On the delivery day, Jiang Yue got up early to wash and prepare.
More than a thousand catties of honeysuckle can be processed into just over a hundred catties.
It's always better to be prepared than to be shortchanged when weighing yourself.
Although the items weren't heavy, they couldn't be compressed, so Jiang Yue specially spent ten copper coins to buy ten sacks to pack them.
The item was quite large, and carrying it by hand or lifting it wouldn't be suitable, so she asked the village chief to help her hire his nephew's oxcart...
With everything ready, Jiang Yue called to her sons to carry the sacks onto the oxcart, making room for them. She told Qingyun to stay home to study and look after the house, while the other children went to town with her...
This time, Wu Qingyun was of pure mind and didn't misunderstand anything, so he gladly accepted his mother's arrangement.
Da Niu, Er Gou, and Xiao Cao were overjoyed; they could go to town again!
The driver was Wu Jiahu. In the past, he would have avoided Jiang Shi as soon as he saw her from afar!
He was afraid of getting infected and upsetting his wife.
Recently, his uncle contacted him, saying that the Jiang family wanted to build a house, and his uncle, knowing that his family was short of money lately, wanted to introduce him to some work...
If his uncle hadn't explained the changes in Jiang Shi and her unavoidable predicament, he wouldn't have believed Jiang Shi!
His wife was happy and advised him to listen to his uncle. How could his own uncle possibly harm him?
So, he came to the Jiang family's house today as agreed to pick up the goods...
"Giddy up!"
Everything was ready, everyone was seated, Wu Jiahu whipped the ox's rump, and the oxcart slowly began to move...
Half an hour later—
Huichuntang——
It has to be said that oxcarts are definitely faster than walking!
Having saved half the time, Jiang Yue became even more determined to buy an oxcart in the future!
"Whoa~"
After the oxcart came to a stop, Wu Youhu jumped down to steady the front of the cart and calmed the oxen.
After Jiang Yue got off the bus, she first carried Cao'er off the bus, and then waited for Da Niu and Er Gou to get off the bus and carry the sacks off the bus.
"Aunt Jiang~"
There weren't many patients at Huichuntang this morning. The young apprentice was cleaning when he heard the noise, looked up, and immediately greeted them with a smile.
"Hey, Tong'er, I've come to deliver some medicinal herbs. Is Manager Zhao here?"
Jiang Yue greeted her with a smile. She had also noticed that Cao'er habitually hid behind her when she saw a stranger...
"Yes, my shopkeeper is waiting for you to bring the medicine, ma'am. I'll go and call him out right now."
The young medicine boy nodded, smiled at the little girl behind Granny Jiang, and then ran back to the back room in a flash.
"Da Niu, Er Gou, you guys carry the stuff inside."
Jiang Yue arranged it, then took out ten copper coins and gave them to Wu Jiahu, saying:
"Thank you so much, Brother Jiahu. Here's the fare for the trip. Is that enough?"
"That's enough, I'll accept it. I'll go ahead and pick up more people, it'll be a round trip in an hour. If you're done and want to go back, wait for me under the old locust tree at the town's exit."
Wu Jiahu accepted the copper coins and gave a few instructions.
"Okay, I understand, thank you~"
Jiang Yue nodded and watched the oxcart leave. The mother and daughter stood at the entrance of the pharmacy for a while before going inside.
“Madam Jiang is truly a woman of her word. This batch of dried flowers is of good quality, and I will accept them all. Boy, call your senior brothers over to weigh them.”
Manager Zhao smiled amiably, saying that business is business, but the dried flowers still needed to be weighed and then transferred to the medicine basket in the pharmacy and sealed.
Jiang Yue nodded, then inquired:
"Manager Zhao, besides honeysuckle, does your pharmacy accept other medicinal herbs?"
"Yes, but the quality must be up to standard. As for the quantity, keep it around 100 jin. Huichuntang can handle it."
Manager Zhao didn't hold back and told the truth.
During the break while they were weighing the items, he invited Aunt Jiang and her children to sit down and talk, then explained his needs...
Their Huichuntang is the largest pharmacy in Taohua Town, but according to the county government's statistics on registered residents from two years ago, Taohua Town currently has a population of about three thousand.
The town has many wealthy merchants and gentry. The medicinal herbs used for daily medical consultations, prescriptions, and acupuncture were previously purchased from traveling merchants who sold medicinal herbs.
There are many uncertainties involved.
Either the purchase price is too high, making it unaffordable for ordinary people to buy medicine, resulting in unsold inventory.
Either the medicinal herbs have been bought up by pharmacies in other towns, and it's not their turn to use them at Huichuntang!
In short, Manager Zhao tried many ways to deal with the situation, such as personally taking his apprentice and servant to the mountains to collect herbs, and writing a letter to his old partner to ask for his help in making arrangements.
But now, his old friend has retired and returned to his hometown. There are some medicinal herbs that are not very precious, but are used in large quantities, and he hasn't figured out a solution for them in the short term.
After listening to Manager Zhao's explanation, Jiang Yue had a general understanding of the personnel needs in Peach Blossom Town.
It seems she can talk to Manager Zhao about the possibility of a long-term partnership!
At the same time, the young medicine boy not far away wiped the sweat from his brow and called out in a clear voice:
"Shopkeeper, it's all weighed. It's a total of 108 jin!"
Manager Zhao was thirsty, so after drinking a cup of water, he instructed:
"Yes, they've all been stored away and sealed up."
Turning to Madam Jiang, he said:
"Please sit for a moment, Madam Jiang. I will go and fetch the money."
Jiang Yue stood up and bowed slightly:
"Thank you for your help, shopkeeper."
After fiddling with the abacus, Manager Zhao quickly arrived at the figure and casually asked:
"There are a total of 6,480 copper coins. Madam Jiang, would you like silver or copper coins?"
“Copper coins, please. My house is about to be built, and copper coins will be just enough to pay the workers’ wages.”
Without hesitation, Jiang Yue took the copper coin.
Although it's a bit heavy, her family members, Da Niu and Er Gou, are there, so they can't expect her and her daughter to carry it.
"Okay, here are six strings of cash and four hundred and eighty copper coins. Count them."
Manager Zhao understood, and took out the serial numbered copper coins one string from under the counter, then counted out some loose change and handed it over.
"Alright, the payment is settled now, and this contract is hereby void."
Jiang Yue glanced at it briefly, without counting carefully, and instructed Da Niu and Er Gou behind her to each carry three strings of coins. She put away the four hundred and eighty loose copper coins, as they were quite heavy.
"Okay, I'll cross that out now."
Manager Zhao nodded; he was very satisfied with this collaboration.
Before leaving, Jiang Yue asked with a smile:
"Manager Zhao, could you please provide a list of the medicinal herbs that Huichuntang will be purchasing for the next year? I'd like to go back and try planting them..."
"Does Madam Jiang know how to grow medicinal herbs?"
Shopkeeper Zhao, this little Peach Blossom Town is truly a place where hidden talents abound!
"Why not give it a try? If it works out, we can both benefit, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
Jiang Yue countered with a question, wanting to seize this opportunity and pave a steady path to wealth and prosperity...
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Seeing that Madam Jiang looked serious and didn't seem to be bragging, Manager Zhao began to believe her somewhat.
Through this collaboration, he also saw Jiang Niangzi's character and integrity. He decided to give it a try, as Huichuntang wouldn't lose out!
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