The territory of the Daqian Dynasty was very large, and some small-scale natural disasters would occur every year. Droughts were the main ones in the north, and floods were common in the south. Being able to flee to Liuzhou Luo City means that these people wearing ragged clothes should be from in the north.
Zhou's Drug Store is one of the smaller ones among the many drug stores in Luo City. The shopkeeper's surname is Zhou Mingding. He is in his early fifties. Although his medical skills are not outstanding, he is somewhat competent. On weekdays, he and his old wife Zhou Jiang run the store business. , you can still earn seven or eight taels of silver every day.
But today, although there were a lot of patients in front of his shop, his brows were deeply knitted together, and his old wife Zhou Jiang's face looked very bad when she was taking medicine and weighing it.
Another patient was given a prescription for medicine, but the other patient only took out five copper coins. This amount of money was not even enough for the medicine, let alone the consultation fees.
Zhou Ding wanted to say that the money was not enough, but when he saw the patient's frightened and helpless eyes, his heart suddenly softened. He glanced at his old wife subconsciously, and then gently waved his hand, indicating to the patient to get the medicine. Just sigh, that's it, think of it as a blessing for your children and grandchildren.
It was okay not to mention his children and grandchildren, but when he thought of his children and grandchildren, his heart ached.
The patient also knew that the money was not enough. When he saw this, he quickly knelt down and kowtowed three times to Zhou Ding. Then he got up and handed the prescription in his hand to Zhou Jiang. Zhou Jiang took the prescription and said nothing. , just mechanically taking the medicine according to the prescription, just like a lifeless wooden man.
Just after the patient took the medicine and walked out of the store, there was a sudden commotion outside. It turned out that Tang Yuxiang had lost the idea of eating after seeing these refugees. She finished the meal without taking a few mouthfuls when the food was served. He grabbed Zhiqiu Zhidong and ran down. Seeing this, the guards in the lobby on the first floor naturally didn't care about eating meat and drinking anymore. They all followed him. Until now, they still don't understand why the master is silent. He hummed and ran downstairs.
Who was Tang Yuxiang and how she was dressed? She squeezed into such a group of people, which naturally caused quite a stir.
As she walked, Tang Yuxiang stared at the faces of these patients, her eyebrows frowning more and more tightly. There were also many women in the crowd. She stopped and asked a middle-aged woman holding a child: "Sister-in-law." , where are you from? Let me ask you, how long has it been since you had salt?"
When the middle-aged woman saw Tang Yuxiang's luxurious clothes, she didn't dare to look directly at her. She lowered her head and replied: "Madam, the woman is from the north and comes from Shengzhou. Because her family suffered a drought and all the wheat seedlings died, she just wanted to survive." , I came here after escaping famine, and my family had to beg for food, and I don’t remember how long it had been since they had eaten salt.”
Tang Yuxiang has been bullied by Mrs. Tang since she was young. She knows how uncomfortable it is to be hungry. Her nose felt sour when she heard this and she almost shed a few tears. She stretched out her hand, loosened the child's clothes, and took a closer look. He sighed: "Your family's necks are swollen because they haven't eaten salt for too long. This is not a serious illness, and there is no need to take medicine. As long as you put some salt in your meals in the future."
The woman quickly said thank you several times, but she still held the child and did not leave.
Seeing this, Zhiqiu raised his eyebrows and said dissatisfied: "My second grandma is very skilled in medicine. She said you can get better by eating some salt, so you will get better. Why are you still here? Ask the doctor here to see you and give you medicine. Don't you have to spend money?" What?"
The woman glanced at the man next to her, blushed in embarrassment, lowered her head, and said nothing.
Zhiqiu pouted and stamped her little foot fiercely. Just when she was about to say something else, she saw her master taking a few steps forward and going to see a doctor again, so she had no choice but to abandon the family of three and follow him closely.
