As for what the method was, Qin Zhao didn't say.
There is no need to rush, whether it is promotion or increasing profits.
Their medicine has just been developed and they need to wait for patient feedback. If the response is good, future sales will be much smoother.
So now all that's left to do is wait.
Fortunately, after Qin Zhao cured He Zhixing last time, that person recommended several students who were preparing for the imperial examinations to come to the pharmacy to seek treatment from him, and more than half of them bought pills.
They only made thirty packets of pills for the first batch, and they were sold out within three days.
Qin Zhaoquan gave the profits from this batch of pills to Ayi and Xue Ren.
Qin Zhao said: "If it weren't for your help, these medicines would never have been made. These are just a thank you gift. If there is any profit in the future, we will calculate it separately."
Xue Ren didn't bother to be polite with him, but laughed and said, "If you asked me to make medicine more than ten years ago, this amount of money would not be enough."
Originally, Qin Zhao just wanted to find a suitable prescription from a medical book, make it into pills and promote it, but Mr. Xue raised objections.
He felt that if he wanted to make money, he could not use the prescriptions found in medical books. Otherwise, if other people found out about it, their clinics would be large and powerful, and they would mass-produce the prescriptions and quickly take away their business.
If you are going to do it, you have to do it exclusively.
Therefore, the prescription they prepared for the pills this time was not any of the ones found in medical books. Mr. Xue was always good at preparing medicines, and this time he assisted Qin Zhao in preparing the medicine.
He really deserves this money.
However, he now ate and drank for free at Ayi's house, so he did not keep the money for himself, but gave it all to his grandson.
But Ayi refused to accept the share Qin Zhao gave him.
"I didn't help at all. I just helped to pinch the pills. I can't accept this money." Ayi said.
Qin Zhao said, "I used up a lot of herbs in the shop when I prepared the medicine. This is compensation."
"Yes, just accept it." Jing Li also said, "We will make a lot of money together in the future, this is nothing."
Ah Yi couldn't refuse, so he had to accept it, and said: "The number of pills made this time is small. If we make it in large quantities, the cost price of the medicinal materials will be lower."
Qin Zhao nodded: "I will study the prescription again in the next few days to see if there is anything that needs to be adjusted, and try to make a second batch of pills before the New Year."
Jing Li raised his hand: "Then what do I need to do?"
"Of course you should eat, drink and have fun with me, Grandpa Xue, and take good care of your baby!" Xue Ren patted Jing Li's shoulder and said seriously, "How can you be tired when you are pregnant? Sit down and rest."
Jing Li's ears instantly turned red: "I'm not pregnant!"
Qin Zhao took him in his arms before he could get angry and touched his back: "We'll need your help in making the second batch of pills. Take a good rest these few days and don't run around."
"I know..." Jing Li muttered softly, "I don't know when the reputation of this pill will spread. I hope I can make money quickly."
When Qin Zhao heard this, he didn't show it on his face, but he had a rough idea in his mind.
Once his little fish opens its mouth, I'm afraid the feedback will come faster than expected.
He needs to study the prescription quickly.
Sure enough, on the third day after the first batch of pills were sold out, He Zhixing brought an old man to the pharmacy.
On this day, it happened that Mr. Xue accompanied Ayi out to purchase goods, and Qin Zhao was also busy developing a prescription. Only Jing Li was left in the shop counting the herbs.
Hearing someone coming in, Jing Li looked up from the counter: "Do you want to buy medicine?"
He Zhixing has never met Jing Li.
During the previous visits, Jing Li had not recovered and did not come to the shop. Therefore, when He Zhixing suddenly saw such a pretty boy in the pharmacy, his cheeks flushed and he immediately forgot what he was going to say.
Are all the scholars in this era so stupid
Jing Li repeated: "Are you here to get some medicine?"
"Yes... No, no, I'm here to see Doctor Qin." He Zhixing stammered.
Jing Li rolled her eyes and deliberately said, "My husband is in the yard making medicine, what do you want from him?"
"…husband?"
"I'm her husband." Qin Zhao's voice suddenly came from behind. Jing Li's ears felt hot and he lowered his head awkwardly. Qin Zhao lifted the curtain and walked out. He glanced at Jing Li as if nothing had happened, and then said, "It turns out to be Mr. He."
He Zhixing's face flushed red, and he hesitated for a long time without saying a word. Behind him, an old man slowly spoke: "Zhixing, don't be rude."
He Zhixing came back to his senses, stepped aside, and bowed to the old man: "Yes, sir."
He explained to Qin Zhao: "This is Mr. Wu from our academy, and also my teacher."
Qin Zhao greeted him and asked, "Mr. Wu, are you here to see a doctor?"
