After Lu Li rose from her afternoon nap, a young waiter from the Yue Lai Inn came to knock on her door, stating that a young master was looking for her downstairs.
Qingluan was overjoyed. She forcibly suppressed the delight on her face and descended the stairs with deliberate slowness. Upon seeing Du Zi'an, she feigned reserve and lifted her chin slightly. "My young lady is currently dressing. I must trouble the young master to wait a moment."
Du Zi'an smiled warmly. "It is of no consequence."
Heaven knows that in order to find Lu Li, he had tramped through every inn in the Imperial Capital with a similar name. Having finally found this place and heard the shopkeeper confirm that there were indeed two young ladies staying here, Du Zi'an had nearly been moved to tears.
He silently recited "providers of food and clothing should be treated with reverence" several times in his heart, only then gradually calming his emotions.
About the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Lu Li came downstairs.
Today, she wore a dark cyan brocade dress with cloud patterns. Her raven hair was woven into fine braids and loosely pinned at the back of her head, adorned only by a velvet flower of the same color at her temple. With bright eyes, white teeth, and skin like congealed fat, a single glance at her brought a sense of tranquility.
Du Zi'an paused for a moment, then quickly came back to his senses and stepped forward. "Miss."
Lu Li looked toward him.
Du Zi'an glanced around, then smiled at Lu Li. "It is noisy here. If the young lady does not mind, there is a tea stall next door. Shall we go there to sit and talk over tea?"
Lu Li nodded. "Very well."
People in the Imperial Capital were fond of tea; tea houses lined the streets and alleys. Not far from the Yue Lai Inn, an entire long street was filled with tea stalls. Du Zi'an looked them over and chose the one with the smallest frontage, inviting Lu Li to take a seat.
This tea stall was extremely small, with only two square tables inside, both of which were already occupied. Du Zi'an and Lu Li thus sat at a small table outside the stall. Before long, the owner brought two cups of clear tea and a plate of black-shelled melon seeds.
Du Zi'an pushed the clear tea toward Lu Li. His tone was completely different from their first meeting, now revealing a hint of warmth. "I am Du Zi'an. May I ask the young lady's surname?"
"Lu Li."
"So it is Miss Lu." Du Zi'an nodded with an air of pretense, then rubbed his hands together. "Miss Lu, I suppose you have already guessed the reason for my visit..."
"My apologies, Young Master Du." Lu Li said indifferently. "It is inconvenient to use fire at the inn, so I no longer make mugwort charcoal."
Du Zi'an was instantly tongue-tied.
Behind him, Qingluan could not help but chuckle.
A look of embarrassment appeared on Du Zi'an's face. After a moment, he gave a light cough. "Miss Lu, I did not come today for the mugwort charcoal. It is that medicinal drink of yours..." He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "Could you sell some more to me?"
Lu Li picked up the porcelain cup on the table to moisten her lips, asking softly, "How much silver is Young Master Du willing to offer?"
Du Zi'an stared intently at her. "One tael of silver. Miss Lu, sell your medicinal drink to me for one tael of silver per pack. What do you say?"
One pack of the medicinal drink lasted at most six or seven days. One tael of silver per pack was already an extremely high price.
Lu Li smiled faintly.
"Why does Miss Lu smile?" Du Zi'an asked.
Lu Li shook her head, her tone unhurried. "It seems Young Master Du is not sincerely interested in this business. I noticed there is a Jishitang not far from the Huichun Medical Hall. It is a large establishment; perhaps they could offer more silver."
She returned the exact words Du Zi'an had spoken to her earlier, causing Du Zi'an's expression to change abruptly.
After a pause, Du Zi'an gritted his teeth. "Then may Miss Lu name a price?"
Lu Li said, "Three taels of silver per pack."
"So expensive!" Du Zi'an jumped up, shouting, "Why don't you just go rob someone?"
Lu Li raised her eyes to look into the distance.
The Yingyue River flowed through the city, its banks lined with misty willows. It was spring; willow catkins danced in the air, orioles sang, and swallows darted.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at the agitated Du Zi'an. "Young Master Du, the willow catkins in the Imperial Capital will continue to fly for some time, will they not?"
Du Zi'an frowned. "What of it?"
"If your medical hall can supply this medicinal drink, you need not worry about a lack of customers for at least the next two or three months."
Du Zi'an was stunned.
Lu Li smiled faintly.
When she first arrived in the Imperial Capital, she had already noticed that the riverbanks were planted with long rows of willows. In spring, the catkins flew, inevitably causing people to suffer from nasal congestion and sinus issues. People here were fond of tea, so making it into a medicinal drink made it more acceptable.
"As long as the willow catkins fly, the medicinal drink can be sold. My drink is effective in relieving nasal congestion, though it cannot cure the root cause. By next year, previous customers will return. Every year in the third month, you will earn pots full of money. Young Master Du's Huichun Medical Hall will not be in such a precarious state as it is now."
The words on the tip of Du Zi'an's tongue stalled, as if Lu Li had struck his most hidden painful spot.
Lu Li was not in a hurry. For Du Zi'an to maintain his medical hall's livelihood, he had to find an irreplaceable business in the shortest time possible. The nasal congestion medicinal drink was the only lifeline he could grasp.
People always yielded without principle in the face of a lifeline.
After a long silence, Du Zi'an finally spoke. He looked at Lu Li and said slowly, "Miss Lu has thought this through thoroughly. But what if other medical halls learn the method of making the drink? What chance would the Huichun Medical Hall have then?"
Lu Li smiled upon hearing this. "Leaving aside whether others can learn my medicinal drink, why does Young Master Du not consider that if I can make a nasal congestion drink, could I not make other medicinal drinks as well?"
Du Zi'an stared blankly.
He looked at her suspiciously. "Could it be that you made the medicinal drink yourself? Impossible, you are so young... Perhaps there is a doctor in your family well-versed in medicine? Or did you obtain the prescription by chance from elsewhere?"
He kept guessing to himself, while Lu Li simply smiled without speaking.
Seeing that Lu Li had no intention of letting up, Du Zi'an felt somewhat dejected. He picked up his tea cup and took a sip. After thinking for a moment, he spoke with hesitation, "To tell the truth, Miss Lu, I am very tempted by what you say. It is just that the silver you ask for is truly too much. How about... you lower it a bit?"
A look of disdain appeared on Qingluan's face.
Lu Li looked at the tea cup before her and did not speak immediately. After a while, she looked at Du Zi'an. "Young Master Du, I can make the medicinal drink for you. You keep all the silver; I will not take a single copper."
Du Zi'an looked at her with suspicion and uncertainty.
"However, I have a few conditions."
Du Zi'an breathed a sigh of relief and said readily, "You should have said so earlier. Miss Lu, what are your conditions?"
"First, I will make the medicinal drink for