Chapter 230: Gaining Some Fame
Winter snow flurried down, like a thousand pear blossoms on trees.
In the blink of an eye, it was nearing the end of the twelfth lunar month.
“Brother Zhang, it’s snowing—where are you off to?”
“Isn’t it that woman at home insisting I go to the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion to buy the newly released Snow Plum Cream? She says if I go late, I won’t be able to grab any. Every day it’s something.”
The man in the lined jacket grumbled, shook the snow off his umbrella, and waved at the person opposite him. “I have to go buy things. Let’s drink together another day.”
“Alright, the roads are slippery in the snow—be careful not to fall.”
The man held his umbrella and hurried toward the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion.
It had snowed heavily all last night, and the roads were covered in a thin layer of ice. Though early risers had trampled much of it, the chill remained undiminished.
A cold wind blew, freezing people’s faces red and making them shrink their necks.
But this did nothing to hinder the long line in front of the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion.
“Everyone, don’t be impatient.” Niangzi Lou led the shop assistants in handing out hot soy milk to the men and women in line. “Have a bowl of hot stuff first—it’ll warm you up once you’re inside.”
Soy milk wasn’t expensive—a bowl cost only two copper coins, and you could get a refill if it wasn’t enough.
On such a cold day, most people were willing to spend the money for a bowl of hot.
Niangzi Lou had spotted a business opportunity, riding the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s customer flow: selling ice jelly, cool jelly, and sour plum drink in summer; lung-moistening, thirst-quenching snow pear soup in autumn; and hot, sweet soy milk in winter.
When mealtime guests showed up, she could draw quite a bit of business into the shop.
What? You say there are so many restaurants on this street—why don’t others follow suit?
Why else? Because Niangzi Lou has a good relationship with Shopkeeper Shang of the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion. Not only does she get insider info, but sometimes she even gets spots for internal testing of new Spiritual Medicine Pavilion products.
Look at the bosses or boss ladies of other restaurants—do they have that kind of pull? Would people even pay attention to them?
The Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s Jade Visage Powder and White Jade Paste are in short supply around Suzhou and Hangzhou, especially White Jade Paste—almost every young lady and little wife has a box, and some come from afar to little Dongning County to buy it, only to be drawn to other Spiritual Medicine Pavilion items and buy in bulk to resell back home.
After all this back and forth, the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s reputation has spread—not just around Suzhou and Hangzhou in Jiangnan, but even a little fame in the Capital City.
The Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s medicines, whether eaten or applied to the face or body, have no bad effects.
Being able to use a new Spiritual Medicine Pavilion product before others is something that would make plenty of people envious when word gets out.
At this moment, inside the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion, unlike the icy world outside, it was as warm as spring.
Knowing Dongning County’s winters were cold, Shang Wan had specially instructed during the shop’s decoration to turn the east and west walls into heated walls. In winter, they burned charcoal, and the smoke circulated through flues in the hollow walls, not only blocking out the cold but warming the entire room.
At first, Shang Wan even wanted to make all four walls heated walls, but if not done right, it could turn the whole shop into a steamer or cause carbon monoxide poisoning. After weighing it, she settled on just two heated walls.
Even so, the heating effect was still remarkable.
It just used a lot of charcoal.
Fortunately, Shang Wan had stocked up on a batch of charcoal when the weather was warm, so they could still afford to burn it now.
Guests stepping into the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion all sighed comfortably, even stretching out their frozen necks.
“Shopkeeper, Mister Duanmu asks you to come over later.” Liu Cheng returned from delivering medicinal herbs to the two medical halls and strode to the counter.
“Got it.” Shang Wan was recording accounts behind the counter and asked without looking up, “Have the gifts all been sent out?”
Liu Cheng nodded with a smile. “I reckon the return gifts will arrive soon.”
“The shop is busy today—keep a close eye on things, don’t let anyone take advantage.” Shang Wan finished the last entry, closed the account book, and came out from behind the counter.
Today she wore a silver-red lined jacket embroidered with begonias; a circle of white rabbit fur at the collar set off her jade-white skin tone. Her brows and eyes were exquisite as a painting—she was a living signboard for the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion just standing there.
No wonder women flocked to the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion’s products.
The men secretly sighed—how was it that the beautiful shopkeeper was already taken?
From the back door, she got into the carriage and said to the coachman, “To the manor.”
The coachman was a villager named Liu Zhong, an honest man. Because Shang Wan’s medicine had saved his wife and child’s lives, he volunteered to be her coachman without wages.
He was good with animals, keeping the horse sleek, fat, and strong; his driving skills were also solid, so Shang Wan kept him on. Of course, she still paid him wages.
Liu Zhong agreed and lightly flicked the whip on the horse’s rump.
The docile horse pulled the carriage toward outside the city.
Shang Wan was just about to nap when she suddenly thought of something and knocked on the carriage wall. “Uncle Liu, to the county school first.”
With the year-end holidays nearing, the county school was dismissing from this afternoon until the tenth of the first lunar month.
Figuring the timing was about right, Shang Wan thought to swing by and pick up Lu Chengjing from school.
The carriage turned a corner toward the county school.
Several carriages were parked not far from the county school. Shang Wan lifted the cloth curtain to look out and saw the Qiao Mansion’s carriage too—probably there to pick up Qiao Yu’an.
Just as she thought that, two figures—one in purple, one in moon-white—approached side by side.
The young master in purple had a smile in his brows and eyes. “To Bao Yue Zhai for a meal—my treat.”
“I…” The young master in moon-white had just said one word when he suddenly spotted a familiar carriage and the person stepping down from it.
“I have something to do—you go ahead.” Lu Chengjing hurried toward the carriage with eager steps, leaving his companion Qiao Yu’an behind.
“Hey, why are you walking so fast?”
Qiao Yu’an, puzzled, caught up and only then saw Shang Wan getting out of the carriage. He couldn’t help muttering, “Putting romance over friendship.”
This guy Lu Chengjing, as long as his wife was around, couldn’t see anyone else. It wasn’t like they were newlyweds—he was getting stickier than before. When had he been like this in the past?
Thinking this, Qiao Yu’an still raised a hand to greet Shang Wan.
Shang Wan smiled back at him.
Qiao Yu’an invited, “Perfect timing—let’s go to Bao Yue Zhai together. Pick up Yuan Yuan too; I haven’t seen her in ages.”
“Not today—I have to go to the manor. The day after, my treat, still at Bao Yue Zhai.”
“That’s a deal then.”
“Mm.”
Just then, A Le came over with an umbrella to pick someone up, so Qiao Yu’an said goodbye and left.
The carriage curtain lifted, and a flash of black clothing hem vanished.
“Qiao Yu Gui is in the carriage.” Shang Wan withdrew her gaze, tiptoed to brush the snow from Lu Chengjing’s hair, and pulled him into the carriage.
Lu Chengjing exhaled a puff of white breath as he spoke. “He’s been much quieter lately.”
Shang Wan lifted the copper pot from the small stove and poured him a cup of hot goat milk.
Lu Chengjing lowered his gaze and sipped slowly; the steam softened his clear, cool brows and eyes.
The goat milk was a bit hot, so he puffed his cheeks and blew gently. Suddenly, his cheek warmed as a fair, warm hand landed there.
His eyelashes trembled, slowly lifting.
Shang Wan smiled with curved eyes, propping her cheek as she watched him.
“You’ve put on a little meat on your face.”
Two fingers naturally pinched the soft flesh on the nearby person’s cheek.
Three proper meals a day, two snacks, and one late-night snack—this was finally getting some results.
Still, flesh felt better to the touch.
