Chapter 101: Did You Two Fight?
Shang Wan rolled her eyes at him. “Ten taels of silver per box. Buy it if you want.”
She had originally planned to price it at one hundred taels, but she felt there weren’t that many suckers in the county town.
Ten taels was pretty good, comparable to the mid-to-high-end healing medicine at the apothecary. There were plenty of people who could afford it. As long as the healing medicine was effective, once its reputation spread, there would be no shortage of sales channels.
“I’ll buy.” Qiao Yu’an said grandly, “Three boxes.”
Good medicine must be stocked up!
Although Shang Wan had never properly done business, she knew the reason that things were valuable because they were rare.
“Do you think the ancestral secret recipe is bok choy? Do you know how many precious and hard-to-find medicinal herbs go into it? Do you know how hard it is to make?”
Qiao Yu’an thought about it and realized she was right. It could even heal Lu Chengjing’s injury, which showed how precious this medicine was.
He reduced the quantity. “Then two boxes?”
“One box.” Shang Wan offered the minimal amount. “It was originally prepared for my husband. Luckily I gathered enough medicinal herbs and can make a few boxes, otherwise there wouldn’t even be one.”
Qiao Yu’an immediately called A Le to pay the silver, afraid that Shang Wan would change her mind and not sell him even one box.
Shang Wan took the silver and said to the two of them, “Wait here.”
She turned and walked into the wooden shed, opened the wooden box in the corner, took out the ordinary ointment bought from Yuan Musheng, opened the box, poured spiritual spring water into it, stirred it around, smoothed the surface, and the spiritual medicine was complete.
A box of medicine not even as big as a palm actually cost ten taels of silver. A Le just felt his heart ache.
Qiao Yu’an frowned. “How many times can this one box of medicine be used?”
He felt like one box was completely not enough.
“It’s not for you to plaster the wall.” Shang Wan said, “Apply it thinly to the broken bone, once in the morning and once at night.”
She handed Qiao Yu’an a small porcelain bottle only as long as a thumb. “Pair it with the medicine. Drink two drops daily, no more, and the effect doubles.”
Is it really that miraculous?
Qiao Yu’an took it, pulled out the stopper and sniffed. He asked doubtfully, “Why does it have no smell at all?”
Shouldn’t medicine have a medicinal smell?
Shang Wan blinked without batting an eye as she bluffed, “I already said it’s the ancestral secret recipe, so naturally it’s different from ordinary medicine.”
Qiao Yu’an accepted this explanation and told A Le to pack the ointment and small porcelain bottle together, and not to lose them.
A Le would do it even without being told.
Soon, the aroma of the meal wafted from the stove. Shang Wan called out to He SIZhi and his disciple to rest for a bit and continue working after eating.
He SIZhi was thinking of his son, so he only sat for a short while before getting up to find him.
Gao Yan and Ma Jieyong had nothing to do on either side. Hearing that quite a few households in the village were building houses, thinking they might pick up some work, they also went along.
Yuan Yuan woke up fully rested. Qiao Yu’an went to tease her, but ended up getting peed on by the little one. His face immediately turned green.
“Su!” Yuan Yuan blinked her big eyes at him, her two little meat hands clasped together, looking all sweet and well-behaved.
No matter how angry Qiao Yu’an was, it dissipated. He helplessly rubbed her little head. “Yuan Yuan, count how many times this has happened? Can’t you tell Uncle first?”
“How many?”
Yuan Yuan lowered her little head and seriously counted on her fingers. “One, four, eight…”
She counted a total of three times, and each time was different.
The little one blinked her eyes, then simply spread her five fingers and held up two chubby little hands in front of Qiao Yu’an.
Meaning it was this many times for both hands.
Qiao Yu’an: “…”
Why did he expect a milk doll just over one year old to be able to count?
Shang Wan casually grabbed a set of Lu Chengjing’s clothes that he didn’t wear often and gave them to Qiao Yu’an, telling him to go change in the shed himself.
Qiao Yu’an and Lu Chengjing were about the same build, except Lu Chengjing was thinner.
