Transmigrated Genius: Fragile Heiress Reigns Supreme-Chapter 491 - 495: Apothecary (Part 3)

"He talks quite a bit, but overall he’s a decent person!" It was a rather fair evaluation.

Xiqiu thought of First Master Pang and couldn’t help but feel uneasy, so she asked, "Does Lord Pang have any concubines in his room, or how does he usually conduct himself?" These matters should be known to the Grand Dowager, but if they were to look into it, having a couple of maids in a man’s room when he comes of age is quite usual and wouldn’t be considered something to fuss over.

Fourth Master Xiao smiled and said, "These are private matters, and he wouldn’t share them with outsiders. If you want to know, you can have Nanny Cen visit the Pang Mansion as a passerby tomorrow and quietly inquire about it."

The next day, Xiqiu really did send Nanny Cen to quietly inquire at the Pang Mansion. Nanny Cen returned and said, "...there’s a maid who has been with him since she was young, but no one else."

Nanny Cen specifically mentioned a maid, indicating that this maid was likely a concubine.

It’s normal for Lord Pang, who’s twenty this year, to have a concubine at his age, but Xiqiu still felt uneasy. However, the marriage was already settled, and the groom had no apparent faults, so breaking off the engagement was impossible.

She set aside her concerns and stopped thinking about it.

Ruan Jingliu returned and, without even going back to Qiantang Alley, directly came with Chunyan to see her.

Having not seen her for ten days, she looked slimmer than when she left and didn’t say much. After sitting in Xiqiu’s room for a while, she left.

Xiqiu then asked Chunyan, "Did she go to the Zhang Family, or did she return to her own family?"

Chunyan shook her head and replied, "Nurse Zhang neither went to the Zhang Family nor returned to her own family. Instead, she met a man at an inn, and the next day, someone delivered her books to their rented courtyard. Nurse Zhang then stayed in Tongzhou for a few more days while visiting friends before she returned."

Xiqiu found it strange. She was a daughter-in-law of the Zhang Family, and although her husband had passed away, she was still considered one of them. Why would she only have her books delivered to Tongzhou without even returning home?

"Madam!" Chunyan tilted her head, looking suspicious, and said, "It seems to me that Nurse Zhang and the Zhang Family have no contact anymore." Xiqiu was taken aback and asked, "How do you know that?"

Chunyan replied, "I’m not certain, but the man who came to see her spoke to her rudely. After exchanging a few words, he slapped the table, stood up, and said, ’The Zhang Family doesn’t have such shameless women like you. I’ll deliver the books, but you’d better not show up at Zhang Mansion again.’ Then, he walked away in anger, and Nurse Zhang sent Wan’er and me out, sitting alone in the room for an entire afternoon."

It seems that Ruan Jingliu’s life wasn’t as carefree as she appeared to be.

She sighed, feeling an even greater urge to help her.

But she couldn’t think of a way. Renting a shop in the Capital wasn’t something money alone could solve; most were owned by old established families and weren’t readily available.

Without a clinic, she couldn’t settle in the Capital. Would she have to remain a traveling doctor indefinitely?

All of a sudden, Xiqiu thought of her own shop on West Street!

She said to Chunyan, "Tomorrow, go to the residence and find Jin Dairui, and have him check West Street to see if the shopkeeper intends to renew the lease this year."

Chunyan agreed, and the next day, Nanny Jin came into the mansion and reported, "The owner of the shop said business hasn’t been good this year, and they plan to move out by the end of the month."

This was truly excellent news.

Xiqiu smiled and immediately invited Ruan Jingliu to the mansion, saying, "I hadn’t originally considered it because the shop’s location is a bit out of the way, and it’s not very large. Plus, it’s currently rented to someone else, which might be inconvenient. But since finding a good shop isn’t easy, why not use mine for now? What do you think?"

Ruan Jingliu beamed with joy and asked, "Where is it located?" Xiqiu briefly explained the shop’s location: "Have a look when you have time, and if you think it works, you can start tidying it up once the current tenants move out by the month’s end."

That afternoon, Ruan Jingliu went to take a look and returned with a smile, nodding, "I think it’s great. Although it’s not as busy as East Street, a clinic doesn’t need to be in a bustling area. It has two rooms: one in the front for a pharmacy to sell medicine, and the back one can be divided into a consultation room and a room for the staff."

"If that’s the case, then it’s perfect," Xiqiu said with a smile. "By the end of the month, we can hire a craftsman, and we can open by mid-next month."

Ruan Jingliu was also very pleased.

Xiqiu thought further: since she planned to start a clinic and sell medicine, might it be more feasible to grow herbs on her estate? She shared her thoughts with Ruan Jingliu, who laughed and said, "I suggest we go into partnership. This way, we can supply the herbs directly to the pharmacy without worrying about sourcing, and the profits from selling herbal medicine far exceed growing them."

Xiqiu was surprised; she had wanted to open a store but couldn’t decide what to do. Hearing Ruan Jingliu’s proposal sparked her interest.

If she cultivated herbs on her estate and opened a pharmacy in the Capital with Ruan Jingliu, a renowned physician in charge, there would be no worry about business. However, growing herbs on the estate required at least a year, making her concerned, "Working together is great, but we don’t have the herbs immediately available. What should we do?"

Ruan Jingliu also pondered, "I know many suppliers, but none in the Capital. We’ll need to work a bit to find them."

"Okay," Xiqiu thought for a moment and said, "There are still ten days until the end of the month, so let’s use that time to find suppliers." She paused, adding, "Since we’re opening a pharmacy, we can’t function like a clinic. We’ll need a shopkeeper, attendants in the front, and apprentice pharmacists in the back. Just you alone would be too exhausting. We should also hire a doctor for common illnesses, meaning we’ll need four or five people. Recruiting will take time, and we really don’t have much of it left."

Ruan Jingliu promptly said, "Let’s get started then. I’ll ask some friends to look into sourcing suppliers, and you handle the recruitment."

"Alright." Xiqiu nodded in agreement and then pulled Ruan Jingliu aside, "There’s one more thing I need to ask your help with."

Ruan Jingliu paused and, with a smile, said, "There’s no need for formality between us. Tell me what’s on your mind." Xiqiu thought about it and roughly explained Lady’s situation to her, "If you have time, come with me to the mansion and take a look."

Her tone was casual, and while Xiqiu didn’t wish for Lady to pass away soon, she also didn’t want her to be full of life ruling the household.

If Lady were to pass away now, First Master would be just over forty this year, and he might remarry, potentially bringing in a new wife with unpredictable consequences for Madam Xia. It might be better for Lady to stay healthy for now.