Chapter 135: A Thousand Miles Away, Sending My Longing

The Iron Lady carefully reviewed the documents. The more she read, the more intrigued she became. Each person was responsible for only one specific process of preparing a medicinal ingredient, with the final step of proportioning the powdered medicine assigned to one individual before it was distributed and packaged by others. The division of labor was clear.

While the medicine was produced, those involved in the process would still not know the full recipe. To piece together the complete formula, it would require collusion among all the participants in the production process.

This approach carried significant risks. If the profits were not distributed fairly, a single mistake could expose everything.

Moreover, no one could be certain whether Su Wan had planted informants among the workers.

“I’ll teach you how to adjust the proportions when the time comes,” Su Wan said. “You will personally oversee the workshop’s medicine preparation. You’ll need to provide me with samples and write down the proportions you used. The Qi Family Army will then deliver them to me.”

Su Wan made a gesture with her hand. “At least ten times. When you’re adjusting the proportions, you’re not allowed to refer to the formula. This is to prevent any leaks.”

She crossed her hands and placed them on the table. “Can you do that?”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Yu Niang replied, pride evident in her voice. “Back when I helped my father with business, I could still recite several ledgers from memory even now.”

“Good, we’ll proceed with this arrangement for now,” Su Wan said, indicating that the Iron Lady was still under evaluation. She blinked and added, “Seventy percent of the workshop’s earnings will go towards military expenses. Whether they get their own battlefield and weapons workshop depends on how well we perform.”

Yu Niang smiled, a seductive curve to her lips as she brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. “With a mistress like you, whatever they desire will eventually come to fruition.”

The two of them reached an agreement.

Su Wan then began to worry about hiring staff.

Su Wan couldn’t help but think of Gu Huaizhi. He was quite resourceful, having been the one to hire all the people at the Xinglin Workshop. She planned to ask him tomorrow after he came out of the examination hall if he knew anyone suitable for the job.

She reserved two tables at a private restaurant known for its delicious food.

Everyone gathered together, enjoying a lively and joyful meal.

The atmosphere was so good that everyone drank quite a bit and soon showed signs of being tipsy.

Su Wan couldn’t resist the enthusiasm of the group and ended up drinking two cups of fruit wine.

This body had never touched alcohol before, and her tolerance was poor. Her head began to feel a bit dizzy, a slight drunkenness creeping over her.

Leaning against the wall, she gazed up at the bright full moon outside the window. Behind her, the sounds of lively drinking games and cheers filled the air. For some reason, Su Wan felt a slight emptiness in her heart and found herself thinking about Gu Huaizhi.

“It’s the last night. I wonder if he has finished his exam papers?”

“Is he also gazing at the moon right now?”

A random line of poetry suddenly popped into her head.

“The bright moon sends thoughts a thousand miles away, as the night envelops all in its vastness.”

Su Wan patted her head.

She really was drunk.

“Young lady, are you tired? Shall I take you back to rest?” 

Yu Niang had appeared beside Su Wan at some point. Seeing her slouched against the wall with the soft moonlight gently illuminating her face, she seemed to glow with a serene light. Yu Niang asked softly, “Are you thinking about the young master?”

“Who’s thinking about him?”

Their relationship was just for show.

Su Wan’s mood completely dimmed. “They’re all having a great time drinking. I’ve booked rooms with the innkeeper, reserved them all, so there’s no one else staying here. After the party winds down, make sure they have a bowl of hangover soup before going to their rooms to sleep.”

“Understood,” Yu Niang replied.

Su Wan headed to the back courtyard first, picked a room, and lay down to sleep. Though she was utterly exhausted, she found herself unable to fall asleep.

These past few days had been spent tirelessly renovating the house, scouring the city for materials, so she was usually out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Now that her body was relaxed, Su Wan felt like something was missing, leaving her feeling oddly uncomfortable.

She clutched a pillow to her chest, tossing and turning until she finally fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.

