Chapter 19: Chapter 18 Chun Shui Sheng_1
At this year’s Peach Blossom Festival in Shengjing, the most famous attraction wasn’t the poetry collection organized after the banquet at Huxin Pavilion, nor the ethereal and clear singing voices of the Little Dan class by the riverbank of Luoyue Bridge, but the herbal tea called "Chun Shui Sheng" inside Renxin Medical Hall.
It was said that this herbal tea could greatly alleviate the nuisance of nasal congestion, enabling the scholars, who couldn’t venture out in spring, to once again behold the beauty of the season. For those literati who missed the splendid scenes in previous years due to nasal issues, it truly was like a Living Bodhisattva in hell.
Besides, it also had such an appealing name.
Chun Shui Sheng, just by hearing the name, one could feel as though its fragrance lingered in the mouth.
It was rumored that the one selling the herbal tea in Renxin Medical Hall was a young lady as elegant as a willow in the breeze, with skin as white as snow and a beauty like flowers. Moreover, she was a Resident Doctor, which piqued even more curiosity.
As a result, over the past few days, half of the people came to see this "Herbal Tea Xi Shi," and the other half to affiliate themselves with elegance, flocking to buy Chun Shui Sheng. The hall’s entrance was bustling with traffic every day, a stark contrast to its previous desolation.
Du Changqing counted the incoming silver with a face almost splitting with joy, his tone sweeter than honey, "Doctor Lu, in these five days, we’ve sold a total of thirty jars of herbal tea. After deducting the material costs, we’ve made a hundred pieces of silver. My God," he found it incredible, "this is the first time I’ve made so much money since my father’s death!"
Yin Zheng leaned on the medicine cabinet and, smiling at Lu Tong, said, "As the lady said, as long as we give this herbal tea a nice name, it’s guaranteed to sell well."
Lu Tong looked down and continued organizing the medicinal materials, responding with an indifferent smile when she heard this.
Yin Zheng was well-versed in poetry. She had asked Yin Zheng for many poems about poplar flowers and chose "Chun Shui Sheng" as the name of the tea. Many of Official Hu’s acquaintances were refined scholars who did not lack silver and loved elegance. With just a little prompting from Official Hu, they would come to taste the novelty.
Once word spread, Shengjing was never short of people who chased after the latest trends, and the numbers coming to buy the herbal tea would only increase.
Moreover, Chun Shui Sheng was indeed quite effective in alleviating nasal congestion. As long as someone used it and realized its benefits, they were sure to return for more.
Ah Cheng put piece after piece of silver into the chest, and Du Changqing, while eyeing Lu Tong, suddenly said, "Doctor Lu, I see you’re clever and resourceful. Even if you don’t make herbal tea, doing something else will surely bring success. How about we join forces in business, and carve a bloody path through Shengjing’s merchant ranks, and become the wealthiest people in Liang Country? What do you think?"
His ambitions were indeed grand, and Lu Tong flatly replied, "I don’t think much of it."
"How come?" Du Changqing asked earnestly. "I have the silver, and you have the brains. Together, we would be invincible."
Yin Zheng couldn’t help but intervene, "Shopkeeper, if you do have the silver, why not give my mistress a raise first? Times are hard, and matters like becoming the wealthiest in the country aren’t something my mistress dares to dream of."
Du Changqing glanced at the unmoved Lu Tong, and with a "tsk," stated, "I know, Doctor Lu’s aspirations are noble, solely focused on helping the world, right?"
Lu Tong hummed in affirmation.
Still unwilling to concede, Du Changqing persisted, "Doctor Lu, won’t you really reconsider?"
Lu Tong looked up, "If Shopkeeper Du is really keen on these matters, you’d better find more ingredients for the herbal tea. Today is the fifth day; those who bought and brewed the tea should already see its effects. If all goes well, tomorrow we’ll have even more buyers."
"Really?" Du Changqing brightened up upon hearing this, immediately got up and beckoned Ah Cheng to bring more materials. "Let’s go, let’s go, Ah Cheng, we’ll carry more so as not to tire Doctor Lu out."
