Chapter 218: Certification
Yuan Yuan lifted her little face to look at her, “I want bunny.”
“Good, that day we’ll buy the best-looking Rabbit God, our treasure will paint it herself.”
Yuan Yuan tilted her little head, “Daddy… draw!”
“Sure, let your daddy draw.” Shang Wan agreed readily, since she wasn’t the one doing the work anyway.
Lu Chengjing, who was buried in recording accounts behind the counter, suddenly sneezed. Qiao Yu’an glanced at him sideways, “Caught a cold?”
Lu Chengjing shook his head, put down the writing brush, and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Qiao Yu’an: “I heard that before the Lu Family left, they sent someone to look for you?”
Lu Chengjing lifted his eyelids to look at him, “Say what you want to say.”
“It’s said that Doctor Wang is highly regarded by His Majesty.” Qiao Yu’an tapped the counter, leaned his head closer, and lowered his voice, “The Wang and Lu families are connected by marriage after all. If you want to enter officialdom, the Wang Family is a shortcut.”
Lu Chengjing: “Have you forgotten why the Lu Family went to the Capital City to seek refuge with the Wang Family?”
He had forced the Lu Family to leave their hometown. Even for Madam Lu’s sake, Doctor Wang wouldn’t look kindly on him.
Why should he rush to make himself disliked?
“I knew you’d have this temper.” Qiao Yu’an muttered, then sighed, “You studied better than me, you should understand what it means that one tree cannot support a forest.”
Family is more than just blood relations. If the family prospers, the support it brings is beyond imagination.
Lu Chengjing neither confirmed nor denied it, his expression unchanging.
Seeing this, Qiao Yu’an didn’t continue persuading. It would be a waste of breath anyway. He said something to Lu Chengjing and then went to line up in the queue for Jade Visage Powder.
Since he was already here, he’d buy two boxes to take back for Vivi.
·
The Spiritual Medicine Pavilion was bustling for over an hour before the customers gradually thinned out.
Everyone leaving the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion held a paper bag, full of their haul.
A carriage stopped at the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion doorway. Shi Tou, temporarily acting as shop assistant, went out to greet them.
The blue cloth curtain was lifted, and a white-bearded old man with graying hair stepped out from inside.
Shi Tou’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t this Old Doctor Sun from Gu An Hall?
“Old Mister, take it slow.” Shi Tou reached out to help the old man off the carriage and led him inside.
Old Doctor Sun’s steps paused at the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion doorway. He looked up at the three hot stamping characters on the plaque, stroked his beard, and said, “This is that Lu kid’s handwriting, right?”
Shi Tou smiled and replied, “Exactly, written by brother-in-law. Many customers have praised it.”
Old Doctor Sun nodded and stepped inside.
Lu Chengjing spotted the old mister at once and hurried out from behind the counter to greet him.
Old Doctor Sun glanced around the shop, pointing at the glass medicine cabinet from afar, “Not bad, you can see at a glance what’s inside. Was this your idea or your wife’s?”
“It was niangzi’s idea,” Lu Chengjing said with a smile in his eyes, proud of her, “All the decorations in the shop are niangzi’s handiwork.”
Ever since Shang Wan came to Gu An Hall to sell medicinal herbs, she’d had frequent contact with Old Doctor Sun, and the old man had a very good impression of her.
He pointed at Lu Chengjing, “You’ve got good fortune, kid.”
Lu Chengjing nodded. To gain niangzi’s favor was his greatest good fortune in this life.
Even if that favor was because of his face.
Lu Chengjing led Old Doctor Sun on a tour of the shop, introducing all the medicines that caught the old man’s interest. Only when they were about done did he ask about the old man’s purpose.
“Naturally, to buy medicine.” Old Doctor Sun stroked his white beard, strolled to a wall of medicine cabinets, pulled open the drawer in front of him, and grabbed a small handful to examine.
Yuan Musheng looked at Lu Chengjing, silently asking whether to stop him.
