Chapter 92 - 91: Differences Between Modern and Ancient Perspectives (First Update)

Chapter 92: Chapter 91: Differences Between Modern and Ancient Perspectives (First Update)

"That’s right."

Xu Jing’s lips curled slightly as she said, "This is called cooling oil."

She noticed that since Cheng Xianbai entered, he had been scratching a spot on the left side of his face with his fingers. As they approached, Xu Jing saw clearly that Cheng Xianbai’s left cheek had been bitten by some insect, leaving a large swelling.

It’s still summer now, the peak season for mosquitoes and other insects, so being bitten is quite normal.

Some people are particularly prone to insect bites, and by the end of the summer, there isn’t a single patch of unblemished skin on their bodies.

Most people use sachets to repel insects, but sachets have limited effectiveness and can’t completely keep all insects away. Occasionally, they still manage to get a few bites through gaps.

Xu Jing picked up a jar of cooling oil and handed it to Cheng Xianbai, smiling slightly, "Use your finger to apply a bit of the oil to the place where you were bitten by the insect on your face and see."

Cheng Xianbai was taken aback; could this ointment be specifically for insect bites?

He scooped a bit of cooling oil with his finger, and immediately, a cool, refreshing scent filled his nostrils while the small patch of skin that touched the ointment felt cold.

He paused momentarily and quickly applied the ointment onto the swelling on his face. The cool, penetrating sensation instantly spread across his face, and the itchiness of the bump disappeared, leaving only a refreshing and comforting feeling.

He couldn’t help but look at Xu Jing in astonishment, his eyes filled with immense joy.

The effect of this ointment is simply immediate!

Many people, when bitten by insects, suffer from the itch and scratch the skin, leaving scars here and there.

However, it’s not considered a disease and doesn’t affect daily work—it’s just uncomfortable, so many don’t think much of it. There are almost no ointments specifically for insect bites on the market. Most people prioritize preventing bites, and if the itch becomes unbearable, they use some home remedies, like sprinkling ash on it or spitting on it.

This cooling oil is an amazingly innovative and effective little item.

Cheng Xianbai’s reaction satisfied Xu Jing immensely. She had read many medical books in this world recently and knew that the medical level here is similar to that of the Tang Dynasty, with many prescriptions for treating various diseases. However, the variety of ointments is far less extensive than prescriptions.

The existing ointments are mostly for treating traumatic injuries or skin abscesses, sores, carbuncles, and other skin diseases, but there’s no ointment specifically for minor ailments like headaches or insect bites.

Or there might be, but if it’s not on the market, it means the formula is privately developed and strictly guarded.

In any case, this cooling oil is something currently absent from the Great Chu market, just like the Atractylodes Qi Pill she launched earlier!

Cheng Xianbai, despite his excitement, quickly expressed his concern, "But, insect bites aren’t serious illnesses. Ordinary people might not be willing to spend money on this..."

"Who said my cooling oil is only for treating insect bites?"

Xu Jing raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled, "Headaches from summer heat, fatigue, motion sickness, minor burns—my cooling oil can treat them all!

Do you still think my cooling oil has no market potential?"

Hearing this, Cheng Xianbai went from initial bewilderment to disbelief, to sheer delight, entirely relying on his blind trust in Xu Jing.

If Xu Jing had told him from the start that this cooling oil could treat so many conditions, he would never have believed it.

He couldn’t help but exclaim excitedly, "Miss Xu, you must be joking! If it can treat so many conditions and isn’t expensive, why wouldn’t people be willing to buy it? Those who can afford it will certainly want to keep a jar at home for emergencies!"

Cheng Qingqing couldn’t help but add, "Can cooling oil really treat motion sickness? I know many people who get dizzy as soon as they get into a vehicle, even the slowest ox carts are unbearable for them. Traveling long distances is like a death sentence, and there’s no good remedy yet!

Sister Jing, how much do you plan to sell it for per jar?"

