Chapter 8 Jade Rabbit Waits for its Prey and the Feather Pen Lightly Tickles the Palm
London's upper class is like this. They want to have what others don't have, and they must not miss out on what others have. They must follow the latest trends and fashion trends. And the whole of Britain is guided by London's fashion trends.
This time, the awakening ointment became a big hit. Not only did upper-class ladies express their gratitude and say they would go to the store in person to buy the ointment, but many curious people who had read the newspaper also followed the address reported in the report and found the store "Oriental Alice" at 18 Bond Street.
In the early morning, everything was normal on Bond Street. Anna and Anne brought breakfast upstairs to their employer and her sisters as usual, decorated the room with flowers they had just bought from the vendor, and went downstairs to start their daily routine of running the shop and selling medicine.
Since the store's business has been boosted by the specialty Chinese herbal tea, they can finally rest assured and no longer have to worry about the store closing down and being fired.
Anna and Anne thought they had recently seen the world, having received a number of high-society young ladies. But this day, they were once again stunned by the endless stream of luxurious carriages and onlookers at the door, leaving them speechless. Even when they finally got an interview with a newspaper, they were so dazed that they didn't know what they said.
Where did the employer attract so many customers this time? !
Alice had naturally been woken up by the noise downstairs. Sometimes it was annoying to have too sensitive hearing.
She covered her ears and rolled around on the bed, but was finally defeated by the voices of people claiming to be servants of a certain mansion downstairs.
This is the biggest disadvantage of living in the city! No doubt about it.
Scratching her frizzy hair, Alice stood up from between Jane and Elizabeth, nimbly leaped to the edge of the bed, and landed lightly on the wool carpet.
After changing clothes, I ate the breakfast set on the dining table in the living room.
Jane also got up, touched her head, helped her comb her hair, and put it into a simple but extremely delicate and beautiful hairstyle.
Alice looked in the mirror beside her, then hugged Jane and rubbed her arms: "Jane's hands are really the most skillful."
“Alyssa, be careful with the jam on your hands.” Jane’s words of warning were gentle.
Born and raised in this strange land, Alice lost her memory and magic powers. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet often neglected their duties, so Jane, as the eldest sister, took on the responsibility of mothering her younger sisters. They always showed her care and love, never saying harsh words no matter what she did, which made Alice feel a rare tenderness in her heart that was not originally hers.
Well, for Jane's sake, she decided to be more gentle to those noisy guys downstairs.
When he went downstairs, those annoying servants had already bought ointment for their master and went back to serve him.
Alice happened to run into a few ladies who had come to express their gratitude. She welcomed them in and offered the stunned couple some herbal tea. As soon as they entered the shop, the ladies expressed their gratitude for the racecourse's help. Verbal thanks were insufficient to express their gratitude, and they didn't care about the high price of the refreshing balm at all, demanding ten bottles.
I asked Anna how many bottles of the wake-up ointment were left in her store. Dozens of bottles had been sold in the morning, and only about twenty bottles were left.
Alice then said, "I'm afraid there will be many other ladies coming to buy today. The store has limited stock and the purchase limit is one bottle. Please forgive me." Selling to one person will not be as effective as selling to ten people, not to mention that she is not the one paying for it.
Hearing this reply, the ladies became even more convinced that Alice's business and medicine sales were all charitable acts. She was a kindhearted lady, possessing the noble character that befitted a lady of her status. This reputation spread throughout high society, along with the topic of the awakening ointment that had become a constant topic of discussion at the ladies' gatherings recently.
Even with Alice's purchase restrictions, the Refreshing Balm was quickly sold out, mostly by servants. However, some ladies who had packed up before leaving missed out and had to buy specialty Chinese herbal teas that hadn't been featured in the newspapers. Consequently, the large restock of herbal teas sold out again.
Anna and Anne spent the whole day staring blankly at the medicines that were sold automatically without any promotion. They just thought their employer was a really nice person. It seemed like they were getting such high salaries without doing anything.
The entire store was sold out early this morning. As the sunset faded, the bustling crowds gradually dispersed.
"Anna, Annie, let's close the shop and rest." Alice was a little tired after sitting in the shop all day. Although this body was nourished by the jade pestle, it was still a mortal body.
"Yes, miss."
At this moment, a man walked quickly into the store.
The black cloak was covered with dust, and the collar of the priest's robe of the same color was visible from the rope, wrapping his neck tightly.
As soon as I entered the door, I asked: "Shopkeeper, do you have——"
The man's words stopped abruptly.
"Mr. Moran, we meet again." Alice sat facing the store door. Seeing the familiar face, she smiled and waved. "This time, you took the initiative to come to my door."
His eyes curved and he smiled triumphantly, like a hunter who had been planning for a long time and finally waited for his prey to come running head-on.
"Refreshing cream." The man swallowed his breath and said, "Miss Alice, I'm here to buy refreshing cream."
