Chapter 59 Buying Medicine

  Buying medicine

  Because Zhou had been to Jinan Prefecture on the fourth day of the week, although it had been a year, he could still tell the direction. Yao Fan and his party asked for directions again and easily found the early sail merchant's branch near the Niangniang Temple in the city.

  The shop faces east, with a moderate-sized storefront of about six or seven meters. The door panels are stacked vertically on either side, and above the entrance hangs a newly painted black wooden signboard with the four large characters "Zǎo Fān Shāng Hào" (Early Sail Merchant). On either side of the door and in the middle, there are four red pillars, their vermilion paint somewhat peeling. Red paper is pasted on them, with bold, black brushstrokes reading: "Extremely Cheap Prices, 10% Off", "Honesty Guaranteed, Best Reputation", "Guangzhou Imported Soap Available", and "Rich Fragrance, Healthy Skin".

  Seeing the arrival of Yao Fang and his entourage outside the store, the shop assistant was taken aback and immediately came out to greet them. The shop assistant vaguely recognized Zhou Di and quickly regained his composure, bowing deeply to Yao Fang and saying: "This must be Master Yao! I am Qi Maisu, at your service."

  Yao Feng helped him up and followed him into the store, while the other apprentices pushed their bicycles and goods, following instructions to enter through the back door of the shop's backyard.

  It's said that Yao Feng has arrived, He Wan's third brother He Wanyou hurriedly ran out to greet him. Yao Feng had never met He Wanyou before, and seeing his pale and sallow complexion with a sickly look on his face, his eyes somewhat dull, he quickly told him not to be too polite, the two sat down in the reception chairs by the north wall after entering the shop.

  Yao Fang sat between two chairs, with a small table holding tea in front of him, and He Wan had sat down beside him. He took a look at the decorations in the shop and felt that they were really simple, with only the blue brick floor being very clean, which was the only thing worth boasting about, but it could be seen that his partner was usually diligent.

  Behind the counter in the store, there were three layers of shelves. The lower layer had a row of small green porcelain jars with unknown contents. The second layer was cluttered with various small goods, including hair oil, rouge, face powder, perfume, combs, ink boxes, and paper, among which Yao Fang's soap occupied only one position. The topmost layer was surprisingly empty, apparently because there were no more items to sell.

  Yao Fan sighed silently and thought to himself, "Although it's also my fault for not buying enough things, the store's layout is really not well-planned."

  "Hmm!" With a slight cough, Yao Fan spoke up: "Wan You brother, to make a long story short, I've just arrived in Jinan and am not familiar with the local customs. I'll need your guidance from now on."

  He Wan's eyelid twitched as he hastily said, "Yao Dongjia, why speak so sternly? We're in the same business, we're like one family. What's there to ask or not ask?"

  Yao Fan nodded, thinking that he had nothing to do with his hands, and wanted to take a look at the account books. He said straightforwardly: "Wan You brother, bring me the shop's account book, I'll take a look at the current business volume of the shop, and have a rough idea in my mind."

  "Alright, alright." He Wan You repeatedly responded, stood up straight and walked into the back of the store. Yao Feng furrowed his brow, looking at his back, thinking to himself that this guy wasn't He Wan's third brother? Why did he look even older than his older brother?

  At this time, He Shicheng walked out from the back of the store and stood beside Yao Fang, bowing his head to whisper in his ear: "Master, you'd better be careful with my third brother." After that, he stood aside without speaking again.

  Yao Fang became alert and asked: "Is everyone settled down in the back?"

  He Shicheng said, "The six rooms are all ready-made and seem to have been prepared early. They are all swept clean. I left the second room on the south side for the landlord. It should be well-ventilated and not exposed to sunlight. The goods from the cart have been unloaded in the yard, still wrapped in oilcloth. Does the landlord want to unpack them now and check them into storage?"

  "Let's check the account book first before putting it in storage."

  He Shicheng stood beside Yao Fang and nodded in agreement.

  After a while, He Wanyou brought out the account book. Yao Feng took it over and looked at it for a few pages before asking, "Why did all kinds of goods sell so little?"

  He Wan smiled and said: "Our branch just opened this month, business is bound to be a bit dull."

  Yao Fandao: "In total, six large boxes of soap were moved over, with more than 3,400 pieces, and 2,000 taels of silver were given as capital for the construction number. Now, how come there are only 700 taels left in the account?"

  "Master Dong, you've come from afar and wouldn't know this, but this shop is hard to find. I had a hard time searching for it near the Niangniang Temple and finally found this good spot. But the landlord was unwilling to rent, only wanting to sell. I thought, buying it would be an asset, and even if we sell it later, we won't lose out. So I took charge and bought it outright. The shop has three sections front and back, with a carriage house and stable in the back. Including the deed tax, it cost 950 taels of silver. Adding to that the various expenses for goods, this 700 taels is accounted for down to the last penny."

  Yao Wenyi heard that this broken shop had cost 950 taels, and then compared it to the three rows of nine courtyards with a backyard for horses and carriages in Qingdao Kou, which he bought from the Zhou family for 280 taels. He felt something was off - this shop seemed to be only one-fourth the size of the Zhou's mansion. Even if land prices in Jinan were expensive, it wouldn't be like the housing market craze of 2011. Moreover, no matter how he looked at it, this shop didn't seem new and should be a second-hand old house just like his own.

