It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

Seeing that the other party did not catch up, Song Zhi slowed down her pace.

At this time, Song An was still excited and nervous because of Song Zhi's words just now.

"Sister, will the county magistrate really help us sell apricot jam?"

Song Zhi shrugged nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter whether he pushes it or not, as long as the people around him see him eating apricot jam, that's fine."

Song An didn't quite understand the meaning of this sentence, but when he saw that his sister was not worried at all, he stopped worrying about it!

Song Zhi first went to the meat market and bought two pieces of meat, and then went to the shop to ask what to buy as a gift for becoming a disciple.

The shopkeeper reported very skillfully, "There are longans, lotus seeds, red dates, and red beans."

Song Zhi immediately asked the shopkeeper to help weigh out four portions.

Finally, after buying glutinous rice for making malt sugar, the brother and sister hurried out of the city with their things and took a bus back home.

Because she left home early, Song Zhi returned home around 9:00 p.m.

This was also because Mrs. Wu knew that her granddaughter not only had to buy gifts for her apprenticeship today, but also had to buy a lot of glutinous rice.

So early in the morning, Wu brought several of her children to wait for the two of them at the village entrance.

When the ox cart stopped at the entrance of the village, Wu hurried forward to help carry the heavy objects, and the younger ones also knew to help share the burden.

On the way back, Mrs. Wu asked about the sales of apricot jam today.

There was no need for Song Zhi to speak, as Song An on the side explained everything that happened in the county in detail.

He even told the story of how his sister bribed the county magistrate with a jar of apricot jam.

In order to avoid worrying her grandmother, Song Zhi also told her about her plan, "I think we can set up a stall on the official road outside the city gate to sell apricot juice and apricot jam."

"There are a lot of merchants queuing up to enter the city, and their goods need to be inspected. The officers are very slow in checking them, and the weather is hot. I think setting up a stall should be a good option."

"Or maybe we could discuss this with the villagers who sell jelly. Aren't some of them supplying restaurants and food stalls?"

"Why don't we just give the apricot jam to them and sell it? We can get five cents for each jar we sell. This way it's much faster than going door to door!"

On the way back, Song Zhi thought about it and realized that her own efforts to expand customer base were too slow. She needed to change her thinking and expand her channels.

On the one hand, the weather was hot and Song Zhi still wanted to sell the apricot jam as soon as possible.

On the other hand, considering that there are not enough people at home, if the sales work is divided out, they only need to be responsible for making sauce and fruit leather.

And since there are a lot of fruit peels this time, Song Zhi also wants to use the dead branches, rotten leaves and fruit peels to make some fertilizer.

Each of these things requires manpower. If she wants to do everything by herself, it will only make her too busy to handle everything, which is obviously unrealistic.

When Mrs. Wu heard her granddaughter's suggestion, her heart was moved.

She also thought it was a good idea to separate them. Her granddaughter had to study medicine with Dr. Zheng in the afternoon, so it was not a big deal for her to run to the county town all day.

So she said, "It's a good idea to let the villagers sell it. I'll go to the village and ask if anyone is willing to take on this job."

"As for setting up a stall, let's talk about it later."

The main reason is that there are not enough people at home, and the house next door will not be completed for a few days. The family cannot be left alone, and she doesn't want her granddaughter to go there. She will wait and see how the sales go first.

The grandparents and grandchildren walked and talked as they returned home.

Wu put down her things and urged, "Azhi, go back to your room and change your clothes. It's getting late. Let's go to Doctor Zheng's house quickly."

After saying that, he told the younger ones to go to the next door and call back the eldest son.

She went back to the house and took out the shoes she had made the night before. Wang happened to come to her house for a dinner the day before, so she asked indirectly about the sizes of the two of them.

The soles are made in advance, so it’s quick to make the uppers, and the shoes will be ready within a day.

Song Youshan also knew that his niece was going to Doctor Zheng's house to become his disciple today. When he saw his son calling him, he hurried back home, washed his hands, cleansed his face, and changed into a new set of clothes with the least patches.

In this way, the three of them went to Doctor Zheng's house carrying gifts.

A villager who was working on the road saw the three generations of the family carrying two large pieces of meat into Doctor Zheng's house from afar. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hey, why did you see Dashan carrying meat to Doctor Zheng's house?"

"Maybe he's thanking Doctor Zheng. Xiaokang has been blessed with good health for so many years thanks to Doctor Zheng."

The villagers thought about it and realized it was true. The medical expenses had been owed for several years, so now that they had some money, they must thank the owner.

Without Dr. Zheng, it's hard to say what will happen to Xiaokang's child...

The villagers were speculating among themselves, while Dr. Zheng had already warmly invited them into his home.

Wu presented the pre-prepared salary and apprenticeship gift with both hands, "I am grateful that you, Doctor Zheng, do not despise me and are willing to accept my girl as your apprentice."

"I have prepared some small gifts at home. I don't know if they are complete. I hope Doctor Zheng will not mind."

Doctor Zheng waved his hand and said, "Azhi is smart and clever, and has a kind heart. I am willing to accept her as my disciple. I don't care about these empty formalities, and I don't want this bundle of training."

"There's just one thing you need to remember, Azhi. Medical matters concern human lives, so they must be treated with rigor and not be perfunctory."

"When treating patients, one must listen patiently and diagnose carefully. One must not stray from the path of medicine for the sake of fame and gain, and certainly not use medicine to make money."

"In addition, the art of medicine is vast and profound, and it cannot be mastered in a day. I hope you will continue to study diligently, not only to understand the principles, but also to understand the reasons behind them."

Song Zhi fell to her knees with a thud and said respectfully, "Disciple will remember Master's teachings!"

Wang, who was standing by, hurriedly pulled Song Zhi up and said jokingly, "Don't be in a hurry to kneel. Become your disciple first, then we'll talk about it."

A group of people walked into the main hall. Doctor Zheng first lit incense for the seats and muttered something. After the incense was inserted into the incense burner, he sat down in the main seat.

Then, Doctor Zheng solemnly asked, "Song Zhi, are you willing to be my disciple?"

Upon hearing this, Song Zhi plopped down on her knees. She knelt straight and said in a firm tone, "I, the disciple Song Zhi, wish to take Doctor Zheng as my teacher. I will study diligently and live up to the master's high expectations."

Wang, who was standing by, handed over the tea that she had prepared in advance, and Song Zhi kowtowed to offer the tea.

Doctor Zheng took the teacup and took a sip, then handed Song Zhi a medical book he had prepared early in the morning.

"We were in such a hurry to escape that we didn't have time to take many medical books with us. This is a book on acupuncture that I memorized while I was here. I hope you can learn from it and gain a deeper understanding."

Medical books in this era cannot be bought with money. Song Zhi must be happy to receive such a valuable gift.

Doctor Zheng looked at his happy disciples and couldn't help but smile.

Doctor Zheng was very happy to receive a disciple who met his requirements.

Mrs. Wu and Song Youshan were also very happy. Doctor Zheng valued his granddaughter so much and gave her such a precious gift as a medical book. He must be very satisfied with his granddaughter.

Everyone was happy.

Before leaving, Wu insisted on putting down the gift and said, "Gifts cannot be wasted. This is Ah Zhi's heartfelt gift to her master. She must not refuse it."

Wang had no choice but to accept it and personally escorted the person to the door before she gave up.