"No." Mr. Wu, who was wearing a simple long gown, stroked his beard and said, "To be honest, many of my students have poor health and can't stand the cold winter. But those guys only know how to study and are reluctant to ask them to see a doctor. I heard from Zhixing that Doctor Qin has pills that can prevent and treat colds. Several of my students have taken them and the effect is good, so I want to buy some from the doctor."
Jing Li's eyes lit up, but Qin Zhao was not surprised. He asked, "How much does Mr. Wu want?"
Mr. Wu said, "There are a total of 22 students in my academy who are going to take the imperial examination this year. I plan to give each of them a few packets of medicine. Just in case, I will order 80 packets of medicine first."
Eighty packs of medicine, that is, seven hundred and twenty pills. The previous batch of medicine took them half a day to make, and it took another whole day to dry it. In other words, it would take at least three days to make eighty packs of medicine, not to mention the time to wait for the arrival of medicinal materials.
Qin Zhao estimated the time it would take to get the goods and said, "We don't have that many herbs in the shop right now. If Mr. Wu wants them, it will probably take four to five days. You might as well leave your address and I'll send them to you when they're ready."
Mr. Wu nodded: "Okay."
He left a deposit of 500 wen and the specific address of the academy, then left with He Zhixing.
Before leaving, He Zhixing glanced at Jing Li unconsciously.
Jing Li: “…”
Qin Zhao naturally saw all of this, but he chuckled meaningfully and turned back to the yard as if nothing had happened.
Jing Li: “…”
Ayi and Xue Ren quickly returned to the pharmacy, and Jing Li told them about the order of pills from the academy. Fortunately, Ayi ordered enough medicinal materials this time, and the purchase price of medicinal materials was cheaper than before, so the cost price of a pack of medicine this time was only eight cents.
However, that batch of medicine will not be delivered until tomorrow morning.
That night, Jing Li was curled up in bed, reading the book that Ayi had given him, when Qin Zhao pulled it out of his hand and said, "It's time to go to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow to make medicine."
"..." Jing Li said dissatisfiedly, "It's only 15:30, I'll go to sleep after reading two more pages."
He stood up and tried to grab it, but Qin Zhao easily pushed him back onto the bed.
After this man stopped taking the medicine, his strength became stronger day by day. Earlier, Jing Li could fight with him for several rounds, but now he is no match for him at all.
Jing Li fell on the bed panting and waved his hand: "No more playing."
Qin Zhao had no intention of letting him go. He held Jing Li's hands with one hand and leaned forward: "What did you call me in front of those people today?"
“…” Jing Li turned his eyes away.
I knew he wouldn't forget this so easily.
It was fine to use that name as a joke, but if Jing Li really called it out seriously, he would just feel embarrassed.
So since the two of them confirmed their relationship, he almost never called her that.
—Except when someone is forcing him in bed.
Jing Li said vaguely: "What, what? I don't remember."
When he tilted his head, his delicate earlobe was faintly visible in his hair. Jing Li had a fair complexion, and his skin was tender and thin, and he blushed easily. You could tell at a glance whether he was shy or not.
Qin Zhao brushed his scattered hair behind his ear, kissed his red earlobe, and said softly: "You really don't remember?"
"Hmm..."
Jing Li shuddered, and an itchy feeling spread from his spine to the back of his head.
He was badly tortured by this man some time ago, and he still feels scared when he thinks about it now.
But Qin Zhao obviously had no intention of letting him go.
He lowered his head and gently held Jing Li's earlobe, while his free hand followed her thin waistline all the way down, about to reach into her hem.
"Qin, Qin Zhao!" Jing Li squeezed out trembling words from between his teeth, "No, I... I can't..."
Qin Zhao: "Why not?"
"I..." Jing Li suddenly had an idea and said loudly, "Grandpa Xue said that my body has not recovered yet, so I can't do this recently!"
After hearing this, Qin Zhao really let go of his hand: "Mr. Xue examined your pulse again today? What did he find out?"
Jing Li took the opportunity to break free, quickly rolled into the bed, and pulled the quilt over himself to cover himself tightly: "I can see that she is two months pregnant with your baby."
Qin Zhao: “…”
Jing Li had been teased by Mr. Xue about this for several days, and his face became thicker. He said righteously: "Grandpa Xue said that the fetal heart rate was unstable three months ago, so he asked you to restrain yourself. Otherwise, if you fail to take good care of the fetus, it will affect our son."
Qin Zhao was almost amused by Jing Li's serious look and wished he could execute this man on the spot.
However, he never meant to force Jing Li, and seeing that this man really had no interest, he gave up. Jing Li buried half of his face in the quilt, and found that Qin Zhao had given up the idea of tormenting him, and asked in a low voice: "Can I continue reading the storybook?"
