Chapter 102: Why Is June in Shuzhou Somewhat Chilly?

Chapter 102: Why Is Shuzhou So Cold in June?

The next morning, Xiao Wan'er decisively finalized the partnership with Baicao Hall.

Upon receiving the news, Wang Ji naturally breathed a sigh of relief and brought the contract in person, accompanied by Liu Liming, the vice-chairman of the Medicine Hall Guild.

Liu Liming dared not be negligent, bringing along several guild officials to review the contents of the contract clause by clause.

Once all matters were settled, both parties affixed their seals and signed the document.

Only then did the dust finally settle.

Xiao Wan'er did not see them off personally, leaving the task to the estate's armored guards.

Wang Ji took his leave respectfully, his eyes straying toward the nearby Spring Lotus Garden, where Chen Yi's faint laughter and conversation could be heard, filling his heart with a sudden wave of emotion.

If the eldest miss were to find out what the master had done behind the scenes, one wondered how she would react.

The contract established between Baicao Hall and the Xiao Family Medicine Hall this time was by no means as simple as purchasing medicinal ingredients using prescriptions.

There was also a new clause within it—the Xiao Family Medicine Hall would sell five varieties of tea drinks produced by Baicao Hall on their behalf.

Namely, Wangji Tea, Shenniu Tea, Laobaijin Tea, Zhimei Tea, and Yanyan Tea.

Furthermore, Chen Yi had specially instructed that because Baicao Hall was newly introducing these drinks, fifty percent of the profits from their sales would be shared with the Xiao Family Medicine Hall.

One had to know that under the original rules, Baicao Hall would only yield a mere ten percent of the profit.

From this, it was not difficult for Wang Ji to see Chen Yi's attitude toward the Xiao family, which could only be described as profoundly attentive.

That was one thing.

But what mattered even more were the prescriptions the master had produced.

Those were prescriptions written by the Medical Sage of the former dynasty.

Never mind a thick volume containing thirty-two prescriptions in total; even a single page would be enough to sustain a medicine hall.

Their value was evident.

Yet the master had gifted them directly to the Xiao family without blinking an eye, and had even sent along those lame physicians who had received his guidance...

It made Wang Ji, who had witnessed it all, feel a pang of vicarious heartache.

But Chen Yi did not think of it that way.

Setting aside the fact that those prescriptions were not written by any Medical Sage of the former dynasty but were merely some he had researched himself, what if they were real?

How could a few external possessions compare to the peace and harmony of the Xiao estate.

Just as the contract was signed.

Xiao Wan'er walked into the Spring Lotus Garden, her slender form draped in a pink cloak that made her gentle, beautiful face appear all the more breathtaking.

Hearing her approach, Chen Yi shifted his gaze from the chessboard and looked over. Seeing the joy on her face, he already knew the outcome and said with a smile:

"The magpies have been chattering on the eaves since early morning; I knew there would be good fortune in the estate today."

Xiao Wan'er walked over gracefully and sat at the stone table, a relaxed smile still gracing her countenance:

"You guessed right, I have just finalized the contract with Wang Ji."

"Now, several of our medicine halls not only have famous doctors residing in them and prescriptions to support them, but also a steady supply of ingredients from Baicao Hall. It truly kills three birds with one stone."

Chen Yi blinked, "Three birds?"

Prompted by his reminder, Xiao Wan'er remembered something and beckoned repeatedly to Shen Huatang and Cui'er: "There is one more benefit."

"The tea drinks that Baicao Hall previously gave out as gifts have now been slated for sale."

"Wang Ji brought some over, and the flavor is said to be quite good. I brought a few, let us all try them."

Chen Yi had long since spotted the tea drinks Shen Huatang was carrying in her hand. Without declining, he gestured for Xiaodie to take them.

One bottle of Wangji Tea for each person.

Xiao Wuge, filled with curiosity, opened a bottle of Zhimei Tea and took a sip, his small face instantly wrinkling into a ball: "Sour, sour, so sour."

"Is it sour?"

Xiao Wan'er had Shen Huatang open a bottle and took a slight sip, a faint smile appearing on her face instead: "It tastes good."

Hearing this, Chen Yi looked at her, a crystalline luminescence reflecting deep within his pupils.

He saw a faint blue aura radiating from around Xiao Wan'er's body, subtly interspersed with a few traces of black.

That black aura was as dark and dense as ink.

Chen Yi frowned inwardly and remarked, "This tea is somewhat icy cold, though it serves well to dispel the summer heat."

Xiao Wan'er nodded with a smile and was about to take another sip, but Shen Huatang, who stood beside her, stepped directly forward: "Miss, let me taste it."

Without waiting for a response, Shen Huatang took the Zhimei Tea from her hand, drank it down in one breath, and wiped her mouth: "The flavor is indeed not bad."

"..."

Xiao Wan'er was slightly stunned, realizing the girl's intent, and let out a soft, somewhat regretful sigh.

A brief silence ensued.

