Chapter 34: A One-Time Deal

“No problem at all,” Su Miaomiao agreed without hesitation.

“So, how much do you want to sell the formula to me for?” the shopkeeper asked cautiously.

Su Miaomiao held up one finger. “1,000 yuan.”

“What?!” The shopkeeper’s face immediately fell. “Young lady, that price is a bit too steep.”

“Shopkeeper, we’re both businesspeople. I’m not overcharging you. You’ve experienced the effectiveness of the ointment firsthand. Even if you sell it for just 2 yuan per portion, people will still be scrambling to buy it.”

“And the production cost of each patch is less than 60 cents. That means for every one you sell, you’re making a clear profit of 1.40 yuan. You’ll recover your 1,000 yuan in under 800 units.”

“After that, all the profit is yours. This isn’t just a one-time deal. A good prescription like this can be passed down for generations.”

“It’s not like my family is desperate for money. I wouldn’t take out a family formula to sell unless I had good reason,” Su Miaomiao added, looking reluctant and sentimental.

Thinking of the ointment’s miraculous effects, the shopkeeper gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and made a decision.

“Alright. 1,000 it is. But you have to make a new batch of the ointment in front of me. Once I confirm it has the same effect as the previous one, then I’ll give you the money.”

“I can make it, but I need the money first,” Su Miaomiao replied.

“That…” the shopkeeper frowned.

Su Miaomiao chuckled. “This is your turf. And besides, I’m just a young girl. If I tried to trick you, don’t you have a thousand ways to make sure I never leave this place?”

The shopkeeper thought about it. True—his brother-in-law was a squad leader at the police station.

He figured this girl wouldn’t dare pull something shady here.

“Alright, wait here a moment while I get the money,” he said, then went to the back.

When he returned, he was holding a thick envelope.

“There’s 1,000 yuan in here. Count it.”

Su Miaomiao counted it, bill by bill, in front of him.

“It’s all here. Exactly 1,000.”

“Now that the money is right, can I have the formula?” the shopkeeper reached out his hand.

Su Miaomiao handed over the prescription she had already prepared.

The shopkeeper took it eagerly and read through it immediately. When his eyes landed on the last two ingredients, they lit up with excitement, and he nodded with understanding.

“So it was those two herbs! I’ve been thinking all day and couldn’t figure it out. The person who modified this prescription is truly a genius. Adding these two ingredients didn’t just improve the formula—it multiplied its effectiveness several times over. And what’s even better is that they’re common herbs, so they won’t significantly raise the production cost.”

“Girl, this is really something. Are you sure you’re willing to sell this to me?” The shopkeeper clearly appreciated talent and, even though business deals should be final, still wanted to double-check.

“I’ve taken the money, haven’t I? I won’t go back on my word,” Su Miaomiao replied. “Now I’ll make a new batch of the ointment in front of you.”

She carefully stored the money away.

She actually had many prescriptions like this one—some even more effective.

But those, she was keeping for her own use.

“Alright, alright, I have all these herbs in my pharmacy. I’ll go get them right away,” the shopkeeper said, hurrying off to fetch the ingredients.

Su Miaomiao then demonstrated the entire ointment-making process right in front of him—from start to finish.

She even gave him special reminders about key steps that required extra attention.

The shopkeeper listened intently, practically trying to engrave every step into his memory.

In less than half an hour, Su Miaomiao successfully produced a fresh batch of ointment.

“Here, smell it. See if it’s right,” she said, handing the finished product to the shopkeeper.

He sniffed it carefully, then nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, it’s exactly the same as the one you gave me yesterday.”

“Since you’ve confirmed that the ointment is fine, Shopkeeper, can we move on to buying the medicine?” Su Miaomiao asked.

“Yes, yes! I almost forgot about that,” the shopkeeper said quickly. “But the medicines you want are all Western ones. I don’t stock those here—I’ll have to ask someone to get them for you. That’ll take a bit of time.”

“How long do you need?”

“About two hours, give or take,” the shopkeeper thought for a moment.

After all, they were all common medicines, and the quantity wasn’t large—two hours should be enough.

“Alright, I’ll come back in two hours then.”

“No problem.”

—

Once the deal was settled, the shopkeeper personally walked Su Miaomiao to the door.

“No need to go further, Shopkeeper,” Su Miaomiao nodded politely before turning and leaving.

After leaving the pharmacy, Su Miaomiao went straight to the city’s supply and marketing cooperative.

Compared to the one in the county, it was much larger and had a wider variety of goods.

Even though her space still had plenty of supplies, since she had made the trip, she might as well stock up.

From rice, flour, grain, and oil to all sorts of meat—anything she could use, Su Miaomiao bought.

She also picked up several boxes of sweets and candies that the children liked.

The other customers were shocked by her extravagant and carefree shopping style—some were even too intimidated to approach.

Su Miaomiao spent 500 yuan in one go at the supply store and left with a mountain of goods.

Her lavish spending left the store staff stunned, unable to recover for a while.

Su Miaomiao then carried her large and small bags into a secluded alley and stashed everything into her space.

She exited from another alleyway—quick and efficient—without drawing anyone’s attention.

She still had 500 yuan left, so she headed to the department store.

Though it was still early autumn, Mò City got cold fast—within a month or two, temperatures could drop below freezing.

In the coldest months, it could reach minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius outdoors.

Without proper winter supplies, one might not even survive a single night.

Su Miaomiao went straight to the bedding section and bought two thick down comforters.

The 500 yuan was spent in an instant.

But Su Miaomiao felt it was worth it. Those quilts would carry her through the entire winter.

In terms of quality, in modern times, they’d cost tens of thousands.

With her money gone, Su Miaomiao didn’t bother browsing the store anymore.

After all, window shopping with no money to buy was just painful.

By the time she came out of the department store, about two hours had passed.

She again found a quiet spot to store the comforters in her space before returning to the pharmacy.

“Ah! Young lady, you’re back right on time. The medicines you asked for just arrived,” the shopkeeper said, beaming when he saw Su Miaomiao.

While waiting for the medicines, he had tried making a batch of the ointment himself.

The result was almost identical to Su Miaomiao’s version.

He planned to bring in a few apprentices the next day to mass-produce the ointment, and by afternoon, it would be ready for sale.

How could he not be in a good mood?