—

At Guangren Hall…

Shopkeeper Qian instructed the apprentice to order ten thousand medicine bottles, emphasizing that he needed them urgently. The porcelain shop delivered the goods in batches.

On the 11th, they delivered one thousand bottles. On the 13th, they delivered two thousand more. By the 15th, another two thousand bottles had been provided.

The reputation of the healing ointment had spread, and Guangren Hall was the only supplier in the entire prefectural city. Not only did patients come to buy it, but even some clinics and pharmacies made purchases. The three thousand bottles of fake medicine mixed with three thousand bottles of real medicine were quickly sold.

A new batch of empty medicine bottles arrived, and they hurriedly filled and packaged them. They also took out two thousand bottles of genuine healing ointment, making a total of four thousand bottles ready for sale.

Those who had been keeping a close eye on the place quickly rushed over to make purchases.

Wang Dong, a medicine boy from another pharmacy, immediately said, “Shopkeeper, did the healing ointment arrive? How many do you have? Give me two hundred bottles first.”

Shopkeeper Qian, recognizing Wang Dong as an apprentice from a competing pharmacy, smiled and said, “Yes, the shipment just came in, but it’s not much—only four thousand bottles.”

Wang Dong quickly changed his order, “Make that five hundred bottles.”

“Alright, thirty wen per bottle. That’ll be a total of fifteen taels,” Shopkeeper Qian said, his abacus clicking away as he calculated.

Wang Dong’s eyes widened. “Isn’t it supposed to be twenty-two wen per bottle? That’s the price everywhere else. Why is it eight wen more per bottle here?”

Shopkeeper Qian smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Since you’re so familiar with the market, you should know how popular this medicine is and how hard it is to get. I went through a lot of trouble to secure just a few thousand bottles. The extra eight wen isn’t going into my pocket; it’s a markup from someone else. The costs of transportation, favors, and connections—all of that has to be factored in.”

“Running a business is about making a profit, not taking losses. Who would do business at a loss?” Shopkeeper Qian’s tone quickly turned harsh as he continued, “If you think it’s too expensive, you’re free not to buy it. Go find it cheaper somewhere else.”

Wang Dong hesitated, then said. “Are you sure this is the real thing? Not fake?”

“What are you implying? Are you trying to cause trouble here?” Shopkeeper Qian’s face darkened, and his voice grew cold. “Guangren Hall has been in business in this prefectural city for over a hundred years. When have we ever sold fake medicine?”

He reassured the skeptical customers, promising, “If this healing ointment is fake, just bring it back, and I’ll compensate you tenfold!”

These words put everyone’s minds at ease. “Shopkeeper, we trust you. Good things are hard to come by, and we understand you need to make a bit of profit. I’ll take two bottles.”

“I’ll take two as well.”

“One hundred bottles.”

“Five hundred bottles.”

The four thousand bottles of medicine were quickly sold out.

Shopkeeper Qian counted the money, unable to stop grinning. He instructed the apprentice, “There are still five thousand bottles left from the Xinglin Workshop. Go ahead and order another thirty thousand bottles. We’re not just going to do business in Guangling Prefecture; we’re going to expand to other places too.”

He planned to use these thirty thousand genuine bottles to develop markets that Su Wan hadn’t tapped into yet, seizing the business opportunity early. Later, he would supply the market with his own formulated medicine and just wait for the profits to roll in.

—

Su Wan woke up early and roused Qi Guang. She returned to the inn alone and borrowed the kitchen to make a bowl of sweet soup, a basket of vegetable buns, and a bowl of yam and fish porridge, all neatly packed into a food box.

Knowing that Gu Huaizhi hadn’t been eating well in the examination hall and that heavy meat dishes wouldn’t be suitable, Su Wan prepared everything with a light touch.

She took a quick shower, changed into a clean outfit, and then carried the food box as she took a carriage to the examination hall.

The entrance of the examination hall was crowded with people, all relatives waiting to pick up the examinees.

As Su Wan stepped down from the carriage, the doors of the examination hall swung open.