The grain merchant stiffened for a moment, and the fat on his face twitched.
"How... how did you figure that out?"
"For people who are constantly on the go, the coldness accumulates in the meridians of their legs and feet."
Qin Hongxiu raised her hand and lifted the blue cloth curtain of the private room on the side.
"Today is our grand opening, and we're offering three complimentary servings of the first soup, free of charge."
"If this owner has the guts, he might as well go in and sit for half an hour."
"If there's no improvement after the treatment, Foot Care Hall will offer one tael of silver as an apology on the spot, how about that?"
The grain merchant's eyes darted around twice, then he gritted his teeth and spat.
"Let's try it! I want to see if this pot of hot water can cure my decades-old leg pain!"
After saying that, he threw off his thick cloak and strode into the private room.
Behind them followed two or three wealthy businessmen who were eager to see something new.
The moment the curtain fell, the dozens of merchants who had been watching the commotion outside craned their necks, even their whispers subsided, all staring at the closed wooden door.
Half an hour is not a long time.
The hundreds of merchants gathered in the lobby were getting restless and itchy.
The aroma of herbs mixed with the scent of mugwort in the lobby wafted straight into people's nostrils.
The doors to the private rooms on the second floor were tightly closed.
Inside were Xue Huan and the others arranged by Gu Moran. A few comfortable breaths could be faintly heard, followed by slapping sounds, interspersed with the crisp sound of joints being kneaded.
Several salt merchants who had previously joined in the commotion paced back and forth in the corridor, craning their necks to look towards the stairwell.
" Old Zhao's leg is an old problem. Last year, he frostbitten his bones and muscles at Jianmen Pass, and he's seen more than a dozen doctors, but none of them have helped."
"I can barely move without my cane."
"Absolutely! If a basin of hot water with a few herbs could make me feel better, I'd swallow this whole flagstone!"
Before the words were even finished, the carved wooden door creaked open.
Grain merchant Old Zhao was the first to come out.
His originally ashen face now had a rosy glow, and he held his hat in his hand, his forehead covered in sweat.
The surrounding shopkeepers stared wide-eyed.
Old Zhao's cane didn't touch the ground at all; instead, it was held horizontally under his armpit.
My feet were firmly planted on the ground, without the slightest wobbling.
" Old Zhao, you've really got the strength in your legs now?"
The familiar salt merchant stepped forward and reached out to pinch his kneecap.
Old Zhao suddenly yanked his left leg forward, kicking twice in front of everyone, his voice booming so loudly it made the whole building buzz.
"Amazing! This skill is truly amazing!"
He slapped the outside of his thigh.
"The doctor just scalded me three times with boiling medicinal broth, and then vigorously pushed along the meridians of my soles with a medicinal stick, the heat shooting straight into my lower back."
"My legs feel so light now, all the soreness and coldness in my bones have been expelled through my sweat pores!"
Then, the owners of the other two silk shops also strolled out.
These two men spend most of their time escorting goods along the humid mountain roads of the Southern Territory; their arms are usually no higher than their eyebrows.
The two men, their arms swinging vigorously and their faces flushed, bowed to Qin Hongxiu.
" Shopkeeper Qin, the craftsmanship here is truly exceptional."
"I couldn't lift my right arm for half a year, but after this massage, my muscles and bones feel completely refreshed!"
"Regarding the gold card I mentioned earlier, can I pay in cash directly?"
The lobby was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Immediately afterwards, the shouting and the clattering of tables and chairs nearly ripped the roof off.
These merchants, who travel all over the country year-round, who among them hasn't accumulated a body full of hidden injuries and wear and tear?
No matter how much money you earn during the day, only you know the agony of tossing and turning in pain at night due to bone aches.
Seeing that the three familiar shopkeepers had all benefited, who could sit still?
" Shopkeeper Qin, leave me a gold card. My caravan is in the back alley, and I have plenty of cash!"
"Don't push, you guys in the back! You're stepping on my boots! Shopkeeper Qin, make a note of this!"
Merchants who had been waiting to see the spectacle surged forward, shoving their bank notes and gold leaves onto the counter.
