Chapter 40 Sparkling Gifts (Two in One) Good luck with your grand opening...
Seeing Godwin's accusatory look, Shen Jiang was confused.
Beatrice was the first to react. She suppressed the smirk that was escaping her lips, tugged at the witch's skirt, and whispered, "Witch, did you bring a gift for Lord Godwin?"
Gift?
Shen Jiang noticed the red Ahri doll in the orc girl's hand and was stunned.
Doesn't Black Dragon like those shiny things? Could he actually have a secret hobby that no one knows about?
And what was going on now? She had already given her most precious amulet to this guy, and he still had the nerve to ask her for a gift?!
Shen Jiang would be happy to buy him some glass beads to play with, but he had to like them too. After all, he was not a little girl like Beatrice who was easily satisfied. If the gift did not touch his heart, he might get angry.
Although he thought so, Shen Jiang didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction on his face.
She lowered her head listlessly and said in a tone of deep guilt, "Lord Godwin, it's not that I don't want to bring you a gift. In fact, these past few times I've been out, I've been looking for a gift worthy of you. Alas, to be honest, I really don't know what gift is worthy of you."
After hearing her explanation, Godwin's mood suddenly became complicated. He felt that he was not so angry anymore, but he also felt that the words were strange.
It wasn't as if Shen Jiang wasn't really planning on giving something as a token of appreciation, but it seemed like all she had left was... that. If she didn't lay the groundwork, she was afraid Godwin would think she was just being perfunctory.
Well, there is no difference actually.
She is now showing signs of developing into a master of fooling people.
Shen Jiang rustled something out of his pocket and pulled out a handful of shiny things.
"Actually, I found something interesting on the road. People call it candy."
The believer's hands were small, and in his clean palms were placed several beautiful gems that the Black Dragon Godwin had never seen before. Under the sunlight, they emitted a dazzling and colorful glow.
The smile shifted from Beatrice's face to Godwin's lips.
Shen Jiang picked up a transparent light pink candy wrapper and peeled it off. The color of the transparent candy wrapper became richer in the sunlight. The colorful and gentle light immediately made Beatrice and Godwin unable to take their eyes off it. The round candy inside exuded an enticing sweet aroma.
Beatrice couldn't help but hold her breath and sighed silently in her heart: This gift chosen by the witch is really beautiful.
"Would you like to taste this candy, Lord Godwin?" Shen Jiang said with a smile, "I really like the taste of this candy. It can make people feel very happy."
Godwin looked at the miniature gadget in the believer's hand with doubt. It had no magical aura at all. That was it? Could it actually make people feel better?
Who deceived her?
Godwin didn't know why he stretched out his front paw, but the candy, which was so small that it was almost invisible, finally went into his mouth.
Beatrice looked at the massive black dragon in front of her with some envy, curious about what it felt like.
A refreshing and sweet taste instantly burst out on the tip of Godwin's tongue, making him stunned. This sweet and sour feeling...
It looks quite like that.
Anyway, it was much more delicious than the fruit wine he had drunk at Kailan's wedding last time.
But the candy was too small for Godwin. He only took a lick, and the candy melted and rolled down his throat into his stomach, leaving only a faint sweetness lingering in his mouth.
Seeing Godwin reaching out his hand again, Shen Jiang was stunned for a moment, then seemed to realize something and quickly took out all the candies in his pocket and placed them on the black dragon's huge triangular claws.
Godwin didn't retract his claws, but looked at her suspiciously: "Where's that glowing icing? Did you keep it for yourself?"
Shen Jiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She placed the light pink transparent candy wrapper on his black paw with an innocent look on her face. "If Lord Godwin likes it, I'll find a collection book where you can collect all the candy wrappers you like."
"Okay." Godwin nodded proudly. "This candy is good."
He looked at the tiny half-orc beside the believer, and after seeing her lonely expression, he inexplicably felt better.
After watching Godwin fly away with a flap of his wings, Shen Jiang finally felt relieved.
This candy was made by a long-established candy factory she had been eating since she was a child. It had almost no additives and tasted great, though it was a bit pricey. Her grandmother had bought it for her before her accident. As a child, she often suffered from hypoglycemia, and having a piece of candy nearby would quickly relieve the dizzy and uncomfortable feeling.
