Jiang Yue brought Da Niu to town. Since the family had no land, they were spared the spring plowing, but the daily chores like digging for wild vegetables and catching fish still had to be done by her second son and Cao'er.
She brought along the eldest son for two reasons. First, she wanted to teach him how to interact with the pharmacy staff. Later, when she stopped coming, the eldest son could independently deliver dried flowers and other items to sell for money.
On the other hand, although Da Niu is shrewd, he is also one of the two children who listen to her the most!
Grass is number one, Big Ox is next, Er Gou is next, and Qingyun... well, let's just say no more, we'll train him slowly.
"Mother, can these dried flowers really be used as medicine?"
Standing outside Huichuntang, Wu Daniu felt somewhat timid.
In his memory, seeing a doctor was a luxury, and it cost money!
It wasn't just his family; other families in the village who were better off didn't dare seek medical help when they got sick, because doctors charged for consultations, prescriptions, and medicine—basically, money was involved everywhere...
"Da Niu, straighten your back. We're here to sell medicinal herbs, not to see a doctor. What are you afraid of?"
Jiang Yue felt a strong connection to this antique-style pharmacy, as if she had returned to the traditional Chinese medicine clinic where her maternal grandfather worked when she was a child.
She had already inquired and found out that there was more than one pharmacy in town. If Huichuntang wouldn't accept her, she would try her luck at the other one.
"Mother, I'm afraid of embarrassing you."
Wu Daniu lowered his head in embarrassment, his hands clenching nervously.
Yes, he was afraid of embarrassing his mother!
Hearing Da Niu say this, Jiang Yue understood the situation. After thinking for a moment, she offered some words of comfort:
“Da Niu, you are your mother’s son. I am proud of you. It’s not scary to be ashamed. What’s scary is to be timid and lack ambition.”
"mother."
Wu Daniu looked up and saw his mother's unwavering trust in him...
"Come on, stand tall and head held high, come inside with your mother to broaden your horizons."
Jiang Yue demonstrated, taking the lead in entering Huichuntang...
Wu Dani had no choice, and wanting to prove himself, he followed suit, head held high and chest out, walking inside...
"Ma'am, what's wrong?"
When the young apprentice saw someone come in, he assumed they were there for a medical consultation and quickly ran over to greet them.
Jiang Yue felt a pang of despair at being called "Auntie" again, but out of consideration for the young apprentice doctor, she didn't show any displeasure and explained with a slight smile:
"Young man, my son and I are not here for medical treatment. We wanted to ask if your shop buys medicinal herbs?"
"I'll accept it, but the owner needs to inspect it first. May I ask, ma'am, what kind of medicinal herbs did you bring?"
The young apprentice, upon hearing that the person had come to sell medicinal herbs, showed a mixture of joy and wariness.
"Young man, please look, this is honeysuckle, it has been processed and is of excellent quality."
Jiang Yue gestured for Da Niu to squat down, put down the basket on his back, and then lifted the cloth cover to let the little medicine boy take a look.
The young apprentice, seeing the honeysuckle roots, each distinct, dry yet not soggy, and moist yet retaining its medicinal properties, widened his eyes and exclaimed with delight:
"Hey, ma'am, you know how to cook? Or do you have medical skills?"
"Our ancestors included a highly skilled physician, but unfortunately a fire destroyed all their medical books, leading to the family's decline and relegation to farming..."
Jiang Yue looked melancholy and recounted her situation with a hint of regret.
Of course, this story is only partially true and cannot be verified.
Even if Da Niu knew she was lying, he wouldn't expose her at this time.
"No wonder. Please wait a moment, ma'am. I'll go to the back room to find the master and borrow a small bunch of dried flowers, is that alright?"
The young apprentice was, after all, young and inexperienced, and believed him to some extent.
"Of course, I'd appreciate your help, young man!"
Jiang Yue nodded, indicating that the other party could grab whatever they wanted.
In business, if the product isn't good, the other party might not even give you room for negotiation.
Now, what the young medicine boy means is that there's room for cooperation.
After Wu Daniu and the other young apprentices had walked a distance, he dared to ask his mother in a low voice:
"Mother, do we have any ancestors in our family who knew medicine?"
"I only remembered this from the stories your grandfather told me when I was a child. Who knows if it's true or not? Anyway, I just made up a background story. It's like a stepping stone. You have to be an expert first, otherwise people won't dare to treat you casually."
Jiang Yue answered Da Niu's question in a low voice. The original owner's family members were all gone, and there was no way to verify the facts. Even if Da Niu had suspicions, he couldn't find anyone to ask!
"Oh, son, you understand. Your mother is so smart."
Wu Daniu seemed to have figured out something and was working hard to enrich his knowledge.
Soon, the owner of Huichuntang came out. He was an elderly man who looked kind and gentle.
"This one~"
The old man got stuck; he didn't know the other person's name. What should he call out to?
"You can just call me Madam Jiang."
Jiang Yue noticed the old man's predicament and offered advice.
Anyway, she really didn't want to be called "auntie" anymore...
"Oh, Madam Jiang, I just heard from the medicine boy that you want to sell medicinal herbs. I took a look and thought they were quite good. I wonder how many medicinal herbs you have with such skills?"
The old man's smile grew even more gentle, exuding the air of a doctor.
“Right now, honeysuckle is the main herb. You are an expert, so how do you think I can sell this herb? As long as you treat me fairly, I am naturally willing to cooperate with Huichuntang in the long term.”
Jiang Yue understood the old man's unspoken meaning and skillfully deflected the question back.
What she meant was that she had the skill to process medicinal herbs, not just honeysuckle, but also other herbs, and as long as he accepted them, she would send them all to Huichuntang.
The premise is that the price is fair!
"To be honest, Madam Jiang, at this time of year, many people are suffering from symptoms such as colds, headaches, and coughs, and urgently need honeysuckle as medicine."
Some of the medicines in Huichuntang are picked by me and my apprentices in the mountains during my spare time, but most of the time they are purchased from herbal medicine merchants.
However, the prices offered by the herbal medicine merchants were too high, and their processing methods were not as good as Jiang Niangzi's.
Take honeysuckle, for example. A pound of processed honeysuckle costs fifty copper coins from a herbalist. If Madam Jiang can guarantee the quality of the herb and deliver one hundred pounds within the next month, I'm willing to purchase it at sixty copper coins per pound. What do you say?
The old man had his own concerns. If Madam Jiang didn't have the ability to cooperate with him, even if the honeysuckle was prepared perfectly, if the quantity couldn't be supplied, the patients wouldn't be able to wait!
He can't afford to fall out with the herbal medicine merchant over this!
"Alright, let's draw up a contract. If I can supply Huichuntang with high-quality honeysuckle within a month, Huichuntang will purchase it at sixty copper coins per catty. If I fail to meet the requirement, or if the other party breaches the contract, then I will compensate the other party with ten taels of silver! How about it?"
Jiang Yueping spoke calmly, not at all like she was talking nonsense.
The old man smiled and nodded in agreement.
I thought to myself, this Mrs. Jiang is truly extraordinary!
Only Wu Daniu was filled with questions.
But he held back, witnessing his mother sign the contract with his own eyes...
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