Lu Chengjing shook his head slightly and walked over to accompany him from a polite distance.
If Old Doctor Sun asked, he would answer; if not, he would just accompany him while he looked.
Old Doctor Sun pulled out whichever drawers at random. For those on top that he couldn’t reach, he beckoned Lu Chengjing to take some down for him to see.
Lu Chengjing climbed the ladder, and the old and young worked together like they were inspecting, checking nearly the entire medicine cabinet.
“Not bad, not bad.” Old Doctor Sun smiled and put the astragalus back in the drawer, clearly very satisfied with this spot check.
Idle Rong Niangzi chimed in, “Of course not, not to brag, but the quality of our Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s medicinal herbs is absolutely top-notch.”
She stuck up her right thumb.
“My younger brother’s wife and Lu brother prepared these medicines day and night for many days as a family. They’ve all lost weight.”
Hearing this, Old Doctor Sun sized up Lu Chengjing several times, his white beard twitching as he spat out two words, “Fatter.”
Rong Niangzi: “…”
Lu Chengjing coughed dryly. He’d racked his brains to gain weight; getting fat was what he deserved.
Actually, Lu Chengjing’s body was still on the slim side compared to ordinary people, but much better than before.
Old Doctor Sun raised his chin at Lu Chengjing, “Hand.”
Lu Chengjing pushed up his wide sleeve to reveal his fair wrist and extended it.
Old Doctor Sun took his pulse, stroked his white beard, and looked at Lu Chengjing again and again, “No sign of early demise from depletion. On the contrary, your qi and blood are abundant, with hardly any stagnation. What miraculous elixir did you take?”
Lu Chengjing withdrew his hand, “Old Mister is joking. It wasn’t a miraculous elixir, just some medicinal cuisine.”
Food supplements are better than medicine supplements, and medicinal cuisine strikes the balance between the two. Old Doctor Sun was a bit curious, “What medicinal cuisine?”
Lu Chengjing could spin tales effortlessly.
“Niangzi by a coincidence got a medicinal cuisine recipe from a traveling Taoist priest. Unlike ordinary medicinal cuisine, it looks like everyday side dishes, but the ingredients are quite particular.”
Lu Chengjing didn’t specify what was particular about them. Old Doctor Sun didn’t pursue it and instead said, “From now on, Gu An Hall will order medicinal herbs from the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion. This afternoon I’ll send someone with the order list. You deliver the herbs to Gu An Hall as listed.”
Lu Chengjing was somewhat surprised.
Old Doctor Sun’s medical skill was renowned by all. For even him to specify buying from the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion meant the herbs were good. This publicity was better than ten nursery rhymes.
After the words were out, Old Doctor Sun remembered the owner’s instructions and quickly added, “What’s the drug price?”
Lu Chengjing held back a smile, “This way, Old Mister. We’ll discuss details in the backyard.”
Old Doctor Sun nodded and followed Lu Chengjing to the backyard.
As soon as he left, the other customers in the shop erupted.
“The nursery rhyme wasn’t wrong. Even Old Mister Sun personally came to order medicinal herbs. The Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s herbs must be good.”
“Not necessarily. I saw the accountant knew the old mister. Maybe he’s just here to show support.”
“I have to say something fair. Old Mister has practiced medicine for most of his life and hates passing off inferior goods as good quality the most. If they dared to fool people with poor-quality herbs as good ones, with his straightforward temper, he’d flare up on the spot. He checked so many drawers and didn’t say a single bad word.”
The atmosphere team seized the chance to guide, “Herbs vary in quality. Who knows if the next batch will be as good as today’s. Smart people are already buying.”
Someone said, “I remember all medicines today are half price, right?”
Everyone exchanged glances and rushed toward the medicine cabinets.
Because of Old Doctor Sun’s arrival, the shop saw another wave of buying frenzy.
Aunt Zhou and the others grinned from ear to ear. The more herbs sold, the fewer leftovers, meaning more work for them and no worry about not earning money.
