Hongmei's resolute decision took everyone by surprise. In ancient times, a woman's hair was of utmost importance, and cutting off her hair to show her resolve was almost equivalent to making a solemn oath to heaven. Besides being shocked, everyone felt more sad. If she hadn't been heartbroken, who would be willing to sever all ties with love and live a lonely life?
Since ancient times, the word "love" has been the most hurtful. The one who loves the most truly is also the one who is hurt the most. Xie Yushu sighed and said to Qu Xiaodie.
"Go and carry out the execution yourself!"
Love and affection are only a part of life, not the whole of it. If I gain it, I'm fortunate; if I lose it, it's fate. Tell her that the flowers will still bloom next year, and that we must always look forward!
Qu Xiaodie felt bad for Hongmei's plight. She felt sorry for her misfortune and angry at her lack of resistance. She could only nod silently and follow her into the punishment hall.
Hongmei had already taken off her outer garment and lay face down on the stool. Qu Xiaodie picked up a wooden board as thick as an arm and started hitting her buttocks with it.
Although she felt sorry for Hongmei, she also felt sorry for her two dead brothers, so she showed no mercy when beating her. After thirty strokes of the cane, Hongmei's clothes were covered with bloodstains.
Even so, she gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound. Perhaps, what hurt her heart even more than her body!
After the beating was finished, Qu Xiaodie relayed Xie Yushu's words to her, adding a sentence at the end.
"You don't need to be too hard on yourself. It was Chen Da who killed them, and I believe those two brothers wouldn't want you to pay for their lives. If you really feel guilty, go visit them often in the future!"
Then he went out.
Despite her injuries, Hongmei was confined in the punishment hall for three days without food or water. When she was released, she was half-dead and it took her half a month to recover. She then returned to work for Qu Xiaodie as if nothing had happened.
However, at this moment, there was no extra emotion in her eyes. She took the tasks assigned by Qu Xiaodie very seriously and acted more decisively.
But she's not the same person she used to be!
Thanks to the publicity during this period, the resort's traditional Chinese medicine, toiletries and alcoholic beverages have gained popularity, and Xie Yushu took this opportunity to upgrade the products.
The grapes had already been cut and washed by the workers. Xie Yushu then personally led a group of people to rinse the grapes according to the steps she remembered, leaving the white bloom on the surface.
This white frost is the best natural fermenting agent. Thirty workers spent most of the day washing the grapes in the yard.
After washing the grapes, let them air dry naturally. Then, put them into a clean large jar, add white sugar in a 10:1 ratio, stir well, and then seal it for fermentation. After about half a month, you can drink the wine.
This year's first batch of grapes didn't yield many grapes, enough to make sixty large vats of wine. It's destined to be a low-yield, so it can only be sold at a high price.
After finishing the wine production, Xie Yushu immediately purchased another batch of apples and made a batch of apple cider vinegar. Since apples were produced in high-yield areas and were not too expensive, she made a hundred vats of vinegar.
After filling and sealing all the containers, Xie Yushu drew several beautiful bottles to store the wine and apple cider vinegar.
The wine bottles are designed to be more upscale and elegant, as the saying goes, "Fine wine in a luminous cup." To match the wine, a batch of stemmed glasses has been specially made and will be sold together with the wine.
Apple cider vinegar is considered a women's drink, and the bottle design is round and cute, which suits the tastes of young women.
After finishing the drinks, Xie Yushu drew a picture of flower petals and kittens and puppies, and asked Nanxing to go to the city to find a carpenter to carve it into a template. She then gave it to the manager of the toiletries business, who added different colors to the soap and began making patterned soaps.
At the same time, skin creams are further divided into moisturizing creams and skin-beautifying creams. Moisturizing creams are more suitable for young girls who are young and have good complexions; applying a little moisturizing cream is enough.
The skin-beautifying cream contains a touch of rouge, making it more suitable for older women with poor complexion; applying it can have a whitening and brightening effect.
At the same time, the products are divided into three levels: high, medium, and low, to cater to different groups of people.
The pharmaceutical factory added several other prepared medicines, such as the Liver-Nourishing and Vision-Improving Qi Ju Di Huang Wan, the Blood-Nourishing and Beauty-Enhancing Wan commonly used by women, the Black Chicken Phoenix Wan, the Ten-Ingredient Tonic Wan, and so on.
For treating colds and inflammation, we also added some Daqingye leaf tablets, Banlangen tablets, and some Sanqi Dilong pills for treating stroke, among other common medications.
Nowadays, medicines have formed a fixed sales chain. Every day, clinics from all over the country come to pick up medicines. What's even more outrageous is that some anti-inflammatory drugs, blood-nourishing and beauty-enhancing drugs, and all-around tonics are sold faster in brothels than in clinics.
You never know which cloud will bring rain!
As winter approaches, various skincare products flood the market, quickly gaining popularity among young women and housewives due to their ease of use, affordability, and pleasant fragrance, thus securing a place in the world of cosmetics.
The raw materials for medicines and skincare products are cheap, the production volume is large, and the supply can be met. The liquor is also decent, and if necessary, we can just go further afield to buy glutinous rice.
The wine and apple cider vinegar were sold out as soon as they were sent to the capital. Apart from a batch sent to the palace, the rest were divided up by those with inside information. Xie Yushu forcibly kept some for her own people to drink.
Even the hospitals were packed with patients. In the past, people with colds and high fevers would just tough it out at home by taking Chinese medicine. Those with mild symptoms would get better after a few days of taking the medicine, while those with severe symptoms would have their acute symptoms turn into chronic ones. Some developed other health problems from the fever, some coughed all winter, and some were even more unlucky, some became mentally impaired or even died from the fever.
I heard that a few injections at the mountain resort hospital are enough to cure the illness, and the price is not expensive, only ten copper coins per injection. Many people have stopped taking Chinese medicine and come here directly for injections.
Unless you have a cold or deficiency syndrome, you can take Chinese medicine to regulate your body.
Those with complex and rare diseases would pull strings to get here, and now the hospital's inpatient wards are almost full every day, and even the single rooms in the back are full of patients.
By the end of the year, merchants from the south had already come to buy goods!
It can be said that since the beginning of winter this year, the resort's businesses have flourished everywhere, and the name of Yuquan Mountain Resort has become well-known throughout the country.
Since the beginning of this year, the income from the mountain villa has offset part of the agricultural tax, Han Zhongyu has delayed collecting the land tax. At the end of November, Xie Yushu asked Han Zhongyu to come and check the accounts. From July to November, the net profit of the mountain villa's property reached 386,000 taels of silver. Thirty percent of that was distributed to the government, which amounted to 106,000 taels of silver.
Han Zhongyu took the silver back to the treasury and tallied it up with the government's accountants. He calculated that the 106,000 taels would be distributed among the people, reducing their taxes by more than 20% per household, but not enough to cover the 30% reduction.
After thinking it over, Han Zhongyu decided to reduce taxes by 20% and also abolish the poll tax of five copper coins per person.
Once the regulations were in place, a notice was immediately written and posted in all counties and townships, announcing that starting this year, all taxes would be collected according to the new tax standards, and a notice was also sent to the lower-level county governments.
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