Undercurrents are surging
Wang Pan'er was immediately struck dumb, and everything went black before her eyes.
She had imagined countless possible scenarios where she might run into trouble, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't believe that the supply of medicinal herbs would be disrupted or that the caravan would be robbed.
In the current situation, she had no complete solution and was completely at a loss.
The escort company clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Wang Pan'er, saying, "Our head escort originally intended to distribute the remaining goods proportionally, but right now the medical clinic is also running out of medicinal herbs, so we must find a way to fill the clinic's gaps first. We have no time to attend to your clinic's expenses. We will waive the cost of this batch of goods and send another batch as an apology."
The escort agency's actions were quite thorough and flawless.
Moreover, the clinic is dedicated to saving lives and healing the wounded. If the clinic is short of supplies and asks Wang Pan'er for help, she will readily give up her shop's medicinal herbs.
Wang Pan'er sighed helplessly: "Robbing the caravan was not what you or I wanted. Just as your caravan agency said."
The镖局 (security escort agency) employee clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."
Now the supply of medicinal herbs is truly cut off. As a result, most of the set meals at the medicinal cuisine restaurant that require spices and herbs will no longer be available.
Wang Pan'er rubbed her head, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
Wang Xiaoyao had gone out early to manage her Qianji Wanying Pavilion, so it wasn't appropriate to call her back to discuss it. Mu Chuan, this young master, had no experience running a small shop, and after understanding the situation, he simply ruled out the possibility of purchasing from a neighboring city.
The escort agency would have to travel to all the surrounding towns to source the medicinal herbs. Given their usage, if they wanted to make emergency purchases, they would probably have to go to the neighboring city. It would take at least two or three days to make the round trip, by which time the next batch of goods from the escort agency would have already arrived. So there was not much point in all that trouble.
Right now, the options are either to close down or to grit their teeth and keep operating.
The sudden closure greatly damaged the goodwill of diners, but the inability to serve food without medicinal herbs will inevitably cause negative emotions among diners as well.
It is extremely difficult to build a good reputation for a medicinal cuisine restaurant. Wang Pan'er has used all her skills to achieve what she has today. If she wants to develop in the long term, she must not focus on petty gains at critical moments.
After much thought, the only recourse was to explain the situation to the customers, offer special deals out of their own pockets to appease them, and continue operating the business.
There is no better way to deal with this than this.
After finalizing the decision, Mu Chuan eagerly brought out paper and pen, ground ink, and wrote a notice for the medicinal cuisine restaurant: "Miss Wang is generous and straightforward, and as a shareholder, I would also like to do my part."
Wang Pan'er picked up the paper, examined it for a long time, and gently flicked it, finally calming her heart that was in her throat a little: "She truly deserves to be our medicinal cuisine restaurant's little lucky star!"
Then, using the remaining medicinal herbs in the shop, they quickly drafted a new set meal and took it to the kitchen.
The newly promoted head chef, in modern terms, is a talent with maxed-out talent points. Wang Pan'er only needs to communicate with her a little, and she immediately understands and directs the kitchen helpers to cut and prepare the vegetables.
Today, she could only serve the same few dishes over and over again. Tao Shuo stopped taking pulses and sat at the consultation table by the door, smiling as she explained the reason to the diners.
"The owner knows how to do business. If he steals the medicine from the clinic, I'd rather never come to this shop again."
"Well said. Besides, the special offer set meal is really cheap. It's a very generous offer, which is rare. What else can we say? We're already here, let's go in and eat."
Wang Pan'er smiled and said to them, "Come on in, come on in. I've broken my own bone today. I'll be back in business as soon as the medicine arrives. Don't miss out!"
Fortunately, the diners were accepting of how the situation was handled, and she managed to get away with it by paying money.
Even though she smiled broadly at the customers, once the shop closed, Wang Pan'er sat down dejectedly at the counter.
Not only did she have to lose a sum of money, but the situation was also spiraling out of control, making Wang Pan'er even more anxious.
That's why Wang Xiaoyao has such a good personality; she can eliminate all distractions and charge headlong into what she wants to do. On the other hand, she's always prone to anxiety and insecurity, mentally rehearsing all the possible outcomes, which then leads to internal conflict.
