Chapter 87

When they saw Chen Jue walk in, their faces lit up as they crowded around him, all talking at once.

"Brother Chen, does this mean you'll be coming to the pharmacy every day now?"

"Well, you might have to watch the kid, but you can just bring him along! We'll help you keep an eye on him!"

"Yeah, Brother Chen, we'll keep an eye on him for you. You gotta come every day!"

Chen Jue handed out the red envelopes Huo Jilin had prepared ahead of time—little red cloth pouches stuffed with copper coins, twenty per pouch. He passed out all twenty envelopes one by one, smiling as he said, "I'll stop by every day to check in. You've all been doing great—keep it up, especially with the hygiene."

He'd enforced strict standards from day one, so these folks had always measured up. They were even more careful with the medicine than with the food.

Even though the contracts clearly said the pharmacy would take responsibility if anything went wrong with the medicine, they still didn't dare let their guard down.

That was good—exactly what they'd been going for when they picked these people.

After all, this was medicine. Chen Jue wasn't about to gamble with anyone's life.

Even if this first batch of cold granules wouldn't kill anyone if something went slightly wrong, he was already planning to move on to amoxicillin, analgin, and other anti-inflammatory and fever meds—and those would require even more caution.

"Alright, everyone, get back to work. We'll have an extra meal for you all at noon."

After passing out all the red envelopes, Chen Jue sent everyone back to their stations.

Zhou Qingzhu and Zhou Qingshan gave him an update on how today's batch was coming along.

Zhou Qingshan was a very steady guy, meticulous in everything he did. Especially since he saw Chen Jue as the man who saved his life, he practically threw himself into the pharmacy around the clock—even more than Huo Jilin.

It wasn't that Huo Jilin didn't care about the pharmacy—he just didn't have that much time to spend there. Besides expanding the medicine market across different regions, he had to reach out to the Jishi Hall locations in various areas and get them stocked up. On top of that, he had to coordinate with the tung oil paper mill, the porcelain factory, and other suppliers for materials.

You leave professional matters to the professionals.

Huo Jilin went off to the more important stuff—expanding the market—while Zhou Qingshan was better suited to holding down the fort.

He'd devote himself to Chen's Pharmaceutical heart and soul, like it was his own kid. That was rare.

Chen Jue had been able to rest easy during his month of postpartum recovery precisely because he knew Zhou Qingshan was even more devoted to the pharmacy than Huo Jilin.

Chen Jue said this to Zhou Qingshan with a grin.

Zhou Qingshan quickly jumped to Huo Jilin's defense: "Dalin's out there handling the... market!"

He'd already picked up a lot of modern lingo from working with Huo Jilin.

He explained quite professionally: "If you sent me out to sell medicine, I couldn't sell a single dose to save my life. But Dalin not only sold it all—he's got orders coming in every single day begging for more. Honestly, I never would've dreamed this was possible."

He smiled sheepishly as he spoke, thinking back to how he and his dad had tried to talk Huo Lin out of it, saying that buying thirty mu of wasteland would take forever to make back the money—maybe he should just clear it and plant something...

Back then, they'd had zero faith in Dalin's pharmacy and were constantly trying to help him cut his losses.

They never would've imagined the pharmacy would get so big. Actually, that wasn't quite the right word.

Nobody wanted to get sick. Getting sick meant death.

So there was an instinctive aversion to it—and with that mindset, how could they ever have imagined the pharmacy would become such a big deal?

Chen Jue understood what he meant and said quietly, "Better the shelves gather dust than the world be full of patients. If I had my way, there wouldn't be a single pharmacy in the world. But people eat the five grains, and there will always be all kinds of sicknesses. When you're sick, you need treatment—don't let it drag on until it becomes something medicine can't fix. That's the whole reason our pharmacy exists."

Zhou Qingshan's eyes sharpened, and he looked at him with something close to admiration. Chen Jue really deserved to be called his lifesaver—he seemed to see right through all the thoughts Zhou Qingshan couldn't put into words and gave him a clear answer, pointing him down the right path.

