Jin Shanyao waited for several days, but heard no movement from the government office. She couldn't help but sigh... She had been too timid and had wasted a good opportunity to turn her life around.
However, Wu Zhuangzi did not present this plan to Zhu Huaizhang at all, after all, he was a gatekeeper, not a gatekeeper official.
The cooling balm Wu Zhuangzi bought last time was snatched up by his colleagues before he could even get home, leaving him with only one bottle. He's always very frugal with it.
That day, he was sitting on the doorstep, applying cooling ointment to his temples, when suddenly a head popped up beside him, startling Wu Zhuangzi so much that he grabbed the cooling ointment and hugged it to his chest.
Looking up and recognizing the person, he breathed a sigh of relief, " Guard Li, you startled me!"
Guard Li, and Lord Zhu never used anything from the Anzhi Hall. Wu Zhuangzi was completely unprepared and took out the cooling balm to continue applying it, only to have it snatched away by Li Xiao.
Wu Zhuangzi cried out in alarm, " Guard Li, what are you doing?!"
" Zhuangzi... listen to me, these past few days of autumn harvest have been spent inspecting various places... their necks and faces are peeling from the sun. Give me this ointment first, then you can go to the Anzhi Hall to buy more."
After saying that, he turned to run, but Wu Zhuangzi pounced on him and grabbed his leg tightly. " Guard Li... that ointment is my life! Give it back to me!"
He's been standing outside all day, and without this ointment he'd be peeling like crazy. Li Xiao dragged Wu Zhuangzi into the inner hall, " Zhuangzi... I'll give you double the money, go buy some more."
"No... Anzhi Hall's ointment isn't something you can just buy with money; you have to wait in line. Guard Li, I beg you, please give it back to me. This is the only bottle I have left."
Li Xiao swung his leg forcefully, " Zhuangzi, you don't want anything to happen to the adults, right? Listen to me, give me this bottle of ointment, and you go buy some more."
"What are you doing? Stand up!" A stern voice came from the inner hall, and Zhu Huaizhang looked at the two men with a livid face.
"This is a sacred place for you to fool around and act recklessly."
Li Xiao lowered his head and dared not speak. Wu Zhuangzi quickly stood up and stood beside him, secretly trying to snatch the ointment, but was caught red-handed by Zhu Huaizhang.
"Take it out."
Li Xiao pursed his lips and handed the ointment to Zhu Huaizhang. Zhu Huaizhang held the bottle and didn't notice anything wrong. He opened the cap and saw that the ointment was green and had a cool breeze.
"What's this??"
Wu Zhuangzi replied, "Apply cooling balm to prevent heatstroke."
"Can I try?"
"Okay, okay..." Wu Zhuangzi replied, but his eyes were fixed on Zhu Huaizhang. Seeing that he had dug out a large piece, he pinched his thigh in distress.
Zhu Huaizhang applied it to the back of his hand; it felt cool and comfortable, especially with the breeze making it feel even cooler. "Not bad, where did you buy it? How much is it? I'll go buy two bottles too."
Wu Zhuangzi stared at the ointment, pursed his lips, and hesitated before saying, "The regular one costs three coins, the one with borneol costs eight coins. I bought it at the Anzhi Hall."
Upon hearing that it was purchased by the Anzhi Hall, Zhu Huaizhang's smile became somewhat awkward. He returned the ointment to Wu Zhuangzi, took out one tael of silver, thought for a moment, then added two more taels, and handed them to Wu Zhuangzi as well.
"Go buy a bottle for everyone in the government office, don't take mine..."
Wu Zhuangzi hesitated, clutching the silver, "Sir... Anzhi Hall's ointment needs to be pre-ordered. If you buy so much, Shopkeeper Jin can't sell it to you."
"What do you mean... she's selective about who she does business with??"
"No, no," Wu Zhuangzi quickly waved his hands, " Shopkeeper Jin is afraid that someone will resell them, so each person can't buy too much at once."
Zhu Huaizhang stared at him for a long time. "You wait here," he said, then walked to the desk, wrote a purchase list, stamped it with the official seal of the government office, and handed it to Wu Zhuangzi.
"Send it over to the queue now, and try to get it for the people in the government office as soon as possible."
"Hey, I'm going right now..." Wu Zhuangzi grabbed the purchase order and money and ran towards the Anzhi Hall.
Seeing this, Li Xiao advised, "Sir, this ointment only costs three coins, it's not expensive... just use some. Look, the skin on the back of your hand is peeling."
