Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2088 A Quite Interesting Cousin
Businessmen who dabble in culture generally look down on those who are pretentious, affected, or engaging in deceptive practices. There are usually no good words to describe their personal hobbies. However, this Mr. Ma seems to be a bit "different".

"I'm not a national doctor. The so-called national medical clinic is just me following the local customs and joining in the fun with other seniors. Old Master Nie is the real national doctor. I can't even touch the hem of his robe. I speak according to my profession. If it weren't for the smell of a lot of precious Chinese medicine mixed in this ink, I wouldn't have said anything more." Bian Mu said a few words of self-deprecation with a smile.

"You're too modest! I heard that your colleagues in the city only started writing prescriptions by hand after you. With the rise of traditional Chinese culture, you've done a great job in promoting traditional Chinese learning. Do you know that some people have already laminated your prescriptions as personal collectibles?" Wow! This articulate female shop assistant knows quite a lot.

Bian Mu dared not underestimate the Boss Ma behind him anymore.

"Not at all! It's just creating an atmosphere unique to traditional Chinese medicine culture, don't be so serious! Is this the 'Nanzhai Lake Flower Brush'?" Bian Mu smiled and changed the subject to calligraphy brushes.

"You have a good eye! This is a brand new pen that was just airlifted from Nanzhai last Wednesday. It's a masterpiece of brushwork, and you say you're not good at it? You're too modest!" The young female shopkeeper flattered Bian Mu.

The words were somewhat jarring, and Bian Mu was focused on taking a pulse for Ms. Qi and finding out the real rent rates before heading home. He had no time to waste arguing with a young female shop assistant.

No need to ask, this kind of famous pen must cost at least a thousand! There's no point in asking any more questions. With a smile, Bian Mu politely exchanged pleasantries with the female shop assistant and then turned to invite Ms. Qi and the others upstairs for a look.

Alright! By turning the tables, Bian Mu seems to be the true master of this place.

Bian Mu was indeed much more confident than before he entered the city.

The exhibition halls and rooms on the second floor are filled with elegant items such as oil paintings, sketches, albums of famous painters, and biographies of celebrities.

"It would be quite interesting to come here with painter Fang today..." Bian Mu couldn't help but think of painter Fang as she browsed the site.

Clearly, Mr. Ma must have studied abroad, and doesn't seem to have much interest in traditional Chinese painting.

Having spent all his time with the painter Fang, Bian Mu was quite familiar with oil painting. In addition, he was naturally gifted and skilled at treating illnesses, so his ability to appreciate paintings was also quite good. In any case, he relied on his "eagle eyes" and keen eye.

"This Mr. Ma is really something. Almost everything displayed upstairs is a fake. The overall art level is obviously much lower. Isn't the contrast between upstairs and downstairs a bit too big? What's going on here?!" As Bian Mu walked, he started to feel a bit overwhelmed.

Downstairs, there's a strong traditional Chinese culture vibe, and it doesn't seem fake; they're selling genuine products at prices high enough to scare away more than half of ordinary calligraphy enthusiasts. Upstairs, however, the style has suddenly shifted to Western painting; there isn't a single traditional Chinese painting on display, nor even a decent piece of calligraphy.

Weird!

Bian Mu's mind was full of important matters, and he really didn't have time to think about trivial things lately. After a perfunctory greeting, Bian Mu smiled and invited Ms. Qi to come up to the third floor for a chat. Of course, Ms. Qi may have already told her friends beforehand. After exchanging a few polite words, Mr. Ma and the others went off to attend to their own business elsewhere.

The third floor was decorated quite elegantly, with a subtle Western villa style. Anyway, Bian Mu randomly picked a hard sofa to sit on and felt it was quite nice.

“We’re both probably busy, so let’s cut to the chase. This is the shop I’ve got my eye on. Could you please check if it’s your brother’s property?” As he spoke, Bian Mu described the general scene in front of the shop.

“That’s right! It belongs to my cousin. The upstairs and downstairs rooms are also my cousin’s private property. Mr. Ma and our family have been friends for generations. How about we reduce the rent by about 40%? You’re a famous doctor, so how about a 50% discount?” “How much would you roughly need for this discount?” Bian Mu asked with a smile.

With a generous smile, Ms. Qi replied, "Is an annual rent of 35 yuan acceptable?"

Bian Mu had inquired beforehand and knew that even after haggling for a long time, the best result would be a market price of 45 to 50 yuan. Moreover, some commercial expenses would have to be calculated separately and would definitely not be included in the rent. All things considered, the annual expenses would be quite considerable!
35?! We've only just met, I wouldn't dare take advantage of such a bargain! Strangers certainly can't be compared to Old Mrs. Lin.

Thinking of this, Bian Mu casually did some calculations.

"Oh no! The Double Ninth Festival is a big holiday for Old Lin. It's been several days already... Oh no, I've really been rude this time. How could I have forgotten such an important holiday? Not only do I have to bring gifts to pay my respects, but I also have to settle the rent with him. Really... I'm always so busy!" Bian Mu couldn't help but feel guilty for a long time.

Seeing the strange expression on Bian Mu's face, Ms. Qi, being relatively simple-minded, didn't understand for a moment and mistakenly thought that Bian Mu thought it was too expensive.

"After all, it's my brother's house. I only overheard them talking about it occasionally, so I took it upon myself to give you a random price. My brother... he really respects people with real skills. For a famous doctor like you, who runs a state-owned clinic, if he's in a good mood, he might just symbolically charge you around 10 yuan, which works out to less than 1 yuan a month!"

“Hehe...you misunderstood! 35 is indeed a bit low. I was thinking of 45 to 50, and that's just the rent. Other miscellaneous expenses are separate. Of course, this price might not be enough for others either. There's already an element of friendship involved.” Bian Mu told the truth.

"It's not that bad. Actually... to be honest, money is probably just a number to someone like my brother. He's loved making friends more than anything in his life. If he gets along well with you one day, he might just give you a 10-year rent waiver if he's in a good mood."

That sounded a bit much, so Bian Mu smiled and didn't respond.

Bian Mu didn't want to linger too long, so they chatted for a bit about decorating taboos. Bian Mu then naturally offered to take Ms. Qi's pulse for good luck.

Upon hearing this, Ms. Qi was overjoyed.

"I'm usually a very easygoing person... I'm always very casual with everyone, and my dad always says I lack a sense of status! But today, I was thinking of asking you to take my pulse to check my health, but I was too embarrassed to say it directly. Now that you've said it, I feel much more at ease..."

"Hahaha... You have such a good personality!" As she spoke, Bian Mu took some tissues and skillfully made a simple pulse pillow to check Ms. Qi's pulse.

……

“Every year, when the weather warms up, you feel a tightness in your back and lower limbs, like your skin is shrinking; then in autumn and winter, your back and lower limbs feel much more comfortable, and you feel a similar sensation on the side of your face all the way down to your lower limbs. Also, your skin becomes very dry overall. Am I right?” Bian Mu said with a smile after taking your pulse.

Upon hearing this, Ms. Qi's face immediately changed color, and she was so surprised that she didn't know what to say for a moment.

After all, she is a woman, and Ms. Qi can't just tell everyone about her discomforts, as it involves personal privacy. She had only mentioned the few words Bian Mu just said to her own mother, and she had never even mentioned them to her husband or her close friends.

That's right! She is somewhat extroverted, but the Qi family members are naturally more shrewd than other children. There are some things that you really can't easily mention to others. She has understood this principle since she was a child!