Chapter 69: Chapter 55 Dai Sanlang_1
After a night of rain, the morning sun surged anew.
Having rested at home for several days, Du Changqing finally recovered from his cold. Early in the morning, he put on a spring robe and arrived at the medical hall with Ah Cheng, only to see Yin Zheng arranging many flowers behind a table at the entrance.
The flowers were pomegranate blooms, delicate and bright, clusters of flame-like blossoms that seemed like the first spark of red silk, or torn red paper scattered among the lush greenery, their deep reds and dense greens making them particularly striking.
Among the pomegranate flowers, there were also many palm-sized white porcelain jars, decorated with pink paper slips, resembling pearls hidden among the blooms, exquisite and charming.
Du Changqing casually picked up a jar and asked Yin Zheng, "Why are you displaying so many rouge and powder jars?"
"They’re not rouges." Yin Zheng hung a painting on the wall, "These are new medicines made by Miss Lu."
After the painting that used to hang behind ’Chun Shui Sheng’ was torn off by the folks from the established medicine store, the wall had remained bare. Now that Yin Zheng hung up the painting, the shop seemed especially unique.
Du Changqing leaned in to read, "A slender Yanji maiden of fifteen, accustomed to her trailing gown, does not take tiny steps. With a single glance charming all around, mortal beauty seems like dust on the ground."
"A tree’s blossoms burst forth with grace, beyond nature’s charm, yet with no words to embrace. While facing, Wu’s maid praises the dance, alas, always mistaken by her slender waist’s trance."
After reading, Du Changqing looked up bewildered, "What is this?"
Lu Tong lifted the felt curtain and stepped out from inside, placing the jar she held back onto the table, "This is ’Xianxian’."
"Xianxian?"
"It’s getting hotter," Lu Tong explained, "Nowadays, women’s clothing is becoming thinner, and they may desire to appear more slender. This herbal tea is designed to balance yin and yang, harmonize the organs, clear the meridians, circulate qi and blood, and is particularly beneficial for women to lighten the body and strengthen the spleen."
Yin Zheng laughed, "Anyway, it’s entering summer, and the number of people troubled by nasal congestion decreases greatly. Even if the established medicine store doesn’t take ’Chun Shui Sheng’ under its wing and continues to sell it, the sales won’t match previous levels. It’s better to take this opportunity to sell the new herbal tea. These Shengjing women are all beautiful. I figure they care particularly about their appearance, so this herbal tea will sell very well."
"Slimming?" Du Changqing was skeptical, "Slimming herbal teas for women have been sold in Shengjing’s pharmacies before, but I haven’t heard of any that were remarkably effective. Miss Lu, I asked you to make new medicine; why did you make this?" He glanced at the jars among the flowers, muttering softly, "Putting on such a fancy display must have cost quite a bit of silver."
Annoyed, Yin Zheng retorted, "Shopkeeper Du, why don’t you have faith in Miss Lu? Those willing to buy ’Xianxian’ definitely have high beauty standards; you can’t just put it in any old iron can. Who would want to buy it then!"
While they were speaking, the silk shoe shop next door also opened. Sister Song inside called out to Yin Zheng, "Miss Yinzhen, Doctor Lu, did you try that green fish yesterday?"
Yin Zheng, too busy to argue with Du Changqing, leaned out smiling and replied, "We did, it was very fresh. Both the miss and I ate a lot of it, thank you Sister Song."
Sister Song also smiled and waved her hand dismissively, "We’re all from the same street, no need for such polite words." Then, catching sight of the stacked porcelain jars at the entrance of Renxin Medical Hall, she voiced her surprise, "Is ’Chun Shui Sheng’ on sale again? These jars look different from the ones before, don’t they?"
Yin Zheng answered, "These aren’t ’Chun Shui Sheng’. These are the new herbal teas ’Xianxian’ made by our miss. Women who drink this tea can nourish their qi and get a slender body. After drinking it for several days, they can achieve a peach-like complexion and a lighter figure." She glanced at Sister Song and offhandedly suggested, "Why not buy a couple of jars to try?"
Touching her own face, Sister Song laughed first, "What would I do with it? At my age, being a bit fat helps me fill out my clothes. If I really slimmed down, wouldn’t I just get more wrinkles to worry about? A bit of fat," she patted her chest, "makes me solid, and how else could I have the strength to work?" After saying this, she dove back into her shop to attend to the customers.
Standing behind Yin Zheng, Du Changqing watched the exchange between the two women and let out a silent, wry laugh, "Just as I thought."
Lu Tong lowered her gaze, continuing to arrange the jars neatly on the counter.
Drawing closer, Du Changqing earnestly suggested, "Doctor Lu, no disrespect, but this tea might not sell as well as ’Chun Shui Sheng’. Perhaps consider something else?"
"No change."
Du Changqing stared at her for a long while. Unperturbed, Lu Tong just kept on working. After a moment, Du Changqing exclaimed in frustration, "Stubborn!"
...
Regardless of whether Lu Tong was stubborn or not, Renxin Medical Hall’s ’Xianxian’ was already put up for sale.
As the hour approached dusk, the silk shoe shop across the street closed its doors, and Sister Song left the shop, heading toward the East City Temple Entrance.
Near the East City Temple Entrance, next to the fresh fish market, Dai’s Butcher Shop had always done good business. The butcher, Dai Sanlang, continued his father’s legacy, selling pork at this location for more than ten years. His pork was fresh, fairly priced, never short on weight, and he was skilled at chopping meat, making him a popular choice among the local women.