Chapter 446: Severe Illness
The weather is getting colder, and it is the busy season for wheat planting. There are not many people setting up stalls in the county town, but it is quite lively with people coming and going.
I saw a bakery shop with quite a few people next to it, so I went in and bought some sesame candies, crispy twisted dough sticks, chestnut cakes, water chestnut cakes, etc. Then I saw a stall selling dough figurines and sugar paintings next to it, so I bought a few as well.
Going further, there are fresh hairpins and bamboo balls and dragonflies...
By the time they reached the spice shop, Zhuang Qingning's hands were already full and he could hardly take anything else.
In desperation, he found a grocery store, bought a very exquisitely woven bamboo basket with a lid, put all the things in it, and then went into Cheng's spice shop.
As soon as he stepped into the spice shop, Zhuang Qingning smelled a strong fragrance.
The subtle aromas from all kinds of spices mixed together should have smelled a bit strange, but because there was an incense burner at the entrance of the shop, the long-lasting aroma emanating from it covered up all other smells.
It can be said that the overall feeling is very good.
Zhuang Qingning couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips slightly.
A smart waiter came up to her and asked, "Miss, are you buying loose spices or prepared incense?"
"Are you planning to use it yourself or give it to someone else? Where are you planning to use it?"
Zhuang Qingning smiled and said, "I plan to buy some loose incense and mix the spices myself when I get home."
"Miss, if you want to mix the spices yourself, please come this way." The waiter led Zhuang Qingning to a table nearby, pulled a stool for her, and poured her a cup of tea. "Miss, do you have a recipe? If you do, just tell me the name of the spices and the quantity you want, as well as the quality of the spices you want. I'll give you a price, and if it's okay, I'll go and help you mix the spices."
"Thank you for your help, little brother." Zhuang Qingning said with a smile, "I have already made a list of the spices and quantities you need, please take a look."
"Hmm...thinking of a slightly better spice."
Since you want to make money with this Ban Yue Xiang recipe, the finished product must at least give people a stunning feeling. Naturally, you have to use better spices to make a good Ban Yue Xiang.
On the list I made for the waiter, the quantities of many spices required were not consistent with the recipe. In order to prevent not being able to make it in one go, I asked for a little more. In addition, I asked for a few more spices so that I could practice with them on a daily basis.
"Okay." The waiter responded with a smile, picked up the order given by Zhuang Qingning, took a look at it, and said with a smile, "According to the amount the young lady wants, it's not small. If you calculate it, it will cost nearly twenty taels of silver."
"The rest is fine, but this sandalwood flavor is a bit more expensive."
As expected, spices are something only rich people can afford.
These things would cost twenty taels of silver. Although her workshops were very profitable nowadays due to the output and profit ratio, but these thirty taels of silver were definitely not a small amount.
Zhuang Qingning suddenly remembered the saying "While the rich enjoy wine and meat, others freeze to death on the streets."
The gap between the rich and the poor in this era is really huge.
The road to becoming rich is long and arduous!
Zhuang Qingning sighed in his heart, and a hint of emotion appeared on his face.
Seeing Zhuang Qingning like this, the clerk laughed and said, "Miss, if you want to make incense, you will inevitably need some porcelain cups, small jars and other things. You bought a lot of things at once, so I will give you some commonly used things. If you think you can use the spices well, come back again."
There were gifts for him, so Zhuang Qingning nodded quickly, "Thank you, little brother."
"Miss, you are so polite. It's my duty." The waiter smiled. "Then please wait here for a moment. I will go to get you some goods. If you feel bored waiting, you can take a look here. There are all kinds of incense ready. If you want to try any, just call me."
"Okay." Zhuang Qingning nodded, thinking that the service at Chengji Spice Shop was excellent. While the waiter was preparing things, he looked around.
This shop is quite big. In addition to this side, there are many compartments further inside. I think they are used for entertaining guests on a daily basis. People come up and down from the second floor from time to time, and from the clothes of the people entering the second floor, we can tell that they are probably merchants or wealthy people. It can be seen that the furnishings on the second floor are probably better than here.
Zhuang Qingning looked at it for a while, then took a sip of tea from the cup.
"Boss, you're back." The waiter at the door said with a smile.
Zhuang Qingning looked up and saw a strange middle-aged man with a square face and tall stature. He looked energetic, but his face was serious and quite majestic.
Judging from the looks of it, this should be the new shopkeeper Fang, the new shopkeeper sent here by Cheng Ruize after the last shopkeeper.
"Yeah." Shopkeeper Fang nodded, but there was a hint of sadness on his face.
"The shopkeeper looks so unhappy. What happened?" the waiter asked in surprise.
"Our Third Young Master's illness came from a very strange source. He hasn't gotten any better after a few days of treatment." Shopkeeper Fang sighed, "I just went to take a look. He looked listless, with a sallow face and a lot of weight lost."
"The third young master is so seriously ill, I'm afraid we can't find a good doctor in the county town. We should go to the provincial capital for a check-up. It is said that illness is as severe as a mountain falling. Even if the third young master is young and healthy, I'm afraid he won't be able to recover." The waiter was immediately worried.
"That's what they said, but it takes more than half a day to get to the city, and it's even more tiring to travel by boat and carriage. I'm afraid it won't work. I heard Fang Hou say that he has already sent a fast horse to the city to invite a doctor, and he said he will be here soon."
Shopkeeper Fang replied, "The doctor we invited is said to be a famous doctor in the city. I think he should be able to treat the third young master well."
"Yeah." The waiter nodded, thought for a while and said, "The Third Young Master is ill. As waiters, shouldn't we go and visit him? If we don't go, wouldn't it be a bit rude..."
"But if we go, I'm afraid we'll disturb the Third Young Master's rest." Shopkeeper Fang lowered his head and thought for a while, then looked up and said, "Talk to all the shop assistants later, and ask each of you to bring three or five cents and pool them together. I'll buy some supplements and send them to the Young Master's house, saying that they're a gift from you."
"Shopkeeper." The clerk frowned immediately. "There are only a few clerks in this shop. They only have three or five coins, less than a hundred coins. What can we buy? The shopkeeper is going to pay for us out of his own pocket to save our face? This is not possible..."
"I told you to go, so you go. Do you think your salary is too high? Every year, the Third Young Master gives me a lot of red envelopes. Isn't it my duty to show my respect to the Third Young Master?" Shopkeeper Fang reached out and gave the waiter a slap on the face. "Okay, stop talking and get back to your work."
It's the end of the month, and as usual, I shamelessly ask for money~ (End of this chapter)
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