Chapter 54: Chapter 51 Ji Xun_1
The light inside the shop was dim, and fine dust floated and danced in the air.
Ah Cheng’s voice came slowly from the chair.
"... The processing center is run by the Imperial Court, and all the finished medicine sold by pharmacies and medical halls in Shengjing must pass through the center’s inspection."
"Previously, when selling the medicinal tea, Renxin Medical Hall clearly had the official seal from the processing center, which allowed us to sell the finished medicine on our own. But today..."
Today, people from the processing center showed up and, without a word, searched the medical hall and seized the ’Chun Shui Sheng’ medicinal tea. They claimed that the recipe was incorrect and the medicine fraudulent, confiscating the official seal for selling medicinal tea from Renxin Medical Hall. From now on, Renxin Medical Hall was forbidden from selling any finished medicine.
Yin Zheng asked, "Then the injuries on Shopkeeper and Ah Cheng’s faces..."
"It was those bastards who started the fight!" Du Changqing bit back angrily.
At first, when the people from the processing center wanted to take the medicinal tea, Ah Cheng couldn’t bear it and reached out to snatch it back. He didn’t expect that these people would be so vicious as to strike with lethal force, even against a child. How could Du Changqing stand by and watch Ah Cheng be bullied? But he cursed himself for being a powerless young master who could only get himself beaten when he jumped into the fray.
Lu Tong looked at Du Changqing, "Why would the people from the processing center suddenly make trouble for the medical hall?"
With a furious punch on the table, Du Changqing exclaimed, "What else could it be? Of course, it’s that damned old bastard meddling!"
"People from the processing center used to be acquainted with my father. They never asked too many questions about new medicines in the past. It’s clear that today, they came pre-informed to purposefully wreck the shop."
"Bai Shouyi is despicable and shameless. After failing to copy ’Chun Shui Sheng’, I thought he had settled down for a while. Instead, he was waiting for an opportunity like this. That damned old bastard!"
As Du Changqing spoke, his expression became more and more indignant. "Those people from the processing center too, when my father was around, they would fawn and grovel, wagging their tails more vigorously than anyone else. Now that they see someone in distress, they all hustle to kick him while he’s down. Pah, a bunch of opportunists! If my father were still here, he would make sure they couldn’t get off the stage..."
Though his words were venomous, his voice choked up, and Du Changqing turned his face away, randomly brushing his hand across it.
Startled, Yin Zheng caught a glimpse of his complexion and consoled him, "Shopkeeper Du, you don’t have to be so angry. A big man like you, shouldn’t start crying over a little trouble. My lady came to Shengjing and was almost out of money without a place to stay, far worse off than you. She didn’t even shed a single tear back then. Shopkeeper Du, you need to pull yourself together!"
The very mention of it only made Du Changqing more unable to contain his sorrow, his voice getting thicker with emotion, "You’re just a girl, what do you know? Back in the day, wherever I, the young master, went, people would crowd around and flatter me. But now, these people have barged in and smashed my shop, and I don’t even have a place to seek justice. Wouldn’t you feel stifled in my shoes?"
Yin Zheng, at a loss for words, exchanged a look with Ah Cheng, who was lying on a chair, and then turned to Lu Tong, "Miss..."
Lu Tong said, "I wouldn’t feel stifled."
Du Changqing’s sobbing halted momentarily as he wiped his nose and turned to look at her.
Lu Tong sat down at the table, "In the past, they flattered you because you were Old Master Du’s most beloved son. Without Old Master Du, you’re just a useless lump of muck with no skills, and naturally it’s not worth their effort to flatter you."
Du Changqing glared at her, "Lu Tong!"
"In the past, you were high above, accustomed to luxury, unaware of worldly hardships. Now that you have fallen from the clouds, with no one to depend on, destitute and downcast, you’re at the mercy of others."
"Bai Shouyi can bully you because he has silver and a family business, and a profitable Xinglin Hall that he never forgets to manage well, building relationships. The processing center gives him face, so they can trip you up and deal with you."
Her words, neither too fast nor too slow, were even somewhat gentle, "That’s how the world works. You are no longer the adored Young Master Du. If you want people to respect you and not dare to bully you, you will have to climb up, rising higher than them, making them flatter you, compliment you, and even fear you."
"Easy for you to say," Du Changqing replied sourly. "Don’t you know? I’m just a waste, a puddle of mud, good for nothing either in literature or martial arts. How can I climb up?"
"Why can’t you?" Lu Tong challenged him. "Just because you’ve shed the skin of Young Master Du, does it mean you can’t achieve anything? Don’t you still have a medical hall?"
Du Changqing looked at her.
Lu Tong smiled, "You managed to convince Official Hu to buy medicine here and have kept the medical hall going for several years. Of course, you can charm others as well."
Du Changqing frowned, "But now the processing center won’t let us sell finished drugs." He paused suddenly and looked at Lu Tong, "You have a way, don’t you?"