Tang Yuxiang was highly skilled in medicine and could tell the conditions of these people one by one just by walking around. However, although these people all said thank you, none of them left. Seeing this scene, they gave Zhiqiu
His face turned pale with anger, thinking that they did not trust Tang Yuxiang's medical skills.
Zhidong had better eyesight. When she saw these people wearing patchwork clothes and looking coy and embarrassed, she suddenly had an idea in her mind. She leaned into her master's ear and said, "Second Grandma, is it true that this shopkeeper has a good heart and won't accept it?"
Medicine money, so how long have these people been standing here?”
Tang Yuxiang only focused on treating the patients without thinking deeply. Hearing this, he nodded and said: "Well, it is possible, and these patients don't have any serious diseases. Most of them can be cured by just taking a few simple herbs. Yes.
For a pharmacy, it’s not a big burden.”
Zhiqiu on the side also heard the conversation between the two, and suddenly realized that no wonder these patients did not leave even after knowing their condition. It turned out that they were waiting for the shopkeeper to deliver medicine.
"May I ask who this lady is?" After Zhou Ding heard the noise outside, he hurried out and wanted to see what happened. He thought that a patient might have fainted or passed away.
, which caused a panic, but as soon as I went out, I found a young woman in luxurious clothes treating people.
Curious, he stood aside and watched. He saw that this noble lady did not need to check her pulse when seeing a doctor. She could only draw the correct conclusion by looking at her face. He was so impressed that he stepped forward to salute and ask questions.
After hearing the inquiry, Tang Yuxiang raised her head and saw the old man in front of her who was over fifty years old. He had a square face and a kind expression. He was wearing a long gown and dressed like a shopkeeper. He quickly returned the greeting and said, "Mr. Tang, a commoner woman, is the senior Xianglai."
The shopkeeper of this drug store."
Zhou Ding nodded and said with a smile: "Exactly, old man, my surname is Zhou. This pharmacy is an industry passed down from our ancestors. It is already the fifth generation to me."
"It turns out it's Mr. Zhou. This junior is being polite." Tang Yuxiang gave another polite salute.
Wu Ding laughed, waved his hand and said: "Mrs. Tang, you don't have to be so polite. To be honest, I really admire Mrs. Tang's medical skills. Without taking the pulse, I can draw a conclusion just by looking at the face. If I compare with Mrs. Tang, I will definitely be better."
I have lived most of my life in vain."
"That's right, my second wife's medical skills are unparalleled in the world!" Zhiqiu was young and did not know how to be humble, so he put a halo on his master's head without any courtesy.
On the other hand, Tang Yuxiang was thin-skinned and was embarrassed to be praised by her maid. Fortunately, she wore a veil on her face, otherwise she would have been embarrassed to find a hole in the ground. The word "unparalleled in the world" is used casually, "Zhiqiu,
Shut up, my medical skills are unparalleled in the world and I don’t dare to take them for granted."
"Well, unparalleled in the world is a bit too much, but Mrs. Tang is definitely worthy of the title of Xinglin's Master. Mrs. Tang, if you don't think the shop is simple, please go inside the house." After Zhou Ding said this, he turned sideways.
, lead with the right hand.
Tang Yuxiang hesitated for a moment, then agreed, and then walked into Zhou's pharmacy with Zhou Ding. Zhou Jiang, who was taking medicine, saw a young woman in luxurious clothes walking in. She was slightly startled at first, and then
After coming back to his senses, he quickly put down the herbs in his heart, patted the dust on his sleeves, ran into the back hall, brought out two chairs, and placed them in the center of the hall.
Zhou Ding pointed to the chair and said, "Mrs. Tang, please sit down."
Tang Yuxiang was not polite, walked to the chair, sat down slowly, and asked: "Mr. Zhou, these people are all refugees. They have fled all the way here and don't have much money anymore. You want to see a doctor for them?"
Can’t make money?”
Mr. Zhou was still smiling at first, but after hearing this sentence, his face immediately darkened. After a long time, he sighed heavily and replied: "Mrs. Tang, I won't hide it from you. In fact, this store will be closed soon."