The meaning of the pharmacy's existence—wasn't that exactly it? Using these little packets of medicine to heal so many poor, suffering people was an act of true compassion.

The question that had been weighing on his heart for days was finally answered, like a huge weight lifted off his chest. Zhou Qingshan suddenly felt light as a feather, and he clasped his fist in salute to Chen Jue with a hearty laugh: "Doctor Chen, thank you."

He didn't say what for—thanking Chen Jue for lifting the psychological burden he'd been carrying.

Chen Jue didn't say much either. Zhou Qingshan was just too kind and honest by nature, which meant he carried heavy psychological baggage—that was probably why he'd developed PTSD in the first place.

Maybe he wasn't the type to expand territory or conquer markets, but he was a reliable partner—someone you could trust to watch your back on the battlefield. That was also why Huo Jilin had picked him to be the manager.

The pharmacy business was different from other trades. It required someone who walked the straight and narrow and had an upright heart.

Just like the head of Huachen Pharmaceutical in their past life had to have a spotless background, just like Huo Jilin had gone off to serve in the military.

Not to mention, Huo Jilin's eye for picking people had rarely ever failed.

In this unfamiliar place where they had few relatives, Huo Jilin had chosen Zhou Qingshan with careful thought. For instance, just now, Zhou Qingshan had defended Huo Jilin at every turn and looked up to him.

And now, with his doubts resolved, Zhou Qingshan sighed in admiration: "You and Dalin are both worldly, forward-thinking guys. I never would've thought of doing this in a million years."

Chen Jue couldn't blame him for thinking that way.

Most people wouldn't even think of making medicine. Even in later generations, you could count the pharmaceutical companies on one hand. Besides being controlled by the state, another reason was that the field required extreme specialization and had a long ramp-up time. Setting up an operation required way too many preparations—and the first hurdle, getting registered with the government, wasn't easy to clear.

A thousand restaurants might open before anyone thinks of opening a pharmacy.

If it hadn't been for those three years of pandemic in later times, so many pharmacies would never have sprung up.

Because every trade is a different world—everyone wants to do what they're good at. People open restaurants because they know how to cook and can give it a try.

If someone hasn't studied medicine, they won't think of treating illnesses. If Huo Jilin hadn't been the CEO of Huachen Pharmaceutical, he wouldn't have thought of opening a pharmacy either.

Everyone is the same.

Chen Jue said to Zhou Qingshan, "Last time Huo Jilin hunted wild boars, his arrow split apart and nearly hit someone. If you hadn't shot one through the eye, he'd have been chased around by that boar."

Mentioning the wild boar hunt from last time, Zhou Qingshan couldn't help but burst out laughing. After he finished laughing, he still made excuses for Huo Jilin: "Dalin was injured before that—his shoulder couldn't put in the strength."

Chen Jue shook his head slightly. He wasn't mocking Huo Jilin—the image of Huo Jilin riding alone to lure the boar herd away had been quite dashing in everyone's eyes.

He was just using this as an example. No one in this world is perfect; just do what you're good at.

He had basically toured the entire pharmacy process, and Zhou Qingshan invited him to inspect the final step.

In front of the drying racks, Chen Jue scooped a spoonful of the medicine into his hand, rubbed it a few times to check that the blend of medicinal powder and dextrin was right, then put it in his mouth.

Under Zhou Qingshan's nervous gaze, he tasted it and swallowed.

Zhou Qingshan wanted to say something, but Chen Jue waved his hand: "It's fine. The cold granules contain ginger, which has warming properties. A little won't hurt me."

He didn't need to nurse a baby, so this small amount of medicine was nothing.

He remembered that as a child, he used to sneak sips of Director Zhou's cough syrup because it was sweet.

"No problems. It's ready for packaging."

Chen Jue said.

After checking on the medicine workshop, Chen Jue headed back, since they had a lot of customers coming in today.

Sure enough, before he even got to the door, he could already see a bunch of people in the yard.

It was another warm day—sun was out, no wind, so the little yard at the foot of the mountain was nice and toasty.