  Just thinking that He Wan is his only partner, and He Wan is the third brother of He Wannian, Yao Fan did not make a fuss, but said lightly: "Then let's do it this way, Shicheng, you take Li Jun and Liu Jinbao to check the accounts with me, after checking without error, put all the goods we brought into storage and account."

  "Yes, sir." He Shicheng held up his ledger and left for the back.

  Yao Fan picked up the tea bowl brought by Qi Mai Shun and took a sip, continuing: "During this period, thanks to Wan You brothers' efforts in this place, please continue to work hard in the future."

  He Wanru saw Yao Fang and had no different expression, and said repeatedly: "Where, where, it's our family business, should be, should be."

  Yao Fang nodded and immediately made an excuse that she needed to rest, bidding farewell as she entered the backyard.

  Yao Feng called Zhou Di Si to his room in the backyard and instructed him: "Di Si, He Wan said he helped our company buy this shop for 950 taels."

  "Master! Don't believe him! This is utter nonsense! If this courtyard is worth 900 taels, no, even if it's worth 200 taels, I'll smash my head against the wall!"

  Yao Fangan nodded and said, "I also know that there must be a cat in the bag, but everything should be investigated clearly. We can't just open our mouths randomly, or we might wrongly accuse someone and make them feel cold. Now go to the governor's mansion for me and help the few young masters of the Zhou family deliver a message. Tell them where we are staying. After you've finished notifying them, go around on the streets and gather some information for me. What is the actual price of a shop like this in Jinan Prefecture?"

  "Fourth Master Zhou said fiercely: 'Don't worry, East House, I'll definitely investigate and get to the bottom of it. That son of a black-hearted man won't be wronged!'"

  Yao Feng watched Zhou Di leave and felt relieved in his heart.

  "He thought of him as a young apprentice in a pawnshop just a few days ago, but now he's talking about protecting his own interests."

  Yao Feng called the fellow outside to bring in water, took a towel and wiped his neck and face, then soaked some dry food and dried meat with tea, took out a bank card from his bag, said he was going out for a stroll, and left the shop from the backyard.

  Behind the Niangniang Temple, Yao Fan found a secluded spot and bit his teeth to make a blood sacrifice, allowing him to cross over.

  Back in Jinan in 2011, Yao Fan quickly took off his fake queue hat and changed out of his strange long gown. He hailed a taxi and found an ATM to withdraw some cash. At a clothing store, he bought a pair of brightly colored beach pants and a T-shirt, which he put on before heading to a local hospital.

  After Yao Fan hung up the phone, he found an internal medicine doctor and lied that a relative of his was doing business in Africa. He saw local children suffering from tuberculosis, but the local medical conditions were extremely poor. He hoped the doctor could prescribe some medicine for him to bring over through his sailor friend, so his relative could do charity work there. As soon as he spoke, the doctor was deeply moved and felt that he must provide humanitarian support for such a spirit of Norman Bethune.

  The doctor then took out a piece of paper and wrote down the various first-line drugs and auxiliary treatment drugs in detail. Isoniazid, rifampicin, streptomycin, para-aminosalicylic acid, kanamycin, and erythromycin were listed, with the doctor noting the usage and dosage. He also instructed Yao Fan to ensure that the patient was supplemented with vitamins A and C, as well as liver-protecting drugs to prevent long-term medication from damaging liver function. The doctor further emphasized that the medication could not be stopped, with a single course lasting 6 months, and it was best to persist with two courses of treatment to thoroughly eliminate the lesions, eradicate tuberculosis bacteria in the body, and prevent relapse.

  Yao Fan took the list and the doctor's prescription, bought a year's worth of medication at the pharmacy. After leaving the hospital, he saw a supermarket and his mouth began to water, thinking that he should make good use of the 200CC blood, so he went in and purchased twenty boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, fifty pens, fifty bottles of ink, and fifty towels, stuffing them all into a large wheeled suitcase. Only then did Yao Fan hail a taxi and return to the temple where he had started, using the blood to make an offering as he passed through.

  As the Li family's carriage entered the yamen, they were naturally greeted with a flurry of welcomes and farewells. Knowing that honored guests had arrived, Governor Ding Baozhen made a special visit to pay his respects, sitting down to chat with them about trivial matters.

  "It's rare for the three of you to come to my Shandong, so you should stay for a few more days. You should play around Baotu Spring, Daming Lake and Thousand Buddha Mountain thoroughly before leaving. Why are you in such a hurry? If you only stay for ten days, how can you have a good time?" Ding Baozhen stroked his beard with a smile.

  To Li's children, Ding Baozhen said this, which is quite kind and loving. Normally he doesn't talk or laugh much, seeming like a cold person.

  Li Jingfang, seeing the governor, such a big official, was also honest and respectfully told Ding Baozhen that his father Li Hongzhang had already arranged their schedule in Tianjin and they did not dare to delay.

  Li Desheng smiled and said, "Actually, I wanted to stay for a few more days. It's not for sightseeing, but to gather with people more often. Uncle Ding doesn't know that on the way to Jinan, my brother and I met an extraordinary talent."

  "Oh? Who is it that makes you so concerned about him, my virtuous nephew? I'd also like to take a look." said Ding Baozhen with a chuckle.