Mrs. Wang took the initiative to ask for a talisman, and naturally, Qin Liuxi would not refuse. She personally drew several talismans and folded them neatly, even specially empowering one with a waterproof spell, so that the talismans wouldn’t dissolve in water, ensuring their spiritual integrity.
A stack of talismans laid out in front of her, Qin Liuxi sat there staring until Qi Huang ca over and asked, "What are you daydreaming about?"
Qin Liuxi pointed to the talismans: "Tell , why am I good at everything?"
Qi Huang: "?"
"Look at these things, it’s like I learn them all in one go. Don’t you think I’m so smart that I might be an Immortal reborn?" Qin Liuxi said, batting her eyelashes.
This tone, really, shouldn’t be too proud and arrogant, or outside she would definitely be the one getting smacked.
Qi Huang’s eye twitched slightly and said, "Whether you’re an Immortal reborn, I do not know. Even if you are an Immortal, you’re still in the mortal world now, an ordinary person. So all these worldly matters still need to be dealt with by you. I’ve done so calculations, and the eight hundred silvers given by Lady are probably not enough to support this shop."
Qin Liuxi blanched in shock: "What? Not enough? This business of exorcism and ghost hunting, it doesn’t cost anything, as it’s all my own ability. Even when I treat people, I just prescribe the formula and have them pick up their ingredients at the Changsheng Hall. Is that still not enough?"
Wasn’t Old Man Guan’s Coffin Shop selling old materials and still not worth eight hundred silvers?
"Let’s talk about treating illnesses first. Not to ntion those who need chronic dicine, but for acute cases, don’t you need to prepare so common dicines? The shop at Shouxi Square is not close to the Changsheng Hall, and if you have to prepare the dicine on the spot, it’s an even bigger hassle. I think we should at least have a stock of common dicines. What if soone cos in with an injury? Will you need golden sore dicine, anesthesia, mulberry bark thread for stitching wounds and such?"
Qi Huang counted one by one on the abacus. Since they were going to treat illnesses, they had to have dicines, especially for ergencies.
"This is for treating illnesses. And as for exorcism and ghost hunting, you’ll need yellow paper, vermilion and pens, right?"
"Even without talismans, I can beat them to death!" Qin Liuxi said arrogantly.
On the nearby wall, the two ghosts with keen ears heard this, and the male ghost shook his head, "When it cos to ferocity, the master is the most!"
The female ghost sat cross-legged, absorbing and exhaling without even opening her eyes, "Or else how could there be a reputation for ’Gui Jianchou’?"
Inside the room, Qi Huang held back and said, "Even if you can fight them, you can’t always use brute force, right? Don’t your hands get sore? Won’t you make peace charms?"
"That stuff, it doesn’t cost too much, right?"
Qi Huang sneered: "You said before, the higher the quality of the vermilion yellow paper, the more effective it is. And if custors want magic artifacts for protection, don’t you have to cultivate them in advance? Aren’t these materials worth silver?"
"I never said that!" Qin Liuxi argued: "No matter how good those things are, they can’t compare to the strength of my Spiritual Power."
Qi Huang couldn’t be bothered to listen to her excuses and continued, "Besides that, there’s also the shop decoration, if you want to set up the Daoist Room in the backyard, you’ll definitely need nice things, as well as a consultation room for patients... Right, you have to register the shop with the governnt office, and that ans greasing so palms to make things easy for bureaucrats, and then there’s shop tax to pay..."
"Stop, why is opening a shop so troubleso? Indeed, it’s not sothing I can handle!" Qin Liuxi interrupted her impatiently.
Qi Huang glanced at her sideways: "Then shall we not open it?"
Qin Liuxi’s eyes lit up: "Is that possible?"
"Why can’t I? This isn’t your private property. The Lady entrusted the silver to you as a small private fund for the main branch to generate inco. Since you took it on, if you want to back out now, you’ll need to notify the Lady. Otherwise, it can’t just sit there indefinitely, right? We already have the property and the silver, after all."
Qin Liuxi let out a sigh and said, "Then just use it all up, no need for any decorations. I see it’s all been whitewashed already. What kind of decorations does a ghost hunting shop need? Is it to accommodate ghosts? Just clean it up and that will do. We should pursue extre simplicity."
"That’s also fine. Actually, starting this business has its advantages. If it’s linked to the Daoist Temple, we can share so of the incense money with them, which counts as so rit. And if believers seek you, there’s no need to go to Qingping Temple for everything, they could co to the shop, which is closer, isn’t that so?"
"That’s the idea, but it’ll an more work." Qin Liuxi frowned.
Qi Huang noticed the slight impatience between her brows and, knowing her temperant, said, "The business the shop is doing is not like any other. For dical treatnts, we can focus only on rare and complicated diseases. However, in doing so, the poor may not have such good fortune, and it won’t accumulate much rit."
"No, that’s right. Our shop is not doing the business of ordinary shops anyway. Treating and saving people, focusing only on rare and complicated illnesses will distinguish our shop and build its reputation. It won’t compete with other dical halls for business. Let’s do it this way."
As for accumulating rit, that can be done slowly. It’s not okay if it’s too exhausting.
Qi Huang: "..."
Forget it, better not to expose her laziness.
The next day, Qin Liuxi took a bottle of golden sore dicine, a bottle of Elixir Pills for treating typhoid, and several peace charms she drew last night and personally delivered them to Mrs. Wang, informing her of her departure for a few days.
Mrs. Wang asked, "Is this about the trip you ntioned before, to Ningzhou Prefecture City?"
Qin Liuxi nodded and said, "If the candied fruit shop lacks suitable workers, should I look for one or two in Ningzhou Prefecture City?"
Mrs. Wang’s eyes brightened: "If they have such skills, then that’s possible. But won’t it tire you?"
"Just pay attention to it." Qin Liuxi glanced at her face and lowered her eyes slightly, "Mother, if you engage in discussions these next few days, don’t be too hasty to make decisions. It’s better to understand thoroughly first."
Mrs. Wang was taken aback: "What do you an by that?"
"Mother used to have many capable people at hand, and often you didn’t have to handle the dowry business personally. Soone else would set things up for your review. But now, there’s only Nanny Shen by your side, and you lack people to run around and gather information for you, which ans you’ve lost a lot of resources. I’m not proficient in this area, but I know that the most cunning are the rchants, and it is even tougher for a woman managing business. It’s unpredictable if there will be people here looking to cheat you."
Mrs. Wang pursed her lips and tested, "Are you saying I could lose money?"
Qin Liuxi smiled faintly: "Better safe than sorry. Being cautious is not excessive. After all, a shop cannot simply be opened in haste; the more anxious one is, the more likely mistakes will occur."
"I understand."
Only then did Qin Liuxi stand up, pay her respects, and walk out. As she reached the courtyard, she t her aunt Qin Yingniang and paid her respects to her as well, exchanged a few polite words, then left.
Qin Yingniang entered Mrs. Wang’s room and, seeing her in a daze, stepped forward and called out softly.
"Ah, Yingniang is here." Mrs. Wang suppressed her recent shock and smiled, "Father sent a letter, you know about it, right? We still need to prepare so things to send back. Today, co out with for procurent and to check on the shop’s progress?"
"I’ll follow Sister-in-law’s lead," Qin Yingniang complied very agreeably.
Mrs. Wang instructed Nanny Shen to put away the items Qin Liuxi had brought, took a deep breath, and secretly steeled herself to be even more alert.
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