Chapter 219 Favors and Rules

Chapter 219 Favors and Rules

Dr. Jiang was a little embarrassed. He waved his hands repeatedly, "No need, no need. We're here to make purchases. We can't trouble you to treat us to food and drinks."

“We’re all on the same side, why are you being so polite with me?” Xie Wanniang waved to the young waiter. “Go and have someone prepare things. I’ll bring Doctor Jiang and the others over there in about fifteen minutes.”

The young shop assistant agreed and quickly ran out of the pharmacy to deliver the message to Xie Wanniang's restaurant.

Xie Wanniang then asked Doctor Jiang, "You definitely won't be able to get back in time tonight, where will you be staying...?"

"We'll stay in the young master's empty house," Doctor Jiang interrupted Xie Wan Niang, afraid that she would send someone to reserve accommodations for them again.

Xie Wanniang smiled and said, "Alright then, I won't bother with that."

She asked Doctor Jiang, "You didn't bring any horse-drawn carts to haul goods, did you?"

Doctor Jiang shook his head, "I plan to take a look at the medicinal herbs first, decide on the quantity, and then call someone to come and load the truck tomorrow."

Xie Wanniang glanced at the sky and said, "Then I'll bring you here again after we finish eating."

Doctor Jiang nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Xie."

They were indeed quite hungry. They had set off from Zijingguan in the morning and arrived in Yi County well past noon. In order not to delay their business, they had only eaten a dry biscuit on the road at noon.

The dry biscuits were cold and hard, and the hot water they brought, like the biscuits, gradually cooled down as they traveled. As a result, they didn't eat or drink very comfortably along the way.

Now that Xie Wanniang had extended a warm invitation, Doctor Jiang initially declined but then readily agreed.

He handed one of the herbal medicine lists to the shopkeeper, saying, "These are the herbs we want to buy this time. Please prepare all the herbs that you have in stock."

Although Chang Yao told them to buy all their medicinal herbs from Xie Wan Niang's shop, there was a condition for this "all": Xie Wan Niang's shop had sufficient stock of all the medicinal herbs they needed.

After all, even if Chang Yao was willing to take care of Xie Wanniang's business, this willingness was based on the premise that it would not delay the soldiers' access to medicine.

After all, human life is of paramount importance, and compared to personal feelings, the lives of soldiers should naturally be put first.

Even without Dr. Jiang saying it, Xie Wanniang could understand this. Therefore, although the two did not discuss or negotiate on this matter, they still reached a tacit consensus immediately.

First, she instructed the shopkeeper to prepare the medicinal herbs properly, making sure to check each bag thoroughly to ensure there were no errors in quality or quantity. Then, Xie Wanniang led Doctor Jiang and his entourage to her restaurant.

It was past lunchtime, and too early to eat dinner, so there were only a handful of customers dining in the shop.

After the young waiter relayed Xie Wanniang's message, the cooks and assistants, who had been idle, once again busied themselves with work.

As Xie Wanniang requested, they used all their skills to prepare many of their signature dishes. There was a pork bone, kelp, and radish soup that had been prepared in advance, so there was no need to prepare anything else. The staple foods were steamed buns, twisted rolls, and white rice.

The food in the army was generally poor. Even the top generals rarely had special meals, let alone the military doctors and other rank-and-file soldiers.

Therefore, when the fragrant dishes began to be served, Dr. Jiang and the others immediately began to drool uncontrollably.

However, considering that Xie Wanniang was still there, they were too embarrassed to wolf down their food.

Fortunately, Xie Wanniang was a very perceptive person. After the waiters served three dishes to each table, she very considerately made up an excuse to go through the kitchen and check the accounts in the backyard.

As soon as she left, everyone devoured the food like a whirlwind, their chopsticks flying as they ate.

At first, they would glance at the kitchen every now and then, just in case Xie Wanniang suddenly appeared.

However, they soon forgot all about when Xie Wanniang would return. The delicious-looking and fragrant dishes completely captivated everyone's attention.

It wasn't until they had all eaten and drunk their fill, and most of them had put down their chopsticks, with only a few still using steamed buns to slurp up the soup, that Xie Wanniang, after being informed by the waiter, came out from the backyard to the front with a smile.

By this time, Dr. Jiang and the others had already realized what she meant and knew that she was deliberately making room for them so that they could eat and drink as they pleased. They couldn't help but look at her with even more respect.

She's beautiful, kind-hearted, and incredibly capable, but what's more, she's also quick-witted and knows how to make things convenient for others in subtle ways, making people feel exceptionally comfortable and at ease when they're with her.

How can one not be impressed by such a clever and insightful person?

After exchanging a few polite words with Xie Wanniang, Doctor Jiang, accompanied by the soldiers, once again visited Xie Wanniang's herbal medicine shop.

While they were eating, the pharmacy owner, along with the accountant and a group of employees, had prepared about one-third of the medicinal herbs they wanted.

Seeing that they worked quickly and efficiently, Doctor Jiang nodded with satisfaction.

He called to the soldiers behind him, "First verify and sample these medicinal materials, then weigh and count them."

As the saying goes, personal relationships are personal relationships, and official duties are official duties. No matter how much they admire and appreciate Xie Wanniang, they still have to strictly abide by the relevant rules when carrying out their duties.

Verification and random checks must be carried out carefully, and weighing and counting must be done meticulously. For the sake of the lives and safety of thousands of soldiers, they must not be careless or deliberately perfunctory in this matter.

Among the soldiers he brought, some were military doctors or military medical reservists like him. They were mainly responsible for verifying, sampling, weighing, and counting the medicinal materials. The rest were all skilled soldiers who were mainly responsible for heavy physical labor such as moving and lifting, as well as protecting the personal safety of these military doctors (reservists).

The group of people worked diligently and methodically until the evening glow appeared on the horizon and the light gradually dimmed. Only then did Doctor Jiang raise his hand to call a halt, indicating that everyone no longer needed to continue.

At this time, about 70% of the medicinal herbs on the list given by Doctor Jiang had been placed separately in one of the warehouses that the pharmacy had specially set aside for them, and were being guarded by their own people.

As for the remaining nearly 30% of medicinal herbs, Dr. Jiang plans to continue the inventory and handover process tomorrow morning for the varieties that Xie Wanniang has a sufficient stock of, while he will need to find other pharmacies to replenish the missing items for the varieties that Xie Wanniang does not have in stock.