maidservant

Chapter 147 Opening a Branch Store and Acquiring New Shops

The north wind of December swirled under the eaves, making the copper bells of the Xinglin Medical Clinic jingle. Yunshan walked on the blue brick floor, directing the staff to tidy up the back room.

Ah Fu carried the old wooden bed to the corner, panting, "This bed is really heavy, Miss Yun, are we really going to turn this place into a school?"

“Of course,” Yunshan said with a smile as she folded the faded blue quilt. “Mr. An is a scholar; he needs a proper place to lecture.”

She turned around and took out a brand-new set of writing implements from the cabinet. The sheep hair brush gleamed softly in the sunlight, and the edge of the inkstone was carved with a lotus scroll pattern.

She bought the handwritten copy of the Thousand Character Classic from a bookstore on special occasion. The scent of ink mixed with the smell of dried tangerine peel from the medicine cabinet filled the room.

At noon, Mr. An arrived, his footsteps treading on the snow-covered ground. He wore a faded gray cotton robe and clutched an oil paper package tightly in his arms, as if hiding some treasure.

When Yunshan saw that he had changed into such a respectable scholar's attire, she understood that Lao An must be ready to teach well.

Old An was stunned when he entered and saw the rear hall had been rearranged. Wasn't he supposed to just teach a few characters casually?
"Mr. An, please have a seat." Dr. Feng peeked out from behind the medicine cabinet, his sleeves still dusted with medicinal powder. "These fellows are unruly; please bear with them."

Mr. An rubbed his frostbitten hands, somewhat awkwardly saying, "Dr. Feng, you're too kind. I... I'm just a bamboo basket weaver, how could I dare to call myself a doctor?"

He glanced down at the neatly arranged writing implements on the table, and a hint of emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Please don't say that!" Xiao Tao ran over with a cup of hot tea. "Yesterday I wrote 'Chai Hu' as 'Cai Hu,' which gave the shopkeeper a real headache. Your arrival has really helped us illiterate folks improve our literacy!"

Nian'er joined in, her little braids tied with red ribbons swaying back and forth: "Teacher, what are we going to talk about today? I've washed all the calligraphy brushes!"

Looking at everyone's expectant eyes, Mr. An slowly put down the oil paper package in his arms—it turned out to be a well-worn copy of "Compendium of Materia Medica".

"Today, let's start learning from the words on this medicine cabinet."

He picked up his pointer and pointed to the label that read "Perilla." "This herb can relieve exterior symptoms and dispel cold, like putting a warm cloak on your body. Remember, the grass radical is followed by 'fish' and 'grain'."

Every time the clapper sounds at noon, the sound of reading aloud will rise on time.

Knowing that they were late to learn, Mr. An would find a way to make up rhymes about the names and effects of medicinal herbs, which the workers would recite while they were preparing the medicine.

Nian'er was young but also very clever. Not only could she write the names of the medicines neatly, but she could also imitate Mr. An and explain them to the new employees.

One evening, Yunshan was tidying up the counter when she saw Nian'er squatting in front of the medicine cabinet, silently writing the names of medicinal herbs on the ground with charcoal. "Fangfeng, Baizhi, Huangqi." The little girl bit her lip, writing each stroke with extra care.

"It's really well written." Yunshan squatted down and gently wiped the dust off the tip of her nose.

“It’s all thanks to the teacher’s excellent teaching.” Nian’er looked up, her eyes sparkling. “He said that once we’ve learned all these characters, we can read the ‘Tangtou Gejue’ (a traditional Chinese medical text).”

"Our little clinic has become a vanguard in responding to the imperial decree. Popularizing education is always a good thing for Dali." Doctor Feng straightened his outer robe and planned to go out to buy two fried dough cakes.

Yunshan looked towards the back hall, where she could hear intermittent reading sounds.

The cold wind rattled against the windowpanes, yet it couldn't dispel the scent of ink wafting from inside. In the medicine cabinet, the labels for angelica and rehmannia glutinosa swayed gently, as if reciting those warm words themselves.

