued to chat about London fashion and city gossip.
Miss Darcy and Mary talked about the new book they had read. Mary had found a new interest instead of reading. She talked to her friendly new friend about the interesting things she had experienced in teaching recently, which made her quite yearning.
Mr. Bentley knew that his wife wanted to discuss important matters with her sisters, so he invited Miss Bentley and others to join him for a walk and chat, leaving space for the sisters.
“Alyssa, if the pharmacy continues to expand like this, it will be difficult for it to balance its income and expenditure.” Jane was a little worried.
Although the partnership with a pharmacy outside London resulted in a partial relinquishment of profits, Oriental Alice Pharmacy leveraged this opportunity to expand its drug distribution channels. This part, after all, bundled high-priced products, only resulted in lower profits.
In London, Tzu Chi Tang Pharmacy recently sold a hundred doses of medicine and still couldn't even find a single bottle of the refreshing ointment. The truth is, the city's customers have already bought everything they could afford. This isn't a medicine that's consumed quickly; some are bought for emergencies. Even if the ointment is used to treat a headache, one bottle every two months is enough. Those who use it frequently have already bought a new one recently. In a short period of time, the pharmacy's expenses have been high and its income has been low, and even Jane, who always likes to look at things in a positive light, is worried.
"Jane, I understand. Our expanding business isn't sustainable solely on the Refreshing Ointment. I'm already considering launching new products," Alice said, a little distressed. "But what kind of medicine would be needed by the majority of the upper class? I don't have the time to prescribe individual prescriptions for each of them."
Money could only be made from the wealthy and the upper class. She had never considered developing new pharmaceuticals because the upper class and the rising aristocracy mostly suffered from diseases of affluence, often not single symptoms, requiring a variety of treatments for each individual, a burdensome process. Alice wanted to empty the pockets of the wealthy, but only intended to sell finished drugs, not burden herself. After all, she hadn't come to the human world to suffer.
The illnesses of the wealthy that the three sisters understood and discussed would likely only cover a small portion of the population, or even if they developed a cure, there wouldn't be a market for them. They'd already mentioned wanting to sell some belly-slimming pills to gentlemen, whose bloated appearance didn't appeal to women. Unfortunately, many gentlemen considered this to be respectable, so the pills likely wouldn't sell. They walked and talked, undecided.
The crowds walking in St. James's Park are more regular than those in Hyde Park, and are mostly upper-class people living nearby. On the way, I met several people who took off their hats to greet Mr. Darcy and politely said hello to their fellow travelers.
Maintaining a ladylike smile, Alice returned the salute to the gentleman across from her who took off his hat. Suddenly, she realized she had been mistaken. She had always assumed that, compared to the upper classes of England who suffered from diseases of affluence and chronic illnesses, the poor here tended to suffer from acute illnesses, often in large numbers, with only a few common causes. Treatment was quick and painless, significantly shortening the time it would take for her to gain the power of merit.
That was because she had overlooked a common ailment in English life, a ailment that the higher the status and wealth, the more anxiously one sought to cure, and which one usually concealed, ashamed to expose to the public, except at this moment when etiquette compelled one to reveal it.
"It seems that being active often leads to new ideas." Alice suddenly felt refreshed. "Jane, I know what medicine to make."
She winked at Elizabeth and said, "I'm afraid we will soon achieve our original goal of surpassing the Darcy family's wealth."
The lady who received the gaze glanced at the man at the center of the conversation, who happened to be looking back. Elizabeth only held his gaze for a few seconds before looking away. She smiled at her sister, who was still looking at her mischievously, and said, "I'm looking forward to that day."
After her stroll home, Alice excitedly headed to the pharmacy on the third floor of her new house. Using the herbs she already had, she concocted a few recipes, but the results weren't entirely satisfactory. The next day, she went to Old Lucy's Herbalist to find some newly arrived herbs before finally settling on a new formula.
A week later, a new medicine was put on the shelves of Oriental Alice Pharmacy: Hair Strengthening and Rejuvenating Cream.
The slogan on the rabbit-shaped shop sign has also been changed to a new one, written in black paint: "Eastern secret recipe for hair care" and "miracle medicine for hair loss and regeneration."
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