Chapter 90: Heart-Clawing Itch (Thank you, reader 20200324183715159)

More than ten customers experienced allergic reactions, primarily on their chests, with redness, swelling, and itching. Many of them, unable to bear the discomfort, went to the hospital overnight.

The hospital diagnosed them with allergies and prescribed antihistamines and topical medications to relieve the itching. However, only identifying the allergen could lead to targeted treatment.

The common characteristic among these customers was that they had all visited the Ting Mei Breast Enhancement Clinic. The doctors believed the allergen was likely from within the clinic, as their symptoms did not resemble those caused by insect bites.

Doctors from reputable hospitals generally had little good to say about such cosmetic clinics, especially breast enhancement clinics, which they saw as merely a guise to scam money.

Faced with the angry customers demanding their rights, Pei Yu panicked. She emphasized that the breast enhancement cream they used was a pure, natural herbal cream with no side effects and would not cause allergies. She insisted that everyone must have misunderstood.

The customers, however, were not swayed by her explanations. Some had already complained to the drug administration and the health department, which had come to take samples for investigation. They required the clinic to temporarily cease operations and rectify the situation. Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Pei Yu quickly contacted her cousin, Pei Lin.

Pei Lin was on a business trip in Haizhou. Upon hearing about the incident, she scolded Pei Yu for not informing her earlier and told her to calm the customers down. She had connections with the drug administration and the health department and would return to Dongzhou as soon as she finished her business.

While Pei Yu was busy dealing with the chaos, Huichuntang hung a sign outside that read, "Ancestral Secret Formula, Specializing in Allergy and Itching Relief, Instantly Effective."

Pei Yu believed the sign was a veiled reference to their situation, targeting them. She felt that Huichuntang was openly taking advantage of their misfortune and wanted to confront Old Xu immediately. After all, they were neighbors, and it was unnecessary to mock their misfortune.

However, the sign had nothing to do with Xu Changshan; it was Xu Chunliang who had put it up on his own initiative.

Today, there were still cars parked outside Huichuntang, but they were there for维权 (rights protection). Many of the customers who came for rights protection saw the sign and, out of curiosity, bought a box of the cooling cream.

This cooling cream was formulated by Xu Changshan based on an ancestral recipe, primarily for mosquito bites and itching. It usually sold for two yuan a box, but today, Xu Chunliang had changed the price to a trial price of one hundred yuan.

Xu Changshan, seeing the price change, reminded him not to be so greedy. The cooling cream usually didn't sell many boxes, and he often gave it away as gifts. How could he charge one hundred yuan? He asked Xu Chunliang to change the price back.

Xu Chunliang replied that he would only sell it for one day, saying, "It's like Jiang Taigong fishing; those who want it will take the bait." Xu Changshan, annoyed by the noise from the rights protection actions, went to the park to play chess for peace and quiet. With him gone, Xu Chunliang was left to run the shop. He could sell it for whatever price he wanted, but he doubted anyone would buy it at one hundred yuan a box.

The customers demanding their rights also thought the price was too high, but there are always first-timers. Finally, a customer who couldn't bear the intense itching on her chest bought a box for one hundred yuan and applied it secretly in her car. To her surprise, the intense itching disappeared almost immediately, just as the sign had promised.

Unfortunately, the cooling cream was in short supply, and one box was only enough for one breast. She immediately came back to buy a second box.

Xu Chunliang, having nothing else to do on this Saturday, focused on selling the cooling cream. He told the customer that the first box was a trial price, but the second box would cost two hundred yuan. The customer, who was not short of money, said she would pay even two thousand yuan.

After buying the second box and applying it, she was pleasantly surprised by the immediate effect. Although she didn't know the cause of the allergy, the cooling cream from Huichuntang was truly a miraculous remedy.

This woman was also very shrewd. She didn't rush to spread the news but visited Huichuntang again, proposing to buy one hundred boxes. She calculated that there were dozens of customers demanding their rights today, and many more who hadn't come. Their symptoms were similar to hers. Assuming each person would need two boxes, one hundred boxes might not be enough. Even at two hundred yuan a box, she could easily make twenty thousand yuan by adding two hundred yuan to each box.

Xu Chunliang, of course, knew her intentions. He pointed out that Huichuntang didn't have that much stock, with only fifty boxes in inventory.

The woman, feeling a bit embarrassed, told him that it was all due to the Ting Mei Breast Enhancement Clinic, and she was also a victim of the clinic.

Xu Chunliang gave her an idea: she didn't need to be involved directly. If she helped promote the product, each box would be priced at five hundred yuan, and she would receive a one-hundred-yuan commission for each box sold.

The woman thought the price was too low, saying that he didn't understand the unbearable itching and the desperate need for relief. She insisted that even at five thousand yuan, people would still buy it.