Yunshan pulled her padded jacket tighter around her and stood at the entrance of the clinic, gazing at the empty street, a chill creeping into her heart. This alley used to be bustling with activity. The cries of vendors selling roasted chestnuts, the shouts of cloth shop assistants soliciting business, and the laughter of children chasing and playing—all had vanished without a trace.

This alley is considered one of the poorer areas in Kyoto. There are many small shops and businesses, but most of the residents are not native Kyoto residents. As the year draws to a close, many people leave the capital and return to their hometowns.

The neighboring shops had already closed their doors, the withered grass in the corner was blown about by the wind, and a few withered leaves swirled across the street, finally stopping in front of the clinic's threshold.

Seeing the desolate scene, Yun Shan fell into anxiety again. Almost a year had passed, and Lin Xiao still hadn't returned. Whenever she tried to clear her mind, Yun Shan couldn't help but think the worst, so she could only force herself to keep busy.

Perhaps because she had been living a peaceful life recently, Yunshan hadn't seen Zhanqian for some time. She wanted to blow her whistle to ask if there was any news about Zhanqian, but she didn't dare. She usually pretended not to think about these things, but the longer the days went by, the more restless she became.

"Shopkeeper, this wind is really biting." Xiao Tao came out of the house carrying a stack of medicinal herbs, her face red from the cold and a hint of worry on her face. "You should go back inside quickly, don't catch a cold."

Don't let your mind wander. Stay calm. You still have something to do!
Yun Shan snapped out of her daze and followed Xiao Tao inside. Seeing that no one was around, Yun Shan quietly closed the pharmacy door. She saw Doctor Feng stuffing oil paper packets into his medicine box, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She quickly stepped forward.

Like a cunning cat, he blocked her path: "Dr. Feng, wait! I have a more interesting idea than dispensing medicine. Wouldn't you like to hear it?"

"Oh, look how clever you are."

"The clinic is opening a branch? And recruiting female apprentices?" He feigned surprise, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes. "It seems our little shop has really accumulated some wealth. I'll listen to the shopkeeper's explanation when I get back."

Before long, Dr. Feng returned carrying a package of oil paper, the fried dough sticks still steaming hot.

Together with the two female doctors, the four of them sat around a table where the charcoal fire crackled. Amidst the rising steam, Yun Shan opened the account books that she had prepared beforehand.

Between the yellowed pages, dense handwriting recorded the clinic's income and expenses, with the surplus figure marked in red at the end standing out prominently in the candlelight.

"To be honest," Yunshan tapped the ledger lightly with her fingertips, "our little clinic may be inconspicuous, but the neighbors trust us, and we manage to make a modest profit."

She suddenly unfolded a crumpled sheepskin map, on which several striking red dots were circled with vermilion ink.
"After the plague, many shops in the alleys of West Street closed down. You see, these locations are close to the market and residents, with spacious houses—truly rare and excellent locations."

"Take over the shop?" The female doctor leaned closer, her eyes scanning the map. "Does the shopkeeper want to buy the shop?"

Yun Shan nodded, the glow of the charcoal fire making her cheeks flushed. "Our current little shop, and Seventh Sister's shop, are only for rent, not for sale. But these are different. Buying them is not only a business, but also a long-term investment. The alleys of the capital will only become more valuable in the future."

Her fingertip stopped at a marker in the east of the city. "Especially here, it's close to the brothel, and women's businesses are clustered here, but it lacks a clinic for gynecological ailments. If we could take over this place..."

Dr. Feng stroked his chin, lost in thought: "But what about personnel reassignment?"

“I plan to split into two groups,” Yun Shan had already planned. “You and the other sister will stay at the old shop to oversee things, while I’ll take Doctor Liao and Xiao Tao to the new shop.”

She suddenly lowered her voice, her eyes gleaming with excitement, "Furthermore, I want to emulate the imperial court's method of establishing private schools—we'll also recruit some girls as apprentices and train them to become female doctors from a young age!"

Before the words were finished, the room fell silent. Only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire broke the brief silence.

After a long while, Doctor Feng chuckled softly, "Excellent! Excellent! It seems our medical community is about to sprout new branches."

The snow outside the window had stopped sometime ago, and moonlight streamed in through the window frame, gilding the map on the table with a silver edge, as if foreshadowing a new chapter about to unfold.