My surname is Zhou, so I can provide some medicinal herbs to treat the diseases of the people, which can be regarded as a blessing for my descendants."
"Oh? Why is this?" Tang Yuxiang asked curiously when she saw Zhou Ding's brows filled with sorrow.
Zhou Ding and his old wife looked at each other, smiled bitterly, and after pondering for a moment, they told the whole story one by one. After hearing this, Tang Yuxiang sighed in her heart.
It turns out that this couple also has an only son, named Zhou Bao, who is only eighteen years old this year. Because he had a son at an old age, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou doted on him very much. Because of this, they spoiled Zhou Bao as a child.
He was a young man with a bad temper. He didn't study since he was a child. When he grew up, he couldn't bear to study medicine. He hung out with those low-ranking scoundrels all day long, gambling and prostitution, and he was proficient in everything.
There is nothing good about those scoundrels, but the two of them refused to listen to Zhou Bao's advice. Until a few days ago, Zhou Bao was finally plotted by these scoundrels. After entering the gambling house, he lost a lot of money.
Then he was coaxed into borrowing money at a high interest rate.
How can common people afford loan sharking?
The capital was originally only fifty taels, but within a few days, thugs came to collect debts and asked for five hundred taels. Poor couple, they had worked so hard for most of their lives and could only save less than three hundred taels. How could they afford to pay it back?
, when the thug saw that they could not produce the silver, he took Zhou Bao away directly and said that he would collect the silver in three days. If he could not produce 800 taels of silver, he would use this medicine shop to pay for it.
And tomorrow is the third day specified by the other party.
After listening to Mr. Zhou's bitter complaint, Tang Yuxiang and others fell silent. For a moment, they didn't know how to persuade him. At this moment, Zhidong suddenly reached out and pushed Tang Yuxiang's back, leaned down and whispered.
: "Second Grandma, don't you want to buy a drug store? Why not buy this store?"
Tang Yuxiang was stunned at first, and then thought for a while. Although this shop is small, it is still worth a thousand taels of silver. These old couple are businessmen, and they don't understand the principle of selling the shop to save their children. What is the reason?
The old couple would rather use the medicinal materials in the store to treat people for free than sell them. "Mr. Zhou, I have an idea. Please don't blame me if I tell you."
"Oh? Mrs. Tang is going to sell this small shop to raise money to save my unfulfilled son?" Mr. Zhou asked with a wry smile.
"Yes, according to this junior, this shop, plus the medicinal materials stored in the store, can be sold for at least one thousand taels of silver."
Mr. Zhou first sighed and then said: "Yes, if the two items are added together, they can be worth at least one thousand three hundred taels of silver. But now that I want to sell it, someone must dare to buy it!"
"Actually, the person who plotted against my son this time was none other than the boss behind Jule Gambling House. That boss not only opened a gambling house and brothel, but also opened several pharmacies. The reason why they targeted Bao'er this time was because they wanted to
They took over my store! Ever since Bao'er was taken away, there have been harsh words, saying that whoever dares to buy my drug store will have their legs maimed!"
This is really unreasonable!
When Tang Yuxiang heard this, she slapped the armrest of the chair angrily. These people are so abominable!
"Second Grandma, don't you plan to..." Zhiqiu's pretty face turned red with anger. At this time, she also remembered that her master was about to buy a medicine store, so she planned to say it directly. However, she only said half of the words when she saw her master glaring at her.
One glance.
After glaring at Zhiqiu and seeing her silence, Tang Yuxiang said, "Mr. Zhou, if I can find a buyer who is willing to pay a thousand taels of silver for this small shop, would you be willing to sell it?"
"Yes!" Zhou Laoyi slapped his thigh and agreed quickly. In the past two days, he had been worried about saving his son and selling the store. He couldn't eat well or sleep well.
If this noble lady can really find the owner of a silver plate shop who is willing to pay a thousand taels, she will be doing him a great favor.