Chapter 47: Buying a Bicycle

Xiao Zhao gave her the address.  “That Xinglin Pharmacy is on the main street; you’ll definitely see it.”

“Okay, I understand. Thank you.”

Tang Xiaorou thanked him with a smile.  Seeing he was no longer needed, Xiao Zhao closed the door and left.

“Uncle, remember to take your medicine on time. I’ll come and check your pulse again in two weeks.”

Yue Yuan nodded with a smile. “Okay.”

Before leaving, Tang Xiaorou pointed to the jar of pickled vegetables. “This was pickled by my mother recently. It’s delicious. Uncle can eat some every morning. If you like it, I’ll ask my mother to pickle some more later.”

“Good, thank you for your mother.”

Thinking of the pickled vegetable and steamed bun he ate on the train, Yue Yuan had decided to eat the pickled vegetables for lunch. However, recalling Xiao Zhao’s attitude towards Tang Xiaorou and his recent mistakes at work, he called him in.

“Leader, do you need anything else?”

Yue Yuan looked at the young man. “Xiao Zhao, how long have you been working for me?”

Zhao Liang was startled but thought for a moment. “About two years.”

“Yes, I even held you as a baby.  You’ve grown up so quickly. Your father wanted you to work for me, and I agreed. But if you really can’t handle this job, I might have to disappoint your father.”

“Uncle, don’t fire me.”

Zhao Liang looked panicked. “Uncle, did I do something wrong? You can tell me directly.”

“How do you think you’ve been doing lately?”

“I…”

Zhao Liang couldn’t answer. He had been busy with blind dates and finding a partner, so his work had been neglected. He hadn’t even bought a train ticket for his uncle last time, only managing to buy a standing ticket at the last minute. “Uncle, I’ve been distracted lately, but I’ll work hard from now on.”

“My wife and I had only been married for a short time when she passed away.  Out of respect for her, I’ve given your family many conveniences, but I don’t want you to take it for granted.  After all, feelings can fade.”

Hearing this, Zhao Liang’s face turned pale.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Alright, that’s all. You can go back to work.”

Zhao Liang nodded. After leaving, his previously respectful expression turned gloomy. His uncle was becoming more and more powerful and less and less considerate of them. He was his aunt’s only nephew.

Even though his aunt had passed away, his uncle should take better care of him. Yet, he had said such things today.

No, he had to tell his father immediately and have him find a way to win over his uncle.

Meanwhile, after Tang Xiaorou left, she went to the pharmacy Xiao Zhao had mentioned.

“Hello, is Old Yu here?”

Old Yu, who had been drowsy, heard someone calling for him and lazily replied, “Yes, are you here for treatment or medicine?”

Tang Xiaorou had already entered the pharmacy. Seeing Old Yu, whose hair was turning gray, she said, “I’m looking for someone, I’m looking for Old Yu.”

“That’s me.”

Old Yu replied lazily. “Young lady, what can I do for you?”

“I heard you want to hire me to work here.”

Old Yu didn’t understand at first. When he realized that the young lady in front of him was the doctor who wrote those two prescriptions, he quickly ushered her into the back parlor. “Xiaorou, quickly make some tea.”

After inviting Tang Xiaorou to sit down, Old Yu hurriedly asked, “You’re the young doctor that young man mentioned, right? I’ve seen the two prescriptions you wrote.

They’re truly brilliant.

The herbal proportions are incredibly precise, maximizing the efficacy of each herb. It’s amazing.”

“Thank you.” Tang Xiaorou accepted the praise with a smile.

Old Yu had heard from Xiao Zhao that she was a young girl, but seeing Tang Xiaorou, he was still surprised.  Those two prescriptions were written by such a young girl it was unbelievable. “May I ask who your teacher is?”

“That’s not convenient to say.”

Hearing this, Old Yu didn’t ask further. “Then, are you interested in working at our pharmacy?”  Old Yu’s face was full of expectation.

Tang Xiaorou did have this idea, but she also needed to take care of her two children, so she stated her conditions.

“I can work here, but I have to leave at 3:30 pm every day and can only start work at 8:30 am. I also need to rest on weekends. If you accept these conditions, I can come.” Tang Xiaorou didn’t hide anything, explaining that she needed to look after her children. “My main priority is taking care of my children.”

Old Yu hadn’t expected that Tang Xiaorou, who looked so young, already had children of school age.

Tang Xiaorou didn’t explain further, only asking if the working hours were acceptable.

“Yes, of course.”

Old Yu agreed without hesitation. “If you’re willing, start tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll come after I send the children to school tomorrow. But I might be busy sometimes, and I’ll need to ask for leave when necessary.”

“No problem.”

As long as she had the real skills, everything else was secondary.

Tang Xiaorou was very satisfied with Old Yu’s straightforwardness. Before leaving, she bought a lot of herbs.

Seeing the herbs she bought, Old Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Are you making a whitening pill?”

Hearing this, Tang Xiaorou looked at Old Yu again. “You’re knowledgeable. Yes, it’s for making a whitening pill.”

“It’s not about knowledge; I know what you’re making just by seeing the angelica dahurica and bletilla striata. But…I don’t understand the other herbs you bought. Are they also for making whitening pills?”

Tang Xiaorou shook her head. “No, the other herbs are for making other ointments.” She wasn’t afraid of Old Yu seeing through her, because she had already bought some key herbs before, so the ones she bought today weren’t all the ingredients.

“Old Yu, how much is it all together?”

Old Yu waved his hand. “No need to pay. Consider it a welcome gift.”

“No, this is a business. You can’t just give things away for free.”  After paying, Tang Xiaorou left. “Old Yu, I’ll come tomorrow morning.”

Carrying a large bag of herbs and needing to pick up Xiaoyan, Tang Xiaorou decided she needed a bicycle.  Shen Huaixu had wanted to buy a “three-turn-one-ring” bicycle before, but she hadn’t let him.  However, he had given her the money and ticket, so she might as well buy one in town.

Tang Xiaorou went to the town’s department store and went straight to the bicycles.

“Hello, comrade, do you have a 26-inch women’s bicycle?” Tang Xiaorou saw that the bicycles on display were all 28-inch, so she asked the saleswoman directly.

The saleswoman glanced at Tang Xiaorou indifferently. “We do, we have one in the warehouse, but it costs 180 yuan plus a bicycle ticket.”

Although the woman was clean, her clothes were old-fashioned, and she didn’t look like she could afford a bicycle, so the saleswoman wasn’t enthusiastic.

However, Tang Xiaorou had already taken out the money and ticket. “Okay, comrade, I’ll take one.”

Li Hong didn’t expect Tang Xiaorou to actually be able to afford a bicycle. After receiving the money and ticket, she carefully counted them.  “Okay, wait, I’ll go get it from the warehouse.”

Before Li Hong could go to the warehouse, another person came.

“Comrade Li, do you have any women’s bicycles?”