Chapter 59 – Selling the Herbal Soup Recipe
The thick soup made by stewing black chicken and medicinal herbs together still had a bit of a medicinal taste, but it was much more palatable than a bowl of dark, black medicinal soup.
Bai Mingyue tasted a few more spoonfuls before putting down the wooden spoon.
He was a well-known doctor in Xize County, and Yan Xiaosi believed that he would know whether this bowl of baizhu and chicken soup was good or bad and whether it could cure illnesses.
“Doctor Bai, you’ve tasted the chicken soup, what do you think?”
She was asking knowingly. Bai Mingyue smiled, feeling that the child in front of him was even more shrewd than an adult.
“It’s very good. This herbal soup not only tastes good but also nourishes the body.”
For a moment, everyone present was astonished. Bai Mingyue actually praised the herbal soup made by Yan Xiaosi.
Bai Mingyue was the most famous doctor in Xize County and never easily praised anyone. Even the other doctors at Jiren Hall had never received his praise. That’s why his praise for Yan Xiaosi’s herbal soup caused such a strong reaction; especially the doctors from Jiren Hall. Each of them looked at Yan Xiaosi with disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.
Yan Xiaosi was waiting for Bai Mingyue’s words.
After getting Bai Mingyue’s affirmation, she hurriedly seized the opportunity to ask, “Doctor Bai, can you make decisions regarding Jiren Hall’s affairs?”
Bai Mingyue replied with a somewhat indifferent tone, “The owner is not here today. I can make decisions regarding the purchase of medicinal herbs.”
“That’s great.”
Yan Xiaosi excitedly clapped her hands.
Although Bai Mingyue’s attitude was somewhat lukewarm, he was well-informed and knowledgeable. Doing business with him should be easier than dealing with the owner of Jiren Hall.
Bai Mingyue had already guessed her intentions, and before she could speak, he preemptively asked, “Are you planning to sell the recipe for this herbal soup to our Jiren Hall?”
When Yan Xiaosi prepared the herbal soup, she had personally selected the auxiliary medicinal herbs from the pharmacy cabinet. Bai Mingyue and the staff of Jiren Hall were unclear about which specific herbs she used and the amounts of each.
“Doctor Bai is not only skilled in medicine but also a quick thinker. It’s a pleasure to have a conversation with someone like Doctor Bai.”
Yan Xiaosi spoke enthusiastically in front of Bai Mingyue, flattering him first to make him happy before discussing business.
Ms. Zhong stood at the door, craning her neck to look inside. She saw Yan Xiaosi standing upright, speaking non-stop in front of Bai Mingyue, her heart hanging in her throat.
Bai Mingyue was an important figure in Daxing Town, and this child was becoming more and more daring.
After a round of flattery, Bai Mingyue felt quite pleased internally, but his facial expression remained unchanged.
“Tell me, how much do you want to sell this herbal soup recipe for?” Although the recipe was quite valuable, Yan Xiaosi gritted her teeth and decided to sell it to Jiren Hall first to solve the family’s financial problems. After all, such a recipe was nothing to her. Selling one to Jiren Hall wouldn’t affect her future development in the Great Chu Dynasty.
“I’ll sell it to Jiren Hall for fifty taels of silver, and I will never use this recipe again for making herbal soups. Doctor Bai, what do you think?”
The prices in Xize County were not very low, so selling the recipe for fifty taels and Yan Xiaosi not using it again would not be a loss for Jiren Hall.
Asking for fifty taels of silver so casually, Bai Mingyue couldn’t help but admire Yan Xiaosi’s courage.
Everyone present felt that Yan Xiaosi was asking for a high price, even Ms. Zhong thought it was too high and secretly worried for Yan Xiaosi.
Only Yan Xiaosi remained calm and composed, waiting for Bai Mingyue’s answer.
Bai Mingyue was silent for a moment before suddenly gesturing to an attendant nearby, “Go get pen, ink, and paper.”
The attendant hesitated before retrieving the items.
Bai Mingyue instructed the attendant to bring the pen, ink, and paper to Yan Xiaosi.
“Write down the recipe, and if I find no issues, you can go to the accounting room to get the fifty taels of silver.”
The meaning of these words was clear: Bai Mingyue had agreed to Yan Xiaosi’s request to sell the herbal soup recipe for fifty taels of silver.
The people present were once again astonished, especially Ms. Zhong, who stared at her daughter’s back with wide eyes.
Her daughter had truly changed; she had earned an amount of money that Ms. Zhong might never earn in her lifetime, just with one herbal soup recipe and a few words.
Yan Xiaosi took the pen and paper from the attendant, wrote a few lines with just a few strokes, and handed it over to Bai Mingyue to see.
Bai Mingyue stared at the beautiful small characters, his eyes revealing a touch of amazement.
It was indeed a great recipe; the dosage of each ingredient was just right, and the combination of ingredients was also excellent.
After marveling at the recipe for a moment, he put it away and instructed the attendant beside him, “Take her to the accounting room to get fifty taels of silver.”
Yan Xiaosi smiled with satisfaction, “Thank you, Doctor Bai.”
Shortly after, she went to the accounting room to receive the fifty taels of silver and returned to the first floor of Jiren Hall, ready to call Ms. Zhong to leave together.
Bai Mingyue suddenly reached out to block her way.
Seeing Bai Mingyue’s action, Ms. Zhong’s heart tightened, thinking that he had changed his mind.
“Doctor Bai, my child Xiaosi is still young. If there’s anything, I, as her mother, will take responsibility.”
Bai Mingyue ignored Ms. Zhong’s words and focused his gaze on Yan Xiaosi, “You’re called Xiaosi?”
“My surname is Yan, and my name is Yan Xiaosi. Does Doctor Bai have another request for me?”
While answering Bai Mingyue, Yan Xiaosi held Ms. Zhong’s hand, signaling her to be at ease.
Bai Mingyue replied, “If you have more herbal soup recipes, bring them directly to Jiren Hall, and we’ll buy them all.” Good medicinal recipes, like good food recipes, are very valuable. If it weren’t for the urgent need for money, Yan Xiaosi wouldn’t have sold the recipe. Therefore, it was basically impossible for Bai Mingyue to buy more recipes from her. However, she couldn’t directly refuse his offer.
So, she dodged the question with a smile and replied, “Currently, I only have this one recipe. When I have new ones, I’ll come back to Jiren Hall and find Doctor Bai.”
Bai Mingyue could see that Yan Xiaosi was trying to evade the question, but he didn’t want to lose favor with her.
He had an intuition that this child in front of him was not so simple and would become a prominent figure in time. Furthermore, he enjoyed making friends with interesting people. “Brother Yan, Jiren Hall is looking to purchase baizhu. If your family has any, you can directly bring it to Jiren Hall.”
