"Thank you, Brother Gu, for taking care of us over this period. We are deeply grateful, and we will meet again at the college examination in June." Yao Youqian only found out today that the girl helping Lv Bai with his work is Gu Jinâanâs sister. He is very grateful; without the help of Brother Guâs sister, Lv Bai would never have earned so much Silver.
Lv Bai was also embarrassed and said, "I lacked insight before and caused Brother Gu trouble. I hope Brother Gu can forgive me."
He wanted Gu Jinâan to pass a message to Gu Jinli, thanking her, but thinking about the restrictions between men and women, he changed his tone and said, "The kindness of Brother Guâs family will always be remembered, and I will surely repay it in the future."
After saying this, he performed three bows to Gu Jinâan before stopping.
Gu Jinâan chuckled and said, "We are all people of Heâan Prefecture. Once we enter the officialdom, weâll be fellow townspeople, and we should support each other. Thereâs no need for such polite words in the future."
But Lv Bai was terrified by poverty. He knew how significant Gu Jinliâs kindness was to his family. She gave his family a way to survive, so he still remembered this kindness, intending to repay it someday.
"Alright, stop bowing. If you keep bowing, the sun will set. Letâs not delay Brother Guâs family dinner here. Letâs hurry up and leave." Yao Youqian couldnât stand Lv Baiâs clingy behavior and, after giving a quick bow to Gu Jinâan, said straightforwardly, "See you at the college examination in June. Goodbye."
After speaking, he dragged Lv Bai away.
Gu Jinli waited for them to leave before stepping down from the mule cart and said, "Big brother, are they going back to the village too?"
Gu Jinâan nodded, "Yes, they have already delayed quite a bit in the Prefecture. They need to hurry back."
Looking at the mule cart again, he asked, "Did you only butcher a few things and return?"
It didnât seem like her style.
Gu Jinli smiled and said, "How could that be? I took half of the Qi Familyâs shopâs goods and have already sent them back to the village."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinâan sighed in relief; he would finally stop running into Qi Yun and Qi He when he goes out.
He called Zezi over to help move things into the house.
As soon as Gu Jinli entered, Mrs. Chen caught her and said, "Little Xiao Yu, hurry and see if this works now. Iâve already altered it according to your instructions. If it doesnât work again, Aunt will be at her witâs end."
Gu Jinli examined it and said, "Itâs alright, but still too rough. Please redo it."
"Redo it again!" Mrs. Chen shouted angrily, "Little Xiao Yu, you are doing this on purpose to trouble your Aunt, arenât you? Itâs been done twice already, and you still want another?"
Gu Jinli scratched her ear and said, "Only twice, whatâs the big deal? Besides, whatâs the hurry? Weâre going back to the village tomorrow, and the opening of the shop in the Prefecture can wait a bit."
Mrs. Chen, upon hearing this, pulled Gu Jinli and said, "Little Xiao Yu, how about we delay going back by a day? Aunt wants to go to the broker to buy some people tomorrow. Iâve already negotiated with the broker; both the government and private slave markets have prepared personnel for us."
Mrs. Chen really enjoys buying people. She can observe rows of servants over and over, and when dissatisfied, she can snort and say, "What kind of lousy goods are these? Isnât there anything better around? Are you fooling the villagers? Quickly fetch better ones for me!"
Imagine, listen, and think about itâthat scene can make people feel awe.
Thatâs why Mrs. Chen wants to show off a bit at the broker before returning.
But Gu Jinli said, "You donât need to worry about buying people; Iâll have someone get good ones for you."
"What? Not letting me buy people!" Mrs. Chen was shocked. Being denied such a prestigious task, how can this be?
"Little Xiao Yu, the shop is Auntâs idea, and Aunt will manage it in the future. So, the purchase of servants should be handled by Aunt," Mrs. Chen argued. "If Aunt doesnât select the servants personally, what happens if they donât listen to Aunt in the future?"
