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

"Let me do it, let me do it. I have a lot of bumps on my neck from being stared at last night. Please apply some on me and I'll see if it really helps relieve the itching." A merchant stepped forward and said.

The merchants who were eager to try turned their heads to look at the person who was speaking and saw that there was indeed a big bite on his neck.

Everyone wanted to see the effect, so they didn't say anything in a hurry. They just stared at the man who scooped out a piece and rubbed it on his neck.

A cool feeling spread across the skin where the herbal ointment was applied, instantly soothing the itchiness.

The merchant's eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, "Hey, it doesn't itch anymore! It really doesn't itch anymore. I have to say that your green herbal ointment really lives up to its reputation!"

When the others heard him say this, they all scooped some and smeared it on their hands to try it out.

“Why do I feel this taste is stimulating?”

"So it's supposed to be refreshing. You know what? It feels so cool and comfortable when applied to your hands. If we apply it to our exposed hands and feet while camping outdoors, we can sleep well."

A merchant from the south, thinking of the practicality of the green herbal ointment, immediately asked, "How much does this green herbal ointment cost?"

Song Zhi calculated the price of the herbal ointment from the beginning, ensuring that she could make some profit while also leaving a certain profit for the merchants who came from afar to bring the goods back.

"Twenty-eight cents a box." Song Zhi replied.

Although this herbal ointment was only a small box, it was very effective and applicable. After hearing Song Zhi's offer, the merchants all said, "Give me a hundred boxes."

"I want two hundred!"

"Give me two hundred boxes too!"

Several merchants were afraid that if they spoke up too late, the goods they wanted would be gone.

The result was just as they had guessed. Song Zhi said apologetically, "I only started making this green herbal ointment yesterday on a whim. In a hurry, I only brought 150 jars here today. If you still want some, you can wait for two more days."

After that, Song Zhi took out another box, opened it, and handed it to the group. "In addition to the green herbal ointment, you might want to take a look at this tooth powder. It's made from a variety of herbs."

"It not only cleans, but also strengthens teeth, prevents bleeding gums, and prevents mouth ulcers."

The merchants took the tooth powder Song Zhi mentioned, put it to the tip of their noses and sniffed it, then asked doubtfully, "Does it really work as you said?"

"Whether it's useful or not is not my decision. Anyway, this tooth powder is not expensive. You can buy some and try it. If it works for you, you can buy more next time you pass by Qishui County."

"I'm telling you, having a good set of teeth is so important! We live our whole lives relying on these teeth to enjoy the best of life. If we make a lot of money but lose all our teeth, we'll just have to stare blankly at the delicacies on the table. How frustrating that would be!"

Song Zhi is a rich person. The more she fears something, the more she says it.

The merchants were stunned by Song Zhi's words. Some of the younger merchants even nodded repeatedly, thinking that what Song Zhi said made a lot of sense.

"How much is a box of this tooth powder?"

Song Zhi smiled and said, "Not expensive, not expensive, thirty-five coins a box."

Compared to the green herbal cream, which could be tried directly and experienced directly, as soon as Song Zhi quoted the price, the merchants exclaimed, "How come it's more expensive than the green herbal cream!"

Song Zhi could understand the other party's surprise. She patiently explained, "The herbal ointment only contains three kinds of herbs, while my tooth powder contains eight kinds of herbs. Naturally, the cost is much higher than that of the herbal ointment."

After hearing what she said, the merchants didn't know what to say. Several of the merchants present symbolically asked for a dozen boxes.

This was in stark contrast to the scramble for the herbal ointment just now.

However, Song Zhi could understand that this was a new thing after all, and it was not easy to try out. There was no certainty whether it could be sold after it was purchased.

But this is a new thing after all, and it would be a pity to miss it. Everyone unanimously decided to buy some and try it out first, to see if it is really as good as the people in front of them said.

It’s not a bad idea to buy some more when you leave.

After they had each bought tooth powder and were about to divide the basket of herbal ointment, Elder Xue came up and said to Song Zhi, "Hey, this amount of herbal ointment is definitely not enough for you all. Why don't you give it to me first?"

"Why don't you place an order with Miss Song now? Then you can pick it up when you leave."

The more than one hundred boxes of herbal ointment were indeed not enough for the four of them to divide, so all four of them looked at Song Zhi, waiting for her answer.

"Okay, but it will take two days. After that, you can go to Xiaohezi Village to pick up the goods. My house is the last one at the end of the village."

When the merchants saw that she agreed, they paid and left.

After the people left, Song Zhi didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Mr. Xue, I want to supply this herbal ointment and tooth powder to the shop at 22 and 30 wen per box respectively. Is that okay with you?"

"I still need to ask your Excellency for instructions on the pricing. Please wait here for a moment, I will be back soon." After saying this, he hurried to the county government office.

After Mr. Xue left, Song An asked in confusion, "Sister, our green herbal cream is so popular, why do you still lower the price to sell it here?"

Song Zhi then whispered to him, "If we only give up a little, we can establish a relationship with the government-run shop. This is not only mutually beneficial, but also allows us to benefit from the government."

"Think about it, we are all ordinary people. If someone is jealous of us, now we have the government backing us up. Who in Qishui County would dare to touch us?"

Song An's eyes lit up instantly, "I know, I know, this is our backer."

Song Zhi rubbed her younger brother's head and said, "You can't call me a backer. Xiao An, you must know that only you can be your own backer."

"This is just a mutually beneficial opportunity for us. We give the shop a profit, and the shop can make money, and the county magistrate can use the money to do more meaningful things."

"We use the power of the government to deter those who are jealous behind the scenes from taking action easily."

"We also use this platform to promote our products. We don't have a store in the county, so it's like putting our products in someone else's store and selling them. Do you have to pay them for storing the goods? It's the same principle."

Song An frowned. He understood some of what his sister said, but some of it was not clear to him.

Why couldn't the government be his backer? But he still understood why his sister wanted to sell the goods to the government-run shop at a lower price.

With doubts in his heart, the little guy asked directly, "Sister, why can't we let the government be our backer? Aren't we relying on the government's power?"

"Sister means that you should constantly strengthen yourself. Only when you are strong will others not dare to covet you. If you rely solely on others for protection, what will you do if the person who protects you leaves?"

Song An suddenly had an epiphany, and raised his little arm and said, "Sister, I will definitely learn to read well, read more, and don't let anyone take advantage of our family!"

"Okay, sister will rely on Xiao An from now on!"

Song An straightened her chest and nodded seriously.