Chapter 66 East Wing Pharmacy
Mengxi entered the clan ancestral hall, stepped forward, took the incense on the table, lit it in front of the oil lamp, and did not kowtow according to the etiquette taught by the nanny, but knelt directly on the cushion and said:
"I, the concubine Mengxi, pay my respects to all the ancestors of the Xiao family. Please forgive me for my disrespect. I was born to my aunt and am of humble status. I married into the Xiao family on behalf of my elder sister because of an unexpected wedding. I know that greed is a pit of fire, and indulgence in love is a sea of suffering. I have no intention of coveting the wealth of the Xiao family. I just want to have a place to stay in the Xiao Mansion. I have no intention of offending the ancestral precepts of the Xiao family, and I have no intention of becoming the mistress of the Xiao family. I hope that the ancestors of the Xiao family will bless me for the sake of saving Xiao Jun's life. When I leave, please do not embarrass me and let me leave the Xiao Mansion safely. From now on, marriage between men and women has nothing to do with each other. I will repay the great kindness of all the ancestors forever."
After saying this, he twisted the incense, bowed three times, stood up and inserted the incense into the incense burner, then glanced at the tablets of the Xiao family's ancestors, turned around and slowly walked out of the ancestral hall.
Facing the strong light outside the door, he squinted for a while before he adjusted himself. He saw the master and the Xiao clan leaders standing in the scorching sun, sweating all over their heads, but their faces were solemn and pious, and they would not tolerate any disrespect. Mengxi felt ashamed and looked at the sky. Fortunately, there were no clouds today, otherwise thunder would have struck long ago.
She walked down the platform slowly. A maid had come over to help Mengxi get into the sedan chair. The clan leaders also got into their sedan chairs. They walked slowly towards the Xiao Mansion. As the pair of dark red doors behind them slowly closed, this gorgeous wedding was finally complete. But can she and he also have such a perfect wedding? It's worth looking forward to!
…
Mengxi was leaning on the couch, holding a book, while Zhiqiu was sitting on the embroidery cushion beside her, embroidering a purse while saying:
"Since Second Madam moved to the East Wing, Second Master has moved back to the East Room and has not been to the Red Jade Room since. Today is just the half-month since then. I wonder which garden Second Master will go to first? I guess it will be Aunt Li's Chrysanthemum Garden."
"When you go to that garden in the future, you don't have to tell me. Oh, by the way, the pharmacy in the backyard has been cleaned up."
"It's ready. It's all been modified according to Second Grandma's drawings and requirements. Second Grandma, please come and take a look when you have time. Now it can be used to prepare medicine directly."
"That's good. Second Master, you never asked about this again?"
"No, but the first wife sent someone to ask, and I have told them that I only found a few servants to clear the silt in the back pond, moved the flowers beside the pond, and planted some other flowers. It happened that the servants were clearing the silt on the day the first wife sent people, so they went over to take a look and didn't say anything. By the way, second madam, when the first wife's people saw that we planted some bamboo, they all laughed at us, saying that the bamboo in the south can't be supported at all, and that the second madam would sit at home with nothing to do and think of some weird things, wasting money. Apart from this, they didn't say anything else."
"That's good. Ignore them. Just grow the bamboos according to my instructions. When they grow into a forest, they will cover the pharmacy. Even if ordinary people pass by by chance, they won't be able to find what's behind the bamboo forest. The smell of medicine won't be easy to spread. By the way, the backyard is big. In addition to flowers, you can plant medicinal herbs. Pick the ones with strong smells to avoid people getting suspicious when they smell the medicinal smell in the backyard. To outsiders, just say that I like to make medicinal food, so I planted these things. By the way, have you arranged for the craftsman who will clean up the pharmacy?"
"Second Madam is really smart and thoughtful. I will definitely make arrangements. The craftsmen who cleaned the house were specially found by my brother from outside the mansion. We paid the money ourselves. Before they left, I reminded them not to say anything nonsense."
"That's good . We must be extremely careful about this matter. Give orders to Zhixia and the others to keep an eye on it. From now on, the back garden of the east wing is a forbidden area. No one is allowed to enter. Even if the Second Master wants to enter, we must try our best to stop him."
"I have already told Zhixia and the others that my brother wrote to me this morning, saying that the pharmacy has been almost decorated and he wants Second Madam to choose a good day for the opening. He also asked if Grandma can come over on the opening day?"
"Let Li Du set the date. I've just been out of the house. I'm afraid that even if the old lady favors me, I can't go out again. Even if I go out, I can't go there openly. You can find a way to go and take a look that day, and come back and tell me, how is the medicine going?"
"My elder brother said that he has accepted a large number of students according to your wishes. Most of them are homeless children living on the streets. There are also a few very smart ones among them. They are being trained. According to the prescription you provided, the first batch of medicine has been processed almost. It will be shipped in the next two days, and you will make the final preparation. This batch of medicine is ready, just in time for the opening of the business."
It turned out that when Mengxi was providing the prescription, she remembered the Grand Mansion she had seen in her previous life, and understood that the rise and fall of a pharmacy depended on the secret recipe. In ancient times, there was no such thing as patent protection law. Once the effectiveness of the pills she made spread, someone would definitely try their best to obtain the secret recipe. It was not that she did not trust Li Du and his son, but she knew that this was ancient times after all, and some people would never give up until they achieved their goals, and they might resort to extraordinary means. She did not expect Li Du and his son to be the modern Liu Hulan, with a steely character, swearing allegiance to her until death, so she finally decided that, except for some simple and commonly used varieties, the most critical step in the production process of other medicines would be mastered by her personally, and Li Du and his son would only be responsible for processing semi-finished products.
"Okay, be careful when taking this medicine in and out of the house. You may have bribed your own people at the second gate."
"I have thought about it. I will say that my parents sent someone to send me some gifts. Baozhu and Gousheng on the second gate are our people. They were originally bullied by other families. Seeing that I really care about them and knowing that I am your people, they are very kind to me. It is absolutely no problem to send some small gifts or letters on weekdays. However, when our pharmacy is open for business and the exchanges are frequent, we have to think of another way. Otherwise, the first wife will find out."
"That's good. We should keep these two people close in the future. Don't be afraid to spend money. We should also take care of other people from time to time. It would be best if we could go out of the house to play often in the future. As for the method, I have been thinking about it. If I can't think of it now, I will think about it slowly later. There is no need to rush now."
After hearing this, Zhiqiu stared at the Second Madam, thinking: This Second Madam is so brave that she can be as big as a pumpkin if she is dried. She is so careful in doing things on weekdays, and she is afraid of being hit on the head by a falling leaf. How could she have such an unconventional idea? This girl from a decent family never leaves the house!
"Second Madam, please don't have such thoughts. If the First Madam knew about this, she would accuse you of being unfaithful to your husband and would even skin me alive."
