Chapter 37

"This is the revenue from when all the released stock was sold..."

Rustle!

"…!"

"I adjusted the price a bit by recalling the higher-grade Qinglian water in the middle of seeing the list of those who passed the provincial exam. But now that all of this has been sold, it's..."

"…!"

Rustle! Tap tap!

The abacus made a cheerful sound, and as Lian's eyes widened, a hint of a smile briefly appeared on Jian Weiwen's usually calm face before disappearing again.

"In any case, I apologize for arbitrarily adjusting the sales volume. The situation was a bit urgent."

Honestly, with this level of revenue, it would have been urgent even twice over, but Lian tried to regain her composure and steady her mind.

"Still, after seeing me do that, Father suggested that I manage the Qinglian water together with him."

Lian's eyes sparkled. Despite her indirect way of speaking, Jian Weiwen seemed to have taken her words to heart.

"So, I came in a hurry because we're short on stock. It's the hottest time right now... I was wondering if we could get a bit more supply."

"That's great news. Of course, we should prepare more."

Lian replied calmly, though her mind was exploding with excitement.

'It's not the Jinjiazhai that's important right now.'

Engaging in pointless sword fights is of no help in life!

What truly helps in life is this: small, round, with a hole in the middle, and made of metal.

"But did all the pure Qinglian water sold in the medicine shops sell out too?"

In contrast to the higher-grade Qinglian water, the 'pure Qinglian water' is the lower-grade Qinglian water that Lian made by infusing a little bit of spirit energy and sold cheaply. She thought it was better to call it 'pure' rather than 'lower-grade,' and Jian Weiwen was greatly impressed by this naming.

"Yes. The higher-grade Qinglian water was used by Wei Xue, but it seems that people flocked to the medical halls and pharmacies in a last-ditch effort to grab a straw."

"How long is it until the next metropolitan exam?"

"Hmm?"

Jian Weiwen was slightly taken aback.

After the provincial exam had such a huge success, he hadn't even thought about the metropolitan exam that Jian Weixue would take.

"Um... probably half a year, no. I heard the next metropolitan exam will be around next spring. The emperor is not in good health, so it has been delayed."

"Is that so?"

"But the metropolitan exam...?"

"Is held in Beijing, right?"

"Yes... that's right."

Lian smiled. Beijing. In that city where people and money flow, rumors spread just as quickly.

"Um, Lian. Although Wei Xue became the top scorer in the provincial exam this time, whether he will do well in the metropolitan exam..."

Lian just blinked and smiled. At the same time, Jian Weiwen flinched, shivered slightly, and quickly said:

"At that time, an unimaginable amount of stock will be needed."

A chill ran down Jian Weiwen's arm.

Incidentally, the bottles of Qinglian water have a small duck carved on them.

Jian Weiwen, who had heard that the duck was drawn by Duan Mulian's uncle out of affection for his nephew, had put a lot of effort into the bottle production.

However, the character for duck (鴨) is composed of the characters for 'first' (甲) and 'bird' (鳥).

The character for 'bird' (鳥) is similar to the character for 'name' (名), and it carries the meaning of wishing for the top scorer (狀元) in the imperial exams, which is the first rank (第一名) in the first class (甲科).

But there are two ducks on the Qinglian water bottle?

This could be interpreted as wishing for the top scorer in both the provincial and metropolitan exams.

One has already become the top scorer, so will the other fulfill its role?

'It's impossible that he drew real ducks. Could Lian have foreseen this...!'

"Uncle Wei Xue should diligently make Qinglian water before the metropolitan exam."

Lian thought about the stock of Qinglian water. Jian Weixue will become the top scorer in the metropolitan exam too.

If the provincial top scorer was enough to make Jian Weiwen rush over in surprise, how would the metropolitan top scorer be?

Thinking about this, she suddenly felt as if she could go three years without eating and still feel full.

"I will also prepare a gift to send to Uncle Wei Xue."

This much of a commotion means that Jian Weixue used the Qinglian water with great sincerity. He had understood the intention behind the advertisement.

Jian Weixue would have passed the imperial exams even without the Qinglian water, but even if that wasn't the case, it was right to pay the price.

"To Wei Xue?"

Jian Weiwen frowned, seemingly not in agreement.

