Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 42 There is no business without treachery
The Zhiyun Cloth Workshop was successfully moved to the Yunhexiangjie. The shop originally located on Xiangling Street hired craftsmen and was being converted into a restaurant. The supply of several prescriptions for the Baicao herbal medicine shop was also resolved. Tan Huaike took time out to personally invite famous doctors in the county to come to the pharmacy for consultations.

A pharmacy didn't necessarily need a doctor on staff; some small pharmacies could continue operating without one. However, the herbal medicine shop was, after all, a well-established, established institution in the county. To build it from nothing was a bonus; to go from something to nothing would be self-destructive, greatly disappointing its regular customers.

Why not just change the name of the pharmacy?

Tan Huaike had thought about this before, but after helping to prepare medicine in the pharmacy for a few days, she finally figured it out - the name of an old-fashioned pharmacy cannot be easily changed.

She asked the customers who came here to get medicine indirectly why most of the herbs on the prescription had already been bought in other pharmacies, but they singled out a few and insisted on buying them in their shop?
Those customers all said that these medicinal herbs were the most effective in the herbal medicine shop, and the ones in other shops were of varying quality. In short, the most important thing was to cure the disease as soon as possible, even if it cost more money and effort.

After a careful comparison, Tan Huaike discovered that the herbs listed by these customers were the rarest and most valuable ones available in the medicine village, including some that Shopkeeper Lu had spent exorbitant prices to stockpile. Therefore, Tan Huaike didn't ask Shopkeeper Lu to switch to a cheaper supply, but instead insisted on keeping these herbs firmly in his own hands.

She also understood that Tan Li was intercepting funds without regard for the consequences, and that Shopkeeper Lu was unable to make ends meet and could only work for three days and rest for two days, and he did not forget to seek personal gain. The reason why the Herbal Medicine Shop could barely survive under such difficult conditions was precisely because there was still a group of customers who trusted this old brand.

It is precisely because of this that Shopkeeper Lu dared to continue doing business in precious medicinal materials when ordinary medicinal materials were in short supply.

Unlike diners who pursue novel and changing tastes, people are more willing to trust familiar doctors and pharmacies when seeking medical treatment. Therefore, the longer the business is run and the more reputation is accumulated, the more profitable it is to do this business.

Although the herbal medicine shop is not doing well now, its reputation has not suffered a devastating blow. There is no need to change the name, but the doctor who is currently serving must be invited back.

In the past, there were two doctors who took turns to see patients in the herbal medicine shop. Although they were not there every day, if the patients or their families who came to get medicine had any questions about the prescription, or felt a little unwell after taking the medicine and wanted to change a few herbs, they could directly ask the doctor a few questions when they met him. They no longer had to go to the clinic where they had to wait in long lines. It was really convenient.

It was not until they could no longer afford the doctors that the two doctors stopped having anything to do with the shop.

Tan Huaike felt that as long as they were willing to pay, it wouldn't be a problem to invite the two doctors back. As far as she knew, the two doctors were still working at other pharmacies, but that wasn't a big deal. The doctors working at the pharmacies were rotated around on a regular basis. But her goal was more than that. Besides getting them to devote their time to the herbal medicine shop, she also needed to employ some other means.

So Tan Huaike went to find the two doctors and offered a new price:

The consultation fee is 20% higher than the previous one, and the additional condition is that when they go to the patient's home to practice medicine, if the prescription contains some high-quality or rare medicinal materials, they will recommend that they go to the herbal medicine shop.
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After hearing her description, Shen Tu Zhuo couldn't help but sigh, "Tsk tsk, there's no business that's not corrupt. Who dares not listen to the doctor's words? You're essentially bribing the doctors to say good things about your pharmacy, and they agreed?"

Tan Huaike said calmly, "What I want the doctor to do is not something that is against human nature. I am not bragging, I have carefully examined them. There is no better quality of those herbs in the whole Zhangye County than the Baicao Shop. It's just that the price is slightly higher than other shops. You get what you pay for.

"Besides, this is a well-known reputation, and the doctor wouldn't be lying if he told anyone about it. If a family is more affluent, they would naturally be willing to spend more money to buy more effective herbs. If a family is less affluent, they can always choose cheaper herbs from other places. The doctor is just saying it casually, and it's up to them whether to listen or not."

Shen Tuzhuo asked, "Aren't you afraid that other hospitals will find out and follow your example? Then they'll also raise the fees for doctors, perhaps even more than you do. What will happen if the doctors stop listening to you?"

Tan Huaike lit a feather incense under a hollow wooden cabinet, watched the smoke drift upwards and slowly sink into the pile of clothes in the cabinet, and said, "Of course they can bribe the doctors with their money and charge higher consultation fees, but they can't come up with better herbs than me at the moment.

"Besides, it's our Herb Shop that built up this reputation first, so it'll be hard for them to catch up. But if they find a better source of other herbs than I do, that's their own strength. I can't cut off everyone's financial resources, right? Of course, this will inevitably cause some dissatisfaction at first, but a smart business owner knows how to handle it. "I'm not planning on making the Herb Shop the only one in the market. I just want to revitalize it. We can all make money together. Maybe later on I can even get a better supply channel."

Sniffing the delicate fragrance, Shentu Zhuo smiled and said, "You can say anything, sister-in-law. Are all the merchants in Mohe as cunning and deceitful as you?"

Tan Huaike said modestly: "Not necessarily, maybe I am gifted?"

Shentu Zhuo couldn't help laughing. He felt that talking to her was more interesting than doing anything else, especially more interesting than the articles he was going to write recently, "Maocai" and "Mingfa".

The two sat opposite each other on the wooden table, waiting for the fumigation to be completed.

"I've already made the deal with these two doctors. I'd like to invite another one to come in and see patients," Tan Huaike said, "so that we can have doctors around more often."

"Oh, if you want to treat me, then go ahead." Shen Tu Zhuo was very interested. "Are you short of money again? I can lend you some."

"No, it's just that this doctor might be hard to find..."

"Who do you want to invite?"

"Dr. Qiu Mingxin from Rusheng Clinic."

"..." Shentu Zhuo frowned, "That old stubborn guy? I advise you not to make trouble for yourself."

"How to say?"

"Everyone in the county knows that Doctor Qiu never sees patients outside. Whether they are high-ranking officials or ordinary people, they have to go to the Rusheng Clinic to get a number and wait in a long line. Unless it is a serious emergency, no one can get in first. Last time, the county magistrate came down with a rash, and he also stood in line at the clinic for half a day. Let me warn you, this man is stubborn and you can't buy him off with any amount of money."

"I know. That's why I wanted to invite him here so that the Herb Shop can be unique."

"That's a nice thought, but it's too difficult. Have you figured out how to invite her?"

"Ah..." Tan Huaike sighed, "Not yet. I haven't even had a chance to talk to him. So, uncle, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What's the matter?" Seeing the shrewdness in her eyes, Shen Tu Zhuo suddenly felt a little nervous.
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　Next chapter: I don’t think I’m that innocent.

　　Thanks to book friend 6470 for the reward, and thanks to everyone for the monthly ticket recommendation ticket (-person-)
　　I forgot to set up automatic updates, hurry up and make up for it~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)