As the Cold Dew passed, the weather turned chilly suddenly.
At dusk, the lanterns in front of Benevolent Heart Medical Hall lit up.
Lu Tong had just finished tidying up the medical records on the desk and was placing the unsold proprietary medicines on the shelves, which were too high. She tiptoed to reach up when a hand stretched out from behind her to place the medicine jar in her hand on the shelf.
When she turned around, Pei Yunmeng was standing behind her, picking up the lamp on the desk.
Lu Tong glanced at the time and asked with some surprise, "Why so early today?"
"I’ve been on duty for two days, I can leave early today." Pei Yunmeng, carrying the lantern, shone it inside the hall. The hall was empty, not a soul in sight.
He looked around and asked, "Where are the others?"
"They are at South City, watching over the shop."
After Old Miao’s departure, Lu Tong took charge of Benevolent Heart Medical Hall.
Sometimes when the hall was quiet, she also tried to develop new prescriptions. Now, when writing new prescriptions, she was probably influenced by Miao Liangfang and Ji Xun, as well as Chang Jin’s previous instructions at the Medical Officer Institute; her prescriptions became much milder. Nevertheless, the new proprietary medicines introduced by the medical hall were still highly praised by patients.
Moreover, she once worked at the Hanlin Medical Institute. Though she later resigned due to ill health, because of Pei Yunmeng’s influence, she became quite famous in Shengjing for a time. She virtually became the living signboard of Benevolent Heart Medical Hall.
Du Changqing would not miss such an excellent opportunity; he immediately found a place on Qinghe Street in South City and opened a shop that specialized in selling proprietary medicines, called "Benevolent Heart Pharmacy."
However, the "Benevolent Heart" signboard, while truly living up to its name on West Street, did not exactly convey "benevolence" on Qinghe Street.
The same proprietary medicines, repackaged in different jars and wooden cases, were more than double the price. Yin Zheng had advised tactfully that this might not be very good, but Du Changqing robustly refuted her.
"Can the rent of a shop in South City be the same as that on West Street? Besides, the West Street property is our own. And you don’t understand the mindset of the wealthy. If you price this proprietary medicine too cheaply, they will be reluctant to buy it, suspecting it’s not a quality product!"
"Trust me, raising the price is the right move!"
Although Du Changqing sometimes seemed off-key, he had an accurate handle on the thoughts of the rich. Once the price of proprietary medicines increased, more people came to buy them, willing to pay the higher prices. No one else could say much. As the business at the South City end was booming, Yin Zheng, Du Changqing, and Ah Cheng couldn’t avoid going there to help.
Lu Tong looked down as she walked out from the back of the hall; Pei Yunmeng held the medical bag for her and asked, "Why don’t you go?"
"You know why," Lu Tong answered, "I detest the powerful and privileged."
She answered earnestly, and Pei Yunmeng watched her for a while before he spoke thoughtfully, "Saying that makes me feel a bit endangered."
Lu Tong handed him a cup of tea, and he took it, drinking it down with bowed head.
"Why don’t you ask what it is before drinking? Aren’t you afraid I’ve poisoned it?"
Pei Yunmeng smiled, leaned in close to her ear, and whispered softly, "If Doctor Lu offers it, I’d drink even arsenic."
Lu Tong: "..."
He was always like this. Even though they had been married for a year, he still loved to tease her. Sometimes Lu Tong was amazed by his words and wondered what they taught all day at the Palace Front Office.
He glanced at Lu Tong’s expression, cleared his throat, and said, "It’s still early. Since Yin Zheng is not around, shall we go out for a walk?"
With no extra medical books to organize today and nothing to do at night, Lu Tong nodded, "Okay."
...
East Panlou Street, not being the Qixi Festival, was much quieter.
It was autumn and the night was desolate; many of the vendors had already gone home. However, with fewer people around, strolling was not crowded. Lu Tong and Pei Yunmeng walked along, noticing a small stall cart ahead.
The owner was a young girl, no more than eleven or twelve years old. Perhaps she, too, wanted to sell everything quickly and go home early; when she saw passersby, she eagerly called out, "Jewelry and bead strands, the last few left, sister," she looked up, smiling at Lu Tong as she passed by, "Come have a look at my jewelry, I’ll give you a good deal."
Lu Tong paused, before she could speak, Pei Yunmeng had already walked up to the stall cart, raising his eyebrows at her, "Pick one?"
Lu Tong inwardly smiled.
Initially, when she and Pei Yunmeng were at odds with each other, she always felt he was not kind-hearted, heart hard as iron. Later, she realized that Pei Yunmeng was soft-hearted. Every time they passed by the street, he would often purchase items from elderly women and children vendors, allowing them to go home earlier.
He once said, "It’s always the bad people who pretend to be good, why does Doctor Lu do the opposite," yet the statement really should apply to himself.
Fortunately, all those little trinkets he bought eventually went to Treasure Bead, otherwise their home probably couldn’t hold them all.
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