"No need..." Zhu Huaizhang had just taken out three taels of silver and was now thinking about where to save the money. He sent most of his monthly salary home and didn't have much money on hand.
Zhu Huaizhang rubbed the back of his hand, remained silent for a moment, and asked in a low voice, " Anzhi Hall... is her medical skill really that high?"
Li Xiao knew immediately that he was thinking of his mother.
In her early years, Zhu's Mother ruined her eyesight and health by working hard to support her son's education. Now, she relies entirely on Zhu Huaizhang's wife for care.
When Zhu Huaizhang took office, the weather in the north was cold. Not wanting his mother and wife to suffer, he came ahead of time, intending to settle them down before bringing them over.
Judging by the days, Zhu's Mother and Madam Zhu should be arriving soon.
Li Xiao hurriedly replied, "Brilliant, incredibly brilliant! I heard that Granny Chen, who sells firewood on West Street, had tuberculosis and was coughing up blood. She was even preparing for her death, but Anzhi Hall managed to save her."
There's a rumor that dead people who enter Anzhi Hall always come out alive.
Zhu Huaizhang looked at Li Xiao speechlessly, "This is getting more and more absurd. There's a Book of Life and Death in the Anzhi Hall. Alright, go tell the soldiers guarding the city that if they see my family arrive, they must inform them in advance."
"Yes, sir." Li Xiao replied and withdrew.
The room fell silent again. Zhu Huaizhang stared at the back of his hand for a long time before picking up his pen to start working. Plop... A drop of sweat fell onto the paper. Zhu Huaizhang frowned and pinched his sleeve to wipe away the sweat.
On this day, Anzhi Hall was recruiting workers.
The job posting specifically stated that each person would receive one Cooling Talisman Paper per day, plus unlimited cold drinks. This announcement nearly caused a commotion at the entrance of the Anzhi Hall.
Zhou Xiaosi and Qing Yang maintained order outside, while Meng Anzhi held a calligraphy brush and registered the applicants one by one. The applicants happily squeezed out with their number tags in hand.
Blocked at the back and unable to get in, someone yelled at the people coming out, "Are they really giving out Cooling Talisman Paper??"
"Here's one for each day. I'll use one every three days, and save the other two to take back to my parents."
Everyone says the autumn sun is scorching, it can melt you! No way... I have to get this job today! The person who struck up the conversation was instantly filled with fighting spirit.
The queue grew longer and longer in the sweltering heat. Zhu Huaizhang, returning from an inspection tour, passed by the area and frowned, asking Constable Wang, "What new thing has Anzhi Hall launched this time?"
Constable Wang, being an old man, knew at a glance what had happened. He smiled and replied, " Anzhi Hall is recruiting... It's like this every year, but there are just more people this year."
Zhu Huaizhang stopped, staring at the long queue, recalling Su Wenqian's words before he left. "You should see how many households Anzhi Hall has helped to make a living and how much tax revenue it has increased."
Constable Wang secretly observed his expression and tentatively said, "Sir... I will warn her immediately not to gather any more people."
"Never mind... let her be," Zhu Huaizhang said, dragging his weary body toward the government office.
Constable Wang sighed... It seems Lord Zhu isn't entirely heartless after all.
Three days later, Anzhi Hall officially began harvesting medicinal herbs.
This year's medicinal herb production was reduced, so the harvesting speed was particularly fast. Because of the hot weather, the herbs were dried early, and as soon as they were bagged, they were picked up by buyers.
Zhang Jiuwei waited in line for three days before it was her turn. Taking advantage of the servants' break while they were counting the medicinal herbs, she pulled Jin Shanyao and complained bitterly, "This year's harvest was poor, and the cost of wine has doubled. I'm afraid this family business is going to be ruined in my hands."
Jin Shanyao said calmly, "What's the panic? If you're short of food, don't try to take it from the poor."
"What's the meaning?"
"You increase the purity of Jade Flask Spring, and spread the word that in this year of natural disasters, only ten jars of the finest Jade Flask Spring essence remain; every jar consumed reduces the supply. Target wealthy people, deceive them, and tell them whoever gets to drink it is a person of great ability."
Zhang Jiuwei's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly, "Rare, irreplaceable... Ahhh, how are you so smart?"
She let out a cry and hugged Jin Shanyao, pouting as if to kiss her, but Jin Shanyao pulled her away.
Seeing her about to pounce again, Jin Shanyao pointed to the ground and shouted sternly, "Stand still! If you dare to hug me again, I'll smash your head in!"
As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Zhang Jiuwei, saying that she still said she didn't like her, but now she's already made a move on her. It's just like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.