Chapter 27 - 26: Taking Advantage of the Illiterate (First Update)

Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Taking Advantage of the Illiterate (First Update)

Even though Xu Jing had anticipated that the medical profession, a high-demand hot profession, wouldn’t be easy, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

This wasn’t just difficult—it felt like you had to pass multiple trials and confront numerous challenges to make a name.

With the support of modern medical technology and the meticulous guidance of her grandfather, Xu Jing wasn’t too worried that her medical skills would be inferior to the doctors of this world.

But it is said that a strong dragon cannot crush a local snake; she was worried that if she stood out too much too quickly, shaking the interests of these large medical halls, she would be jointly eliminated by them.

Regardless of the era, malicious competition exists, which is why Xu Jing felt she needed to investigate thoroughly in advance.

After all, her entire assets amounted to less than twenty taels of silver, not enough to even hire some bodyguards for protection.

She couldn’t help but lower her eyes slightly, falling into contemplation.

Mrs. Fang thought she was worried about the money problem and quickly comforted her, "Don’t worry, apart from these three medical halls in Anping County, there are many small ones, and those charge even less with some decent doctors among them.

If it’s not a major illness, finding those doctors is quite sufficient. When my children were young and had minor ailments, we didn’t even go to the county; we’d make do with doctors in the village.

But if your condition is more serious, you’ll need to spend more money. If the money isn’t enough, Old Song and I can lend you some. After all, health is paramount, and some minor illnesses, if not attended to, can escalate to serious ones, and by then, it’ll be too late to regret."

Seeing that Mrs. Fang had completely misunderstood, Xu Jing didn’t know how to explain, so she just smiled genuinely, "Thank you, Mrs. Fang, I understand."

The carriage smoothly reached the county, and Mrs. Fang dropped them off at the city gate, making an appointment with them to return to the village in the afternoon, and went to set up her stall.

When Xu Jing came to the county yesterday, she was brought in custody, closely monitored all the way, with no time or mind to observe the county’s circumstances.

Standing now at the city gate, observing the gradually bustling street, she finally had the feeling that a new life was beginning.

Chunyang, having visited the county most often and familiar with the place, turned to Xu Jing and asked, "Madam, where should we go now?"

Xu Jing donned the veil she had prepared long ago and smiled calmly, "It’s still early, no rush, let’s go grab breakfast first."

Her purpose here was to assess the medical profession in Anping County. Having a general understanding now, the next step was to conduct a field study and see if there were any good opportunities for her to make her first move.

However, in the following three days, she followed Mrs. Fang’s carriage to the county daily, yet couldn’t find that opportunity.

She had already visited Guangming Hall and Huashou Hall among the three medical halls Mrs. Fang mentioned, leaving only Tianyi Hall.

As Mrs. Fang stated, Guangming Hall was the most luxurious and grand among the medical establishments she visited in these days, located on the busiest street with the most footfall in the county, occupying three full shops. The front was the pharmacy, and the back was the consultation area. Patients could get their medicine right after the consultation, convenience at its best.

When Xu Jing and her companions arrived, they saw a bustling Guangming Hall with the pharmacy assistants working swiftly, busy beyond means—seeing the business was enviable.

Huashou Hall’s decor was much simpler, and the shop wasn’t as large. Though it included a pharmacy, it wasn’t extensive. From the patients’ chatter, Xu Jing learned that Huashou Hall mainly thrived on consultations. The pharmacy stocked only common or rare medicinal herbs, not very comprehensive.

Sometimes when doctors prescribed, patients had to go to other pharmacies to complete their medicine.

Yet, Huashou Hall’s business was also booming. Unlike Guangming Hall, they had fewer sitting doctors, and when Xu Jing arrived, there was already a long queue outside, proving the saying true—birth, old age, sickness, and death are constants of life—none can escape them.

Chunyang and Chunxiang, accompanying Xu Jing for three days, had somewhat guessed her intentions upon seeing all the medical establishments in the county.

They were surprised internally—when did their lady even learn medicine?

Could it also have been picked up from those old storybooks?

Xu Jing knew many things couldn’t be hidden from them but it was impossible to tell them the truth, so on the night after returning from the county government, she told them most of her knowledge came from reading miscellaneous books, and after her previous severe illness, her mind cleared significantly, somehow letting her integrate the book knowledge suddenly.

Chunyang and Chunxiang were startled but always trusted their lady. Having observed her changes recently themselves, though things felt odd, they didn’t know where to start investigating.

Most importantly, they were illiterate! Earlier, they knew those books their lady read were mostly scholar-romance novels, and had no idea of the contents.

Truly taking advantage of us being illiterate!

Still, they thought their lady might truly know medicine now, but after visiting so many medical establishments with her, they couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

Those places appeared so professional, well esteemed; even the smaller clinics had doctors with years of experience.

How likely was it for their lady, a newcomer without any prior consultation experience, to have patients?

After all, treating illness isn’t like buying stuff. With buying, you can afford mistakes, but mistakes in treatments guarantee nothing about their future!

On the fourth day, Xu Jing took them to town again, planning to visit Tianyi Hall, when Chunyang finally couldn’t help herself and called out to Xu Jing, "Madam, do you truly want to pursue the medical profession? With so many clinics and doctors in Anping County, establishing ourselves won’t be easy."

The silver coins they had were dwindling each day. If it turned out this wasn’t viable, there was still time to find another path.

The concern and anxiousness on the two girls’ faces were nearly overflowing; Xu Jing couldn’t help but smile softly, "Don’t worry, I’m confident. Though breaking through the ranks of so many medical establishments is tough, the essence of consultations lies in excellent medical skills.

As long as the skills are exceptional, it’s impossible not to succeed.

I’m not worried about whether we can make it, but rather how to secure our position while carving out a share from these major medical establishments in Anping County."

Having decided on this path, she aimed to excel and expand.

She wasn’t content with just earning a little to meet daily needs; as a woman in this unfamiliar world, she must accumulate enough capital.

Therefore, each step must be taken excellently and steadily, with no room for error.

Chunyang and Chunxiang were startled.

Though illiterate, they weren’t stupid; they comprehended what their lady meant.

The ambition to take a slice from these longstanding medical establishments was this momentous!

Those establishments had operated for at least three generations! Not to mention mere women like them, even small clinics without backgrounds didn’t dare confront them!

If she were still the Xu Family’s legitimate daughter and Vice Minister Xiao’s lawful wife, there’d be a possibility.

Though Vice Minister Xiao still resided in Anping County, judging from his previous attitude towards their lady, they dared not hope for his assistance...

Xu Jing sensed the worry in the two girls’ eyes but merely smiled faintly, continuing to walk forward.

Relative to the time they’ve spent together, their understanding of her mostly stopped at the original master’s tenure, making it quite normal not to trust her completely.

Not just them, even astute ones like Xiao Yi couldn’t fully believe in her.

Coincidentally, as this man, who seemed absent from her world, appeared in her mind, a conversation about him broke out nearby.