Lu Tong took a rest at noon, but was roused by a knock on the door from the inn's servant who said a young master had come looking for her downstairs.
Yin Zheng was overjoyed, though she restrained the happiness on her face, and descended the stairs leisurely. Upon seeing Du Changqing, she lifted her chin with reserve, "My mistress is in the midst of dressing, I ask the young master to wait a moment."
Du Changqing's smile was gentle, "There's no hurry."
Heaven knows for how long he searched for Lu Tong, he had combed through all the inns in the vicinity that sounded similar until he finally found this one. When the manager confirmed that indeed two young ladies were staying here, Du Changqing was almost moved to tears.
In his heart, he repeated several times that one should be obedient to one's benefactors, and he gradually calmed himself.
Around half an hour later, Lu Tong came downstairs.
Today, she wore a dark blue embroidered dress with algae patterns, her jet-black hair lightly tied up behind, adorned with a hairpin of a flower to match her dress at the temple, her clear eyes and white teeth, pale skin and dark hair all at once brought a peace to those who saw her.
Du Changqing was momentarily stunned before he collected himself and approached her, "Miss."
Lu Tong looked at him.
Du Changqing glanced around and with a smile said to Lu Tong, "It's noisy here. If the lady doesn't mind, there's a tea stall next door. Let's sit by the tea stall, drink some tea, and talk."
Lu Tong nodded, "Good."
The people of Shengjing love their tea, with teahouses everywhere. Not far from Laiyi Inn, an entire street was filled with tea stalls. Du Changqing had chosen the smallest one and invited Lu Tong to take a seat there.
The tea stall was very small, with only two tables set up inside, which were already full. Du Changqing and Lu Tong sat down at a small table outside the stall, and shortly afterwards, the owner brought over two bowls of clear tea and a dish of red-skinned melon seeds.
Du Changqing pushed the clear tea towards Lu Tong and his tone was much warmer than when they first met, "My name is Du Changqing, may I have the honor of knowing your family name, miss?"
"Lu Tong."
"It turns out to be Miss Lu," Du Changqing nodded pretentiously, then rubbed his hands, "Miss Lu, you might have guessed the reason for my visit already..."
"I apologize, Young Master Du," Lu Tong said blandly, "the inn is inconvenient for fire usage, I no longer deal with Puhuang Charcoal."
Du Changqing was taken aback.
Yin Zheng behind him couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
An awkward look crossed Du Changqing's face, and after a moment, he cleared his throat, "Miss Lu, I'm not here for the Puhuang Charcoal today. About your medicinal tea..." he leaned forward, lowering his voice, "could you sell me some more?"
Lu Tong took a sip from the porcelain bowl on the table to moisten her lips, and asked softly, "How much silver are you willing to offer, Young Master Du?"
Du Changqing fixed his gaze on her, "One tael of silver. Miss Lu, how about selling me a pack of your medicinal tea for one tael of silver?"
A pack of medicinal tea would last at most six or seven days, and one tael of silver per pack was a very good price.
Lu Tong smiled.
Du Changqing asked, "What is Miss Lu smiling at?"
Lu Tong shook her head, her voice still unhurried and calm, "It seems that Young Master Du isn't all that keen on doing this deal with me. Near Renxin Medical Hall, there's a Xinglin Hall, quite a substantial shop. Perhaps they would offer more."
She returned to Du Changqing the exact words he had originally used, which caused his face to suddenly change.
After a pause, Du Changqing gritted his teeth, "Then could Miss Lu please name her price?"
Lu Tong said, "Three taels of silver per pack."
"That's exorbitant!" Du Changqing exclaimed as he jumped up, "Are you trying to rob me?"
Lu Tong lifted her eyes, gazing into the distance.
The Luoyue River flowed through the city, with willows planted along both banks. It was springtime, the willows were shedding their blossoms, with the orioles singing and swallows dancing.