Now she no longer has low blood sugar, but she still likes to have a piece of candy occasionally to reminisce the taste of her childhood. Her grandmother knows that she likes it, so she buys it for her and puts it on the desk in her room from time to time.
"While I have some free time today, after dinner, I will teach you how to simply process these herbs and their uses."
Shen Jiang brought the orc girl back to the cabin and announced the day's arrangements. Because of Catherine and Ellis's enthusiastic response, she didn't notice Beatrice's sudden and unusual silence, assuming she was frightened by the black dragon's angry glare.
After all, black dragons are easy to scare people.
Beatrice knew that this was wrong. The Witch-Mistress was even willing to teach them precious magical knowledge, and she should be satisfied. However... she truly envied the position that Lord Godwin held in the Witch-Mistress's heart.
The sun gradually set, and Shen Jiang's mouth was dry from talking. He finally finished today's course on medicinal herbs.
When the get out of class was over, everyone dispersed.
Cecilia went back to the cabin to let the dough rise in preparation for dinner, while Ellis and Catherine walked towards the unfinished cabin.
At this point, Shen Jiang finally realized that there was something wrong with Beatrice's distraction.
Given Beatrice's good memory, she shouldn't be unable to answer the few questions she just asked.
"What's wrong with you, Beatrice?" Shen Jiang looked at the girl with drooping ears with some concern.
Beatrice lowered her head in shame. "I'm fine. I'm just... a little dizzy."
She messed up everything and she lied.
Shen Jiang looked around, then touched his pocket, quickly took out a blue candy, unwrapped it, and stuffed the last candy into Beatrice's mouth. Seeing Beatrice widen her round eyes, Shen Jiang put his finger to his lips and made a hushing gesture.
Don't provoke that ancestor.
"Is it delicious?" Shen Jiang looked at Beatrice with a smile.
Beatrice nodded hesitantly, and then her eyes sparkled with surprise.
Delicious! It tasted sweeter than she had imagined.
"I like this flavor best. It has something filling in the middle."
Shen Jiang touched Beatrice's furry little head lovingly. Poor little thing, she was probably so listless because she was scared by Godwin in the morning.
"Beadori, cheer up! I still need your help."
"ah?"
She must have heard it right.
"I have to tie all those herbs together, otherwise I won't be able to carry so much by myself. If you don't cheer up, I'm afraid I'll go back empty-handed."
According to the previous rules, the golden gate would only suck away Shen Jiang and the things on her body. Before Shen Jiang planned to leave, she tied all the herbs to her body with ropes to prevent the golden gate from failing to recognize the herbs.
“Just tell me what you need me to do!” Beatrice suddenly turned back into the cheerful and innocent girl she was.
After a while, Beatrice helped Shen Jiang tie up more than a dozen bundles of herbs of different sizes with ropes, and then tied the other end of the rope to Shen Jiang's body.
Although this method is a bit awkward, it works.
In this way, Shen Jiang went with big bags and small bags, and returned to Mingxin Hall with big bags and small bags full of goods.
Perhaps the golden gate sensed that Shen Jiang’s small room could not hold so many medicinal herbs, so this time Shen Jiang was teleported to the yard.
At this moment, the daylight made everything in the yard clearly visible.
Shen Jiang was originally very happy when she saw the medicinal herbs that took up half of the yard, but she suddenly thought of a key problem and felt a headache.
With so many herbs in just one day, the yard would be packed to the brim by the time she returned tomorrow. It seemed like the reopening of Mingxin Hall needed to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
Shen Jiang quickly sent a message to his uncle, asking him and his aunt to come to the store early to prepare the herbs. Then he went to the kitchen to make a potion for Grandma.
*
Chen Houkang originally thought that the medicinal herbs delivered to Mingxintang this time would be similar to those a few days ago, with each herb not exceeding ten kilograms at most. In other words, there were many varieties, which took the couple several days to finish.
But when he opened the door of Mingxin Hall and walked into the courtyard, the scene before him left him speechless.
It was his wife Chen Ru's hollow voice that brought him back to his senses: "Akang, you handled so many herbs by yourself yesterday? Why didn't you call me for help?"