Out in the yard, some folks were watching the kids, others were busy getting the food ready, and you could already smell the food cooking from way off.

Chen Jue spotted Huo Jilin in the crowd, holding the baby.

He stood out the most—with looks like that, and today especially, he was grinning ear to ear.

That usually cold, stern face was now all smiles.

He held the baby tight, letting people look but not touch. The baby was still tiny, with that soft little body, and people who didn't know how to hold a baby shouldn't be allowed to. Chen Jue had told Huo Jilin, so he simply refused to let anyone else hold him.

To everyone else, he looked like he was showing off some precious treasure.

Chen Jue overheard Zhou Dajiang ribbing him: "Dalin, you act like somebody's gonna snatch him away."

Zhou Hehua chimed in too: "Oh my, little Yu'er, your daddy sure thinks you're something special."

Around here, the two dads had different titles—the burly one was called 'Dada,' and the other one was called 'Die Die.'

Huo Jilin didn't bother explaining. When he saw Chen Jue, he walked over with the baby, lifting the baby's tiny fist to wave at Chen Jue: "Look, Daddy's here."

Everyone noticed Chen Jue too, and their eyes all lit up.

"Wow, Jue Ge'er, you look incredible today! That outfit is fire!"

"Where'd you buy it?! So pretty! So pretty! I wanna get one too!"

"This looks like it's from the Jiangnan Cloth Shop—that place is pricey!"

"So gorgeous! How can it be this gorgeous! Chen Jue was already good-looking, and dressed like this, he looks like... like... some rich young master!"

This time, Zhou Hehua finally found the right words—no more talk about pageboys or grooms.

Uncle Liu was cleaning fish in the yard and looked up when he heard the commotion. For a second, he didn't recognize him and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

The figure coming down the country path looked like he'd stepped straight out of the heavens.

Because he was so out of place against the mountains and that dirt road.

He knew Chen Jue was handsome—even coarse, plain clothes couldn't hide that—but today's outfit brought out every bit of his looks.

It was like he was born to wear clothes like that.

Like his usual clothes had been doing him wrong all along.

Uncle Liu let out a long breath. Dalin really had good taste—he really knew his husband.

Uncle Liu finally stopped calling Huo Jilin a spendthrift. Because Chen Jue looked truly stunning.

White rabbit fur really was prettier than the mixed stuff. Uncle Liu noted.

The price was different, and the way it looked on you was different, and the way it made you feel was different.

Because someone was willing to drop that kind of money on his husband, that meant something to people.

Hearing Zhou Hehua still pushing for the price, Uncle Liu coughed: "Five hundred wen, but it's genuinely beautiful—worth every penny."

Chen Jue walked into the yard with everyone staring at him eagerly. The second he stepped in, Zhou Hehua grabbed him and started feeling the fabric: "So pretty! I told you this was Shu brocade, right? And this embroidery—wait, why haven't I seen this before?"

Xiu Er jumped in: "This embroidery is from Jiangnan—it's not raised, it's woven into the fabric, and it shimmers softly in the sunlight. Truly gorgeous. And this color suits Chen Daifu well."

Liu Cui'er added: "Exactly. Only he can pull this off. With his fair skin, if we wore it, we'd look like a bunch of field yams."

Zhou Hehua huffed: "Speak for yourself! We're not yams! I don't care if I look like one—I'm still wearing this!"

"Then wear it, wear it, hurry up! Before your belly gets too big to fit into it!" Liu Cui'er said with a scoff.

That got Zhou Hehua all excited again, and she touched her still-flat belly and twirled around proudly.

The others burst into laughter.

Huo Jilin smiled at Chen Jue too. This was his husband—the one who could grab everyone's attention and make them all follow his lead.

Oh, and make them all want to buy whatever he was wearing, no matter the cost.

He was holding the baby, so Chen Jue went over to see the little one first. The little one couldn't really express it, but he instinctively leaned toward him.

A real parent is a real parent—even though Huo Jilin had carried Huo Yu around for nights on end, the baby still reached for Chen Jue the moment he showed up.

