Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2052 Crimson Water Mystic Pearl
As Bian Mu walked along the road, she slowly realized that there was another deeper meaning behind her instinctive recommendation of Teacher Zhao Xicheng to Teng Daili, but she hadn't realized it at the time.

Taking this opportunity, Bian Mu also wanted to see what kind of worldly relationship existed between Teng Daili, a professional TCM doctor of her caliber, and Teacher Zhao Xicheng. After all, she might actually become an important partner in the future, properly managing the third branch on his behalf. If her relationship with Zhao Xicheng was somewhat special, then in the future…

What's even more troublesome is that Zhao Xicheng's junior apprentice, Lei Xiaoxuan, the big boss, has always been keeping a low profile towards him, and from time to time, he uses this as an excuse to make things difficult for him. What if Teng Daili also has a special relationship with Boss Lei? What will become of the third branch in the future?! God knows!

Similar to Liang Xiangyin and Sima Kui, the old forest ranger Liang Tou also had a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and chivalry). Bian Mu didn't believe that the old man couldn't see through the intricate relationships between the various traditional Chinese medicine units in the city. The old man was already quite old, ate well, slept soundly, and spent his free time wandering around the city. Could the affairs of Zhao Xicheng and Lei Xiaoxuan have escaped his notice?

maybe……

No wonder Lei Xiaoxuan has been much more settled lately. At least that pretentious young master he instigated hasn't tried to pick a fight with him anymore! That young master isn't that complicated. He just sees Bian Mu's fame growing and is resentful. With Lei Xiaoxuan's instigation, he's trying to make things difficult for him and suppress his "halo." Since they live in the same city, as long as that young master is still in Lijin, he can't let Bian Mu shine so brightly.

Some things were very likely secretly resolved by Old Liang and his friends...

Back in our hometown, Uncle Ge sells pancakes and steamed buns not far from where my parents live. To this day, my parents live a peaceful and stable life. Uncle Ge's silence doesn't mean he hasn't done anything...

Thinking of this, Bian Mu felt that these two were truly as close as family!
Watching Lao Hou sitting in the boss's chair with a big smile on his face, chatting and laughing about business, Bian Mu realized that perhaps the forest ranger Lao Liang was right. Some things had to be handled by people like Lao Hou, while some things had to be restrained, managed, and coordinated by Teng Daili... even seeking a more worldly development in her own unique way, while not violating Bian Mu's core principles in founding the National Medical Center.

Of course, there are some things Bian Mu really can't think of, can't do, or is too embarrassed to do...

It's clear now! That's roughly how Old Liang was thinking, right?
Seeing Bian Mu slowly walk in from outside, Old Hou was overjoyed. He chatted briefly for a couple more minutes before hanging up the phone.

"You've really taken good care of this place!" Bian Mu said with a smile.

"That depends on who you're working for. You're one of the few 'real people' on the street. To fool you would be to jeopardize my own future! Hahaha... I know what I'm doing, I know what I'm doing!" As he spoke, Old Hou took a new cup, a cup he usually didn't let others use, and poured Bian Mu a good cup of tea to let it steep, while he continued to drink his old tea root.

"You know what, your online medical system is really popular. It's only been a few days since the news was released, and people are already sending us books and secondhand goods. There's one that looks interesting, and I bought it for not much money. You can appraise it!" As she spoke, Bian Mu went up to the inner room.

Not long after, Old Hou brought over a set of five old thread-bound books, wrapped in old-fashioned naturally dyed blue cloth, which looked quite authentic.

Upon gently unfolding it, oh! It turned out to be the "Red Water Mysterious Pearl," an ancient medical book. The "extraction of qi and extraction of essence" theory extracted from the book is still relevant today, and it occasionally "coincides" with the most cutting-edge medical discoveries in the West. Bian Mu once seriously studied one of the versions. Situ Yu's family had a set of rare books. Bian Mu only glanced at the table of contents and knew that it was a "copy" transcribed by later generations. Of course, the copy was made more than a hundred years ago, so it is still a good thing.

Clearly, this set looks much older than the Situ family's.

Bian Mu naturally asked Lao Hou for a pair of PE gloves, put them on, and gently flipped through the pages for a while...

Old Hou was a little sleepy, so he returned to his original seat, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

"No problem! It is indeed an authentic work, but... it shouldn't be a Ming Dynasty reprint. Judging from the paper, it should be a copy of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) that ended up in private hands for some special reason. How much did you pay for it?"

"Is 1800 expensive?"

“You got a great deal. This paper alone is worth 3. Next time you want to buy something similar, you’d better contact me beforehand. I’m always hanging around the Flower Field Ghost Market, so I must have learned a few tricks.” Bian Mu replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Old Hou immediately became quite excited. "Really?! I just went by gut feeling. Back then, that woman didn't seem ordinary. She had a different kind of temperament than most people. She was very calm and collected. She asked me if I would accept her, and I said yes! She didn't even haggle. As soon as the money was in my account, she left."

"Oh! That's a bit... well, how about this! Anyway, I already know this set of books by heart, so it won't be of much use to me if I take it back. I'll ask Grandpa Yang from the Ghost Market to send someone over to take the dimensions. They have plenty of professionals there. We can have them make a new set of book covers for us, and we can keep it here as a talisman! Judging from the font and the style of the annotations, it's not just the work of a famous doctor. My initial estimate is that it's worth at least 8."

"So many?! If this guy runs into one every month, he'll cover all his expenses for a year, hahaha..."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. When you close up shop at night and go home, you can take the book home and leave an empty book cover in the shop. We can also test if there are any scheming people around. I think we have a back door here, right?" Bian Mu asked casually.

"Yes! My car is parked right there!"

"That's really convenient. You can bring all the valuables home through the back door, just like... yeah! That's how banks and savings banks do it. Small banks don't keep that much cash at night; they put it all in the vault, right?"

"It seems... you're just more cautious than us! We'll listen to you!"

"There's another thing. The woman who delivered the books seems to have some connections. If she comes back to discuss something, make sure to save the surveillance video. Call me afterwards to let me know. If she asks to redeem the set of books, as long as her offer isn't outrageously high, let her take the books with her. If her offer exceeds 8, just find some excuse to politely decline."

"Oh...you mean her..."

"It's possible! Right now, I've gotten a bit too ahead of myself, and the news that I'm ready to open a third or fourth branch has probably already spread beyond the city. I don't believe anyone is even interested in our business."

"Oh! That makes sense! You, a renowned doctor, actually know the tricks of the trade, hahaha... No wonder you opened four or five branches so easily, what a grand gesture!"

"Where? It's not even close to being done yet! They haven't mentioned it to anyone!"

"I know, I know!"

"By the way, I have something interesting to tell you..." As he spoke, Bian Mu moved his wooden chair to a slightly closer position to Old Hou.

Afterwards, Bian Mu briefly introduced the matter of Teng Daili's old relative.

Old Hou's mind works incredibly fast.

"You mean... if this matter were to involve Doctor Liang or Sima Kui, they would have a legitimate way to resolve it?"

"That's why I say you're amazing! That's exactly what Situ Jianqing excels at! That's what his sect specializes in, it's like the most basic level of traditional Chinese medicine cultivation in the art of longevity and immortality!"

"Oh... I see! No wonder my aunt was so certain before she passed away, it turns out... Hey! If we really manage to unearth those precious medical resources in the future... how much money will we make?!"

"Hahaha... If a person is always thinking about money, it's really not easy for him to make a fortune, really! Our ancestors figured it out long ago: great wealth comes from being carefree, I believe it!" Bian Mu joked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Old Hou burst into laughter...