Xiao Wan'er turned the conversation: "I wonder where Wang Ji found such a recipe; with the flavor of this tea, it should sell well."

Chen Yi's eyes remained fixed upon her, observing her ailment through the art of Qi-gazing. Hearing her words, he replied casually, "Perhaps."

Noticing his gaze, Xiao Wan'er gave him a reproachful glare.

"Tomorrow, Wang Ji will bring a physician to the Jishi Medicine Hall. Do not forget to go over and take a look."

Having said this, she rose and added, "And do not forget to write a reply to Second Sister. Have someone send it over this afternoon."

Chen Yi smiled and nodded, rising to see her off. He only withdrew his gaze once Xiao Wan'er had returned to the Jiaxing Court.

Pondering for a moment.

Chen Yi looked at Xiao Wuge, who was still holding and drinking the Zhimei Tea, and asked thoughtfully:

"Wuge, which month does your sister usually go to the Wumeng Mountain Daoist Sect every year?"

Suspecting nothing, Xiao Wuge recalled, "Last year she went in September, and she brought back a lot of delicious food for me when she returned."

September.

In the lands of Shuzhou, late summer transitions into autumn, yet the residual heat remains strong.

These thoughts surfaced in Chen Yi's mind. Combining them with the profound mysteries of his grandmaster-level medical path, as well as the deductions of Yin and Yang harmony and the Five Qi and Six Movements:

"Xiao Wan'er's condition is not a simple ailment of yin and cold; she must possess the legendary Ultimate Yin Physique, where natural yin-cold dominates and freezes the meridians, leading to qi stagnation and the decline of the life-gate fire."

"Her visits to that Daoist sect must be to replenish her yang fire, delaying the cold poison from attacking her heart."

But this only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

Chen Yi thought to himself, various pathologies and prescriptions entangling within his mind.

After a moment, he shook his head inwardly, "Even with my current grandmaster-level medical path, I can only delay it, not eradicate it entirely."

Chen Yi looked up at the blazing sun in the sky and let out a long sigh.

Why was Shuzhou so cold in June?

……Ten days later, on the ninth of July.

The weather grew hotter by the day.

Yet within the capital city of Shu Zhou, a cool breeze brushed over the hearts of all the laborers working outdoors.

—It was the Wang Ji tea and the Zhi berry tea sold by Bai Caotang.

Each bottle of Wang Ji tea was priced at ten coins.

Each bottle of Zhi berry tea was priced at twenty coins.

Each bottle of the beauty-enhancing tea was priced at one hundred coins.

Expensive? Of course it is.

But don’t rush to judgment; Bai Caotang had posted a notice explicitly stating that the ceramic bottles could be returned.

Each ceramic bottle fetched eight coins.

With this in mind, the Wang Ji tea was no longer so costly.

Even a dock laborer earning around thirty coins a day could afford a bottle of Wang Ji tea to quench his thirst.

The Zhi berry tea and the beauty-enhancing tea, specially formulated for women, were snapped up by countless young ladies as soon as they went on sale.

Especially in the southern district’s Fireworks Lane.

The reason, after all, was that Ji Shi Medicine Store also sold these teas.

Needless to say, those shops on Qin Floor certainly knew how to conduct business.

Because the proprietor of Ji Shi Medicine Store was Chen Yi, Chen Qingzhou, they would haul in carloads of various teas and then send back carloads of ceramic bottles.

The teas they bought were not only favored by the young ladies but also by the customers.

However, each person preferred different teas.

The young women preferred the Zhi berry tea and the beauty tea, not only for their sweet and tart flavor but also for the clear and lovely complexion they bestowed.

Meanwhile, the customers heading to Fireworks Lane favored the divine bull tea.

Though the name sounded vulgar, its effect was such that even the sleepless libertine scholars and wealthy merchants couldn’t get enough of it.

With this array of offerings, the five teas made Bai Caotang notorious throughout the capital city of Shu Zhou.

The Xiao Family Pharmacy, which also sold teas, benefited as well.

The profits from the tea sales greatly alleviated the shortage of silver in Xiao’s jurisdiction.

Ji Shi Medicine Store alone brought in three hundred taels daily, with a net profit of one hundred.

The other four shops, though not as prosperous, still made three to fifty taels a day.

As a result, Xiao Wan’er had a smile on her face these days.

Overjoyed, she didn’t forget to return kindness.

She not only had her grandfather, Xiao Shen, inform the local authorities to increase patrols around Bai Caotang, but also ordered Wang Li-xing and Liu Si-er to inspect several pharmacies.

Chen Yi took notice of these developments.

However, what first came to his mind was not joy, but his attention was drawn to the Ling Lan Xuan.

Many things couldn’t be judged by their surface appearance; hidden dangers often lurked beneath.

If he were the one who had looted the medicinal materials and set up the Ling Lan Xuan, seeing Xiao’s family in such a prosperous state now, he might have already lost his composure.

(End of chapter)