A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

Shopkeeper Hu felt extremely troubled and kept wondering what was wrong with Miss Zhao. Usually when she came to the shop, she would only say that the new arrivals were not stylish enough or of poor quality. But today, for some reason, she seemed to have swallowed gunpowder and was so angry.

Manager Hu smiled broadly and said some flattering words to smooth things over. Usually, Zhao Jiaojiao would be pleased to hear such things, but today, she still glared at Manager Hu with a fierce look in her eyes.

Manager Hu secretly lamented his predicament, wondering what to do.

Looking at Zhao Jiaojiao's arrogant demeanor, Nie Qianqian thought to herself that she hadn't been harsh enough when she confronted her at the Zhao residence last time; she was so spoiled.

She spoke calmly and slowly, "Since Miss Zhao keeps saying it's for the good of Jinxiu Pavilion's business, she must be very knowledgeable about the business of this shop?"

When Nie Qianqian asked Zhao Jiaojiao this question, a hint of panic flashed across her face. She pretended to be calm and said, "I grew up in Qinghe County. This Jinxiu Pavilion is a property of my Zhao family. How could I not know what's going on in the store?"

Nie Qianqian chuckled and looked at Zhao Jiaojiao, asking repeatedly, "Alright, I'd like to ask Miss Zhao, how many feet of the high-quality silk that Jinxiu Pavilion imported from Suzhou this month can buy for one tael of silver?"

"Approximately how many customers enter Jinxiuge each day? And what is the average spending per customer?"

"What kind of people love to buy clothes at Jinxiuge, and what are the most popular items?"

When this series of questions was thrown at her, Zhao Jiaojiao was completely stunned, and her face instantly turned extremely ugly. She usually only knew how to browse and buy new clothes in the shop, and had no interest in business matters, let alone those numbers. As the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, these trivial matters were for the servants to handle; she didn't need to remember them.

Zhao Jiaojiao didn't want to pay attention to Nie Qianqian. Why should she answer a question from a country girl? But now, a lot of onlookers had gathered at the door, all eagerly waiting to see how she would respond.

Zhao Jiaojiao gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, her heart burning with hatred. If looks could kill, Nie Qianqian would have been torn to pieces long ago.

"Well... when it comes to doing business, you just need to have a general idea in mind. Who would stare at these trivial numbers every day? Aren't you deliberately making things difficult for me?"

Nie Qianqian shook her head, her words tinged with sarcasm: "Miss Zhao, these are the most basic things in doing business. The purchase price is related to the cost, the number of customers and the average transaction value show the popularity and spending power of the shop, and what kind of people frequently come to Jinxiuge are the most important customers. If you don't even know these things, how can you understand the business of this shop, let alone talk about doing good for the shop? It's like farming; if you don't even know the price of the seeds or how much the harvest will be, how can you farm well?"

Manager Hu listened intently, finding Nie Qianqian's words increasingly reasonable. He looked up, gazing intently at Nie Qianqian, and thought to himself, "This young lady is no ordinary peasant girl; she has real skills."

The surrounding guests and staff nodded in agreement after hearing Nie Qianqian's words.

"That makes sense. If Miss Zhao says it's for the sake of business, how come she doesn't even know these things?"

"They're just bullying people because their family has some money."

"This is outrageous! It's an insult to customers because the store is so big."

Zhao Jiaojiao's face flushed red, and she pointed at Nie Qianqian in a fit of rage and shame, "So what if you know all this? What can you do if you don't? This shop belongs to the Zhao family, and I can do whatever I want with it. I'm not doing business with you today. Manager Hu, get these people out of here!"

Shopkeeper Hu was in a dilemma when he saw Zhao Jiaojiao being so unreasonable. On the one hand, he dared not offend Zhao Jiaojiao, after all, she was the eldest daughter of the Zhao family; but on the other hand, it was really against the rules to drive away a customer, and if word got out, the shop's reputation would be ruined.

After hesitating for a long time, Manager Hu finally mustered up his courage and said, “Miss Zhao, this lady is right. When we run a business, we believe in making money through harmony. How can we turn away our customers? This family is very polite and genuinely wants to buy clothes. There is really no reason to send them away.”

Upon hearing Manager Hu's words, Zhao Jiaojiao flew into a rage. "You, Manager Hu, how dare you disobey me! Do you believe I'll go back and tell Father to remove you from your position as manager?"

Just as Zhao Jiaojiao and Manager Hu were at an impasse, the crowd gathered at the door suddenly parted to make way. Nie Qianqian and the others looked up and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent brocade robe and wearing a golden crown stride in. It was none other than Master Jiang, whom they had met not long ago.

As soon as Mr. Jiang entered the room and saw the chaotic scene, he couldn't help but frown slightly and ask, "What's going on here?"

Zhao Jiaojiao recognized Master Jiang. Although her Zhao family considered themselves the richest in Qinghe County, the Jiang family was also a prominent and wealthy family in the county. Master Jiang had many friends and a wide network of connections. Her father sometimes had to ask Master Jiang for help to make connections. The two families also had some dealings on a regular basis.

Zhao Jiaojiao could act arrogantly in front of Manager Hu, but she dared not be too presumptuous in front of Master Jiang. If she really offended Master Jiang, her father would definitely punish her severely. Although Zhao Jiaojiao was arrogant, she also knew how to treat people differently depending on their status.

She toned down her arrogance, bowed to Master Jiang, and said, "Uncle Jiang, what brings you to Jinxiu Pavilion today? A few country bumpkins have sneaked in, and I'm having them kicked out. Don't let them spoil your enjoyment." She then gave Manager Hu a wink, urging him to hurry up and get to work.

Master Jiang had actually overheard the whole story from outside the door. If this were still the Zhao family's business, he wouldn't have bothered with it, but now that Jinxiu Pavilion was his property, how could he allow Zhao Jiaojiao to ruin the shop's reputation here?

Mr. Jiang hadn't seen clearly from outside the door, but now that he was inside, he realized that the "country folks" Zhao Jiaojiao was talking about were actually Nie Qianqian's family.

Others didn't understand why he treated Nie Qianqian differently, but he trusted his judgment. Moreover, after several interactions with Nie Qianqian, he became increasingly certain that this girl was extraordinary. Nie Qianqian wasn't just an ordinary medicine apprentice; she had unique insights into many things and possessed a remarkable talent for business.

He knew the family behind Nie Qianqian; they had eaten and drunk together, so they were his friends. How could he stand by and watch them be bullied by Zhao Jiaojiao, this young girl?

Master Jiang's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Nonsense!"

Zhao Jiaojiao was completely taken aback by Mr. Jiang's reaction and froze on the spot, at a loss for what to do.