Xu Jing replied with a smile, "The raw materials for this ointment aren’t expensive, but crafting the distiller and labor costs are high, not to mention the cost of the ceramic jars. I plan to sell it at sixty cents per jar.

If someone finishes using a jar, they can bring it back for a refill, which will cost forty-five cents per jar."

Sixty cents per jar isn’t expensive either; ordinary families can manage to buy one if they grit their teeth.

The most important thing is that one jar can last quite a while. If a family uses it sparingly, it can last a year or half a year!

Cheng Xianbai couldn’t help but ask, "Then when does Miss Xu plan to launch this cooling oil?"

That Guangming Hall took so many of their customers; they need to earn back the lost money fiercely!

"No rush. Before launching, we need to have enough ointments prepared."

Xu Jing thought for a moment and said, "For these next few days, we’ll delay opening Xinglin Hall by half an hour. You all come early in the morning to help make the cooling oil."

As Xu Jing spoke, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of distress.

Delaying the opening by half an hour means losing quite a bit of silver! She’s already chosen the option with the least loss. More people usually come for consultations in the afternoon than in the morning, so rather than closing early, it’s better to open late.

Other larger clinics have sufficient staff to take shifts, and if someone is temporarily unavailable, they can immediately find someone else to fill in. Closing isn’t an option; some capable clinics even have doctors on duty all night long, worried that someone might suddenly fall ill and need a doctor.

For a small clinic like theirs, staffing is always an issue.

They need to find a solution quickly.

In the following days, they all followed Xu Jing’s suggestion and went to Xu Jing’s home early each morning to make the ointment together.

Although they had quite a few Atractylodes Qi Pills returned to them, it also meant they didn’t have to rush to make the next batch, allowing them to spare time to make the cooling oil.

With the long, busy hours every day, even a cast-iron body couldn’t endure it. Xu Jing many times fell asleep directly in the carriage on her way to and from work.

Even Chen Hu couldn’t ignore it and said, "Miss Xu, why push yourself so hard? You should allow yourself to rest from time to time.

If worse comes to worst, Miss Xu, you’re so beautiful, just find someone to marry. Whoever is fortunate enough to marry Miss Xu would certainly not let you work so hard."

Although the affair between Miss Xu and Vice Minister Xiao ended tragically, Miss Xu not marrying Vice Minister Xiao doesn’t mean she can’t marry into another well-off family!

This touches upon the cultural differences between ancient and modern times.

Xu Jing just gave a slight smile, not intending to explain further.

At moments like these, she couldn’t help but silently sigh. Xiao Yi had really helped a lot when he got her this carriage, Chen Hu, and Wu Xiangui back then.

These were the rare times she thought of him after he left.

Sitting beside Chen Hu, Wu Xiangui was constantly looking around. Chen Hu couldn’t help but give him a nudge, "Why don’t you say something to persuade Miss Xu? This month we are ordered to protect Miss Xu, and if we just watch her wear herself out, we’d be responsible too."

Wu Xiangui, covering his sore head from the hit, said innocently, "I wasn’t even listening to what you were saying just now... Speaking of which, Da Hu, haven’t you noticed that someone seems to be following us lately?"

Chen Hu was slightly stunned and sat up straight, "No way, we’ve been taking the same routes every day. If someone were following us, we’d have noticed by now. You might be mistaken."

Despite saying this, he didn’t dare dismiss Wu Xiangui’s words.

Wu Xiangui, though a bit slow, had particularly acute senses.

Many times during arrest missions, he was the first one to spot the tracks of criminals.

Wu Xiangui furrowed his brows deeply, "I’m not sure either; it’s just that several times I seemed to hear strange noises behind us, but when I turned around, there was no one there..."

Before he finished speaking, a frantic female voice suddenly came from not far away—

"Madam? Madam? Are you okay? Stop the carriage! Stop quickly! The Madam isn’t feeling well at all!"

With this voice, there was a series of sounds of retching that sounded painfully distressing.