Wang Pan'er became alert and felt that she should act decisively and decisively.
Medicinal herbs are not like food. With food, if one supplier doesn't have it, you can simply buy from another; you can always find substitutes in the market. But with medicinal herbs, only a few fixed farmers grow them, and the more valuable herbs have to be harvested by villagers who come into the mountains.
Precious medicinal herbs are left to fate, but could she grow her own common medicinal herbs? This would not only prevent her from being controlled by external factors at crucial moments, but also save on procurement costs.
Why not just pick a small estate with good feng shui? Right now, she and Wang Xiaoyao are still renting. Buying an estate would give them their own little world, and they could cultivate a few acres to grow some medicinal herbs—that would be perfect.
Having made her decision, Wang Pan'er immediately went into the inner room and pulled out Mu Chuan, who was avoiding seeing outsiders and hiding from Li Qingyan to discuss strategy: "We've both been free these past few days, so why don't we settle the accounts and divide the profits together, and then go pick out another estate?"
"No problem, no problem."
Mu Chuan was just passing the time with Li Qingyan when Wang Pan'er interrupted him. He wasn't annoyed at all and leisurely followed behind Wang Pan'er as she took out her keys and retrieved an account book from the drawer under the counter.
While using the abacus, Wang Pan'er wrote in small characters that Mu Chuan couldn't understand, and with an astonishing speed, she finished flipping through the account book.
Although the salary she offered was already quite generous, the huge profits would inevitably impact the employees. She didn't say anything, but directly wrote down the total amount of five thousand two hundred taels, drew a circle, and pushed it in front of Mu Chuan.
My goodness!
Mu Chuan's pupils dilated in shock, and her throat tightened. After deducting the six hundred taels spent on purchasing the medicinal cuisine restaurant, he received two thousand two hundred taels in profit. Even with her vast experience and considerable wealth, she was utterly astonished. To leverage a mere five hundred taels of initial capital into a tenfold profit in just over four months through running a shop—a truly rare talent.
Mu Chuan suppressed his shock and tried his best to maintain his composure in the shop: "These characters are quite unique and very convenient for accounting."
"These?" Wang Pan'er pointed at the ledger, looking quite pleased with herself. "These are called numbers. Wang Xiaoyao uses them too. I'll teach you when we buy the estate."
Mu Chuan's eyes were unconsciously drawn to her, his brain stopped thinking, and his soul almost left his body, wanting to revolve around Wang Pan'er. He nodded without realizing it, uttered a soft "hmm," and then followed behind Wang Pan'er, preparing to go out with her.
When Tao Shuo learned that Wang Pan'er wanted to buy a manor and grow some medicinal herbs, she instructed her, "If possible, Pan'er, buy a larger manor. I will know how to process medicinal herbs. You can pick a few people to learn from me."
Knowing that Wang Pan'er wanted to grow medicinal herbs, Mu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Land is extremely valuable within the prefecture. If you want to buy a larger estate, you'll have to look in the suburbs. However, living in the suburbs would require a lot of travel every day."
"The travel is no problem," Wang Pan'er explained. "I've already appointed Liu Xiaoniang as the head chef. Wang Xiaoyao will also help me find a few managers to choose from these days. The medicinal cuisine restaurant is doing well now, and I'll only be needed in special circumstances."
“That’s excellent. Let’s head over to the large estate on the outskirts of the city.”
Mu Chuan specially led his horse out of the city to visit some estates for sale in the suburbs.
Wang Pan'er couldn't ride a horse, and she thought Mu Chuan would let her sit in the back. Unexpectedly, Mu Chuan pulled her along and she sat steadily in the front.
What's going on? Is this still the same reserved buddy Mu Chuan who always tells her about the difference between men and women? This posture is a bit ambiguous!
For a moment, Wang Pan'er was completely bewildered, her ears filled with her own screams of "Hey hey hey," and her brain went blank as Mu Chuan half-embraced her.
Fang Ya was already waiting in front of the agreed-upon estate. He led them to see five or six estates in a row, but Wang Pan'er was not satisfied with any of them. Either the courtyards were too small, or they were messy and dilapidated.
The courtyard was too small to grow medicinal herbs, which didn't meet her needs. The dilapidated courtyard had bad feng shui; she was a businesswoman, after all, and both positive energy and good fortune were indispensable—she absolutely couldn't move into a desolate courtyard.