Huo Jilin clicked his tongue: "I held him all morning and didn't get that kind of reaction. Here, sit down and take him."

Chen Jue took the baby and sat down, giving Huo Jilin a break too. The baby had put on three jin in a month—weighed in at nine jin this morning—and with the padded clothes and blanket, he felt heavier than ten.

Now that the guest of honor was here, everyone brought out their gifts for the baby.

"These are tiger shoes I sewed. He can wear them when he turns a hundred days old."

"This is a tiger-head cap I made myself. See how cute it looks on him." Zhang Yan pointed to the cap already on the infant's head.

"I embroidered this belly band. Put it on him underneath, so you don't have to worry about him kicking off the blanket at night," Xiu Er said.

"This is a diabolo I'm giving him. I've sanded it smooth—kids should love playing with this."

Zhou Shun showed off the charm of this traditional folk toy, the diabolo. It was probably the earliest musical toy—when you spun it, it wasn't just fun to watch, it made a nice sound too, and people of all ages loved it.

He'd put real thought into this gift. He was the guy in charge of transporting herbs and supplies for Chen's Pharmaceutical and ran around with Huo Jilin—basically his right-hand man. Huo Jilin was grooming him for a big role—after he took up his post as Regional Commander, Zhou Shun would need to step up, a job just as important as Zhou Qingshan's.

The gift he picked wasn't bought—his grandfather had made it by hand.

That showed how much his family genuinely cared for the Huo family.

Sure enough, the baby was mesmerized by the toy, staring without blinking.

Chen Jue thanked him, and Huo Jilin laughed: "Are you giving him this toy so I have to perform for him every day?"

Everyone laughed heartily.

Chen Jue took each gift one by one, thanking them with a slightly awkward smile: "I... I'm not good at making stuff, but I can sew. Once I learn, I'll make something for your kids too..."

Zhou Hehua spoke right up: "No need for you to make anything! Just taking our pulse is more than enough!"

What Chen Jue had given her was a child—that was better than gold raining down from the sky!

Chen Jue took the easy way out, holding the child and having him thank everyone: "See the uncles and aunties who gave you gifts? You'll have to repay them in the future."

Everyone snickered, and the courtyard was buzzing with excitement.

After finishing lunch and helping clear away the dishes, each family gradually drifted off, carrying their own tables, stools, basins, and bowls.

Huo Jilin also brought out his gift for the baby—a rattle drum. He had learned how to make it from Zhou Dajiang and crafted it himself, with not a single burr. Crafted from solid wood, it was thick and smooth, and it rang out crisp and full when struck.

This toy was cut from the same cloth as the diabolo that Grandpa Zhou Shun had given, so Huo Jilin hadn't brought it out earlier. Grandpa Zhou Shun had made his gift by hand, and Huo Jilin took the gesture to heart.

The baby was drawn to sounds, and the little rattle drum's noise caught his attention. He turned to look at it and gave a little fist pump, like he wanted it.

Huo Jilin placed the small handle in his hand and said, "When you're older, you can play with this yourself and lull yourself to sleep."

The baby couldn't lift it at all and thrashed his little limbs in a huff. Huo Jilin quickly held the rattle drum up for him to play with, realizing that he'd have to hold it for him for now.

Chen Jue shook his head and went to fetch some goat's milk for Huo Yu. The baby had been wide awake all morning and was due for a nap.

Sure enough, after drinking the goat's milk, the baby grew drowsy and fell asleep to the steady rhythm of the rattle drum. With so many visitors today, he had been too excited to sleep all morning, and now the drum was doing the trick as a lullaby.

Huo Jilin asked Chen Jue hopefully, "Can we use this whenever he refuses to sleep in the future?"

Chen Jue looked at him and said, "I don't think that'll work. He fell asleep so quickly this time because he's really exhausted."

"Alright," Huo Jilin shrugged. "I'll go tidy up outside."

There wasn't much to tidy up, actually—Uncle Liu and the others had already cleaned everything before leaving. He was really going to fetch the gift he had prepared for Chen Jue.

And it required carrying.

He had prepared a gift for Chen Jue as well.