Chapter 215: All-purpose Ointment
Wu Ba, also known as Wu Kai, got this nickname because of the scar on his face.
Wu Kai heard someone call out and deliberately turned around, generously showing the crowd the scar on his face that had faded to almost invisible.
The raised scar had smoothed down, no different from the rest of his facial skin. A faint line from the corner of his eye to his right cheek—calling it a scar was more like saying someone had lightly drawn a line on his face with extremely pale rouge.
Everyone stared and looked, and someone asked uncertainly: “Are you that Wu Ba who lives in White Hemp Alley?”
Wu Kai nodded. “It’s me.”
“Wu Ba… no, Wu Er, how did the scar on your face disappear?”
“I used the All-purpose Ointment from the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion.”
Wu Kai reached into his bosom and pulled out that box of All-purpose Ointment with just a little left at the bottom, opening it for everyone to see.
Ever since Shang Wan gave him a box of All-purpose Ointment, he had applied it diligently every day with a “treat a dead horse as a live one” mindset, never missing a single day.
For the first couple of days, the scar showed no change, and he felt faintly disappointed, but thinking his scar was nearly ten years old, how could it be cured in just a couple of days? So he kept applying it.
After about ten days of applying the ointment, the scar on his face had noticeably faded.
Wu Kai’s Big Brother was the first to notice.
Wu Dalang had gone with his wife to help at his father-in-law’s house and hadn’t seen his younger brother for nearly half a month. Upon returning and meeting face-to-face, he noticed the change in Wu Kai.
Wu Kai was both shocked and doubtful upon hearing this. His sister-in-law ran to fetch him a mirror, and only after carefully looking did he realize the scar had really flattened down a lot, as if someone had rolled it flat with a roller.
The whole family was overjoyed, and Wu Dalang even specially sent a thank-you gift to Shang Wan.
Wu Kai used to check his face in water reflections, but after discovering the ointment really worked, he specially bought a small mirror to carry with him.
Watching the scar on his face fade day by day filled his heart with indescribable joy.
Even his nephew laughed at him for looking in the mirror eighty times a day.
“I’m not afraid of everyone laughing at me, because of this scar on my face, I’m over thirty and still haven’t married a wife.
Luckily, Brother He recommended me to work for Shopkeeper Shang. Shopkeeper Shang is a kind-hearted person who, seeing the scar on my face, gave me a box of All-purpose Ointment without asking for money, telling me to spread the word if it worked well.”
Wu Kai pointed to his face. “Everyone should know what my face used to look like, right? Forget young ladies—even I disliked looking at myself. But now it’s good. Come closer and look; I haven’t stuck anything on my face. It’s flat, flat.”
He rubbed hard with his finger at the original scar location.
His fingertip had calluses and he used great strength, rubbing it red, more like he’d applied rouge on top.
“See, nothing stuck on. My ten-year-old scar could fade away—this All-purpose Ointment really works. Everyone buy a box to try. I, Wu Er, dare to guarantee with my chest that there’s no better scar-removing medicine in the whole city than the All-purpose Ointment.”
The usually taciturn man had rarely spoken so much in one breath.
Wu Kai said excitedly, “I’m getting married next month—everyone’s welcome to come!”
This sentence directly pushed the atmosphere to a climax. The crowd burst into laughter, Wu Kai blushed and scratched his head, then quickly slipped into the shop.
Shang Wan hadn’t expected Wu Kai to have such eloquence; the things she prepared went unused.
With the nursery rhyme spreading ahead and Wu Kai’s real proof behind, many people were crazily tempted by the All-purpose Ointment.
“Shopkeeper Shang, when will you let us in?”
“Yeah, we’ve been standing for a long time and still haven’t seen what’s inside the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion.”
“I want to buy All-purpose Ointment—hurry up!”
Shang Wan waved her hand. “Everyone don’t be anxious; let me say a few words first. Today is the grand opening of our Spiritual Medicine Pavilion. To form good karma with everyone, any customer buying medicine today will get half price across the board. Only today—miss it and it’s gone.”
At these words, the common folk boiled over, and someone in the crowd shouted even more.
“What are you all waiting for? Hurry inside to buy medicine!”
“Miss this village and there won’t be this shop!”
“Those in front not going in, don’t block the way!”
The crowd noisily lifted their feet and streamed into the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion. Even those who had come purely for the fun now felt, swept up in the lively atmosphere, that they would be losing out if they didn’t take advantage and buy something.
The atmosphere group that Shang Wan had hired hid their merit and name deep, following into the shop.
Upon entering the shop, the common folk couldn’t help exclaiming in amazement.
What amazed them wasn’t anything else, but the glass cabinets that Shang Wan had spent a fortune hiring someone to fire.
Shang Wan imitated a modern apothecary design: floor-standing cabinets for displaying medicine boxes and medicine bottles, with the top surface and the side facing customers made of transparent glass. Light shining from all sides made the colorful porcelain bottles shimmer brilliantly, extremely beautiful.
The crowd couldn’t help going over to look, not daring to touch the clean, translucent cabinet surfaces, afraid of damaging them.
Yuan Qiao stood behind the glass cabinet, introducing the effects of various ointments to the customers.
She had a fresh and pretty appearance, spoke fluently without shyness, her crisp voice carrying the unique clear sweetness of a young girl, very pleasant to hear.
Shang Wan had crash-trained her for three days before putting her on duty.
Yuan Qiao pointed to the medicine box at the very top of the medicine cabinet and introduced, “These square boxes are the All-purpose Ointment. There are three kinds in total. The Red Box has the strongest effect, suitable for severe injuries. Big Brother Wu Kai used this kind—ten taels of silver per box.
The Blue Box has the next strongest effect, suitable for non-severe injuries, five taels of silver per box. The White Box has the mildest effect, suitable for minor injuries, two taels of silver per box.
The three ointments differ only in the severity of injuries they’re suited for, but with prolonged use, all have scar-removing and skin-beautifying effects, and can promote wound healing.”
The price of the ointment was indeed not cheap, and many who had come for the All-purpose Ointment hesitated.
Yuan Qiao smiled. “The shopkeeper said half price today, so everyone can buy a box to try first. Whether burns, scalds, or other wounds, the All-purpose Ointment has miraculous effects—even mosquito bites can use it. If a child has a rash, buy the White Box to try; it works in one application, guaranteed you’ll come back to repurchase.”
Wu Kai chimed in from the side, “Don’t think the medicine box is small—it’s very durable. I apply twice a day, and after over a month, there’s still some left.”
With the two singing in harmony, someone couldn’t resist saying: “Give me a White Box.”
With someone taking the lead, others also spoke up one after another.
“I want a white one too.”
“I want Red Boxes, two of them.”
“Blue Box.”
“One red one.”
In the blink of an eye, twenty or so boxes were sold. Yuan Qiao smiled even more happily and introduced with greater enthusiasm.
Led by Aunt Zhou and Aunt Yao, several aunts took charge of leading these customers with medicine to the counter to settle the bill.
Lu Chengjing recorded accounts and collected money behind the counter. Shang Wan strolled around the shop with hands behind her back, catching several troublemakers trying to fish in troubled waters, tying them up and throwing them to the backyard to deal with later.
The atmosphere group randomly appeared in corners where crowds gathered, with excellent results in stimulating consumption.
“Sisters, this is Jade Visage Powder. Mix with water and apply to the face—your skin becomes so tender, just like tofu pudding.”
Restaurant Boss Lady Niangzi Lou stood in the midst of a group of women, loudly introducing. “Look at me—I used it just three times, applied this morning. Isn’t this face both white and bright?”
