Chapter 895: Zhongli Wenlian, who has made a name for herself, is the envy of many.
Having been humiliated, Yuan Datou wisely finished his soup, put down his chopsticks, and left the restaurant.
Lady Gan went to collect the soup bowls. Looking at the copper coins on the table, she counted them carefully and found that two were still missing.
She sighed inwardly, not even thinking of chasing after Yuan Datou at the door to ask for the missing two copper coins.
A sharp-eyed diner noticed that the number of copper coins left by Yuan Shikai was insufficient and asked directly, "Madam Gan, did Yuan Shikai shortchange you on copper coins?"
Gan Niangzi nodded with a wry smile, "Sigh, he's still a neighbor after all. Now he's out there doing odd jobs to earn a living. Oh well, oh well."
Seeing that Madam Gan did not pursue the matter of the missing copper coin, the man said frankly, "Madam, you are kind-hearted and will surely be blessed with great fortune."
Gan Niangzi nodded to the man, collected the bowls, and went back to the kitchen. Zhou Aweng watched the commotion from the side. He was not interested in men like Yuan Datou, but he was interested in the medical tent set up by the craftsmen on the street.
After finishing his meal, Zhou Aweng paid the bill and strolled over to the place where the tents were set up. The "ding-dong" sound of knocking continued for quite a while.
Old Zhou was a lively person. In his early years, when he went to the Western Regions to trade, he was able to speak to people in a way that suited them.
He stood there for a while, and when he saw that the manager had some free time, he bought a pot of loose tea. He went over, bowed first, and then spoke to him in a polite manner. The manager saw that he was an old man and that his clothes did not indicate that he was poor, so he returned the bow.
At Zhou Aweng's invitation, the steward and Zhou Aweng sat down at a tea stall and chatted.
The question asked by Zhou Aweng wasn't anything confidential, so the steward readily answered it.
"...Yes, it's a job I took on at the maternity ward. I need to set up a tent before the free clinic."
The manager shook his head. "I don't know if it's elsewhere. I'm just here to keep an eye on this place because I was told to do so by my superiors."
There must be some.
"Naturally, this is the work of the maternity ward, which is a tent specially set up for women to see a doctor."
Do men use a tent when they go to the doctor?
"I don't know about that, I haven't heard of it. It should be like previous years, there should be a shed, but it's not like this one, with thick cloth on three sides to block the wind, and an extra space inside for wooden beds."
After drinking a pot of loose tea and two plates of simple snacks, the manager bowed and urged the resting craftsmen to resume work.
There were many people in the neighborhood who were just as curious as Uncle Zhou about the medical tents set up in the maternity ward, but unlike Uncle Zhou, they didn't spend their spare money to treat people to tea and snacks just to strike up a conversation and ask what the tents were for.
However, the erected tent still sparked considerable discussion among the crowd.
The next day was sunny and bright, a perfect day to deliver the medals.
Chen Yanfu specially hired musicians to play gongs and drums, and followed the official from the Jingzhao Prefecture, along with a dozen or so yamen runners, to Zhongli's largest pharmacy in Chang'an.
Li San Niang received a large donation of silver from Zhongli Wenlian to the Maternity Clinic. Chen Yanfu counted it on the spot and deposited it into the account. The next day, Li San Niang wrote a document to Wang Shuzheng and asked him to have the Jingzhao Prefecture record it in the name of the Maternity Clinic of the Imperial Medical Academy. She also took silver from the Maternity Clinic's public account and asked the official of the Jingzhao Prefecture to give the silver to the craftsman who made the medal, and to make sure that the craftsman made the medal shiny and dazzling.
Today is the perfect day to present an award plaque to the pharmacy managed by Zhong Liwenlian.
The procession was led by yamen runners, accompanied by the beating of gongs and drums. Officials in round-necked robes and hats followed behind, while dozens of yamen runners carried objects covered with red silk in the middle.
What ordinary person wouldn't want to join in such a lively event?
Before the group even arrived at Zhongli's pharmacy, a quick-footed servant had already run back to inform Uncle Zhong, the pharmacy's owner.
Upon receiving the news, Uncle Zhong immediately went upstairs to the second floor and reported the information to Zhongli Wenlian, who was sitting inside.
“Haha,” Zhongli Wenlian laughed, and said to Granny Cui standing to the side, “Medical Supervisor Li is truly a wonderful person.”
Look at this setup, it seems like something big has happened. Usually, families who win medals don't get this kind of treatment.
Looking at Zhongli Wenlian's expression, Granny Cui knew that she was happy. After all, merchants were not short of money, and since it was a woman in charge, what did she want most?
It's all about reputation!
Reputation can sometimes be more valuable than money; it can even determine life and death!
Li San Niang made such a big show of things, partly because Zhong Li Wen Lian had provided a large sum of money, which had truly solved Li San Niang's urgent problem.
Secondly, Li San Niang was quite shrewd; she wanted Zhongli Wenlian to serve as a role model so that she could receive donations from other wealthy merchants in the future!
After all, if this maternity clinic really wants to continue operating and open in places outside of Chang'an and Luoyang to provide medical care for more women, it will really require a lot of money to support it.
Although there was silver allocated by Emperor Wu to the Imperial Medical Academy's obstetrics and gynecology department, the Imperial Medical Academy also received "tonics from the wealthy" later on.
The subsidies received for "common medicines" are still far from enough.
Moreover, the benefits of the obstetrics and gynecology clinic are not immediate, unlike the surgery clinic, where the effects of war are not immediately apparent.
Therefore, external support is inevitable, and wealthy businessmen are the best targets for exploitation.
But this "wool-pulling" is essentially "robbing the rich to help the poor," so you have to give something to people before they'll donate money to you, right?
If you want to "force a sale," you need to have power.
However, the maternity ward doesn't actually have that authority nowadays.
Therefore, Li San Niang came up with a way to promote the merchants' reputation.
Besides the "rich man's tonic, common man's medicine" thing, what Li San Niang could give Zhongli Wenlian in return was a good reputation.
Is a reputation for generosity unimportant to merchants of this time?
No, it's not only very important, it's also very useful!
It really can reduce commercial taxes!
Moreover, the Imperial Medical Academy will inevitably have more tasks that require the participation of pharmaceutical companies in the future, so those who contribute money and effort first will definitely have an advantage.
You reap what you sow; it's fair.
In business, profit is the fundamental principle.
When they arrived at the street where Zhongli's pharmacy was located, the sheer scale of the event drew the attention of the surrounding merchants, commoners, and passersby, all of whom craned their necks to try and see what was written on the plaque.
However, before the unveiling ceremony, Chen Yanfu clapped her hands, and the musicians stopped playing. In just a few moments, the sound of firecrackers crackling and popping rang out in the street.
The person who was startled by the firecrackers calmed down and then realized that it was a bamboo section that had been burned open.
"It gave me quite a fright. Why are they setting off firecrackers when it's not a holiday?"
After the firecrackers stopped, Chen Yanfu and the official from the Jingzhao Prefecture stepped forward and said a few words, mainly thanking Zhongli Wenlian, this great philanthropist, for not only being kind-hearted but also donating a large sum of money. They praised her for quite a while.
Then, Zhongli Wenlian was invited to the stage, and she personally unveiled the red silk. Underneath the red silk was a bronze medal with the four characters "Benefit the Country and the People" written on it.
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