It was a wound he had caused himself, yet he had to maintain a dignified air and uphold his image as a doctor.
Not until his little sister poked a hole in his story with a single sentence did Doctor Wen gave an embarrassed chuckle, "Well, I was just trying to promote our clinic a little."
After all, it was not realistic to keep robbing the rich to help the poor all the time. The most important thing was for his female doctors to gain access to the inner courtyards of prominent families in Fengjing.
Chang Yan nodded in agreement next to him, fully endorsing his fourth brother's thinking.
He even introduced the gentleman in the embroidered robe, "The only son of Prince Gong. Because his father has a fiery temper and married a Hedong lion roar, he has very little standing in the household. Thus, he loves to secretly keep concubines."
He had no choice but to do so. Any woman not kept hidden would be chased out by his father and mother-in-law.
Wen Zhiyun nodded out of habit before the identity of the gentleman sunk in, leaving him frozen in place.
Even though they did not understand the complicated relationships between the prominent families of Fengjing, they knew the weight carried by the title "Prince Gong".
To hold the title of prince, one had to be, at the very least, the Heavenly Family's own brother or the previous Heavenly Family's brother - an undeniable member of the royal family.
They had just scammed a member of the royal family and swindled his money.
The more Wen Zhiyun thought about it, the more afraid he became, with his hands even starting to tremble, until he caught sight of Jiang Sheng fiddling with the silver ingots and finally calmed down.
"Fourth brother, you will inevitably have close ties with the prominent families of Fengjing once your medical reputation grows," Chang Yan said calmly. "Your female doctors are also meant to serve the wives of those families, so dealing with nobles is inevitable sooner or later."
For only by robbing the rich can they help the poor.
Wen Zhiyun suddenly understood the fundamental meaning behind Chang Yan's words, and he completely calmed down.
When one's heart is filled with great love, one would sacrifice one's own fears and apprehensions for that love.
It was so for generals who died on battlefields.
It was so for Doctor Wen.
It was so for Jiang Sheng.
It was also so for Wen Zhiyun.
Great love is compassion. It cannot bear to see the people suffer and hopes for peace in the world and that every wanderer can eat their fill.
To provide aid for more destitute commoners, Wen Zhiyun chose to deal with the lofty prominent families.
To give the aunties in her workshop jobs so that even a lazybones like her would grit her teeth and run the workshop.
Their hearts were filled with great love.
As if struck by this realization from the conversation between her two brothers, Jiang Sheng, who was holding the silver ingots, suddenly lifted her head. "Can we also sell Jiuzhen Bulk's desserts to the wives of those prominent families?"
That would allow them to hire more female workers and provide aid to more women like Auntie Zhang and Auntie Miao.
"Of course." Chang Yan was taken aback for a moment before musing, "As long as we can get one prominent customer, more will follow in a steady stream."
The beginning was always difficult. What mattered was how they took the first step.
Jiang Sheng did not think too deeply about it.
She was but an ordinary wanderer who had the good fortune to meet several outstanding brothers, occasionally clever but still very much ordinary at heart.
She did not have her big brother's composure and wit, her second brother's perseverance and fortune, her third brother's skills and resilience, her fourth brother's carefulness and prudence, much less her fifth brother's depth and calculations.
She was a wildly growing vine that had not been warped by the years but also not lush enough to make one's eyes light up at first sight.
After returning from the dilapidated temple on the hillside several days ago, Jiang Sheng had been racking her brains about how to sell Jiuzhen Bulk's desserts to nobles, even laughing less than usual.
Fortunately, Heaven helps those who help themselves.
Jiang Sheng recalled that when Jiuzhen Bulk first opened, Xu Mo had used his connections to invite several friends, who came purely for the lively atmosphere but also became regulars who truly appreciated the desserts.
For example, Zhu Sihuan from the Zhu family liked glutinous rice date cakes and would occasionally send someone to buy three to five catties. Sometimes he would also bring some other desserts.
Qi Huai of the Qi Family would also occasionally send someone to buy candied hawthorn and some other petite desserts.
Nothing had been heard from Zhao Yuan of the Zhao Family. Perhaps the fifty packs of desserts did a number on him.
The more Jiang Sheng thought about it, the more excited she became.
She could now confirm that the taste of Jiuzhen Bulk's desserts definitely passed muster. What was lacking were customers from prominent families.
But where could she meet nobles? Waiting for her fourth brother's clinic to develop was clearly unrealistic. Her big brother only knew those few people. The boss of You Ran Ju did not seem as kindly and willing to give her life advice like Boss Bai.
Jiang Sheng felt rather troubled. She simply took a carriage to Jiuzhen Bulk.
Perhaps because it was still early, she unexpectedly ran into someone unexpected there.
"Head Chef." Jiang Sheng walked up and greeted him crisply and sweetly. "What brings you here? Isn't You Ran Ju still cooking?"
The inexplicably thinner Head Chef turned around, an odd embarrassment spreading across his face, as he carefully chose his words. "Recently, the dessert sales at You Ran Ju have been exceptionally good. I came to see if I could increase the order quantity."
Jiuzhen Bulk's desserts were given a new look and sold at You Ran Ju for more than ten times the price there.
What's more, wealthy customers even deigned to bring a plate or two when treating their peers.
This was naturally due in part to You Ran Ju's inherently high prices. Zhang Xianglian's exquisite craftsmanship also deserved credit, especially her lotus cakes, which were not only beautifully shaped but also irresistibly delicious.
However, Zhang Xianglian was only one person. Not only did she have to sculpt intricate desserts, but she also had to oversee operations at Jiuzhen Bulk. She was simply spread too thin to agree to an increase in orders.
After getting rejected, the Head Chef stroked his nose, not angry but delighted instead. "Even keeping the quantity limited works. Scarcity stimulates the purchase desires of the nobles."
Then what was his purpose in coming today?
Jiang Sheng tilted her head. She vaguely recalled the sight of a dog in heat fawning over a bitch, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the Head Chef now.
She seemed to have grasped something important.
To verify her guess and resolve her doubts, Jiang Sheng sidled up to the Head Chef and deliberately picked up a dessert to sigh. "Jiuzhen Bulk's desserts still have no hope. Only commoners come to buy them. Not a single prominent household is willing to even try them."
That was a bit of an exaggeration.
Among the long line for the candied chestnuts, there were no few servants. Unfortunately, they only bought chestnuts and did not make a huge fuss about it, so the publicity effect was next to none.
The Head Chef glanced at the dark mass of people outside, then the innocent and lovely Jiang Sheng, before giving a resigned laugh. "It's not that simple to sell to nobles. You Ran Ju was only able to succeed because the owner was already someone of status to begin with. Other nobles patronized the place to show their support, and that was how the restaurant gradually became what it is."
Jiang Sheng visibly deflated.
Right then, Zhang Xianglian came over with a freshly made batch of glutinous rice date cakes. The Head Chef suddenly sat up straight with utmost sincerity. "Actually, it's not that difficult."
"For food eaten by nobles, besides taste itself, there must be an element of exclusivity. This clearly runs counter to Jiuzhen Bulk's original intentions. Just look - what young master or miss from a prominent family would eat desserts that cost a few dozen wen per catty? Even if they wanted to, they'd only do it on the sly, never daring to serve them to guests."
"Since none of us have connections with nobles, we can only use gimmicks to attract them and make them feel that enjoying Jiuzhen Bulk's desserts is an honor."
