Silver
Little Stone took the order and left. Jiang Nian found a stone chair that had just been cleaned and sat down, thinking about what he should do next.
For now, there is no need to worry about the lack of people coming on the day of the competition. The topic of the drugstore competition has become a casual topic after dinner recently. So she should also think about how to deal with the wave of purchases brought about by the competition in order to attract more customers to patronize.
As time went by, the noise outside the house gradually faded away, and hurried footsteps were heard from the other end of the warehouse. After hearing what Shi Tou said, Xu Bo handed the counter account book to Fuling after most of the customers had left, and hurried to the courtyard where Jiang Nian was.
Through the dim light of the setting sun, I saw Jiang Nian sitting in the courtyard sipping tea. Suddenly, I felt that half a month had passed in the blink of an eye, as if Jiang Nian had never left Pingzhou. Now he was sitting at the stone table in front of him, smiling with a curved brow, waiting for the business situation in the next few days.
Thinking that Jiang Nian had been waiting for a while, Xu Bo immediately rushed forward:
"Miss, the pharmacy is busy and I'm late. Is there anything you need to ask?"
"The pharmacy has been busy lately. Are you short of staff?"
Jiang Nian had already asked Xiao Shitou most of the questions he wanted to ask, and the rest were just trivial matters, but trivial matters should be asked to people who know the pharmacy well so that they can know if there are any omissions.
Xu Bo stood in front of Jiang Nian and thought for a moment before answering, "It's a little cramped when there are a lot of people around, but it's suitable for daily interactions."
Jiang Nian recalled the time when the pharmacy was packed with customers during special events, and suddenly asked:
"How much cash is left in the pharmacy? I'm thinking of expanding the shop eastward by two rooms after the competition."
Although Liangdu Pharmacy is an old brand, it was previously on the decline, so Jiang's father had no intention of expanding the store.
But the situation has improved now. If we have cash, we can expand the warehouse by two more rooms. This will ease the flow of customers and allow the medicinal materials and insect repellents in the warehouse to be stored separately instead of side by side.
Uncle Xu was stunned for a moment, then he thought that if he expanded the shop, it would be just right to have more guards.
Ever since the young lady took over the pharmacy, the silver in the account book has been increasing rapidly due to her unique activities. If she only wants to expand the shop, it will certainly be enough.
After thinking it through, meeting Jiang Nian's gaze, Xu Bo said sternly, "We have enough cash to open two more shops, and we still have some spare money. I wonder if the young lady could hire a few servants to look after the shop?"
If the shop is to expand, we will definitely need to add a few more people who can look after the shop.
Jiang Nian nodded thoughtfully, thinking about the next arrangements: "Then let's do this. When everyone goes to watch the competition, we can use those days to expand the store."
The two shops next door don't have many customers on weekdays, but there are still some good shops in other parts of Baima Street. After letting Xu Bo talk to the owners of the two shops next door, she can set some rules to let everyone gradually adapt to the rules of queuing to buy and make the drugstore more modern.
Xu Bo responded and then asked, "So, does the warehouse need to be re-arranged?"
Jiang Nian nodded: "Yes. If the pharmacy expands, it will be better to separate them."
"Yes, yes."
After receiving the order, Xu Bo prepared to start making arrangements, but then he thought that if he wanted to expand the shop, he would have to hire more servants to carry the goods, so he asked, "Do we need to hire some servants to carry the goods?"
"Yeah." Jiang Nian responded, "Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to finish moving everything within those days."
What's more, the store needs to be cleaned and the goods rearranged, which all takes time.
Xu Bo agreed repeatedly. He had nothing more to say. Jiang Nian thought for a moment and thought that there was no need for further instructions. He stood up and said to him:
"That's all for today. I'll be thanking you for your hard work over the next few days. If you're shorthanded, you can arrange for more help."
"Don't worry, miss. I will arrange the store expansion as soon as possible. If there is a shortage of staff, I will adjust the staffing according to the actual situation to ensure that everything goes smoothly."