Xu Chunliang realized that women could be ruthless. He had only planned to charge five hundred yuan, but she suggested five thousand. He told her that they couldn't be too reckless, considering market regulations and consumer protection. If someone reported them, it could backfire.

The woman laughed, saying that Xu Chunliang was too cautious. Anyone who came for breast enhancement was from a well-off family, and they had already spent thousands on the cream alone, not to mention the cost of physical treatments. This wasn't something to be proud of, and complaining would only embarrass them. If they were to report anyone, it would be the Ting Mei Breast Enhancement Clinic.

Xu Chunliang found this woman to be very shrewd. He wondered how she had been fooled by Pei Yu, given that he had never heard of anyone's breasts being enlarged by such methods.

The woman sighed, saying it was all for beauty. At their age, they were willing to spend a lot of money on beauty treatments to resist gravity and attract men.

They finally agreed to set the price at two thousand yuan a box, with a twenty percent commission, or four hundred yuan, for each box sold.

Xu Chunliang, being cautious, didn't even issue receipts, saying that it was like Jiang Taigong fishing; those who wanted it would take the bait. He thought that at such a high price, some might hesitate, but he soon realized he had underestimated women's purchasing power.

In less than half an hour, all fifty boxes were sold, generating a staggering one hundred thousand yuan in sales.

Those who bought the cream used it immediately, and it worked wonders, quickly relieving the intense itching. However, with only fifty boxes, many were left out, mostly those who had been hesitant.

Some had only bought one box, thinking it would be enough. When they found it to be highly effective, they regretted not buying more, wondering why they hadn't realized how large their chests were.

Those who bought two boxes felt completely relieved, as if they were running freely in a deserted valley, the wind blowing through their hair, and their mood lifted.

Those who didn't buy any were in agony, and those who bought only one box were even worse off, with one breast relieved and the other still itching, a stark contrast that made them want to cut off half their chest.

The woman helping to promote the product was named Zhong Yueqin, who ran a sports clothing business. She not only helped promote Huichuntang but also maintained order and contacted other Ting Mei Breast Enhancement Clinic customers, preparing for a collective rights protection action.

The customers who had recovered didn't leave, even though most were not short of money. They felt the money was spent in vain and wanted compensation from the Ting Mei Breast Enhancement Clinic.

The clinic had been in business for some time and had accumulated many customers. By noon, over a hundred people had gathered to demand their rights, though not all had developed symptoms. Thirty-seven people had sudden allergic reactions, mostly from the previous day.

Another dozen or so couldn't buy the cooling cream and gathered outside Huichuntang, pleading to buy even at a higher price.

Seeing their condition, the other customers, who hadn't developed symptoms, became worried. They had heard that the symptoms were caused by the breast enhancement cream, and they received chest massages and applied large amounts of the cream each time. They also wanted to buy the cooling cream as a precaution.

Pei Yu was puzzled by the coincidence of the customers' collective allergic reactions and Huichuntang's sudden sale of the cooling cream. She suspected a connection and even wondered if the allergic reactions were related to Huichuntang.

Pei Yu promised to take full responsibility and managed to calm the crowd. She wanted to visit Huichuntang but encountered Xu Changshan outside. She greeted him, though her tone was somewhat sarcastic.

Xu Changshan, though he didn't like the Ting Mei Breast Enhancement Clinic, wasn't one to hold grudges against younger people. He smiled and nodded, but seeing the crowd outside Huichuntang, he thought his grandson might have caused some trouble.

Pei Yu, still angry, said, "Old Mr. Xu, your business is really booming today. The cooling cream is sold out, and it's a luxury at two thousand yuan a box."

Xu Changshan thought he had heard wrong. The cooling cream usually sold for two yuan a box. How could it be two thousand yuan? Only a fool would buy it.

Seeing Xu Changshan return, the women waiting outside quickly made way, saying, "Old Mr. Xu is back. Please make more cooling cream; we're waiting to buy it."

The intense itching had made these refined women forget their dignity, and some were already holding money, ready to hand it to Xu Changshan.

Xu Chunliang had already told them the cream was sold out and suggested they go to the hospital. But the women, tormented by their symptoms, couldn't wait even an hour, let alone a day. They had been to the hospital, but the medication didn't work.

One wealthy woman even placed ten thousand yuan in front of Xu Chunliang, but he remained unmoved. There was no stock, and even a million yuan wouldn't change that.

Pei Yu, seeing the crowd still there, feared becoming the target of their anger and didn't dare approach Huichuntang.

Thank you, reader 20200324183715159, for your generous support. I appreciate all the readers who have supported and donated to the octopus. Here's an extra chapter! We're not far from the fifth update!