Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 104: The Reason for Going Business
Recently, Tan Huaike has also been planning this. She wants to pretend to be Princess Mohe and go to Andu. She must give Madam Shentu a legitimate reason to leave.

Originally, she wanted to expand the supply of goods for the cloth shop and the pharmacy. Although she had expanded it once after taking over, the cloth shop's new product replacement was still relatively slow, and the supply it got might not be the most up-to-date in the Central Plains. The medicinal materials in the pharmacy were also restricted by the region, and the variety and quality were not much different from other shops. So she still wanted to walk around more and see more, and add more business opportunities to her shop. This was the long-term way to make money.

She also wanted to bring the local and exotic goods of the Western Territory to other parts of the Central Plains. This was the original intention of her, her father, and her brother, who had traveled thousands of miles from Mohe to Daxuan. The spices, utensils, silks, and accessories of the Western Territory were also very unique. As the saying goes, scarcity makes things valuable. Daxuan's selection of imperial merchants spread to the four counties, clearly indicating its intention to open up a wider trade route to the West. Once trade between the two sides began to flow, it would be a golden opportunity for merchants to profit.

Even if she had not pretended to be a princess, Tan Huaike was planning to pack up the goods to be purchased in the shop as soon as possible, as well as the goods from the western region to be taken to sell. Now she was about to follow the marriage team to Andu, so she naturally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and start her own small business.

After all, she was not worthy of the position of princess, so the money she earned with her own hands was the most appropriate.

But she was always worried about how to explain things to Jun Gu. Using her dowry to do some small business in the county was one thing, but going out to do business was another.

After all, she is still the new bride of the Shentu family, and she has to put her husband's family first in everything. If Jungu firmly disagrees, she will be branded as unfilial if she leaves without permission. If she comes back then, her reputation will probably be ruined. Not only will it affect the business of several shops, but she will also have no chance of getting the title of imperial merchant. It is really not worth it.

Shen Tu Zhuo's actions had left the old lady with no other options. She was desperate to find a reason to get her to stay away, to avoid the constant criticism of their daily encounters. She only hoped that after a long separation, her useless son would stop thinking about her widowed sister-in-law and stop thinking about her remarrying, and that she could find him another good man.

Therefore, if Tan Huaike proposed to go out for business again in two days, Jun Gu would definitely agree, and might even give her some convenience so that she could leave with a legitimate reason and without any worries.

It was for this purpose that Shentu Zhuo revealed his desire for her and his participation in the imperial examination.

He caused such a huge disaster that he had to bear all the consequences.

Seeing that Tan Huaike was deeply moved, Shen Tuzhuo said proudly: "Well, do you feel sorry for me? Then this beating of mine wasn't in vain. I feel sorry for my mother, she must be very angry this time."

"With a son as willful and reckless as you, Aunt Jun's punishment was considered lenient. Take good care of your injuries." Through the screen, Tan Huaike saw the red and swollen wounds on his back. In the end, he couldn't bear it and said, "If you need medicine or dressings, go to the herbal medicine shop. I... I appreciate your kindness, so you don't have to be polite to me."

"Just accept my kindness." Shen Tu Zhuo, feeling a burning pain in his body but relieved in his heart, warned, "By the way, although this is just an excuse to help you out, my feelings and suggestions are truly counted. Sister-in-law, you should also think carefully about when you can reconcile with my brother.

"Also, don't be fooled by Song Shu's appearance. He's always pretending to be a modest gentleman, but in fact, he dares to do anything unconventional. Otherwise, he wouldn't be my friend. Remember that you're just playing a show with him. Please remember this. I don't want to have to call you Princess when I go to Andu..."

"Just shut up." Tan Huaike was annoyed by his nagging and turned around and left Yuefu.
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In the next few days, Tan Huaike was very busy.

After Aisha's injuries improved, she saw Fufeng, who had some free time, and her mind became active.

She had tried every way to invite Doctor Qiu to the herbal medicine shop, but he had been flatly rejected. The doctor was devoted to his medical pursuits and looked down on the mercenaries of merchants, so she couldn't force him to comply. But now was the perfect time. With Fufeng as her fragrant bait, why would she worry about not being able to catch Doctor Qiu?