Jiang Nian smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble Uncle Xu."
In the next few days, she would deal with the spy named Sun Dun and inquire about the progress of the mineral discovery. Since she couldn't help out at the pharmacy these days, all arrangements would be handled by Xu Bo, as the workload was incredibly heavy.
She had to go back and ask Guizhi to bring some food to Uncle Xu when she was free.
—
Qing waited until Meng Jian left before returning to Qishan Mansion with a pale face.
Seeing Xiao Yingzhu looking at the chess game in front of him in deep thought, he subconsciously reached out to his chest and held the letter that Jiang Nian handed to him in his palm. He paused at the door for a moment before pushing it open and walking in.
The sweet and refreshing aroma of tea lingered in the inner room, and the low crackling sound of the charcoal fire in the small tea stove was particularly clear.
The half-open window let in the cool evening breeze, dispersing the warm steam from the teapot.
Xiao Yingzhu held the chess pieces, one on each side, black and white, and reviewed the game just now.
Qing walked forward silently and slowly placed the envelope in her hand on the edge of the table next to the chessboard.
The next moment, the black piece was surrounded by the white pieces, swallowed up and out of the game, rolling onto the envelope, and under the orange-yellow light, it had a dark luster.
Xiao Yingzhu raised her eyes and looked at Qing for a moment: "Did you see him?"
"......Um."
Xiao Yingzhu stopped talking and slowly replayed the chess game. She picked up the piece from the envelope and asked, "Do you remember what I told you before?"
"Remember."
Qing's gaze paused for a moment on Xiao Yingzhu's slender fingertips, then she looked away and whispered, "I can't sense emotions."
"Should we kill him?"
"This is your own decision. The scabbard of the sword is already in your hands."
Xiao Yingzhu raised the black piece in her hand and brought it into Qing's sight. Her action was self-evident.
The corners of her raised eyes became narrow and long, and the sparseness between her eyebrows disappeared, and she returned to the appearance that often appeared in front of him with "difficult to guess".
Qing suddenly remembered the night when she went out of the mountain again. It was a winter night with snow flying all over the sky.
Darkness fell behind the mountain. A man was wearing a dark cloak, his brows and eyes were cold. The snow on the mountain suppressed the dazzling and charming features on his face, like a Xuan painting with brushstrokes and ink.
He held an umbrella, stood in front of Qing, who seemed not afraid of the cold, and told him.
There are two choices.
One is to use yourself as a blade to chop off the butcher who took your parents' lives.
The second is to treat oneself as a sheath, as originally stated when he adopted them, and become his sword.
Although Qing and Yu's emotions were plundered by the river of blood that covered the mountains, they still knew the principle of repaying kindness.
If the situation is not handled properly, the man might be killed.
In this regard, they chose the second option.
—
The wind blew through the bamboo forest outside the study, and the corridor breeze coming in from the window covered the diffused tea fragrance in the room, and the misty warm air instantly washed it away.
The sound of the treetops pulled at her drifting thoughts, and Qing's gaze focused slightly on the chess piece in Xiao Yingzhu's hand.
"Yes. I understand."
Xiao Yingzhu stopped talking. He took out the letter Jiang Nian wrote to him from the envelope, opened it and took a look. The coldness on his face suddenly eased.
Qing blinked slightly when she saw Xiao Yingzhu's expression change from cold and distant to slightly gentle, but she didn't feel any feelings or changes in her heart.
…
If he can regain his emotions, then can he let Yu imitate him, so that they can both see smiles?
Folding the letter in his hand and putting it back into the envelope, Xiao Yingzhu no longer cared about Qing's inner thoughts and said to him lightly, "Go back and tell her that the minerals sent by Qin Lanxian have arrived at the sect and will reach Pingzhou in two or three days."
Qing nodded in response, her eyes falling on the opened envelope again.
The envelope and the letter touched the fiery red flame, which suddenly sparked a light in his dark pupils. The smell of burning paper mixed with the tea.
