Manager Ren was initially disappointed that she was unwilling to become his apprentice, but now, after hearing what she said, he became interested.
"Please speak, Madam He!"
He Jiuniang then said, "Last time, Manager Ren wanted me to practice medicine at the clinic, but I have a lot of things to do at home and I am unwilling to practice medicine every day. However, we can cooperate in another way."
As she spoke, she took another sip of tea. The mutton noodles seemed a bit salty, and she felt thirsty.
“Originally, I didn’t want to reveal my medical skills, and I even kept it from my family. I always felt that it would be easy for a widow like me to attract attention if I knew too much. But my family has just fled here and we need money right now, so I can’t worry about that. I’m willing to cooperate with Yuyuantang. If we encounter any difficult or complicated cases, I can make house calls. But I don’t need the clinic to pay me a salary. Instead, I want the consultation fee split 50/50. Of course, the premise is that the other party finds me through Yuyuantang.”
The meaning is simple and easy to understand: if a patient comes to her on their own initiative, then there is no need for a 50/50 split of the consultation fee.
Upon hearing this, Manager Ren's smile froze instantly. He hadn't expected this woman to be so cunning.
The consultation fees for difficult and complicated diseases are naturally high, and those who can afford to hire doctors for such diseases are usually wealthy families. If they cure a person, they will be very generous in their treatment.
Compared to this, the five taels of silver I just mentioned for a month seems insignificant.
Before she could speak, He Jiuniang added, "By the way, in order to make it easier for me to practice medicine outside, please ask Manager Ren to help me cover it up and tell others that I am your apprentice."
Having acquired a disciple with medical skills surpassing his own, Manager Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
“I’ve remembered everything Madam He said, but this matter isn’t something I, as the manager, can decide. My boss also runs a clinic in Jingzhou City, so I need to write to him and ask for his opinion.”
In retrospect, Yuyuantang didn't gain much from this deal. After all, He Jiuniang just wanted to use Yuyuantang as a middleman to promote their reputation.
However, it's not without its benefits. At least if He Jiuniang really becomes famous, she will be considered a doctor who came from their Yuyuantang, and Yuyuantang will also benefit from it.
Overall, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
But there's never been a precedent for splitting profits 50/50 with the doctor, so we still need to consult with the employer.
He Jiuniang understood and readily agreed.
Seeing that she was easy to talk to, Manager Ren immediately said, "I've heard that Madam He has read many medical books. I wonder what they are? May I borrow one or two?"
He wore a broad smile. Although he knew his request was a bit excessive, he figured he could learn more about medicine and was willing to accept the title of "shameless."
He Jiuniang smiled apologetically, "When the whole family fled, we didn't even care about our own lives, so naturally we don't know where those things are now."
Manager Ren's face turned pale with heartache. He wished he could take his men and search along the way right now, but he knew it was impossible to find them.
He Jiuniang chuckled and said, "But because I've read those books for so many years, the knowledge is all in my head, so it's not a loss."
Manager Ren's eyes lit up again, and he hurriedly said, "If Madam He is willing to sell her prescriptions, our Yuyuan Hall can offer ten taels of silver per prescription!"
Just now, He Jiuniang mentioned that her family was short of money, and Manager Ren felt that ten taels of silver was a great temptation. After all, if He Jiuniang knew many medicinal prescriptions, selling a few more would allow her whole family to live a better life.
He Jiuniang just smiled and didn't say anything. The shopkeeper felt inexplicably uneasy and quietly held up two fingers: "Or, twenty taels will do?"
"Shopkeeper, please stop teasing me."
He Jiuniang smiled faintly, but it was a smile that seemed forced and insincere.
Manager Ren immediately fell silent. He Jiu Niang had finally agreed to cooperate with him, and it wouldn't be good if he displeased her and she turned to cooperate with other clinics.
"If Madam He is unwilling, then pretend I never mentioned it, hehehe..."
He Jiuniang nodded, and without further pleasantries, got up to take her leave. Manager Ren was busy writing to his employer and didn't try to persuade her to stay.
After leaving the clinic, He Jiuniang finally let out a sigh of relief and shook her head helplessly.
The reason she was willing to cooperate with Manager Ren was entirely because she had a good first impression of him; he greeted her with a smile, even though she was dressed simply.
But people's hearts are never easily satisfied. After learning that she was a good doctor, Manager Ren seemed to want more and more.
In today's world, information is not readily available, and no one is as willing to share their family's ancestral skills as people in the postmodern era. Many clinics have been able to stand for over a century entirely because they have family-inherited prescriptions. They don't need many; just one prescription is enough to feed the family members.
But Manager Ren wanted to spend ten or twenty taels of silver to buy the prescription from her. Wasn't he treating her like a fool?
Originally, she had no intention of deliberately hiding the prescription. Since they would be working together in the future, he would have many opportunities to see the prescription, and he could openly ask her for advice. Trying to buy it would really diminish He Jiu Niang's impression of him.
However, since the other party was willing to spend money, He Jiuniang didn't need to make a fuss about it. After all, it was just a cooperative relationship, and she needed a reasonable explanation before she could reveal her medical skills. Let's leave it at that for now.
Returning along the same route, Lu Guilan and the others went to wait for her under the same tree. When they saw her return, they were all a little anxious. Lu Guilan asked, "What did the shopkeeper want with you? Could it be that there's something wrong with our medicinal herbs?"
Although the family hasn't been collecting medicinal herbs recently, they have done some trading before. If something goes wrong with the herbs, they'll be in deep trouble.
"No, it's something else I need to talk to you about. It's good news, don't worry. Let's go back first and I'll tell you everything."
With a large family, He Jiuniang didn't want to repeat herself several times.
Hearing her say that, the group felt relieved. By then, the cart and carriage were loaded, and after paying, they prepared to go back.
Zhang Song suddenly said, "Third Sister-in-law, why don't you take Lianhua back first? We came to sell clothes today, but we haven't collected any feathers yet! Guilan and I will go to the restaurant to collect the feathers before we go back!"
The carriage had been carrying cloth, and he didn't want the dirty feathers to soil it, so he hadn't mentioned it.
He Jiuniang thought about it and realized that since the family was going to make feather clothes on a large scale, they would naturally need a lot of feathers, so she agreed.
"Wait a minute, I'll get you the money!"
As she spoke, He Jiuniang reached for her purse, but Zhang Song quickly said, "No need, there's still some left from the carriage, that's enough!"
He Jiuniang didn't say anything more, and took the cloth and Lotus home first.
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