Chen Houkang scratched his head: "That's not right. When I left yesterday, there were no such herbs in the yard."
"How is that possible? Don't tell me these medicines were delivered last night?"
The couple looked at each other, not knowing where to start.
Chen Houkang couldn't help but call Shen Jiang to confirm the situation. After learning that these herbs were from Mingxintang, Chen Houkang blurted out: "Shen Jiang, you didn't use all the money you borrowed from the bank to buy herbs?"
After her husband hung up the phone, Chen Ru asked, "What did she say?"
"She said these medicines were ordered by my auntie. She had been planning to have us come over to help, but she didn't tell us before because she was afraid it would be a burden for us."
Chen Ru listened thoughtfully. Seeing that her husband was still distracted, she pushed him and said, "Why are you standing there? Get back to work."
Isn’t it just half a yard of medicinal herbs? The medicinal herbs they grow in the countryside are no less than this. My aunt can collect medicinal herbs from their entire village, so it’s no big deal to collect these medicinal herbs.
But they didn't expect that even though they worked like mules every day, the amount of medicinal herbs left in the yard waiting to be processed did not decrease.
It's as if it can reproduce itself, and it's increasing in number.
*
The doctors in the Department of Neurology paid close attention to the case for a few days, but when they saw that the patient in bed 17, Shen Anlian, was still in a coma after taking Chinese medicine, their enthusiasm gradually faded.
They have lost their fascination with traditional Chinese medicine and feel that it is a bit like metaphysics.
I have only heard that someone’s difficult and complicated illness was cured by Chinese medicine, but I have never witnessed it with my own eyes.
I heard that the family of the patient in bed 17 even signed a waiver with the hospital, disclaiming any responsibility if the patient developed complications from the Chinese medicine. Fortunately, the elderly woman in bed 17, likely due to her previous medical treatment, had accumulated a lot of good karma, and luckily, she didn't develop any problems from the medicine, and her kidney function is fine.
Unfortunately, it remained the same, showing no reaction to the outside world. There was no sign of waking up at all.
That day, after Shen Jiang fed Grandma the medicine, he first wiped her face and hands, massaged her muscles, and then began to take her pulse when the time was right.
Grandma's pulse this time was completely different from the first time she took the medicine. Her original pulse was difficult, thin and slow. After she took the medicine these days, Grandma's pulse is now stable and strong, with only a hint of wilt occasionally.
I just have to take my last breath. Once I break through the last barrier, this subtle pulse will disappear.
By then, grandma should be awake.
This was completely beyond Shen Jiang's expectations. She guessed that it was because her grandmother had been in a coma for a relatively short time, and the medicinal herbs from the other world were particularly effective, that such a big change had occurred in just a few days. Calculating the time, it had only been four or five days since she first fed her grandmother the medicine.
Shen Jiang exuded a sense of relief that was visibly evident from his entire body.
Today is the first day that Mingxin Hall reopened for business. She will be going back to Mingxin Hall to work soon, and she doesn’t know how many patients will come today.
Shen Jiang thought about it and posted a message on Mingxintang's WeChat Moments: "Hello everyone, Mingxintang is back to business as usual starting today. Current business hours: 9-11 a.m. and 1-5 p.m. daily. New and old friends, please make sure you don't miss out."
Before she could exit the interface, her uncle called: "Shen Jiang, why didn't you tell me that you opened your business? Didn't I say that I would let Dabao come to work for you? Didn't you forget?"
Of course Shen Jiang hadn't forgotten, but she didn't want Chen Dabao to come over at all. There had been no movement from her uncle these days, and she had thought the matter was over.
"Uncle, I really don't need any help. Besides, I can't afford to hire anyone. You said I don't pay my cousin either, so how can I have the nerve to ask him to do anything?"
"Didn't I tell you, Dabao is here to learn a trade? You're a capable person, and I feel safe following you. When we were young, every apprentice had to serve tea and water to the master, and some even had to empty the chamber pot. Just give him instructions, and don't be polite!"
Shen Jiang refused several times but was ignored by the person on the other end of the phone. She kept saying that her working hours were well arranged and Dabao could just catch the bus to come to the store to work.