"Mr. Moran, you're late." Alice pointed casually to the side. "The shelves are already empty."
"Can this ointment really replace smelling salts and repair the damaged nerves?" Mr. Moran pursed his lips.
"Of course. If it can't be cured, you can always come to me." Alice was naturally confident. "Some time ago, I received a letter from my father. My mother's fragile old friend of more than ten years has gradually drifted away from her."
"Then... when can we buy the next batch of medicine?" he asked again.
"Please register your name and address. Someone will report it after the goods are restocked." Alice stood up and walked behind the counter. Anna put the registration book on the counter table, understood and left, giving her place to her employer and the most handsome man she had ever seen.
Alice raised her eyes and raised an eyebrow, motioning the man to come over.
He looked at himself, as if he was thinking about something, but also as if he was thinking about nothing, and still walked to the counter.
Alice pushed the register forward, and indeed it contained the names and addresses of many high-society people. She picked up her quill, dipped it in ink, and handed it over.
She held the quill by the middle, and no matter which side the man took it from, he would inevitably touch her hand.
The man's outstretched hand froze in mid-air for a moment before he pretended not to care and reached out to grasp the feather end of the quill.
The backs of their hands pressed together. He had always refused to dance at a ball, never even touching a woman's hand while wearing gloves. The strange touch made him feel a little strange.
He forced himself to speak calmly, "Miss Alice, you should let go."
"Then, Mr. Moran, hold it tight." As he said this, he loosened his hand, but his little finger seemed to hook the feather pen intentionally or unintentionally, and with a slight twist, he pulled the hand holding the pen away.
The feather at the top gently brushed across the man's palm, and the tingling sensation made him almost lose his grip on the pen.
After getting the pen, he wrote down his name and address with a serious expression, as if he had a deep hatred for the registration book, and his strength penetrated the back of the paper with every stroke.
"Goodbye." Alice closed the booklet, smiled and said goodbye to the guest, then turned to Anna and said, "You can close the door now."
The day before, the pharmacy was enthusiastically emptied by London's upper class.
Previously, the ointment business was mediocre, and she hadn't rushed to stock up on the ingredients for the refreshing ointment. Now, not only were they sold out, but the store still had many pre-orders, so she had to go out and stock up.
"Miss Alice." Anne, who was usually a man of few words, suddenly called her as she just stepped out of the store.
"A special person came to the store yesterday." She opened and closed her lips several times and finally said it.
"Hmm?" The people who came yesterday were of all kinds, and everyone looked different. Is there anyone who would be special?
"A man who looked neither like a gentleman nor dressed as a servant walked into the shop without asking anything and just paid for a bottle of refreshing ointment. Judging from his clothes and demeanor, he should be of the same social class as Anna and me. With his income, it is impossible for him to spend 5 pounds on a bottle of ointment that he will not use." Anne added, "Besides, I have seen him around here more than once."
"Annie is very good at identifying people. When she was helping out at the orphanage, she could even tell twins apart. She would never bathe the same child twice." Anna chimed in, wanting to help her employer. "Should we go look for that person nearby?"
"No need." She already had toys and wasn't interested in cats and dogs. "If he comes again, tell me."
After giving instructions on how to deal with the matter, Alice took a public carriage to the herbal medicine shop that Mr. Gardner had introduced to her before, Old Lucy's Shop in Herb Lane, Cheapside. She also bought the ingredients for herbal tea from her shop.
The store has a wide range of products and categories, and both Eastern and Western herbs can be found in the store.
"Old Lucy, I just can't stand it anymore. What on earth are you selling in this basket?" Alice was speechless about the mixed medicines being sold.
The shop owner, oblivious to the problem, leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed and replied, "Chinese roots! You can find them sold this way all over England."
"You're selling a bag of ginseng, salvia miltiorrhiza, wild yam, rhubarb, and—never mind counting—you're selling these completely different herbs as if they were the same thing?" Alice exclaimed. "Does it matter what you buy? The mugwort and salvia miltiorrhiza you sold me before weren't mixed together like this."
"That was what I picked when my eyes were still sharp. You won't find another place like this in London." Old Lucy remained silent. "Now, if you're not satisfied, choose for yourself."
If it weren't for the fact that it was obvious that her eyesight was really bad and that this store had the most complete range of goods, she would have been too lazy to talk and would have just left.
Thinking of this, she turned around, covering the bag of herbs. With a flick of her eye, she summoned the jade pestle and instructed it to help her pick out the herbs she needed.
She didn't want to work. Glancing back, old Lucy was still leaning motionless on the sofa.
After sorting, she paid old Lucy and asked the hired public carriage driver to load the things up. She only heard the sound of footsteps behind her, but did not see the person with bad eyesight behind her. She walked into the inner courtyard steadily without even needing to hold on to the wall.
At this moment, she was only thinking about making a new batch of refreshing ointment as soon as possible.
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