This sounds promising!
At least Yun's eyes lit up after hearing it. Her tofu-making skills were inherited from her late husband, and she had further improved and innovated upon them.
So, her family's tofu shop had the best business in Qingping Town.
However, as a woman, and a beautiful young widow at that, she had her own way of surviving. Her tofu was supplied in limited quantities daily, leaving room for other tofu shops to survive.
This avoided malicious competition.
If she were to produce and supply without limits, she would have monopolized the tofu business in town long ago. As a woman, she wouldn't be able to hold onto it unless she found a strong man.
Of course, some people were willing, but Yun was interested in Mr. Sun.
Unfortunately, like flowers having intentions while water is heartless.
Apart from Yun, people came to pay their respects one after another, mostly neighbors, and some even from far away.
The master was known for saving lives, and had a good reputation.
These people gave between sixty to a hundred coins, aware of the current situation of the Sun Family. After offering their condolences, they left directly.
Yun didn't leave; she stayed to help Lin Miao and Sun Youwei. They had never handled such matters before and could easily overlook the proper etiquette.
By the afternoon, most who could come had arrived, leaving only those who might be traveling from afar or hadn't received the news yet, including the Huang Family.
"Senior sister, Mrs. Yun, I want to go out for a while. I'll definitely be back before dark," Lin Miao said, finally able to step away.
"Junior brother, what are you going out to do?" Although Sun Youwei was older than Lin Miao, with her father's passing, her world collapsed instantly, and Lin Miao became the backbone of the family as the only male left.
The junior brother did well and was someone worth relying on.
Lin Miao said seriously, "The master died unjustly. Although I can't clear his name right now, I absolutely cannot let the Huang Family get their hands on this Herbal Hall."
"Junior brother, you can't act rashly. The Huang Family has experts at the Bone Forging level, and with your current Muscle Strengthening level, you're no match for them!" Sun Youwei reminded nervously and worriedly.
According to my understanding.
This is a low martial arts world. Medicine is concerned with the birth, aging, sickness, and death of everyone, including martial artists, and has thus gained a relatively high social status.
But learning medicine is much harder than learning martial arts, requiring talent. It seems the talent needed to study medicine is much higher than that for martial arts.
Sectarian, family, and governmental structures, through the formation of various professional organizations and management institutions, control people's clothing, food, housing, travel, and healthcare.
The social structure of this world is quite stable, with seemingly no major progress or changes over thousands of years.
But martial force is the source of all power in governance.
Though not everyone can practice martial arts, martial arts thrive in this world, with the most skilled experts possessing incredible powers like splitting mountains and summoning storms.
Practicing martial arts not only allows entry into sects, or joining the court, or being recruited by noble families, but also enables one to become superior and rise in social class.
However, practicing martial arts is not something anyone can sustain, and it is very costly. The saying goes, 'the rich study martial arts, the poor study literary arts.' Without money, martial arts training cannot go very far.
Poor people wanting to practice martial arts on their own is completely impossible.
Sun Simiao spent all the money he earned from healing people over the years, half on Lin Miao's martial arts training and herbal baths, and the other half on treating Sun Youwei's illness.
No wonder a doctor with decent medical skills, practicing medicine in one place for eighteen years, couldn't even put together a mere few hundred taels of silver.
This is probably the most miserable doctor in the world.
Having skimmed through the medical cases Sun Simiao left over the years, Lin Miao concluded that his medical skills were only decent.
Lin Miao's aptitude for martial arts doesn't seem great either. After eight years of training, Sun Simiao sought out a prescription for eliminating hidden injuries especially for him.
With a herbal bath every few days, he barely advanced his martial arts cultivation to mid-level Muscle Strengthening, showing how lacking his talent was.
After ten years of practicing the most basic mass-learner Muscle and Bone Strengthening Chapter, progressing further has become very difficult. If he can't break through to the Bone Forging level within two years, his life's potential might very well stop at Muscle Strengthening.
One must enter the Bone Forging before the bones are set. If you practice martial arts, you might achieve something and enter a sect or be recruited by a noble family.
Whether or not martial arts talent is present, Lin Miao doesn't really care. All in all, his current body's strength is far superior to his previous life's.
As long as he's healthy, whether or not he can practice martial arts is unimportant to him.
"Don't worry, senior sister, I'm not going to cause trouble with the Huang Family." Lin Miao explained, "I'm going to the county to handle some affairs and buy some daily necessities for you along the way."
Sun Youwei gasped and covered her red lips with her hand, her pale face instantly blushing bright red.
How did her junior brother know about such things when her Tiankui came?
