Spring grew stronger in the Imperial Capital, the warm breeze intoxicating the tourists. Merchants traveling to and from the capital were endless, and the Yuelai Inn had seen a surge of guests these past few days, bustling with noise and excitement.
Lu Li stopped going to the inn’s back kitchen to borrow the stove to process those medicinal herbs.
Firstly, there were more guests staying at the inn; it was a mixed bag of people, and as a young woman walking in the backyard late at night, it was ultimately not very safe. Secondly, borrowing the stove every day—even if the shopkeeper had a good temper and didn't say anything—would likely breed some resentment in his heart.
Fortunately, the silver earned from selling mugwort charcoal a few days ago could support them for another half month, so they weren't quite at the end of their rope yet.
Qingluan lay on the table, bored, dipping her finger into leftover tea to write characters on the desktop.
Her handwriting was excellent—dignified, elegant, delicate, and refined; a beautiful Zanhua style. Lu Li couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
Qingluan noticed Lu Li’s gaze, paused for a moment, and hurriedly wiped the water stains from the table with her sleeve, saying, "Miss, I..."
"It looks very nice," Lu Li said softly.
A flush rose on Qingluan’s face. "Back in the pavilion, we had to learn the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I wasn't good at the others, but my writing is barely passable. It's just..." She didn't continue.
Lu Li understood. Guests visiting those places of pleasure might spend a thousand gold on a pipa song or offer hundreds of pearls to play chess with a courtesan, but they might not be willing to spend silver just to watch a girl write.
Scholars and poets value every word like a pearl, yet writings from the wind and dust are deemed worthless. The world has long distinguished clearly between the high and the low, the rich and the poor.
Qingluan loved writing, so when Lu Li asked her to write on the mulberry paper wrapping the medicinal drinks, she always did so with extra care. She asked Lu Li, "But Miss, why write on that white paper used to wrap the medicinal drinks?"
Lu Li thought for a moment. "When we entered the capital, tea houses and stalls were everywhere along the streets. People in the Imperial Capital love tea."
Qingluan nodded.
"Even the smallest tea stall has a few fresh flowers, exquisite snacks, and scholars reciting poetry or discussing the Dao. It shows their appreciation for elegance."
Qingluan looked thoughtful. "So that is why you made these medicinal drinks."
Lu Li smiled faintly.
She hadn't made pills or powders, but drinks. She also had Qingluan write poems on the wrapping paper. It was about etiquette and elegance; if the presentation was good, someone would be willing to try.
As long as someone was willing to try, the rest would be much easier.
Qingluan understood a little, but still worried, sighing, "I don't know when someone will come to buy our medicinal drinks."
Lu Li looked out the window.
Across the street, a green flag flapped in the wind outside a tavern. Willow catkins drifted through the doorways, and swallows flew low. Amidst the bustling crowd, she wondered who would become their customer.
She withdrew her gaze, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile.
"Soon."
...
While Qingluan worried that the medicinal drinks Lu Li sent out had sunk without a trace, over at Huichun Medical Hall, the young master Du Zian was having a hard time too.
At the counter, the ledger was thin. Since the New Year, only a few pages had been filled—income was pitifully low.
Du Zian flipped through the ledger repeatedly, finally letting out a heavy sigh from his throat: "We're done for!"
Xiao Fu was used to this. The owner calculated how many days were left before bankruptcy every month. Since the old master died, the countdown had been getting closer. He estimated that in another month or so, there would be no need to calculate anymore.
Du Zian was also worried.
Huichun Medical Hall had no resident doctor now. To save money, he had fired the assistants, keeping only Xiao Fu and himself. Relying on a few old customers wasn't realistic. Moreover, people move on. After Old Master Du died, Du Zian, the useless scion, showed his true colors. As the family fortune dwindled, his fair-weather friends stopped supporting him and stopped fawning over him.
The fickleness of the world and the warmth and coldness of human relations—it has always been this way, everywhere.
As he was sighing, Xiao Fu, who was wiping the table, paused and looked at the door in surprise: "Zhao Yuanwai?"
Du Zian froze. Looking up, he saw the Zhao family carriage parked outside, and Zhao Yuanwai hurrying out of it and walking toward the shop.
Zhao Yuanwai had visited just five or six days ago; logically, he shouldn't be here at this hour.
Suspicious but putting on a warm smile, Du Zian called out, "Uncle, what brings you here suddenly?"
Zhao Yuanwai stepped into the shop in a few strides, his eyes scanning the place. "Medicinal drink..."
Du Zian was confused: "What medicinal drink?"
"You... a few days ago... in the spring gift you packed for me... that packet of med-mmedicinal drink!" Zhao Yuanwai stuttered in his agitation.
Du Zian's heart skipped a beat. He immediately thought something had gone wrong with the drink. Pharmacies hated items of unknown origin. He had never seen that woman before. Three mace of silver for mugwort charcoal was rare enough, and she even gave him two extra packets as a bonus—she must have had an ulterior motive.
He shouldn't have been greedy and given the drink to Zhao Yuanwai!
But... he and Xiao Fu had been drinking the other packet for days with no issues. Could only that one packet be poisoned? Bah, if he had known, he should have drunk the poisoned one himself. If someone died, selling the shop wouldn't be enough to pay for it!
Thinking this, Du Zian said, "Uncle, actually, that drink was made by someone else. They dropped it off and ran. We were also..."
"...That medicinal drink is excellent!"
Du Zian's words stuck in his throat.
Zhao Yuanwai took a sip of water from Xiao Fu and spoke more fluently. "I've been drinking it for five days, and my nasal congestion is much better! I can even go to the river embankment now!" He was excited. "Zi'an, this drink of yours is wonderful. It has alleviated my old ailment of many years!"
Du Zian stood there stunned.
Zhao Yuanwai held his hand, looking at him with genuine affection for the first time. "I knew you were a filial child. But how could I take advantage of a junior? Here is twenty taels of silver." He pulled out two ingots from his bosom and stuffed them into Du Zian's hand. "I want to buy five more packets."
Xiao Fu stood behind Du Zian, dumbfounded by the scene.
Seeing Du Zian silent, Zhao Yuanwai asked, "By the way, you just said the person who sent it ran away and can't be found? Do you still have the drink?"
Du Zian snapped back to reality with a jolt. "Yes! We have more!"
His mind raced, and he beamed. "Of course we do. The seller is eccentric and aloof. She was going to leave, but we hit it off. We've become friends, and she promised to supply Huichun Medical Hall with