Chapter 459: Chapter 446 Severe Illness

The weather is gradually getting colder, and it is the time to busy with wheat sowing. Although there are not many people putting up stalls in the county town, it is still quite lively with people coming and going.

Zhuang Qingning saw a busy pastry shop nearby, where she bought some sesame candies, crispy twists, chestnut cakes, water chestnut cakes, and so on. She also bought a few candy paintings sold by a man next to her.

As she walked on, she saw all sorts of fresh and beautiful hairpins, as well as bamboo balls and bamboo dragonflies…

By the time she got to the spice shop, her hands were full, hardly able to pick anything else up.

Helpless, she found a grocery shop and bought a delicately woven bamboo basket with a lid to hold all her items, before going into Cheng’s spice shop.

As soon as she stepped into the spice shop, Zhuang Qingning smelled a strong fragrance.

The subtle fragrances emitted by various spices, blended together, were originally weird to smell, but the lingering scent from the incense burner at the entrance of the shop completely covered the other tastes.

In a word, the overall atmosphere is quite pleasing.

She couldn’t help but slightly lift the corners of her mouth.

A smart clerk approached her, “Miss, are you here to buy loose spices or prepared incense?”

“Are you planning to use it yourself or give it as a gift, and where do you plan to use it?”

Zhuang Qingning smiled and said, “I’m planning to buy some loose spices to make myself.”

“If you’re planning to make the spice yourself, please come this way.” The clerk led her to a table, pulled a chair for her and poured a cup of tea, “Do you have a recipe? If you have a recipe, just tell me the names of the spices and the required amounts, and the quality of the spices you want, I’ll give you a quote. If there’s no problem, I’ll help you prepare the spices.”

“Thank you, young man.” Zhuang Qingning smiled, “I have already listed the spices and quantities I want. Take a look.”

“Hmm… I want slightly better quality spices.”

Since she plans to make money with this Moon Incense recipe, the final product has to be impressive, so naturally, she needs to use better spices to make a good Moon Incense.

The list given to the clerk had many spice quantities that did not match the recipe. In case she fails at the first attempt, she asked for extras. Apart from that, she also ordered a few more spices, which she could practice and experiment with in her spare time.

“Alright.” The clerk smiled and said after looking at the list, “With this amount ordered by you, Miss, it will cost nearly twenty taels of silver.”

“Well, the rest are actually quite affordable, only this agarwood costs slightly more.”

Spices like these are luxury items only affordable by the wealthy.

These items cost twenty taels of silver. Even though her workshop is very profitable now because of output and profit ratios, these thirty taels of silver are no small sum.

Zhuang Qingning suddenly thought of the saying about “wealthy people wasting food while the poor freeze on the streets.”

The wealth gap in this era is really vast.

The path to wealth is arduously long!

Zhuang Qingning sighed inwardly, and a hint of emotion appeared on her face.

Seeing Zhuang Qingning like this, the clerk laughed, “Since Miss is here to prepare incense, you cannot avoid using things like porcelain cups and small jars. Since you’ve bought a lot of items, we’ll give you some commonly used things as free gifts. If you like our spices, come back next time.”

Zhuang Qingning promptly nodded, “Thank you, young man.”

“Don’t mention it, Miss. It’s our pleasure,” the clerk said with a smile, “Miss, please wait a moment while I prepare your items. If you feel bored while waiting, you can look around. We have various prepared incenses over here. If you want to try any, just call for me.”

“Okay.” Zhuang Qingning nodded, finding the service in Cheng’s spice shop quite satisfactory. As the clerk prepared the items, she looked around.

This shop was quite large and there were many compartments inside besides this area. These were likely used to entertain guests on regular days, and people occasionally went up and down the second floor. From the attire of those who entered the second floor, it was clear that they were either customers or wealthy individuals. Hence, the second floor was probably better decorated.

Zhuang Qingning observed for a while before taking a sip of tea from the cup.

“Shop manager, you’re back.” The clerk at the door said with a smile.

Zhuang Qingning looked up to see a middle-aged man she didn’t recognize. With a square face and tall stature, he looked energetic. His face carried a sense of seriousness, making him seem quite authoritative.

From his appearance, this must be Manager Fang, the manager Cheng Ruize had assigned here since the last time.

“Yes.” Manager Fang nodded, although there was a touch of worry on his face.

“Shop manager, you don’t look too good. Is something wrong?” The clerk asked in surprise.

“The Third Young Master’s illness is quite peculiar. Despite being treated for several days, he has shown no signs of improvement.” Manager Fang sighed, “I just went to take a look, and he’s totally listless. On top of that, his face is waxen and he’s lost weight.”

“If the Third Young Master is so ill, I’m afraid we can’t find a good doctor in the county. We should go to the capital city. It’s known that illness comes on like a landslide, and even with the Third Young Master’s youth and vigor, it might not be enough.” The clerk also looked worried.

“That’s true. But it takes half a day to reach the capital city, and the long journey might take a toll on him. I heard Fang Hou had already sent a messenger to fetch a doctor from there, and he should arrive soon,”

Manager Fang explained, “This doctor we have invited is said to be a famous physician in the capital city. Hopefully, he will be able to treat the Third Young Master’s illness effectively.”

“Good.” The clerk nodded, then thought for a while, “Since the Third Young Master is sick, should we, as his servants, visit him? If we don’t, would it seem impolite… ”

“But if we do go, we might disturb the Third Young Master’s rest.” Manager Fang pondered for a moment before answering, “You tell the clerks in the shop later, each of them can contribute three to five coins. I’ll buy some tonics with that money and send them to the Young Master’s home on your behalf.”

“Shop manager.” The clerk frowned, “There are only a handful of clerks in the shop. Considering each contributed coins numbering three to five, it wouldn’t even amount to a hundred coins. What could we buy? You’re planning to pay for this with your own money to save our face, aren’t you? That’s not right… ”

“If I tell you to do something, you do it. Are you complaining about your high wages? The Third Young Master gives us quite a generous bonus every year. Isn’t it only reasonable for us to show our respect for him?” Manager Fang flicked the clerk’s forehead, “Enough, stop talking and get back to work.”