Chapter 309: They Were the First to Return!
Even though most cases were minor illnesses, Ye Jiamei had written so many prescriptions that her hands were sore, and both Yu Luo and Yu Haojie were exhausted from fetching herbs from the medicine cabinet.
Ming Ye and Yu Xiangxiang, unfamiliar with Western medicine, could only assist with packaging and organizing.
The five of them worked tirelessly until the early hours before finally seeing off the last patient and closing the clinic.
Ye Jiamei stretched her aching shoulders and yawned deeply, her exhaustion evident. Seeing this, Yu Haojie’s heart ached for her.
“You were so eager to prove yourself—serves you right for making such a big declaration. Now you’ve treated everyone today, so at least there won’t be anyone coming for free consultations tomorrow.”
Though Yu Haojie’s words sounded like scolding, his hands never stopped as he gently massaged her shoulders. Ye Jiamei smiled contentedly.
“It was worth it. Even if they don’t return tomorrow, at least they’ve received their medicine tonight and can start recovering sooner. And as long as my medical skills can be put to good use, that’s all that matters.”
“Mother, you shouldn’t push yourself so hard. I think you need to take on more apprentices so that they can handle minor cases. That way, you won’t be so exhausted.”
“Madam, I agree with Miss Yu Luo’s suggestion. If you’re going to train an apprentice, I think Ming Ye would be a great choice. He learns incredibly fast and is still young. In a few years, when he completes his training, he’ll still be in his prime.”
As soon as Yu Xiangxiang finished speaking, everyone turned their gaze toward Ming Ye.
Still busy tidying the medicine cabinet, he looked up in confusion, his clear and youthful eyes framed by colored contact lenses. The sight of his pure and delicate face instantly swayed Ye Jiamei’s heart.
“That’s a great idea, Xiangxiang! Ming Ye is meticulous and careful. It would be a shame if he didn’t study medicine.”
Ming Ye nodded solemnly. “Madam, I am willing.”
Although he was speaking to Ye Jiamei, his gaze remained fixed on Yu Luo, calm and unwavering.
Ye Jiamei, delighted, immediately instructed Yu Luo to prepare a red envelope as a token for her new apprentice.
“Mother, there’s no rush. Let’s pick an auspicious day and at least have Ming Ye formally serve you tea as a token of respect. It wouldn’t be proper to just hand him a red envelope in the middle of the night.”
“Yes, yes! Look at me, getting ahead of myself. Alright, Ming Ye, let’s finish up here and head home to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll open the clinic a little later—maybe at mid-morning. Otherwise, we’ll all be nodding off.”
“It’s fine. I think opening in the afternoon would be even better. Besides, you never planned on running this clinic for profit anyway.”
Ye Jiamei readily accepted Yu Haojie’s suggestion. After so many sleepless nights, waking up early seemed impossible.
The next day, before Zhang Hu’s team returned, another group—Luo Yi and his men—unexpectedly arrived first.
Seeing the wide-open city gates and the guards stationed at the entrance, Luo Yi and his group rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
“Are we really in Luo City? How is the city gate open? And why are there people going inside?”
Luo Er exclaimed in shock, watching the queue forming at the entrance.
“Of course this is Luo City. It looks like the lady has decided to open the city sooner than expected. I didn’t expect so many people in this barren land. Where did they all come from? And why aren’t the gatekeepers charging an entrance fee? If we followed Feng City’s model and charged one tael of silver per person to enter, Luo City could earn a fortune just from entry fees!”
Luo San commented, but Luo Yi merely gave him a calm glance.
“Most people who come to this desolate land have a story behind them. They’re not wealthy. Perhaps the lady has her own considerations. Let’s enter the city and meet with her first.”
Upon hearing that Luo Yi’s group had returned so quickly, Yu Luo, who had been helping at the clinic, immediately rushed back to the City Lord’s mansion.
As soon as they saw her, the men knelt on one knee to pay their respects, but Yu Luo waved her hand to stop them.
“You’ve all worked hard. No need for formalities. I never expected your group to be the first to return. If all goes well, Zhang Hu’s team should be back by tonight or by noon tomorrow at the latest.”
The journey from the border to Luo City was over a thousand miles. When Yu Luo had traveled to the checkpoint using light-footed martial arts, she had taken an entire night to get there. Zhang Hu’s group had taken three days just to navigate through the wilderness on their way out. However, their return trip would be much faster, as they were traveling with empty carts.
Yu Luo estimated that they would arrive by noon at the latest, though knowing Zhang Hu’s personality, he and his men would likely push through without stopping to rest.
“Miss, does this mean you’ve been in contact with Zhang Hu’s team?”
“I actually followed them to Dongfeng Kingdom, helped sell the goods, and even secured two large contracts. The workers have already started preparing the next shipment. As soon as Zhang Hu’s team returns, we’ll send out the first batch. What about your mission? Judging by the smiles on Luo Er and Luo Wu’s faces, I’m guessing things went smoothly?”
“Very smoothly, Miss! You guessed right! We returned so quickly because we didn’t even have to leave the western borderlands. We managed to sell all ten carts of goods right there!”
Luo Er excitedly stepped forward, eager to share the good news.
Yu Luo’s eyes widened in surprise—she hadn’t expected them to be this lucky!
“That’s incredible! I was worried you’d run into trouble at the checkpoints, but it looks like that wasn’t an issue at all.”
“Miss, here is the silver we earned from selling the watermelons and tomatoes—all in silver notes. We made a total of forty-three thousand taels. Eight carts of tomatoes and two carts of watermelons sold for higher prices than you originally set. Tomatoes went for two taels per pound, and watermelons for two taels and five qian per pound.”
Luo Yi handed over a thick stack of silver notes to Yu Luo. Hearing the figures, her eyes widened even further.
“You guys really pulled it off! Zhang Hu’s team got the same prices in Dongfeng Kingdom. They also managed to sell one cart of tomatoes and one cart of watermelons in retail. This works out perfectly—going forward, we’ll sell at these prices. And if supply gets tight, we can even raise the prices a little.”
“We’ll follow your lead, Miss. The buyer was particularly interested after watching us cook tomato and egg noodles. He even said that if the tomatoes sell well, he’ll return to Luo City to place more orders.”
Yu Luo nodded, feeling immense satisfaction.
“You all did great. You must be exhausted after such a long journey. Go rest, have the kitchen prepare a feast, drink some wine, and unwind. Once Zhang Hu’s team returns, I’ll distribute the bonuses.”