The next second, Qin Zhao blew out the oil lamp and pushed Jing Li back onto the bed.
"Since you want to take good care of the baby, you should rest early." Qin Zhao said, "Close your eyes and go to sleep."
The next morning, the medicinal materials ordered by Ayi were delivered to the pharmacy on time.
Xue Ren was old, and the three refused to let him help with the physical work. However, after making the last batch of pills, the three of them worked well together and finished making all the pills in less than two days. The pills were placed in a cool place for ventilation for a day, and then packaged with oil paper.
On the morning of the fourth day, Qin Zhao delivered the pills ordered by Mr. Wu to the academy.
But even after completing this order, they still didn't get to rest.
News spread quickly in the literary circle. Qin Zhao had just delivered the medicine when the second academy came knocking on his door.
There is no way around it, because all the academies and private schools in the county are actually competing with each other secretly. The teacher who has more students who pass the exam will have a higher reputation and will receive more students the next year.
Therefore, when other academies received the news that Mr. Wu had ordered medicine, they were unwilling to lag behind and rushed to the shop to buy it.
For a time, this pill, known as the Cold-Removing Pill, became popular in the county.
Moreover, this popularity was not just among scholars. The weather had been cold recently, and many people in the city were sick, so all the major medical clinics were overcrowded. Once this medicine was released, word spread quickly, and many ordinary people also rushed to buy it.
From mid-December to the end of the year, business in the small pharmacy was so booming that there was not even a single day off.
Even so, the cold-relieving pills are still in short supply.
Moreover, as the reputation of the pharmacy grew, more and more people came to buy medicine and see doctors. Qin Zhao and Ayi were busy greeting customers, so they could only make pills after the shop closed. Jing Li was afraid that they would be too tired, so he took the initiative to accept the job of making pills.
Usually when Qin Zhao and Ayi were busy outside, Jing Li would be alone in the inner hall making pills, sometimes staying there for the whole day.
At dusk that day, when Qin Zhao lifted the curtain and walked into the inner hall, he saw his own Xiaoyu sitting in the corner of the room with a small stool, rubbing the pills seriously with his head down, and he didn't even notice someone coming in.
Jing Li is now very skilled at pinching pills. He looks very focused, with some medicine juice on his cheeks and nose tip, making him look extremely cute, like a little cat.
Jing Li didn't notice anyone coming in until Qin Zhao walked in front of him.
Qin Zhao had no choice but to call out softly, "Xiao Yu."
Jing Li was frightened and raised his head: "When did you come in?"
"..." Qin Zhao squatted down and wiped the stains on his face with his sleeve, "The pharmacy is closed."
"It's already so late." Jing Li smiled after realizing it, and said, "I made more than 200 pills today. It will be faster if you guys join us in the evening. Today we can-"
Qin Zhao interrupted him: "We won't make medicine tonight."
Jing Li blinked blankly.
Qin Zhao smiled and said, "Have you forgotten what I said to you this morning?"
Jing Li: “Ah?”
Qin Zhao said: "Today is the 30th, we are going to visit the Lantern Festival."
Jing Li finally came to his senses.
Qin Zhao seemed to have mentioned this in the morning, but he didn't take it to heart because he was worried about the hundreds of pills he hadn't finished making.
"I haven't put up window flowers yet!" Jing Li just then remembered about the New Year and stood up suddenly.
Perhaps because he stood up too hard, his eyes went dark and he almost fell down. Qin Zhao quickly hugged him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay..." Jing Li shook his head, "I feel a little dizzy."
"You're too tired." Qin Zhao picked him up and said softly, "Ayi has specially closed the shop an hour and a half earlier today. I'll do all the work. You take a rest and change your clothes. I'll take you out for a walk after dinner."
Jing Li was forced to rest in the house for an hour. When he changed his clothes and went to the main courtyard, everything was ready.
Spring Festival couplets written by Qin Zhao are pasted on the door frame, window grilles cut by Jing Li a few days ago are pasted on the windows, and a few red lanterns are hung under the eaves. The originally somewhat cold house now looks full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.
Qin Zhao cooked the New Year’s Eve dinner.
People in ancient times did not have many good things to eat on weekdays, and the only time they had the most sumptuous meals throughout the year was on New Year’s Day.
From the time Jing Li came into this world until now, except for the first two months when his life was a little tight, Qin Zhao never skimped on giving him food and clothing.
But none of them were as abundant as today.
The table was filled with roast chicken, stewed pork ribs, braised pork, etc. It is said that Ayi originally suggested buying a carp and roasting it, meaning "abundance every year", but was rejected by Qin Zhao on the grounds that he never eats fish.