Gu Jinli replied, "If they donât listen to you, sell them off."
A master should be able to handle disobedient servants, right?
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chen pressed on, "Little Xiao Yu, it really wonât work. Letâs stay an extra day and let Aunt go to the broker to buy a batch of people. Iâve already arranged with the broker; it wouldnât look good not to go."
Understanding Mrs. Chenâs intention, which is to show off and relish her authority as a master, Gu Jinli replied, "Picking people is a great skill. Picking them wrong could harm the shopâs success. Donât meddle in this process; just wait until the shop opens, and your needs will be met."
After saying this, Gu Jinli no longer paid attention to Mrs. Chen and went to her room to change clothes.
Left with no other options, Mrs. Chen walked away with a disgruntled expression.
That evening, after everyone had dinner, they discussed the plans for returning to the village and went to bed early.
Gu Jinli didnât sleep immediately. Qin San Lang found her and shared the findings that You Xi had uncovered regarding the Cen Familyâs pharmacy.
"The Cen Familyâs pharmacy indeed has hidden secrets. You Xi found the pattern you mentioned at the bottom of the lantern. This is the rubbing." Qin San Lang handed a paper with the tripod furnace pattern to Gu Jinli, saying, "The Cen Familyâs pharmacy has patrols; the patrols are quite skilled. It took You Xi two nights to get this rubbing."
Gu Jinli took the paper, looked at the tripod furnace pattern, and smiled, "Itâs indeed the Shi Lu Medicine Store."
Seeing her smile, with no sign of worry, Qin San Lang also relaxed and asked, "Is it really alright? This is the closest pharmacy trouble youâve ever had."
Gu Jinli raised her head, smiling at him, and asked, "What? Worried about me?"
Qin San Lang hugged her and nodded, "Yes, I fear that youâll encounter trouble, and I wonât be by your side to protect you."
Gu Jinli smiled more warmly, poking his face and said, "Donât worry. Whether Shi Lu Medicine Store will be troublesome or not is still hard to say. Even if itâs a problem, Yuanzi Pharmacy will handle it. I only have to focus on making medicine."
Still, she was somewhat worried because she didnât know who the current head of Shi Lu Medicine Store is.
If itâs someone without ties to Yuanzi Pharmacy, then surely Shi Lu Medicine Store and Yuanzi Pharmacy will have a confrontation.
"Have you ever heard about Shi Lu Medicine Store before?" Gu Jinli asked Qin San Lang, "Do you know their story? How much do you know?"
Qin San Lang shook his head, "Not much."
Although many herbs are used in the military, currently the supplier is Chushen Pharmacy, and Shi Lu Medicine Store isnât often mentioned.
Qin San Lang said, "Grandfather mentioned that Shi Lu Medicine Store was famous during the former dynasty, but after Great Chu was established, Shi Lu Medicine Store slowly faded from the public eye."
After hearing this and recalling what Doctor Wu shared with her, Gu Jinli knew who was behind Shi Lu Medicine Store, "Shi Lu Medicine Store should be jointly operated by various noble families, primarily controlling medicinal herbs."
The name Shi Lu Medicine Store is too obvious; it inevitably leads people to think deeply.
"However, I donât know who currently manages Shi Lu Medicine Store. I hope itâs not the Zongzheng Family."
After recently confronting Zongzheng Ya, if Zongzheng Family is in charge, things could get tricky.
But she laughed again, "It doesnât matter, anyway, Boss Min and the others are in charge. I donât need to worry."
Qin San Lang looked at her relaxed yet clever smile and laughed along, "Little Xiao Yu is indeed brilliant. She considered these scenarios early and prepared."
Gu Jinli hummed proudly, "Of course. My cleverness is undeniable."
Looking at her proud little face, Qin San Lang felt a surge of joy. Mimicking her, he poked her face gently and said, "Yes, our Little Xiao Yu is the smartest, unmatched by anyone."