Qiao Yu’an changed clothes and came out, looking down at the perfectly fitting waist. He thought to himself it was good that he had lost the weight he gained over New Year, otherwise he really couldn’t have fit into them.
“Su!” Yuan Yuan rode over on Xiao Hui and handed him the little turtle on top of her little head.
Qiao Yu’an was delighted. “You want to give the turtle to me?”
“No!” Yuan Yuan was scared and immediately hugged the little turtle to her chest. Her big eyes widened round, and she directed Xiao Hui to back away.
“Hey, don’t run. Uncle is teasing you, not trying to take your turtle.” Qiao Yu’an pointed at Xiao Hui. “How about giving me this one?”
Yuan Yuan: !!!
Turtle no, Xiao Hui no either!
The little one shook her head vigorously, shaking herself dizzy, with circles spinning in front of her eyes.
Qiao Yu’an laughed so hard he doubled over. He had never realized before how fun it was to tease kids.
“Yuan Yuan, give me this wolf, and have your mom catch another one from the mountains. If you agree, how about I treat you to goat milk?”
Yuan Yuan put on a serious little face and refused. “No!”
“Let’s discuss it some more.” Qiao Yu’an was like a big gray wolf enticing a little white rabbit, “Besides goat milk, how about I treat you to your favorite candy too?”
Little Friend Yuan Yuan hesitated slightly for a moment, then stretched out one little chubby finger, “One fat!”
It could let Xiao Hui play with Uncle for a while.
Qiao Yu’an surprisingly understood, shaking his head. “No way, if it’s only for a little while, I’d be at too much of a loss.”
Yuan Yuan furrowed her little eyebrows, her little face serious as she pondered for a moment, then reluctantly added another finger.
Only two little whiles, no more!
While the uncle and niece were bargaining over Xiao Hui’s playtime with him, Lu Chengjing finished checking the accounts. He rested with eyes closed on one side while rotating his slightly sore wrist.
After tidying up the things on the small table, he turned his wheelchair toward Shang Wan.
Shang Wan was assembling the long table needed for the meal soon. The small table at home wasn’t enough, so she had to piece one together with a wooden board right now, using bricks to support the base.
Lu Chengjing quietly watched from the side, his gaze following Shang Wan’s figure. After a while with no response from her, he took the initiative to call out, “Niangzi.”
“Something wrong?” Shang Wan turned her head to glance at him before turning back, propping her hands on the table board to test if it was steady.
Lu Chengjing said slowly, “I agreed to check accounts for Yu’an, four taels of monthly salary per month.”
Shang Wan: “Oh.”
Lu Chengjing: “This batch of herbs can be taken to the apothecary to sell after drying for two more days.”
Shang Wan: “Mm, in two days when I go to the brick kiln to haul bricks, I’ll take them to the apothecary on the way.”
Lu Chengjing: “Today’s medicine is gone. After dinner, I’ll go to Yuan Family to get more medicine.”
Shang Wan: “Okay.”
Lu Chengjing: “…”
Even if he were the most obtuse, he’d notice something was off with Shang Wan, let alone since he wasn’t obtuse.
He pressed his lips together and asked softly, “Do you have something to ask me?”
“No.” Shang Wan tossed the rag for wiping the table board back into the small wooden bucket and carried it to the wellside to change the water.
“Did you two quarrel?” Qiao Yu’an, hugging Yuan Yuan and full of gossip, came over and placed the little one on Lu Chengjing’s lap.
Yuan Yuan tilted up her little head to look at her own daddy.
Lu Chengjing raised his hand to pinch his daughter’s cheek, lowering his eyes to conceal the depth in them, and said flatly, “No.”
Qiao Yu’an didn’t believe it, but he knew his friend’s temperament—even if he kept pressing, he wouldn’t get anything out of him.
He decided to observe for himself.
Unfortunately, even after observing all the way until leaving, he didn’t observe any useful gossip, and felt quite regretful.
At nightfall, with a sparse starry moon, a few insect chirps came from the grass.
In the compartment of the wooden shed, Shang Wan blew out the oil lamp, and the compartment immediately fell into darkness, with only the sound of their light breathing.