Thinking back to the first day he arrived at Qin Zhao's house, Qin Zhao had also said this to him. Jing Li said angrily, "It's not that you don't eat fish. You usually eat it happily."
It was already dark at this time, and lanterns were hung on both sides of the road. The faces of the passers-by were all filled with joy at the approaching New Year.
Qin Zhao was walking in the street with Jing Li by his hand. Hearing this, he tilted his head and smiled: "I really don't eat fish, I only eat this fish of yours."
Jing Li: “… Hum.”
The customs of celebrating the New Year vary from place to place. In this small county, the curfew is lifted only on New Year's Eve. After eating the New Year's Eve dinner, every household will go to the streets to watch the lanterns and set off fireworks, waiting for the arrival of the New Year together.
Qin Zhao used a candied haws to make his little fish forget about the quarrel just now. Jing Li ate while pulling Qin Zhao from the beginning to the end of the street, and soon they could not walk anymore.
"Go home when you're tired." Qin Zhao said.
"I won't." Jing Li finished the last bite of the candied haws and threw away the bamboo stick. "I still have to wait for the fireworks. I won't be able to see them if I go home."
Qin Zhao was helpless and pointed to the pavilion on the side of the road: "Then let's go over there and rest for a while?"
Jing Li: "Okay."
Everyone was on the street and there were not many people in the pavilion. Jing Li leaned on Qin Zhao's shoulder and yawned sleepily.
"I could have walked around this street several times before..."
"That was because you were still in the reproductive period and had no place to vent your energy." Qin Zhao said, "You have been too tired these days."
Jing Li played with his fingers and didn't care: "I'm not tired, you work much harder than me."
Qin Zhao was silent for a moment, then said softly: "Xiao Yu, you don't have to be like this."
Jing Li paused.
Qin Zhao held Jing Li's fingers with his backhand and said softly, "I said it's okay if you don't do anything. I promised to take good care of you, and I won't break my promise."
"I'm not afraid that you'll break your promise." Jing Li said, "We are a family. You are trying to find a way to make our lives better, and of course I want to help you. It's just that..."
"It's just that I don't know how to do anything, so I can only use this method."
Jing Li rubbed Qin Zhao's shoulder and whispered, "I've been thinking recently that if I had known I would come here, I should have learned more when I had the chance. If I could understand more, you wouldn't have to work so hard now."
Qin Zhao tilted his head and asked, "Come here?"
Jing Li looked away guiltily: "Nothing..."
Qin Zhao had long guessed that Jing Li might have some secrets that he was unwilling to reveal, so he did not ask any more questions. He just said, "You are fine the way you are now. Don't worry about it."
He looked up at the sky. The moon was bright tonight and the sky was full of stars.
"I didn't do well enough." Qin Zhao said, "Give me some more time, Xiaoyu."
He will change the status quo and take back everything that is his.
He said he would let Jingli live a good life and he would not regret it.
"You're not bad." Jing Li thought he was being self-deprecating again, and said, "Dr. Qin from Yi'an Pharmacy is very famous in the county now. Who dares to say you're not good?"
Qin Zhao smiled softly without explaining.
Jing Li pulled him up and said, "I've rested enough. I heard there's a circus show over there. Let's go and take a look."
Jing Li got up early today to make pills, and then dragged Qin Zhao out to play on the street most of the night. By midnight, he was so sleepy that he could hardly open his eyes.
As the midnight bell rang, countless brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky.
The fireworks lit up the entire night sky as if it were daytime, and Jing Li took the initiative to give Qin Zhao a kiss under the fireworks.
The noise dissipated, the crowds on the street gradually thinned, and Qin Zhao walked back with Jing Li on his back.
"The pharmacy will not be open tomorrow. You should sleep a little longer and stop thinking about making medicine all the time." Qin Zhao whispered.
Jing Li was completely exhausted, and his voice was filled with fatigue as he said vaguely, "I know..."
Qin Zhao: "You answer this way every day."
But he never listened to me for a single day.
These days, Jing Li was always thinking about making medicine. He woke up automatically before dawn every day, and sometimes even went to the inner hall without even having breakfast.
It can't be controlled or explained.
Qin Zhao saw all of this, and it would be a lie to say he didn't feel sad.
This little bastard had previously refused his intimacy on the grounds that she was pregnant. Is this what someone who is pregnant should do
Qin Zhao felt helpless when he thought of this. He turned his head and wanted to say something else to him, but Jing Li kissed him on the face.
"You're so nice to me, thank you."
Jing Li buried her head in Qin Zhao's back, closed her eyes, and pursed her lips into a faint arc, and whispered: "...Husband."