All around was deathly silent.
Seeing an older laborer stand up with a gloomy face, Qin Shao felt extremely proud, certain that this time Li Ying would surely be disgraced.
"Little master, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't talk nonsense," the laborer said disgustedly. Qin Shao didn't expect that the man's spearhead would be directed at him. He couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
With him taking the lead, the fishing women also rushed to shout one by one.
"That's right! Who doesn't know about the dirty and despicable things your family has done! How dare you come here to slander A Ying? Get out of here! We don't welcome you at the dock!"
Mistress Li took the lead. She casually picked up two pieces of rotten vegetables and threw them at the Qin brothers without hesitation.
Qin Jin could still barely maintain his calm, but Qin Shao flew into a rage. He glared at Li Ying viciously and gritted his teeth. "You venomous woman! Let's wait and see!"
The two fled in a hurry. Li Ying looked at these righteous commoners and was deeply touched. She knelt down and bowed.
The old laborer took a puff of his pipe and said indifferently, "Mistress Li, we've been getting along with you and Brother Lu day in and day out. Can't we tell what kind of people you are? Don't worry. We'll never allow others to gossip about you!"
This farce at the dock faded away without causing much of a stir.
However, the Qin brothers returned to their mansion dejectedly. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Old Mistress Qin happily holding a bag of something and fondling it lovingly.
"My sons, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale? Come and take a look. Mother bought something good today!"
She lovingly pulled their hands and took out the bag of things to show them as if offering a treasure.
"This is called Penfu Jiao Guyuan Paste. It's a great tonic! These days, Mother has been so angry with that little slut surnamed Li that she's been having heart palpitations. But after just eating two pieces, I feel much more comfortable all over, and my hands and feet have more strength!"
"Mother asked the clerk in the pharmacy. Men can also eat this Guyuan Paste to nourish the kidneys and replenish deficiencies. Come on, you two brothers, have a taste together!"
She picked up two pieces of Guyuan Paste and was about to feed them to the Qin brothers.
Qin Jin frowned even more tightly. As if remembering something, he tentatively asked, "Mother, did you go to Deji Tang today?"
Old Mistress Qin was confused but still nodded honestly.
"My son, how do you know? The goods in Deji Tang are really good. It's just that the clerks are as silent as dead people. They don't even know how to greet customers."
Sure enough, as soon as she said this, the two Qin brothers' faces instantly changed.
"Mother! Do you know who made this Guyuan Paste? It was that venomous woman surnamed Li!"
Old Mistress Qin's hand holding the Guyuan Paste froze in mid - air. Her expression was as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a fly.
Her face changed like a revolving lantern. After finally calming down, she asked anxiously, "My son, if this Guyuan Paste was really made by that little slut... how much silver did she earn?"
Qin Shao also said angrily, "Today, big brother kindly advised her and wanted to reconcile with her. Who would have thought that this woman is so stubborn! I'm afraid she won't be willing to hand over this business to us honestly."
Old Mistress Qin didn't expect that she had actually rushed to give silver to Li Ying. She kept muttering in pain. However, Qin Jin remained silent for a moment and then snorted firmly.
"Since she is not willing to hand over the silver obediently, don't blame me for being rude! She is just a woman with long hair but short vision. How could she possibly know how to make Penfu Jiao? She must have secretly learned it from my ancient books. She must hand over this business to me honestly!"
A hint of gloom flashed in Qin Jin's eyes. He had given this woman a way out. Since she was not willing to take it, don't blame him for being ruthless!
Having made up his mind, he changed his clothes, took Qin Shao with him, and rushed straight to the pharmacy.
The two paced back and forth in front of Deji Tang. Their strange appearance instantly caught the attention of an apprentice.
"Aren't you the two young masters of the Qin family? May I ask what brings you here?"
A flattering voice came from behind. Qin Jin frowned and turned around. He saw a thin man standing in front of him. He felt familiar but couldn't remember when he had seen him.
"Big master, you really are a busy person with a short memory. I'm Huang Lian, an apprentice in Deji Tang. We met yesterday when you came to buy the bruise - treating wine."
Qin Jin forced a polite smile and raised his eyebrows. "I heard that the Penfu Jiao Guyuan Paste in your pharmacy is quite good?"
Huang Lian rolled his shrewd rat - like eyes and guessed the general idea in his mind.
He took two steps forward and bowed obsequiously. "Master, are you here to buy Guyuan Paste? It's a pity... Our shopkeeper was deceived by Little Mistress Li. She said she was going to make Penfu Jiao, but we've been scraping donkey hides for most of the day. I'm afraid this business won't last long."
"I tried my best to persuade the shopkeeper, but he turned a deaf ear. It's really disappointing! I don't know what will happen to our pharmacy after this batch of Guyuan Paste is sold out."
He put on a heart - broken look. The Qin brothers already had evil intentions. How could they not understand what he meant?
"Big brother, this little apprentice is quite sincere. Should we... help him out?" Qin Shao pretended to persuade. Qin Jin also pretended to look hesitant.
Huang Lian quickly took the opportunity. "The prescription the shopkeeper bought was originally fine. If I can get the prescription for you two masters, after you start your own business and become prosperous, can you reward me with the position of the shopkeeper of Deji Tang? I will surely do my best for you two masters!"
Qin Jin still had some concerns and hesitated. "You know you're just an apprentice. You have big ambitions, but if you want to cooperate with me, you have to come up with a feasible plan."
Huang Lian seemed to have guessed Qin Jin's meaning long ago. He slapped his chest confidently.
"Big master, you may not know that scraping donkey hair is a tedious and stinky job. The clerks are complaining. The shopkeeper ordered me to recruit some new clerks to help.
"As long as you give me some silver, I'll make some arrangements and ask them to do some tricks secretly. When we can't make Penfu Jiao, the shopkeeper will surely become suspicious and will definitely arrest Li Ying and take her to the official, accusing her of fraud.
"By then, big master can just go with the flow. You can avenge your hatred and take over our pharmacy smoothly. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"
Qin Shao was an impatient person. He immediately became eager to try.
Although Qin Jin still looked calm on the surface, the glint in his eyes had already betrayed him.
He took out a tael of broken silver from his bosom and threw it to Huang Lian. "Then I'll follow your advice. But if you deceive me... you know the consequences."
Huang Lian picked up the silver and kowtowed like a pounding garlic. He bowed and saw Qin Jin off. Then he looked at the busy clerks not far away proudly and showed a row of yellow teeth.
Shopkeeper, you looked down on me first. Then don't blame me for not showing any mercy! You're old. This pharmacy will fall into my hands sooner or later. You'd better step down quickly!
He happily went to arrange the people. Qin Shao felt elated, but when he saw that Qin Jin was still not relaxed, he couldn't help being a little curious.
"Big brother, do you still have some concerns?"
Qin Jin didn't avoid the question. He nodded. "That woman Li Ying is quite smart. It's this Huang Lian. He is impatient. I'm worried that he's no match for her. If he shows his flaws too early, it may not be a good thing."
Qin Shao grinned carelessly. "Don't be afraid, big brother. What's so difficult about this? Don't we still have our mother?"
He whispered a few words in Qin Jin's ear. Sure enough, Qin Jin's tightly - locked eyebrows instantly relaxed a lot.