maidservant

Chapter 117 Alley Shop
The capital city, this bustling and vibrant place, seems to hold endless stories and opportunities in every inch of its land. Yun Shan stood in the side courtyard, gazing at the azure sky above, secretly planning her plan to open a pharmacy. Choosing a location was the crucial first step in this grand scheme.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Li Mao brought back a map of the shops on West Street.

“These four unmarked empty shops can all be used as pharmacies,” Li Mao said, pointing to the locations of the four shops.

“In this map, the flags mark government offices and yamen, the auspicious clouds mark officials’ residences, and the gold ingots mark shops. The shops are all marked with numbers,” Li Mao moved his finger from the center of the map to the dozen or so lines of small print at the bottom of the map. “The shop categories and shop names corresponding to these numbers are all marked at the bottom.”

"Thank you, brother-in-law!" Yun Shan carefully examined the map. "Brother-in-law, I have no experience in business. In your opinion, which of these four locations is the most suitable?"

Li Mao patiently taught Yun Shan, explaining in detail the basis for the site selection.

"Bustling streets and lively markets are an excellent choice."

Just like the East Market, where crowds surge daily, the sounds of hawking and laughter mingle, and all sorts of people mingle among them. Opening a pharmacy here is like placing a bright pearl before everyone's eyes, easily attracting the attention of passersby, and naturally drawing a steady stream of customers.

Or perhaps it's a residential area where countless people gather, like Chang Le Fang in the south of the city, where neighbors help each other out. For everyday ailments like headaches, fevers, and injuries, the need for medicine is never lacking. Choosing a place like this allows you to be close to people's lives and become a solid support for their health.

"The convenience of carriages and horses is also an important factor that cannot be ignored."

Those who needed medical help, whether they were hurried scholars on their way to take the imperial examinations or anxious women, children, and the elderly, could easily reach the doctor.

Just like Dongzhimen, a major thoroughfare where people from the north and south gather and disperse, and with smooth roads, it is not only convenient for patients to come, but also ensures that their condition is not delayed in an emergency.

"If one can be located next to several large pharmacies, it is like finding reliable partners."

Yunshan's clinic cannot initially stock all medicinal herbs. After diagnosis, patients often need to find a pharmacy to obtain medicine for recuperation. The pharmacy can then meet this subsequent need, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

"Of course, we must also be wary of competition from our peers."

The distribution, size, and business characteristics of pharmacies throughout the city need to be carefully investigated. If certain streets and alleys already have pharmacies of all sizes, it will be like a battlefield, and entering rashly would likely be fraught with difficulties.

"That's all I have to say. In the next two days, you should go and investigate the four places. You'll need half a day to get a better understanding of the specifics."

Li Mao didn't make the choice for her. He felt that since they were going to run the clinic, Yun Shan had to be the head manager from the very beginning.

Before lunchtime, Yun Shan donned a moon-white long robe with black arrow sleeves over it, a jade pendant and sachet hanging from her waist, and rode her horse into the morning mist.

She deliberately tied her long hair into a man's bun, pulling her hat brim low so that only her delicate nose and red lips were visible. The sound of horses' hooves clattered on the bluestone slabs.

One shop was too small, and there was a funeral home next door, so Yunshan decided not to consider it, leaving three shops.

The first shop was located on the south side of the East Market, next to the century-old pharmacy "Tongdetang".

Yun Shan reined in her horse and stopped. She noticed the vermilion door was faded, indicating it had been rented before, but the previous owner had failed and closed the shop. Just as Yun Shan was about to examine it more closely, she noticed a branch of the famous "Kang'an Hall" from the capital standing a hundred paces away. The copper bells on the eaves jingled in the wind, seemingly reminding her that this place was now a battleground for physicians. The second location was at the end of a western alley, a narrow stone path nestled between gray-tiled roofs and walls. As Yun Shan dismounted, her robe brushed against the moss at the corner of the wall, and she saw the owner of the clothing shop diagonally opposite her tiptoeing to hang his signboard.

Yunshan stepped into the clothing shop. The clothes were hung casually inside, and the shop was simply furnished. Most of the customers were ordinary people, muttering to themselves as they browsed the clothes.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw Yun Shan. Yun Shan was wearing a moon-white brocade robe, embroidered with elegant bamboo leaf patterns. The fabric was soft and silky, gleaming delicately in the sunlight, and looked very valuable.

The shopkeeper quickly greeted her with a smile, saying, "Miss, you seem to be a person of discerning taste. Our shop has just received some fine fabrics, and we'll finish the garments as soon as possible. Please come with me to the inner room to take a look."

Inside, the shopkeeper carefully brought out several bolts of cloth. One of them was a royal blue silk satin with simple floral patterns woven on it. Although the patterns were not complicated, they still looked elegant.

Yunshan reached out and touched it; the texture was smooth yet slightly rough. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the density of the latitude and longitude lines was not high.

This reminded her of the mid-grade clothing she wore when she was a second-class maid in the Yan household. Back then, her everyday clothes were mostly made of this kind of fabric woven with ordinary silk thread, with simple printing and embroidery. Although it looked decent, it was clearly inferior to high-grade fabric.

Yun Shan remained calm, but she already knew in her heart that this alley was not a place where high-ranking officials and dignitaries would come.

When she entered the alley, she looked around and didn't see any sign of a clinic nearby. So Yunshan asked, "Shopkeeper, is there a clinic around here?"

Seeing that Yun Shan was looking her over but didn't seem to be in a hurry to seek medical help, the shopkeeper's wife guessed Yun Shan's intention and thus greeted her warmly:
"Young lady, are you looking for a shop? This location is excellent! The other day, Mrs. Zhang, the butcher's wife, had a stomachache, and we couldn't find a doctor anywhere in the alley. If you were to open a pharmacy here, it would be a truly virtuous act!"

After chatting for a while, Yunshan learned quite a bit about the alley. However, the woman seemed very eager to promote the shop, and Yunshan quickly found out that she was a matchmaker, specializing in buying and selling shops.

Then we can't just listen to her.

After leaving the shop, Yunshan bought some meat buns from a street stall and started chatting with the waiter.

Many ordinary families live here, running small businesses. The tofu seller at the alley entrance sets up her stall before dawn every day, and sparks from the blacksmith's shop at the alley end can fly into the air. Even the frosty leaves in the corners are covered with the smell of smoke.

Yunshan went to the teahouse again and ordered a cup of Biluochun tea. While listening to the storyteller tell the story of "The White Snake Stealing the Immortal Herb", she suddenly saw several women walking by outside the window, buying medicine together.

Yunshan stepped forward and started chatting with him.

“Young lady, there are no pharmacies in this alley. You need to go to the next alley. There’s a big shop there with a full range of medicinal herbs at reasonable prices.”

There's a large pharmacy in the alley, which is quite nice. The alley is indeed lively; Yunshan thinks it's pretty good.

As dusk settled over the roof tiles, Yunshan mounted her horse. There was another shop there, and Yunshan thought she'd check it out today.

She intended to take a shortcut through the crooked alley, but as she turned the corner, she heard a muffled thud from behind her, followed by the thud of something heavy falling to the ground.

"Whoa—" Upon hearing this, Yun Shan abruptly tightened the reins and turned around.