Chapter 46: The Medical Fee

In the following days, Shao Kang armed himself daily and went to lie in wait near Zhang Dao's house.

Whether Zhang Dao was scared out of his wits remained unknown, but he never dared to return to the town.

Shao Diandian's business was flourishing, and her wife cakes had gained a modest reputation on the street. One hundred cakes a day was no longer enough to meet demand. Instead of increasing the volume, Shao Diandian introduced two new pastries: chestnut cakes and egg yolk pastries.

Every time she set up her stall, everything would be sold out in less than two hours.

Shopkeeper Sun came to find her a few more times, wanting nothing more than to buy her recipes, but Shao Diandian refused.

Orders from the academy were increasing steadily, and so was the braised food business.

Her prices were genuinely not cheap, yet the food sold out consistently. Moreover, because the braised food business was doing so well, the butcher's own pork business experienced a significant boost as well.

"Here is today's share." Luo Dazhang handed two strings of copper coins to Shao Diandian.

Shao Diandian counted the coins and handed them to Shao Erdian for safekeeping.

Luo Dazhang said, "These are the last few days of business. The market will close soon and won't reopen until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."

The atmosphere of the New Year in ancient times was much richer than in her previous life. Basically, by the middle of the twelfth lunar month, shops and stalls would begin to close successively, and at the latest, no one would stay open past the Lesser New Year.

"Once I finish business for these next few days, I'll come back on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month," she told Luo Dazhang.

Luo Dazhang initially wanted to say that he might not open for business on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, but when he met the little chubby girl's hopeful gaze, he swallowed the words back.

"......Alright then." Luo Dazhang casually picked up a piece of pork belly. "There aren't many customers left at the market anyway. This won't sell for sure, so you take it back."

This was top-quality marbled pork, and it wasn't even noon yet—how could it possibly not sell?

Shao Diandian understood without exposing the white lie, accepted the pork belly, and handed him a packet of pastries.

It wasn't meant as a return gift for the pork, but something she had prepared beforehand.

Interpersonal relationships were quite subtle; some people cooperated out of interest, while others did so because their temperaments matched.

"I'm leaving now." Shao Diandian said her farewells to him.

Luo Dazhang opened his mouth, but ultimately decided to call her back. "Uhm... If I hadn't chosen to split the profits with you, what kind of wholesale price would you have given me?"

"Well." Shao Diandian thought about it seriously. "It probably would have been five copper cash less per catty than the current selling price."

"Is that what you call your lowest wholesale price? Only five cash less?"

Most of the little girl's braised dishes sold for forty cash a catty, and with an eighty-twenty profit split, he would get eight cash.

Even the cheapest fatty meat was thirty cash a catty, and he would get six cash. Either way, it amounted to much more than a five-cash difference.

Luo Dazhang rejoiced inwardly, "Good thing I chose the profit split!"

Shao Diandian smiled. "Indeed, you are very smart."

No, it wasn't that Luo Dazhang was smart.

It was that Shao Diandian had given him a well-intentioned white lie.

The real wholesale price was only half of the selling price. The reason Shao Diandian didn't tell him this was because telling him would serve no purpose other than to needlessly increase his regret.

After all, she was not going to change their cooperation model in the short term.

Making someone regret might breed a momentary sense of satisfaction, but it did nothing to help their cooperation.

If he harbored inappropriate emotions, sooner or later, divergences and conflicts would become inevitable.

Seeing that business was good now, he wanted a piece of mind that would prevent him from regretting, so she gave him that peace of mind.

-

Shao Diandian collected her accounts and went to the academy last.

After a period of contact, Shao Diandian had learned from the man that his surname was Xiang, so she addressed him as Young Master Xiang.

"The rales in your lungs are gone, and you're recovering quite well," Shao Diandian said, taking the stethoscope out of her ears. "You don't need injections anymore; just switch to oral medication."

Infusions could not be kept hidden forever, especially since he couldn't possibly keep losing consciousness.

He had indeed asked what kind of medical technique this was, and Shao Diandian simply replied that it was a family tradition passed down through her sect, which was inconvenient to elaborate on.

The world was vast, and there were always reclusive masters.

Whether he believed it or not, that was her story.

Fortunately, ever since then, he had never questioned her medical skills again.

Young Master Xiang gave a gentle smile. "This time, I truly am indebted to Miss Shao. Were it not for Miss Shao's superb medical skills, I fear my chances of survival would have been slim."

Shao Diandian replied politely, "Not at all, benevolent people are naturally protected by heaven."

Young Master Xiang asked, "Will Miss Shao still come tomorrow?"

Shao Diandian said, "I won't come tomorrow. I'll write you a prescription, and I'll return in three days to check on your recovery."

He no longer needed Western medicine; switching to traditional Chinese medicine to relieve asthma, stop coughing, repair his vital energy, and nourish his foundation would yield even better results.

"I see..." Young Master Xiang sighed regretfully.

"What is it?"

"In three days... I'm not sure if I'll still be in Apricot Blossom Town."

"Are you leaving?" Shao Diandian asked.

Young Master Xiang fell silent.

Shao Diandian thought for a moment and nodded. "True, judging by your accent, you don't sound like a local."

Young Master Xiang said, "To be honest, I am from the capital."

Jing Yi, standing at the doorway, frowned slightly, disapproving of his cousin revealing his background.

Shao Diandian widened her apricot-like eyes slightly. "The capital? I've never been there in all my life. What is the capital like?"

Young Master Xiang smiled faintly. "Large, prosperous, with countless shops, wide streets, fresh and interesting people and things, but also filth and grime hidden from the light of day."

Shao Diandian thought thoughtfully, "It sounds like a complicated place."

Young Master Xiang looked gently at the little chubby girl beside him. "Is Miss Shao interested in visiting the capital?"

Jing Yi's handsome brow furrowed even tighter.

What did his cousin mean? Could he be planning to take her back to the capital?

Shao Diandian shook her head. "Not for the time being."

She was still at the stage of securing her basic food and clothing—where would she get the money and capital to roam around the imperial city?

"The capital must be very far away, right? Given your current physical condition, you shouldn't endure the fatigue of a long journey. If possible, I hope you will completely recover before you set off."

This was the absolute truth; his physical foundation was weaker than an ordinary person's, and adult pneumonia was no minor ailment.

Young Master Xiang smiled. "Since Miss Shao puts it that way, it won't hurt for me to stay a few more days."

Jing Yi outside the door wore a complex expression.

"That would be best." Shao Diandian handed him a prescription. "Take this prescription to Physician Fu's place in Chunliu Alley to fill it. The quality of his herbs is good, the price-to-performance ratio is high, and he treats both children and the elderly with fairness."

"Very good." Young Master Xiang unfolded the paper and glanced at the handwriting. "Miss Shao... did you write this prescription yourself?"

Shao Diandian said solemnly, "Of course I wrote it! What? Did you think I am illiterate?"

Young Master Xiang smiled. "No, it's just that Miss Shao writes such a fine hand, and Xiang was momentarily amazed."

Shao Diandian secretly curled her lip; that guy only had that single skill worth showing off.

Young Master Xiang said, "Changping, fetch the consultation fee."

"Understood," Changping replied.

He didn't like Shao Diandian, and as he walked, he glared at her repeatedly.

Shao Diandian paid no attention to the little attendant whatsoever.

Looking at Young Master Xiang, Shao Diandian said, "You are quite easy to talk to, unlike that icy-faced younger brother of yours. He is just like... someone I know with a stinky temper, always wearing a cold face as if someone owes him money."

Jing Yi's face turned as dark as charcoal.