She withdrew her gaze and addressed the excited Du Changqing, "Young Master Du, the willow flowers in Shengjing will still need to fly for a while, won't they?"
Du Changqing frowned, "So what if they do?"
"If your medical hall could provide herbal tea, at least for the next two or three months, you needn't worry about lack of interest."
Du Changqing was startled.
Lu Tong smiled faintly.
When she had first arrived in Shengjing, she had noticed that the city's canals were lined with willow trees. In spring, the willow catkins fluttered in the air, inevitably causing nasal congestion and sinus issues for some people. It was a time when people loved to drink tea, making medicinal tea an even more acceptable solution.
"As long as the willow flowers are in the air, that's how long the medicinal tea can be sold. My nasal congestion herbal tea is effective in relieving symptoms but cannot completely cure the condition. When next year comes, previous customers will return. Each March, you can make a hefty profit. With this, Young Master Du's Renxin Medical Hall won't be in the precarious situation it's in now."
Du Changqing's words were stuck in his mouth, as if Lu Tong had touched on his deepest sore spot.
Lu Tong was not in a hurry. Du Changqing needed to find an irreplaceable business deal in the shortest time possible to maintain the medical hall's livelihood. The nasal congestion herbal tea was the only lifeline he could grasp.
When faced with a lifeline, people always concede without principles.
After a long silence, Du Changqing finally spoke, slowly saying, "Miss Lu has thought this through very well, but what if other medical halls learn to make this medicinal tea? What advantage would Renxin Medical Hall have then?"
Lu Tong heard this and laughed, "Even if we set aside whether others can learn to make my medicinal tea, why hasn't Young Master Du considered that, if I can make nasal congestion herbal tea, couldn't I also create other types of medicinal tea?"
Du Changqing was taken aback.
He looked at Lu Tong suspiciously, "Could it be that you personally made that medicinal tea? Impossible, you are so young... perhaps there's a doctor in your family who practices medicine? Or did you come across the recipe by chance from elsewhere?"
He continued to guess, while Lu Tong simply smiled, without saying a word.
Seeing that Lu Tong was not forthcoming, Du Changqing felt somewhat downcast. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, pondered for a moment, and then hesitantly said, "I won't lie, Miss Lu, what you suggested is very appealing to me. But the amount of silver you're asking for is truly excessive. How about... lowering it a bit?"
Yin Zheng showed a look of disdain.
Lu Tong looked at the teacup in front of her and did not speak for a while. After a bit, she looked at Du Changqing and said, "Young Master Du, I can make the medicinal tea for you, and you can keep all the money. I won't take a penny."
Du Changqing looked at her with bewildered suspicion.
"However, I have a few conditions."
Du Changqing breathed a sigh of relief and said eagerly, "Just speak up, Miss Lu, what are your conditions?"
"First, I will make medicinal tea for Renxin Medical Hall. Young Master Du will provide the materials, and I alone will decide how much is made each day."
Du Changqing's brows furrowed slightly, "That doesn't sound quite right."
"It will never end up causing a loss for Young Master Du."
"But still..."
Yin Zheng interjected, "My lady is not taking any silver from Young Master Du, it's like she is giving him silver for free. With such a costless business, no matter how Young Master Du calculates it, he won't lose out. Why still haggle over every detail?"
Du Changqing struggled before forcing out, "What about the second condition?"
"Yin Zheng and I are new to Shengjing with nowhere to stay. I would trouble Young Master Du to help find us a place to live, taking care of our food and lodging."
Du Changqing's eyes widened, sizing them up as if they were exotic creatures, "You're outsiders? The two of you came to the capital alone? Do you not have any acquaintances here in Shengjing?"
Lu Tong didn't respond to his question. She sipped her tea, then looked up with a smile, "I've heard that in Shengjing's medical halls, even the most common resident doctor earns two taels of silver per month."
Du Changqing nodded, not understanding where this was going, "Yes, what about it?"
"I want to be the resident doctor at Renxin Medical Hall. That's my third condition," she said.