He skipped away, his spirits lifted with joy, and while walking, he glanced outside and confidently sang a tune, "From desperate straits to a revival, I imagine Xinglin Hall must be feeling miserable now—"
...
Bai Shouyi indeed had a bellyful of anger.
Several days of poor sleep had caused his face to swell, and even the usual smile on his face had become somewhat stiff.
In the past few days, a group of elegant scholars had suddenly started to purchase medicinal teas at Renxin Medical Hall. Bai Shouyi had someone inquire about it and found out that it was Official Hu who had sparked curiosity at the Peach Blossom Gathering, attracting quite a lot of business for Renxin Medical Hall.
Official Hu was a good friend of Old Master Du when he was alive. After Old Master Du died, Official Hu always took extra care of Du Changqing. Frankly, if it weren’t for Official Hu buying some medicinal materials every now and then, that dilapidated medical hall of Du Changqing’s wouldn’t have made it to this day. Bai Shouyi also looked down on Official Hu—a pretentious scholar, an annoying old man who deserved to be disliked.
Therefore, upon learning that Official Hu was the one behind this, Bai Shouyi was quite disdainful.
It seemed to him that, in a desperate effort to revive his medical hall, Du Changqing had resorted to hiring some woman of dubious origin as their Resident Doctor, and concocting some so-called medicinal tea to curry favor with the literati, getting Official Hu to help out. Such opportunistic gimmicks might fool people temporarily, but it’s impossible to maintain in the long run.
While he thought so, for some reason Bai Shouyi still felt somewhat uneasy.
He paced back and forth in the spacious backyard of Xinglin Hall, clutching the silk ribbon at his waist, not even bothering to admire the newly bloomed gentleman orchids.
Seemingly noticing Bai Shouyi’s agitation, Zhou Ji on the side tried to appease him, "Shopkeeper, there’s no need to worry. Nasal obstruction is hard to cure, and our medical hall’s nasal obstruction pills sell best every spring. Now those people are attracted by what the literati said at the Peach Blossom Gathering and buying the medicinal tea, mostly to seem cultured. Once they have brewed it for a while and see no effect, they naturally will not buy it again."
Bai Shouyi pondered his words and found some sense in them, "That’s true. Those scholars seldom hold official positions, a bunch of mere bookworms, always trying to look more important than they are. ’Chun Shui Sheng’ costs four taels of silver a jar, not a small sum. Even if they’re willing to spend silver for elegance, they won’t be willing to be taken for fools every day."
"Exactly," Zhou Ji nodded. "Moreover, since Renxin Medical Hall touts their medicinal tea so highly, when those who buy it drink it for a few days and find it ineffective, they won’t need us to do anything—the literati’s spit alone will drown them; why worry?"
Bai Shouyi’s gaze flickered, and after musing for a while, he gestured for a clerk to come over and whispered in Wen You’s ear, "You go out and spread some rumors that the ’Chun Shui Sheng’ from Renxin Medical Hall can relieve nasal obstruction immediately upon drinking, and that it’s quite miraculous. Talk it up especially at the marketplaces and temple fronts."
The young clerk nodded and quickly left.
Bai Shouyi’s brows smoothed out once more.
The commoners near the marketplaces and temple fronts were not as well-off as a pretentious scholar like Official Hu. Especially those thrifty middle-aged women who cared about every single coin—if they spent a lot of money on medicinal tea and it had no effect, they would likely make a scene at Renxin Medical Hall the very next day.
To set up for a fall, after all, the higher the pedestal, the harder the crash.
Bai Shouyi started to smile, his face benevolent like Maitreya.
He had long since regarded the shop at the street corner as something in the bag, even considering how to redecorate it after taking back the deed, just waiting for the day to collect it.
There could only be one medical hall on West Street, and as for Du Changqing...
He snorted.
A prodigal son, after all, should act like one.
What’s the point of pretending to turn over a new leaf?