Thinking of this, she decisively arranged Fu Feng to the herbal medicine shop, under the pretext of finding him a more comfortable place to live.

After many twists and turns, he returned to Tan Huaike's shop, and Fu Feng gladly accepted it. Compared to the Sheng Medical Clinic, he felt that this place was more intimate, and he didn't have to be bothered by the old doctor's apprentices every day. Unfortunately, he was too happy too early. Since he moved to the Baicao herbal medicine shop, the old doctor Qiu would come to discuss medical principles with him from time to time. When the two of them were excited about the discussion, they would also use their own methods to treat the patients' difficult and complicated diseases. Over time, the word spread in the city that there were two miracle doctors sitting in the Baicao herbal medicine shop. One was the old doctor Qiu Mingxin, who was well-known in the four counties, and the other was a young itinerant doctor from the western border, with incredible foreign secret techniques that were eye-opening.

The fame of the herbal medicine shop became popular again, and many people came to seek medical treatment and ask for medicine, which made Tan Huaike make a lot of money.

That day, Tan Huaike came to the pharmacy to take inventory, to see if there were any herbs that were likely to be in short supply, so that he could keep an eye out for them when he went to Andu. He ran into Doctor Qiu, who was also there. He and Fu Feng had just finished treating a few patients and were sitting across from each other, drinking tea, chatting, and taking a break.

The old man wasn't one to be fooled. He had figured out the whole thing long ago. He snorted loudly when he saw her. "Mrs. Shentu really knows how to run a business. She even took advantage of an old man like me. Last time, she offered a large sum of money to lure me here, but it didn't work. This time, she's using Doctor Fufeng to trap me. It's true that merchants are obsessed with profit and will do anything to get what they want."

Tan Huaike didn't get angry either. He poured him a cup of tea himself and said, "Old Doctor Qiu, I know you don't like the business world, but I didn't force you to come to our pharmacy for consultations, nor did I take advantage of the situation to raise prices and defraud patients of their money. I didn't do anything against the law of nature, and I even benefited you a lot. Why not?"

"Hmph, sharp teeth and sharp mouth!"

"A doctor's practice is to heal the sick and save lives, and also to earn money to support his family. I run this pharmacy, and I can also heal the sick and save lives, and also earn money to support my family. In terms of heart and deeds, who is more noble and who is more base?"

“…” Dr. Qiu was speechless after being blocked by her.

"Hahahaha, Old Qiu, don't take her words to heart. They're all just sophistry to use us to make money for her pharmacy." Fu Feng exposed her lies and then said a few good words for her. "But her family is very conscientious in business and never makes ill-gotten gains. You can rest assured about that. We've seen so many patients these past few days, and she hasn't charged a penny more for consultations or medicine."

"Yeah." After hearing this, Dr. Qiu calmed down and picked up the cup of tea she poured and drank it.

From then on, Doctor Qiu tacitly agreed to come to the herbal medicine shop often to see patients in the future, as a way of thanking her for introducing Fu Feng, a fellow practitioner, to him.

Afterwards, Dr. Qiu always felt something was wrong, and it took him a long time to realize it.

Who is the family Fu Feng is talking about? The Tan family?

Do the Tan family members have a conscience when doing business?

I'd heard that Tan Li wasn't a kind person, fond of taking shortcuts and using any means necessary to advance his career. But he seemed to have gotten his comeuppance recently. Perhaps it was a huge business loss, but he looked exhausted and emaciated, and even fell seriously ill. He went to Rusheng Clinic and got several prescriptions for anti-inflammatory drugs.

Humph, you deserve it.

The daughter of the Tan family who married into the Shentu Mansion was a blessing in disguise, both intelligent and sensible. If she behaved like Tan Li, he wouldn't bother to treat her well. Even if he sent her in a sedan chair, he wouldn't come to the herbal medicine shop to see patients.
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　Next chapter: If you continue to be my daughter, you should share your father’s worries.

　　(End of this chapter)