The breeze coming in from the window blew over the embers and carried the ashes away.
Suddenly coming to his senses, after a while, he answered, "Yes."
Xiao Yingzhu gently grasped the white piece in her hand, no longer answering, but just lowered the curtain and pondered other things.
Seeing that there was nothing more to be done, Qing bowed slightly and disappeared outside the study again.
—
The weather was very clear after the rain.
Meng Jian returned along the same route to Qishan Mansion. When he passed by Jiang Nian's experimental field, he stopped for a while in the distance.
There was no one around him, so he arranged for Zhou Jinyu to handle other matters.
The woods were eerie at night. The chirping of cicadas seemed to be afraid of the woods at the foot of the mountain, and only the faint sound of the wind could be heard.
A black shadow fell from the top of the mountain, and in a few moments it floated close to his back, standing a few steps away from him.
Meng Jian slowly turned sideways, raised his hand to slightly straighten his robe that had been ruffled by the wind, and said gently to the dark figure over there, "You're here...won't you come out to see me?"
The dark shadow was hidden in the woods. When he heard the words, he only moved slightly but refused to take a step forward.
Meng Jian didn't mind. The fragrance of rice fields and wheat filled his nostrils. He stood in the pale moonlight with a gentle smile on his face. His elegant features looked even more creepy.
It was as if all the hostility emanating from those who had been skinned by Meng Jian before had accumulated on him, and was now staring coldly at him through Meng Jian's beautiful eyes.
Qing stood in the shadows, subconsciously trying to touch the blade that could "take the butcher's life", but after a moment, it came loose from the handle.
"...After not seeing you for so many years, you've grown up a lot and become much more sensible."
"But now that you see your brother, you don't recognize him?"
Meng Jian turned around, stepped on the bright moonlight on the ground, and opened his arms to Qing with a gentle smile.
"Would it be uncomfortable to become his sword?"
"Why not return to me? I gave you freedom before... and I can give you freedom again."
…
In the dilapidated house, several wooden beds with old moldy spots were placed side by side in the corner.
Several pieces of wall paint fell off.
The children huddled under the dining table while outside the house they could hear adults shouting and scolding.
The brother who used to protect them was no longer standing in front of them to block the distance between them and the wooden stick.
The master came stumbling over from a distance, having swindled a few coins from somewhere and drinking wine, and got drunk. He found a stick in the yard and was ready to beat his stinky wife and the two useless children as usual.
The room was empty, and if I stood there, I would definitely be beaten. The only thing I had was the chair legs under the dining table, which could block the drunken man's gaze a little.
But the man didn't know what he saw outside the house. It seemed that he saw his brother who had paid money to stay at their house. He became evil-minded and wanted to take some more money from the gentle brother so that he could go to a restaurant far away to eat some meat.
The older children heard the hesitant sound of footsteps rolling on the sand and were about to shrink further under the table when they heard the adult smiling at someone:
"As expected of someone staying at my house... Where did you get this sign? Let me see it."
The figure of a man was reflected on the window paper. The children were very familiar with that figure. It was the figure of their older brother who was staying in their house and often protected them.
The other child also saw it and was about to speak when the older child covered his mouth.
"...You won't give it to me? Do you dare not give it to me?"
The adult seemed to be angered by his brother's response and reached out to grab it.
The courtyard is small and the window is just outside the corner of the yard.
Not many people go there on weekdays, only adults who want to vent their anger by beating their children come here.
But today the Lord came a little earlier than usual.
The sky was pale, casting a dazzling white light through the only window in the shabby and dim room.
The child's large, gray pupils are like silent mirrors, reflecting the silent pantomime outside the window paper.
The adult dragged his drunken body towards the man. The sunlight shone brightly for a moment, reflecting the cards in the man's hand.
“…”
“…………”
This is.
This is……
The adult felt his heart empty, his sight went blank for a moment, and then fell on the huge character.
[desert]
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