Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter Six: Discovering Business Opportunities

Seeing the solemn expression on his face, Lu Yu was taken aback at first, then nodded and handed over the prescription from his sleeve. Doctor Xu took it, stroked his white beard, and looked at it for a while, then sighed, "Very strange! Very strange!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu frowned slightly and asked with some urgency, "Is something wrong?"

Doctor Xu folded the prescription and handed it back to Lu Yu, stroking his beard as he said, "When I examined the young lady just now, I found her pulse to be weak and thin, and I also noticed that her old injury had not healed for a long time... But if we had followed the prescription, it should have been effective long ago..."

After a moment's hesitation, he carefully asked, "Has the young lady been taking Codonopsis pilosula in the past few days?"

These words were quite shocking. Lu Yu's expression changed, and he immediately waved his hand and said, "How could that be! I often travel in the mountains, so I naturally know a little about the effects of Xuanhu. I know that it will aggravate wounds and is a big taboo for those whose old illnesses have not yet healed. How could I tell her to take such a thing!"

Seeing his resolute tone, Doctor Xu became even more suspicious. "In all my years of practicing medicine, I have truly never seen such symptoms." He paused, then asked, "Did you handle the dispensing and preparation of the medicine?"

He hadn't been home these past few days, so the task of preparing the medicine naturally fell to his sister, Lu Cuiwei. Thinking this, he hesitated for a moment, and considering Cuiwei's previous attitude towards Meiqing, a slightly serious expression appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, Lu Yu was talking to Doctor Xu in the inner room, while Ji Meiqing was waiting outside, feeling bored and restless. Suddenly, she heard a complaint coming from the next room. Since she had nothing to do, she couldn't help but listen carefully.

Curiosity gnawed at her, and she couldn't help but move forward, lift the curtain and look over. She saw two medicine boys whispering to each other with their backs to her.

"Why do you think we're using up this medicinal wine so quickly?" said the younger apprentice.

“Not only is it used up quickly, but the price is also rising day by day! Look—” another said, then pushed the account book in front of him forward and complained to himself, “The price of that medicinal wine has skyrocketed in the last few days. It used to last half a month for one tael of silver, but now it doesn’t even last ten days!”

The younger man glanced at the figures on the bill and frowned deeply. "All the other clinics in town have raised their consultation fees and medicine costs several times over, but our master is honest and refuses to raise prices! I think that in a while, we might not even be able to afford our meals!"

Before he could finish speaking, the older man covered his mouth, "Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't let our master hear!"

Ji Meiqing, hidden in the shadows, overheard the gist of the conversation in just a few words.

Not enough medicinal wine? Perhaps due to her profession in her previous life, she was particularly sensitive to information reflecting market demand. She never expected to be so lucky, stumbling upon something she excelled at.

In just a few seconds, a number of ideas had flashed through her mind. Her business acumen began to take flight; she considered the supply and demand situation in the town, and a thought suddenly struck her – there was a chance!

Medicated wine, medicated wine... The customer just needs it, and she just happens to have some!

Ji Meiqing muttered a catchphrase from WeChat sellers on her Moments and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Over there, the young apprentice raised his eyebrows, about to retort, but was startled by the voice. He caught a glimpse of a figure standing behind the curtain out of the corner of his eye, and immediately fell silent. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't the pharmacist, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying only, "If you need medical attention, please go to the front hall. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed in the back courtyard!"

Ji Meiqing didn't take it to heart. She just opened her big, sparkling eyes and smiled as she explained, "I'm not here to see a doctor, but to make a deal!" She paused, then crossed her arms confidently and emphasized, "A deal that can only make me money!"

She was quite confident in her intelligence. The ancient people here didn't seem to understand the concept of finance, so if she were to be the first to try it, she could even develop an entire industry chain!

The young apprentice was taken aback, not expecting a girl this age to be involved in any business. He could only smile helplessly, "I saw you and Brother Lu come together just now, you must be here to see our master." He then pointed to the unsealed medicine packets scattered on the table, looking distressed, "We haven't finished the things our master instructed us to do yet, so please don't tease us!"

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Meiqing interrupted with a smile, "You're right, coming for medical treatment is one thing, but it won't interfere with our business!" She then gestured with her chin towards the ledger on the table, "I heard you were worried about the medicinal wine earlier?"

"Yes...yes..." The young apprentice hesitated, then paused, suddenly remembering that the other woman had been present when he complained about his master and had heard her mention the medicinal wine. He immediately broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly explained, "I was just chatting with my senior brother. If you heard anything, please don't take it to heart!"

The other apprentice was also startled and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly stepped forward and echoed, "Yes! Yes! Those words don't count. Miss, please don't tell anyone else!"

Seeing their flustered appearance, Ji Meiqing couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course you don't need to worry. I'm not a gossip! And I certainly won't talk nonsense in front of Doctor Xu." She paused, then added seriously, "I'm here to discuss a business deal, not to gossip about you for no reason!"

Seeing the seriousness in her expression, which didn't seem fake, the young apprentice asked in surprise, "Miss, are you perhaps going to discuss the sale of medicinal wine?"

Ji Meiqing smiled and nodded, "That's exactly what I was thinking!"

Upon hearing this, the two apprentice doctors exchanged glances, thought for a moment, and then shook their heads, refusing, "That won't do! Even if you have the medicinal wine, young lady, we're afraid we wouldn't dare take this business!"

Ji Meiqing was surprised that they refused so quickly, and frowned as she asked, "Why?"

The younger apprentice replied, "Miss, you don't understand. Our clinic's medicinal wines have always been sourced from Tongji Winery. It's been a business for so many years, how can we just change it like that? If our master finds out, he will definitely punish us. No, no, no!"

Seeing that this was the only reason, Ji Meiqing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Business dealings naturally emphasize integrity. You are long-time customers of Tongji Pharmacy, so it's understandable that you trust them. However, the most important thing between businessmen is mutual benefit." She rolled her eyes and mysteriously slowed her speech, "If my medicinal wine were half the price of Tongji Pharmacy's, would you still refuse?"

Upon hearing this, the two apprentices were both stunned, then stammered, "Half...half?"

Ji Meiqing raised an eyebrow, her raised chin exuding a touch of heroic spirit, and nodded proudly, "Of course!"