In the past, her father handled all the purchases, but now that he had passed away and her health wasn't suitable for long journeys, the only person who could buy these things for her was her fiancée, her junior disciple.
Yun, being experienced, understood the situation at a glance. Apart from Lin Miao, no one else could really replace him in this matter.
Of course, she, being a woman herself, could help, but with her leg's pace, it would be difficult to make a round trip within half a day.
Qingping Town belongs to Baihe County, and a round trip is about fifty to sixty li.
A round trip takes at least two hours.
This is for a Martial Artist; an ordinary person's speed would take at least five times longer.
Lin Miao was not going to the county town for the first time; he had to go twice every month before. Although the town had many things, some items were only available in the county town.
Such as face powder for women, fragrant bath soap, and southern silk, porcelain, tea, and so on.
The county town's goods are more complete, with many merchants from the south and north.
Some of the herbal ingredients for the Herbal Hall were self-collected, but a significant portion needed to be purchased in bulk from pharmacies in the county.
Some herbs were not produced locally and had to be bought from elsewhere, sometimes even requiring orders to be fulfilled.
This work was done by Sun Simiao alone previously, but in the past two years, he had taken Lin Miao along. Lin Miao's qualification as a "medical apprentice" was registered the first time he went to the county.
With two pieces of bread and a jug of water, Lin Miao set out.
He had walked this road many times with Sun Simiao and was so familiar with it that he could traverse it with his eyes closed.
Upon reaching the county town, he headed straight for the largest pawnshop.
"Yuanheng" Pawnshop.
"Yuanheng" is a chain pawnshop, fair to all, with branches throughout the Da Li Dynasty, even in this remote small county.
Previously, Sun Simiao had taken Lin Miao there to pawn his "medical officer" badge because the money they brought wasn't enough, and the herbs they needed exceeded the budget.
A regular "medical officer" badge can be pawned at "Yuanheng" for a hundred taels of silver for emergency use, and you can redeem it within three months without paying any interest.
Capable doctors rarely lack funds, so pawning the "medical officer" badge is generally just a temporary solution.
This action by "Yuanheng" Pawnshop has earned the praise of healers across the land, quickly gaining the trust of the people, and has thus become a leader among pawnshops in the Da Li Dynasty.
"Mr. Xie!"
"Oh, isn't this Mr. Lin? Isn't today your mentor, Mr. Sun's seventh day after passing? How do you have the time to come?" A skinny middle-aged man's face popped out from behind the counter, and upon recognizing Lin Miao, he immediately identified him.
"Coming here naturally means I want to pawn something." Lin Miao didn't want to explain more; there were things he couldn't make clear.
The case involving his mentor and the Huang Family was well-known in such a small county town, and how could a figure like Mr. Xie not be aware of it?
The Huang Family once had some influence, but now they are in decline. However, even if they are in decline, they aren't something ordinary people can contend with.
"What does Mr. Lin want to pawn?"
"The land of the Sun Family's Herbal Hall." Lin Miao said, pointing out that the most valuable part of the Herbal Hall was that land; the buildings were negligible.
"Mr. Lin, have you thought it through?" Mr. Xie was taken aback for a moment, but promptly asked. Others might fear the Huang Family, but he might not since he had "Yuanheng" Pawnshop backing him.
"My mentor bought that land for 180 taels of silver back then. Now, eighteen years have passed, and it should have doubled by now. Considering the buildings on it, it should be worth 500 taels, right?" Lin Miao stated.
Mr. Xie nodded, the valuation of the Herbal Hall was indeed around 500 taels: "How much does Mr. Lin wish to pawn?"
"According to your pawnshop's rules, seventy percent of the total value, 350 taels of silver." Lin Miao said.
"Mr. Lin, if I remember correctly, the county magistrate ordered Mr. Sun to compensate the Huang San family 300 taels of silver, right?" Mr. Xie asked.
"Yes."
"You intend to pawn the Herbal Hall to compensate the Huang San family?"
"Yes." This did not need to be denied, any fool could hear it.
"The Huang Family is determined to get that Herbal Hall, everyone in Baihe County knows this. If I accept your pawn, wouldn't it mean offending the Huang Family?"
"Mr. Xie, are you afraid of the Huang Family?" Lin Miao asked in return.
"I'm not afraid, but why should I cause trouble for myself?" Mr. Xie chuckled. He wouldn't be cornered by a mere teenager but also wasn't a philanthropic type, showing an expression of why he should help.
"What if I add this medical officer badge?" Lin Miao hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a copper badge from his chest and placed it with a "clang" on the hardwood-made desk.