"Shouldn't he use it well until the metropolitan exam?"

"But will he really...?"

Pass the metropolitan exam?

Jian Weiwen said in a very doubtful tone.

Seeing how happy his father, Jian Yanjiao, was, it didn't seem like he had used any other means, but he still had a thought in his heart: 'Still, did Father meet the chief examiner with a bag of money...?'

He was still surprised at how the wayward boy had become the top scorer.

"Uncle Wei Xue, you said he never forgets a face once he's seen it, right?"

One of the stories Lian had heard about Jian Weixue was that he never forgot a face. Some people had even suffered because of a single slip of the tongue in front of him.

"He was said to have that ability when he was young, but..."

"Uncle Wei Xue is still young, so his memory shouldn't have deteriorated, right?"

The imperial exams aren't just about having a good memory, but with such a good memory, it's a different story.

Jian Weiwen, while counting the number of books his brother had supposedly read once, shivered slightly.

His brother had said that he had read all the books on the shelves once. When he was young, he thought it was just boasting...

"That's... true."

Jian Weiwen's voice carried a hint of resentment, making Lian tilt her head.

"Aunt?"

"For that wayward boy to become the top scorer just because of a good memory. How many diligent scholars must be feeling wronged..."

Lian burst out laughing.

"Then, let's start with the higher-grade Qinglian water... shall we call it 'true Qinglian water'?"

"That's a good name."

"First, we'll use the essential oils from the clan, and then we'll start preparing the materials..."

"The merchant guild has some prepared materials. Of course, it's not enough, but we're buying more."

"We'll start preparing while making it in the clan."

Having said that, Lian looked up at Jian Weiwen with a sudden thought.

"Is it possible for the Duan clan to take on some of the transportation of Qinglian water?"

"Transportation? You mean the escort agency?"

"Yes. The clan has an escort agency. It's not big enough to handle all the stock immediately, but it should be able to handle the back and forth with the merchant guild."

"Alright. I'm in charge of the escort agency, so it shouldn't be difficult to arrange. Although it's not a formal arrangement, can we receive the Qinglian water daily as it's made?"

Jian Weiwen waved his hand, saying he would pay the proper transportation fees, showing how urgent it was. Lian nodded and smiled broadly.

* * *

"Was it just us?"

Lian whispered.

With the large-scale production about to begin, they had gathered all the remaining essential oils from the clan's pharmacy, but only three people were left.

The head of the pharmacy, the deputy head, and Lian herself.

'Can we meet the supply with just these three?'

Actually, the work itself wasn't difficult. It was rather simple.

They just needed to prepare the essential oils according to the mixing ratios, mix them all together, and send them off. The merchant guild would handle the division and packaging.

Usually, she would do it alone or with Duan Xianwu...

"If we need more hands, I, I will help. Young Master."

Zheng Ying, the warrior guarding Lian's residence, spoke with a sincere attitude.

He had always been loyal, but after Lian gave him advice on footwork, which he had integrated into the Yu Chenghuan Jue, he became even more respectful.

'Should I say he looks up to me?'

"Your willingness is appreciated..."

Lian hesitated to involve him in tasks outside his duties, but after seeing the paper Duan Xianwu showed her, she made up her mind.

The order quantity Jian Weiwen had given was so large that she needed all the help she could get.

"Your willingness is appreciated, and I really appreciate your help. I'll give you extra pay as well."

"No, no. It's the clan's business. I should naturally help."

"That's nonsense."

Lian shook her head and put on a serious face. Without giving Zheng Ying a chance to refuse, she started the work.

Everyone involved in the production washed their hands thoroughly, and Lian used the purification technique once in between.

She calculated the amount needed for one bottle of Qinglian water and posted it on the wall. Each person was responsible for measuring two or three types of essential oils.

"Wow... being a martial artist is really helpful."

Thanks to their sensitive senses, after measuring a few times, they could measure the essential oils accurately in one or two tries.

Zheng Ying was embarrassed, and Duan Xianwu mumbled that he could show many more impressive things than just measuring essential oils, but he didn't say it out loud.

After mixing the measured essential oils in the last bottle, Lian used the harmonization and purification techniques once each, and the pure Qinglian water was complete.