Chapter 320: Chapter 320: Renxin Hall Gossip
With Lu Zheng’s help, the remaining patients quickly received their prescriptions and left.
"Sister, sister! There’s chicken, there’s chicken!" Liu Qingquan excitedly carried the food box brought by Lu Zheng.
"I smell it, you little glutton!" Liu Qingyan laughed and patted Liu Qingquan’s head, then opened the food box and took out the roast chicken.
Liu San served half bowls of rice to two employees, each with some vegetables and meat, and was about to hand them over when Liu Qingyan stopped him and added several pieces of chicken to both bowls.
"Thank you, boss! Thank you, young master!" The two employees accepted their rice bowls with thanks and went to the side to eat.
"I want a drumstick!"
"Here you go!" Liu Qingyan tore off a drumstick and put it in Liu Qingquan’s bowl.
"And some fruit!"
"You’re quite the gourmet!" Lu Zheng used a toothpick to stab a piece of apple for her.
Liu Qingquan happily ate away.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan exchanged a smile, a shared understanding in their hearts.
"I heard Uncle Li say someone was looking for you yesterday. Did someone take a fancy to Sweet Shop’s sugar frost?" Liu Qingyan asked with a smile.
Ever since Lu Zheng bought a sugar workshop in ancient times and had some supply channels to make maltose and rock candy himself, he decided to come up with some ideas for his own industry out of boredom.
The membership cards and points redemption campaigns felt quite advanced, and Lu Zheng worried that most of the illiterate townsfolk wouldn’t understand them, so he simply made a few molds to shape maltose into various small animals.
He also put effort into packaging differentiation.
A set of thirty-two animal maltose candies paired with zoo-themed oil paper packaging...
A set of eighteen types of weapon-shaped sugar frost paired with martial arts-themed oil paper packaging...
Directly ignited Tonglin County’s candy market, becoming a local kids’ paradise and sparking imitation among peers.
Leading the trend was Sweet Shop, and since the molds were custom-made by Lu Zheng in modern times, they were lifelike and playful, capturing the largest market share and establishing a unique high-end brand.
Therefore, Liu Qingyan thought perhaps an out-of-town merchant had taken a liking to Sweet Shop’s candies, preparing to bulk order and resell them.
"No way!" Lu Zheng shook his head with a smile, "They’re just molds and print paper, nothing technically advanced. Anyone could make their own."
No matter how refined Sweet Shop’s molds and pictures were, they were still artisan crafts. The Great Jing Dynasty had plenty of skilled craftsmen who could easily outdo Sweet Shop’s styles.
"Then what’s the reason? Is it a new sugar merchant?" Liu Qingyan asked.
"Not quite." Lu Zheng shook his head, somewhat helplessly, "Someone wants to buy my shop."
Liu Qingyan was slightly surprised and said, "Want to buy out Sweet Shop?"
"No, just the storefront."
Liu Qingyan blinked, momentarily baffled, "Buy the storefront? But you haven’t listed it with a brokerage!"
Lu Zheng pursed his lips, "They came directly, speaking so grandly, saying the price was negotiable, but when I asked, they offered four hundred and fifty coins."
Liu Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh, "Lu Lang, you spent four hundred and thirty coins buying this shop, right?"
Lu Zheng shrugged, "Exactly!"
On the day of purchasing the storefront, Liu Qingyan accompanied Lu Zheng.
After discovering Lu Zheng was the owner of Sweet Shop and wanted to buy a storefront, the other party decisively opened with a high bid, the market price being four hundred coins, directly asking for six hundred coins.
However, after Lu Zheng had a friendly chat with them, they happily lowered the price.
Four hundred and thirty coins, a price not low, and Lu Zheng didn’t feel like a fool paying it.
So...
After all the guests in Tonglin County have gotten used to Sweet Shop’s location, you only offer four hundred and fifty coins, expecting me to go through the trouble of relocating?
"An outsider?" Elder Liu suddenly asked from another side.
"From Yizhou Prefecture, an ’Overseas Dragon’." Lu Zheng chuckled, "Now some local wealthy families will be troubled."
"No wonder." Elder Liu nodded in understanding, "But the other party may not give up so easily and might come looking for you again."
Lu Zheng shrugged, "The problem is, I have no need to sell the shop, I’m not short of money."
"Indeed." Elder Liu simply mentioned it and didn’t dwell on the matter.
Given Lu Zheng’s status and power, those who could force him to give up a shop wouldn’t behave this way.
"Sister! Brother-in-law! Eat some chicken!" With her mouth greasy, Liu Qingquan tore a chicken wing for both Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan and offered Elder Liu a chicken rump, then sneakily put the last drumstick into her own bowl.
After thinking it over, she tore off half of the drumstick meat and gave it to Liu San, but Liu San rubbed her little head and returned the meat.
"Hehe!" Liu Qingquan beamed at Liu San, gave him a big chopstick’s worth of chicken breast, and then savored the drumstick paw.
...
After lunch, Liu Qingquan and Liu San returned home with the food box, while Lu Zheng stayed at Renxin Hall to sit with Liu Qingyan during consultations.
With Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan attending, Elder Liu leisurely drank tea and read a book, appearing quite carefree.
Not long into the afternoon, Uncle Li came in with an invitation, "Young master!"
"What’s the matter?"
"It’s an invitation from Shopkeeper Zhou, asking you to dine at Chunfeng Building tonight," Uncle Li said.
"Chunfeng Building?"
Lu Zheng took the invitation, opened it, and saw compliments on his reputation and an invitation to meet.
However, the signature wasn’t Shopkeeper Zhou’s, but from someone named Zhao Wenrong.
"Who is this now?" Lu Zheng asked.
Uncle Li shook his head, "No idea, it was delivered by a servant of Shopkeeper Zhou."
"Where’s the person?"
"Waiting at home."
Lu Zheng handed the invitation back to Uncle Li, "Return it to him, tell them I’m busy and unavailable."
"Certainly!" Uncle Li immediately took the invitation and turned to leave.
"Chunfeng Building, won’t Lu Lang go?" Liu Qingyan giggled and asked.
"Not going!" Lu Zheng promptly replied, "I fear encountering another Scorpion Spirit!"
Liu Qingyan was about to joke a few more words, but a patient arrived, stopping the conversation as she welcomed the patient.
...
Late afternoon, with the sky growing darker and no more patients visiting, Elder Liu sent Liu Qingyan and Lu Zheng home and prepared to close with the two assistants.
Knowing Elder Liu was giving them private space, they didn’t refuse, leaving the clinic and walking into the street, naturally moving closer and walking side by side.
"In three days, during the respite, how about we visit Hundred Springs Valley with Sister Shen to soak in the hot springs?"
"Sounds great!" Lu Zheng nodded, having no objections.
They had just reached Liu Family’s entrance but didn’t enter, instead looking toward Lu Family.
Then, from Lu Family’s doorway’s corner, three figures emerged.
A clear voice called out, "Young Master Lu! You’ve got quite an attitude!"