The abacus beads jingled like a sudden downpour behind the counter.
Qin Hongxiu remained calm and directed several girls who knew abacus counting to register names and distribute waist tokens and copper talismans.
In less than 15 minutes, the large sandalwood chest under the counter was stuffed full, and the brass lock couldn't be fastened anymore.
The front hall was in complete chaos, but in the shadows of the back hall, the atmosphere was chillingly cold.
Two rough-clothed men dressed as tea merchants crept silently forward, close to the shadows of the wooden corridor.
Their eyes weren't on the gold and silver in front of them; they were fixed on the window crack of the private room on the third floor, their right hands always tucked under their wide sleeves.
At the corner of the corridor, a large figure stepped across, blocking the way.
Pu Yunshan leaned against the wall, carrying a three-foot-long cast iron woodworking ruler in one hand, chewing on half a blade of grass.
"Gentlemen, have you strayed off course?"
He spat out the grass stems and twirled the iron ruler halfway around in his hand.
"That's where the women get their medicines dispensed up ahead."
Anyone who crosses this line will have their legs broken.
The two men's eyes met, and their faces suddenly tightened.
One of the men on the left crouched down and lunged forward, his five fingers like iron claws reaching straight for Pu Yunshan's throat.
The man on the right slipped a black-bladed dagger from under his sleeve and silently stabbed it towards his abdomen.
Every move was aimed at vital points; they were all ruthless tactics used in close combat within the Tubo army.
Pu Yunshan didn't even budge an inch.
The cast iron ruler in his hand slid down his wrist, the tip of the ruler fitting perfectly into the dagger's handguard.
With a slight flick of his wrist, the cast iron ruler emitted a soft clang, forcefully lifting the short dagger into the air.
The man with the dagger felt a surge of internal force rushing into his hand, and his wrist bone cracked with a sharp sound as it dislocated on the spot.
Immediately afterwards, Pu Yunshan thrust the handle of the ruler upwards, firmly pressing it against the center of the other person's sternum.
The man choked, couldn't catch his breath, rolled his eyes, and collapsed to the ground, where Pu Yunshan stepped on his back, slamming him onto the wooden plank.
Two short blades clattered to the ground at his feet, leaving two white marks.
"Trying to show off your skills in front of the young master of Mount Qingcheng? Do you really think I'm just an ordinary carpenter?"
Pu Yunshan curled his lip, pulled out two oil-soaked hemp ropes from his back waist, tied the people up like dumplings, and then tore off their cloth socks to stuff their mouths shut, dragging them all the way to the cellar in the backyard.
At this moment, in the private room of the main hall, Qin Hongxiu carried a tea tray and moved among the guests and merchants with a smile.
" Proprietor Zhao, I've heard things are really chaotic in Anyang?"
"Sigh, don't even mention it." Old Zhao leaned back on the soft pillows and poured out his grievances. " Prince An is acting like he's possessed, confiscating private grain everywhere. The price of rice has more than tripled. All the goods we transported are stuck outside the city. If this continues, there's bound to be a huge uproar."
The salt merchant in the next private room also lowered his voice and chimed in:
"It's not just Anyang; the military governor of the Southern Territory is also secretly redeploying troops, and three thousand elite cavalry are secretly heading towards Bronze Gorge. The world is about to change..."
Qin Hongxiu poured warm ginseng tea for the two of them.
Beneath the wide sleeves of her robe, the delicate silver hairpin between her fingers swiftly traced intricate lines on the wax paper hidden in her palm.
The famine in Anyang and the secret movements of the military governor were all concealed in tiny characters hidden in the lining of a sleeve pouch.
[I'm really struggling with this today's design. Please feel free to offer any ideas or suggestions. I'm not very bright, and I always feel like something's not quite right with my designs.]
[Thanks to: Sisi's Milk Tea x5, Peninsula's Love Letter, Bai Wei, Qing Han, Shi Zi, Xia Ya for the likes, Lao Zhi, Oh Oh, Rick's Flowers, and everyone else for their love and support!]