A Good Country Wife
Chapter 584 - 578_1

Chapter 584: Chapter 578_1

Lin Yue said these words with a hint of jest, but her mind was preoccupied with another matter. Zhao Erhu had taken a batch of medicinal herbs on his last voyage, which proved extremely popular. The Foreign Tribes faced a scarcity of medicinal materials, and even common herbs, once transported there, would sell for several or even dozens of times their original price, resulting in brisk sales. There’s a saying, after all, that it’s not about worrying whether the goods will sell, but whether there’s enough of them.

With the experience from last time, Zhao Erhu naturally planned to transport a large batch of medicinal materials on this trip. Uncertain of the channels to purchase these and unable to discern the authenticity of the herbs, he had made an arrangement with Jiang Ziqi to cooperate. Under this agreement with Jiang Ziqi’s pharmacy, they would buy a large quantity of medicinal materials at a preferential price. Although this was not the cheapest option, it guaranteed quality and quantity, and Zhao Erhu was indifferent to the slight price difference. The profit from selling overseas was several to dozens of times higher or even more, and only those with short-sightedness would fixate on such small gains when the quality and quantity of the medicinal materials were of utmost importance.

Initially, Lin Yue had merely thought of selling the medicinal herbs overseas, but presented with Doctor Zheng’s Immunity-boosting Pills, she conceived of another route: taking prepared pills or potions to the Foreign Tribes to sell, where the profits were surely only higher, not lower. With the scarcity of medicinal materials there and medical research, as well as medical skills not as developed as in Dazhou, the western medicine that was effective came from later developments. At present, the medical arts of the western Foreign Tribes were far behind and incomparable to Dazhou’s.

Once Lin Yue had an idea, she naturally had to put it into action, drawing up a plan for selling the prepared pills and potions overseas. An important part of the plan was to decide whether they would obtain the recipes to make the pills themselves or purchase them directly from Jimin Hall.

Lin Yue did want to obtain the recipes and produce the medicine herself, but firstly, it was unlikely that Jimin Hall would agree, and even though she had a good relationship with Jiang Ziqi, he was the Family Head of the Jiang Family and had to prioritize their interests. If she only requested one or two recipes, Jiang Ziqi might be willing to provide them, but he probably would not agree to more. Secondly, she did not have the capacity to quickly assemble the necessary workforce. The production of medicine, unlike other tasks, required utmost care; even a slight oversight in the processing of the ingredients or a tiny error could lead to different medicinal effects and potentially severe consequences, including severe risks to human life.

For this trip, bringing prepared pills overseas meant she would mostly have to purchase them from Jimin Hall. Even so, she had to negotiate with them first, because it was not possible to obtain such a large supply of pills at once. Additionally, Lin Yue remembered a few excellent recipes, which were not even available at Jimin Hall. These treasures she did not want to give to Jimin Hall and would have to arrange production herself.

However, this matter was not something Lin Yue could decide on her own; she still needed to discuss it with Zhao Erhu. Now, Zhao Erhu was conducting business on behalf of the Emperor, with the Emperor taking the lion’s share of the profits. She could not get involved in the medicinal herbs business belonging to the Emperor, but the pill trade was her own idea and it wouldn’t make sense to let the Emperor benefit. This venture should be hers, but that assumed that the Emperor would agree to let Zhao Erhu transport goods for her. Otherwise, she would be celebrating prematurely, effectively adorning the Emperor with a wedding dress. She thought that the Emperor wouldn’t be so petty as to refuse such a minor request if he tasked Zhao Erhu with errands, right?

With these thoughts, Lin Yue grew even more eager for Zhao Erhu’s return, wanting to know what outcome he achieved with the Emperor, and whether he had managed to procure the craftsmen to make glass as promised.

Zhao Erhu returned sooner than Lin Yue had anticipated, estimating that he would need another day or two. Urging his horse on with all haste, he arrived in the middle of the night, not entering Xin’an City or returning to the Zhao Family village, but coming straight to Shanglin Village from another village, longing to see his eldest sister once more.

Lin Yue had intended to return, but because Zhao Yunxiang had vomited blood during the day, she ultimately felt uneasy, so she and the children all stayed in Shanglin Village, residing at her aunt’s house. This way, she wouldn’t be too late in case something happened at night, and luckily she had prepared in advance, bringing all the necessary living supplies, even bringing along two quilts. Her aunt took very good care of them, the house was cleaned spotless, and staying there was much more comfortable than the other night at her in-law’s house.

Lin Yue brought Dalang and the other children to the room, "Auntie, I have to trouble you again. I had planned to stay at Zhao Family village tonight and come over early in the morning, but my eldest cousin’s episode at noon was really dangerous, it scared me. The doctor also said that she’s critical within these two days, I’m afraid I wouldn’t arrive in time if something urgent happened to my elder sister, so I had to settle down here in Shanglin Village."

"What are you saying, you silly child? Auntie’s home is not a stranger’s house. There’s no need to be so formal just to stay for one night. Just settle down with peace of mind. You can stay as long as you need to. If there’s one thing auntie’s house doesn’t lack, it’s two empty, clean rooms. Auntie has cleaned them thoroughly, just don’t disdain them for being too humble."

"Not at all. Although my family is wealthy now, auntie, you know what kind of life I led before. This place is very good already." Lin Yue could see that the two rooms her auntie had arranged for her and her children were the best and most spacious in the house. There was nothing to be dissatisfied about, but she still felt somewhat uneasy for imposing on them.

"Auntie, have the two uncles rested yet? If they haven’t, I would like to take the children to pay them a visit first." It was customary to greet the elders upon arriving at their house. When Lin Yue came at noon, her auntie’s two sons had gone out to work, and they must have returned by evening. Lin Yue noticed it was getting late and was wondering if they had rested yet, just when Lin Hai and Lin Quan learned that Lin Yue had arrived.

"Is it Er Ya who has come? We went out to work during the day and didn’t see you. We were just thinking of visiting our niece. It’s been a year or two since we’ve seen you, and Er Ya has become even more beautiful," Lin Hai said with a bit of a laugh, his voice loud and his tone very affectionate.

"Uncle speaks kindly. Er Ya was just thinking of paying a visit to you," said Lin Yue, seeing Lin Hai and Lin Quan’s gaze fall on Dalang and the others, and quickly introduced them, "These are a few of my children. Because my eldest cousin is seriously ill, I specifically picked them up from school in the afternoon. Dalang, you and the rest say hello to your great-uncles."

Hearing Lin Yue say this, Dalang and the others were very polite towards Lin Hai and Lin Quan, bowing to them and collectively calling out "great-uncle." Lin Hai and Lin Quan had already guessed the identities of Dalang and the others, seeing the children’s good manners, it was evident that they were raised very well.