Upon opening the box, Lin Chuxia immediately noticed its contents—a small stack of at least a dozen handwritten prescriptions.
“Master…” Lin Chuxia didn’t know what to say. These items could be considered what Old Sir He cared about the most, and now they were all to be given to her.
Old Sir He frowned, “Lose that look; I’m not dead yet. These things aren’t worth much. They’re just taking up space at home. Take them with you. If you feel like it, you can take a look. If not, just use them to start a fire when cooking meat. Just hurry up and take them away.”
Lin Chuxia chuckled, put the medical books back in the box, and lifted the entire thing, “Then I might really use them to start a fire, Master, you better not feel heartbroken.”
“Go on, get out of here. You’re starting to be a pain to look at,” Old Master He shooed her away.
“Alright then, I’m really going. Don’t regret it later, Master. Rest assured, after I stew the meat, I’ll bring some over for you to taste. Let’s see if the meat cooked with medical books as kindling tastes the same as before.”
Lin Chuxia said this as she ran out. As she passed through the doorway, a shoe flew out after her.
Laughter echoed in the courtyard; Old Sir He couldn’t help but laugh too as he watched from behind the glass.
Lin Chuxia carried the box back to the office in her small courtyard. She took out the medical books and flipped through them; she couldn’t recognize many of the traditional characters, so she simply put them aside.
She then took out the stack of prescriptions and noticed that the papers used were clearly of varying ages.
The lower stack of papers, whether it was the paper itself or the handwriting, clearly had some age to them. The few on top were clean, with clear calligraphy, obviously newly written, and a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes.
Looking at the contents on the papers, the top portion listed the prescriptions, indicating the names and quantities of the herbs used, while the bottom half described the applicable symptoms.
Most were common medicines used in everyday life, with only a few being remedies for treating complicated and miscellaneous diseases.
However, Lin Chuxia carefully noticed that even those common drugs were somewhat different from what she knew.
In her previous life, she had worn herself out and was frail, frequently falling ill and often seeking help from traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.
Being a patient for such a long time, she had become somewhat of an expert. There were a few prescriptions she had used in her previous life, and she clearly remembered that some of the medications were slightly different.
She had never doubted Old Sir He’s medical skills. Anyone who could earn praise from Granny Su—Old Sir He’s skills were certainly not something an ordinary doctor could compete with.
It’s just that these prescriptions had not become known in her previous life. Perhaps with Old Sir He’s passing, they also disappeared from history.
Lin Chuxia put the prescriptions and the medical books back in the small box and directly placed the box into the spatial storage.
Perhaps in this life, she would have one more important thing to do.
…
Business at the store was proceeding in an organized manner, and Qin Yang’s birthday was approaching. When she found the time, she made a trip to the city.
She planned to open her next Bun Shop in Ancity County, and since Ancheng County was only so big, no matter how delicious her buns were, the market share for two bun shops would be nearly the same.
She had to leave some room for the many small business owners to make a living.
In her previous life, Lin Chuxia had spent her entire life in business and knew the principle of leaving a line when dealing with people and leaving some leeway in actions.
To overflow when full, to spill when brimming with water.
This was also the reason why she wasn’t angry when Granny Sun took her spot at the stall.
She didn’t have the courage of Bai Juyi to return the remaining wealth to the people, but leaving a portion of the market to her fellow countrymen was still feasible.
She also needed to make a purchase trip to the city.
Ancheng County was indeed a bit small, and there were many things she didn’t find appealing.
Once she came back and opened the new branch, there would be New Year’s Day, Spring Festival, and various holidays following. According to her usual practice, she needed to plan for the gift-giving aspect of the holidays.
Although her store’s scale couldn’t compare to the company she owned in her previous life, details determined success or failure. She still needed to foster the necessary interpersonal relationships and carry out the required social exchanges.
Like Li Jian, Wang Cheng, Xu Changping and those people, she had managed to establish some connections. To maintain these relationships, she would need to put in some extra effort.
She had plenty of great stuff in her space, but because it was too good, she rarely found an occasion to use it.
Now, however, this invisible suitcase of a space had its uses.
After arranging the work at the shop, she boarded the bus headed for the city.
The autumn coolness had set in, but buses, these densely packed modes of transport, still reeked of a sour stench. Lin Chuxia arrived early and found a window seat, opened the window for some fresh air, which made her feel much more comfortable.
More people gradually got on.
There are few buses from Ancheng County to the city, just one trip per day, going in the morning and returning in the afternoon.
The bus quickly filled up with people, with many standing in the aisle.
Many passengers were holding large and small bags, and some even carried a pair of live chickens.
The two chickens had their feet and wings tied up, and upon boarding the bus, they began to struggle and squawk incessantly due to the crowdedness.
A young man holding the two chickens looked incredibly embarrassed as he stood in the aisle, hugging the chickens and continuously apologizing to the people next to him.
At this point, everyone on the bus had their fair share of various items, and no one found it strange.
Next to Lin Chuxia sat an old lady around 50, who upon boarding, placed her large bag between the two of them.
Lin Chuxia was slim and did not argue with the older woman, even shifting to the side a bit.
But the old lady, pushing her luck, began to squeeze inwards with the motion of the moving bus.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Lin Chuxia had no choice but to remind her, “Granny, you can put your bag on the floor.”
The old lady gave her a sidelong glance, “My bag contains important stuff. If it gets lost on the floor, will you compensate me?”
“But having it here is affecting others.”
“If you’re afraid of being squished, just stand. The seats on this bus aren’t owned by your family. I’ll put my things wherever I like,” she retorted, and muttered under her breath, “Young and already so entitled just because you have a seat.”
Seeing the old lady’s defiant face, Lin Chuxia knew that further talk would be a waste of breath and simply turned her face towards the window.
The bus was on the main road now, and it wouldn’t take an hour to reach the city along this road.
At that moment, the old lady next to her spoke up again, “Hey, close the window. What kind of weather is this to have the window open? It’s freezing people to death.”
Only then did Lin Chuxia notice that the old lady was only wearing a thin coat.
It was already late October, and Lin Chuxia had a sweater under her coat, so she didn’t feel cold even with the breeze.
She imitated the old lady’s manner and glanced up and down at her, “The bus’s windows aren’t owned by your family either. If you want to be in charge, come earlier next time and sit by the window yourself.”
The old lady glared at her angrily, “It’s not you who’s freezing,” she grumbled, and shrank her neck a bit more as a gust of wind blew by.
Lin Chuxia straightened up the collar of her coat, self-righteously saying, “I’m cold too. But with such a strong smell in the bus, I have to sacrifice my comfort unlike some who think that the whole bus belongs to them as soon as they board, even trying to squeeze into other people’s seats.”
Someone snickered.
Right, you place your things on someone else’s seat, claim that it’s not their seat, so the window isn’t yours either. Since they’re seated by the window, naturally, they’d open it if they wish or close it if they prefer.
The granny’s face showed unease, “I’ve moved my bag, so close the window.”
Lin Chuxia did not even look at her, “No need to tell me that. It’s not for my sake; I’m doing it so that everyone in the bus can breathe fresh air.”
The old lady, having been put in her place and seeing the others around looking on as if watching a show, glowered at Lin Chuxia before tightly wrapping her arms around herself.
The bus moved on, and a few more passengers boarded.