Fang Ya was slightly impatient: "The young lady is willing to pay two thousand taels, but two thousand taels is only enough for a manor like this. Either the young lady buys the land deed herself and builds her own manor."
Wang Pan'er was caught in a dilemma.
Mu Chuan picked up the conversation and asked Fang Ya, "What about the estates with a value of three to four thousand? I'd appreciate it if you could show us around, sir."
Wang Pan'er quickly stopped him: "I don't have that much money, young master, don't be so reckless!"
Mu Chuan rolled his eyes and glanced at Fang Ya's expression, saying, "In the prefecture, who doesn't know your Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant? You've only been here for four months and you've already given me two thousand taels of interest. Four thousand is just a matter of time for you. Now I see that Xiao Yao's Qianji Wanying Pavilion also has a bright future. Why don't you sisters just go all out and choose a good estate to live in?"
Upon hearing the origins of the two men, Fang Ya immediately lost his impatience. Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant enjoyed a stellar reputation throughout Jinzhou Prefecture, its business booming, and the owner's integrity was widely celebrated.
Mu Chuan revealed his hand, and Fang Ya, no longer hesitant, tentatively said, "Miss, why don't you take a look? If you find something you like, you can pay two thousand as a deposit, we'll issue a receipt, and then we can transfer the land deed after the payment is settled."
That's a feasible method.
Wang Pan'er nodded and continued to follow Fang Ya around until she finally saw a manor that captivated her.
The maximum amount was four thousand taels, leaving Wang Pan'er both amused and exasperated.
The most wonderful thing about this estate is that it contains a hot spring. The backyard is symmetrically divided into two wing rooms, east and west, with two irrigation canals dug to create two hot spring pools. Estates are common, but hot springs are rare. Once you miss this opportunity, you won't find another one like it. That's why the previous owner refused to sell it cheaply, insisting on four thousand taels and refusing to accept any bargaining.
Wang Pan'er did not hesitate and immediately decided on this estate.
Fang Ya smiled and handed the land deed and the indentures of the eleven servants in the manor to Wang Pan'er.
Wang Pan'er: ?
Fang Ya continued, "Young lady, you are very fortunate. This young master has already paid the remaining two thousand taels, and the land deed should now be handed over to you."
Mu Chuan took the land deed, folded it up, and handed it to Wang Pan'er, explaining, "My mother is afraid of the cold. With a warm bath, I can bring her to the estate to escape the cold in the winter. You choose a room, and leave the other half for my son and me."
"Just come and stay here. We've been friends for a while now, so why are you being so formal with me?"
“That’s not the same. I bought half of the ownership, so I can’t be considered a guest when I come to the estate anymore.”
"Since you have so much money, why don't you go and invest in Xiaoyao? You just said that Qianji Wanying Pavilion has a bright future!"
"Qianji Wanying Pavilion relies on order commissions, and what it lacks is connections, not money. Besides, I only contributed five hundred taels of silver from beginning to end, so I got a great deal. Now that the medicinal cuisine restaurant is becoming famous, I didn't contribute anything, and it would be too much trouble to take the money. I'll just consider this profit share as my withdrawal."
Mu Chuan is not short of money. Now, through twists and turns, he has finally made Wang Pan'er realize that he clearly wants to establish some inseparable connection with her.
Wang Pan'er suppressed her boundless joy and maintained a calm expression. She couldn't fathom the plans Mu Chuan's family had for his marriage, so she could only pretend not to understand their intentions and dared not give a response easily.
She was a young master from the capital, someone she could only dream of but never reach. If the Mu Chuan family was dissatisfied with her, they would definitely exert pressure. What methods they would use, and what their situation would become, were all unpredictable.
Wang Pan'er was determined not to let Mu Chuan be caught in the middle, caught in a dilemma.
Why not try changing your preferred method?
Just treat Mu Chuan as your favorite idol, accompany each other, support and encourage each other through a stage of life.
Mu Chuan didn't receive a reply, so he turned around and saw that the person in front of him was already lost in thought: "Miss Wang, are you even listening to me?"
Wang Pan'er's expression cleared up: "Alright, alright, I'll do as you say."
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