Seeing how persistent he was, and even the obvious flattery in his tone, Shen Jiang felt a little sad for a moment. Poor parents, I heard that her cousin had been living off his parents since he finished technical school. I guess her uncle was also worried about this son.
However, her cousin and his wife have been too busy preparing medicinal herbs recently. When she went back yesterday, she saw that her cousin's wife was so tired that she couldn't even straighten her back. If she could have some free labor... it wouldn't be a problem.
If this cousin can't handle the work in the store and leaves on his own initiative, it will have nothing to do with her.
Shen Jiang almost wanted to praise his own wit, and finally reluctantly responded: "Then you can let cousin Dabao come to the store to try it for two days. If it doesn't fit, forget it."
"Hey! Okay, I'll let this brat come to the store to help you today!"
*
Shen Jiang left the hospital at 8:30.
At nine o'clock sharp, Mingxin Hall, which was closed every day, finally opened for business.
The layout of the interior is the same as before, but if you look carefully, you will find that there are still a few marks on the wall from being hit by chairs, and the old chairs that were originally well maintained are beginning to show signs of loosening.
Shen Jiang waited for a long time but no patient came in, but he was not very disappointed, after all, it was only the first day.
She took out a medical book and slowly flipped through it, and time passed by very quickly without her noticing.
When the neighbors on Mingzhu Road saw the corner clinic open, they came over to offer their congratulations. The grocery store owner, in particular, was so happy to hear that Grandma Shen Jiang had recovered so well that she brought over a few apples, declaring them a symbol of peace and prosperity for the future.
They are all small shops, the boss is the employee, and the shop cannot be separated from people. A group of people come and go quickly, and Mingxin Hall soon becomes deserted again.
At 1:30 in the afternoon, the first customer finally walked into Mingxin Hall.
To be precise, he was not a guest, because after Shen Jiang saw the other person's appearance clearly, he confirmed that the person who came was Chen Yingfa's eldest son, Chen Dabao.
Chen Dabao's figure is a bit like a short and fat man, with a very eye-catching round belly and a chubby face, which makes his inverted triangle eyes almost unable to open.
Shen Jiang disliked her cousin for some reason. The way he looked at her made her feel indescribably uncomfortable, so she had a preconceived notion that his smile was very greasy.
The two of them exchanged a few simple greetings, and Shen Jiang took him to the backyard. Pointing at the herbs in the yard, he said, "The store isn't busy lately, so you can help your uncle prepare the herbs and give him a hand."
"Are you kidding me? You want me to work under him? Didn't my dad ask you to teach me a trade?"
After three questions in a row, Shen Jiang's discomfort deepened. Shen Jiang couldn't help but ask back, "Then you come to see the patient? I'll help my cousin?"
Chen Dabao was embarrassed, and only then did he realize that Shen Jiang's temper was not as easy to control as she looked. Thinking of what his father had told him before coming here, he said reluctantly, "Okay."
Chen Houkang heard the conversation between Shen Jiang and Chen Dabao.
In fact, Chen Houkang was very much against letting Chen Dabao come to work at Mingxintang, but now the person was in the store, and he couldn't be the boss of Mingxintang. He couldn't just drive him away, so he just wanted to turn a blind eye.
Unexpectedly, Shen Jiang turned around and handed this kid over to him. Chen Houkang was really unhappy.
The medicinal herb he was currently processing was angelica root. This batch was of exceptional quality, with thick, robust roots. Chen Houkang knew immediately that this kind of material was rare wild angelica root, more than ten times more expensive than farmed angelica root.
Given his aunt's personality, it would be strange if she didn't buy such high-quality angelica. Chen Houkang had already assumed in his mind that these herbs were all bought by his aunt from all over the place.
He hadn't been a frequent visitor to Mingxin Hall before, so he wasn't sure if his aunt had always been so generous with herbal medicine. But Chen Houkang knew firsthand how much his aunt valued the quality of herbal medicines. He and A'ru's cultivation and preparation skills were thanks to his aunt's strictness back then.
Take angelica for example. Ordinary people have no idea about the ins and outs of it. If you buy angelica online, it is easy to buy "dregs".
Those stores that sell angelica root may look of excellent quality in the photos, but in fact most of them have been steamed and dried in advance by unscrupulous merchants. The real medicinal value has been cooked out long ago, and what the buyers get is just a useless product.
The batch of angelica that my aunt ordered was probably picked directly from the mountains by the herbal farmers, and even the soil was fresh.
Shen Jiang asked him to prepare this batch of angelica raw, so the preparation of this batch of angelica became extremely simple. It only needed to be cleaned, dried and sliced.
This simple task only requires some effort. Chen Houkang pointed to the angelica root with roots on the ground and said, "Wash these angelica root first."
Chen Dabao opened his mouth to retort, but seeing the face that looked somewhat like his father's but several times more ferocious, he swallowed his words back into his stomach, lowered his head, and obediently picked up the bundle of angelica to wash it under the faucet.
I heard that his uncle was a gangster when he was young. If it weren't for his aunt's strength, his uncle would never have turned over a new leaf after getting married.
After a long day of toiling away, Chen Dabao's workload remained stagnant, and he was practically fuming. Normally, at this hour, he'd be at home, enjoying the air conditioning, playing StarCraft with his friends online.
It’s not like now, his fingers are shrunken from washing, and after taking a break, his uncle has to send him back to work.
Chen Dabao sat down on the ground, rolling his eyes in exhaustion, and refused to get up no matter what.
When Chen Houkang saw him like this, he secretly thought that it was a good thing that he had the foresight to not let him watch the medicine being baked. Otherwise, with Chen Dabao's clumsy and impatient appearance, sooner or later all these good medicines would be wasted.
Chen Ru shook her head, unable to bear watching any longer. She walked over to Chen Dabao and said, "Alright, stop washing it. Go cut the ephedra over there. Just cut it into small pieces like those over there."
Chen Dabao felt as if he had been pardoned. He immediately put down the angelica in his hand and ran straight to the stone table.
Chen Houkang was slightly dissatisfied: "Why are you speaking for him? This kid needs to temper his temper."
Chen Ru laughed: "Look at the medicine he washed. The mud is not even cleaned off. How filthy. I really can't stand it. My waist is a little sore, so I asked him to help me."
As she spoke, she rubbed her waist and pounded it.
Chen Houkang frowned: "You go and rest, leave this to me. Don't come here starting tomorrow."
"That won't work. I heard from Shen Jiang that my aunt ordered a lot of medicinal herbs. They will arrive in the next few days. I will be busy later."
Shen Anlian, who was lying asleep in the city hospital, inexplicably became her granddaughter's shield. She seemed to have sensed some kind of calling, and the fingers of her left hand moved slightly under the quilt.
*
Everything was going on track as Shen Jiang had expected.
Although grandma had not woken up yet, when Shen Jiang was wiping her grandma's hands one day, she suddenly felt her grandma's hands responding to her very gently.
Mingxin Hall was already overflowing with medicinal herbs, and Shen Jiang wasn't so desperate for cash right now, so she wasn't in a rush to sell them at a low price. But this wasn't going to work out. If there were no customers, she'd starve to death despite having a good job.
That’s right, Mingxintang is now facing a new problem.
These days, apart from a few old patients who occasionally came, there were no new patients. Even those old patients came to see their grandmother. Seeing that Shen Jiang was the only one in the clinic, they all sighed tacitly that such a good doctor like Dr. Shen had encountered such bad luck. No one asked Shen Jiang to treat them.
Shen Jiang knew they were reluctant to see her because they thought she looked too young, so she didn't force them.
But this won't work, Shen Jiang thought. She had to find a way to attract customers to the store and ask her to see a doctor.
Is it okay to distribute flyers?
Shen Jiang shook his head. These days, no one would be willing to look for medical treatment based on a flyer.
Shen Jiang tidied up the already clean table with some annoyance, but unexpectedly, a familiar silver-white piece of paper fell out from among some books.
Shen Jiang's eyes fell on the dusty invitation to the Dragon Boat Festival free medical consultation event. Originally, she was not planning to go here, but now, she has changed her mind.
It was useless to simply change people's impression of Mingxintang online. Whether a doctor was good or not was based on the genuine word-of-mouth of each patient. Moreover, she had studied medicine for so many years, she couldn't end up relying on selling medicine for a living.
This will be her first stop to build Mingxintang's reputation.
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