Chapter 38 Cooperation

Chapter 38 Cooperation

Xu Le naturally dared not go himself; he was old and figured he’d be buried in the ground before he even got near the black market. However, a fifty-fifty split made his heart ache.

“What’s the cost price of one package of medicine?”

“One… two taels.”

Zhong Lin’s face darkened as he looked unkindly at old man Xu Le. A cost price of one tael silver and selling it at three taels silver, a full two-fold profit, this old guy was something else!

Zhong Lin snorted coldly and said, “If you don’t want to do a fifty-fifty split, then let’s change the approach. I’ll buy each package of medicine from you at two taels silver, then sell it myself. How much I sell it for has nothing to do with you, and you don’t have to take any risks. How about it?”

Simply put, it changed the cooperation model into a supply and demand model.

Xu Le deliberated for a moment and finally nodded in agreement. Making one tael silver profit per package, although less than before, he wouldn’t often encounter a sucker like Zhong Lin, and it was risk-free—why not do it?

“Go prepare the medicine! The black market is only open for seven days at the beginning of the month, and today is already the second day, we need to be quick.”

“Alright, I’ll get to it. Lock the door, we won’t be seeing patients these days.”

Xu Le hurriedly returned to the backyard, instructing Zhong Lin to lock the door.

Zhong Lin, bored, found a chair to sit in, and watching the constantly busy Xu Le, a smile appeared on his face.

Zhong Lin had specifically investigated Xu Le. This man’s family had been doctors for generations; his son and daughter-in-law were killed by thugs while practicing medicine away from home, leaving a grandson he cherished as a treasure, who coincidentally was classmates with Xiao Shitou.

Xu Le, over fifty years old, had excellent medical skills, a somewhat fiery temper, but was morally upright, as evidenced by him using Zhong Lin as a pretext to save people just now.

Cooperating with such a person was most convenient and easy to handle.

As he thought, Zhong Lin glanced at a stack of books on the consultation table, stirred internally, and walked over.

“Treatise on Cold Damage”

Thanks to recent hard work learning, he was already familiar with common fonts, so Zhong Lin could easily read this book in front of him.

He picked up a book and sat back down to study it carefully.

A book that Xu Le kept on the consultation table for reading couldn’t be any miscellaneous book; it was a specialized treatise on the medical skill of cold

Zhong Lin originally intended to learn medical skills, and since he had time, he might as well take a good look.

One hour later.

The sound of footsteps from the back hall interrupted Zhong Lin’s thoughts, as he saw Xu Le emerge with five packages of medicine in each hand. His face, over fifty years old, showed signs of fatigue, clearly indicating it wasn’t easy making those ten packages.

Zhong Lin looked down at the system panel, and a smile appeared on his face.

Host: Zhong Lin

Skills: Bow Technique (Full Level), Flying Locust Stone (Full Level), 3D Drawing (Full Level), Calligraphy (Full Level), Culinary Skill (Full Level), Iron Mountain Skill (Full Level), Instant Kill Skill (Full Level), Black Tiger Fist (Full Level), Willow Catkins (Full Level), Wind-breaking Saber Technique (Full Level), “Treatise on Cold Damage” (Beginner)

Skill Points: ∞

The “Treatise on Cold Damage” was recorded as a skill on the system panel, and as long as it formed as a skill, for Zhong Lin, it was just a matter of thought.

With a thought, the “∞” after Skill Points turned illusory, and then “Treatise on Cold Damage” became full level, followed by a stream of memory flooding Zhong Lin’s mind.

In the memory, Zhong Lin studied this book diligently every day, practiced medicine for more than ten years, specializing in cold damage cases, and after another decade, fully understood the book.

Zhong Lin slowly opened his eyes, a flash of understanding appeared in his heart.

“Young Zhong, time is limited, so I’ve made ten packages. Tomorrow, I can make thirty packages, and the day after, even more.”

“No need for that many, thirty a day is enough; any more and the black market might not handle it.” Zhong Lin waved his hand.

“Alright then.”

Zhong Lin stood up, weighing the ten packages of Eight Treasures Blood Building Soup in his hands.

“I’ll settle the silver with you tomorrow morning; I don’t have money now.”

The smile on Xu Le’s face stiffened, suddenly feeling like being set up.

“This book is great too, let me borrow it.” Before leaving, Zhong Lin picked another medical book from the stack, titled “Compendium of Materia Medica”.

Passing by a meat stall, he collected the pre-bought meat to bring home. As evening came, pedestrians dwindled, highlighting the increasing number of refugees.

“Tomorrow, I’ll ask Old Zhou what’s going on outside.”

At dusk, Xiao Shitou returned from his study class, tossed his stitched school bag onto the bed, and headed straight to the kitchen, mainly because the smell was too tempting.

Zhong Lin, removing his apron from his waist, smiled and said, “Go wash your hands.”

“Mm, mm.”

Supper was braised pork, cold mixed ear slices, accompanied by a dish of minced meat to mix with freshly boiled noodles, so irresistible that three big bowls weren’t enough to stop the appetite.

Three pounds of fat pork were also rendered into pork lard by Zhong Lin; adding a bit to regular cooking substantially enhances the fragrance, and the resulting residues were stored in a jar for snacking—fragrant and crunchy.

After dinner, Xiao Shitou consciously washed the dishes, then practiced calligraphy in the study.

Zhong Lin meanwhile immersed himself in “Compendium of Materia Medica,” reading until the sun completely set and the last ray of light disappeared.

The Lin family wasn’t in the habit of burning the midnight oil; it wasn’t about saving the money, but because the dim light strained the eyes. In this era, there was no place to get glasses, and Zhong Lin didn’t want Xiao Shitou growing up unable to distinguish between men and women at five meters, or people from animals at ten.

“Go to bed early.”

“Mm, you too, Second Brother, sleep early.”

Obediently, Xiao Shitou undressed and climbed into bed. Zhong Lin also closed the book in his hand, looking at the new skills appearing on the system panel with a smile on his lips.

“Add points.”

After a while, Zhong Lin slowly reopened his eyes, opened a package of Eight Treasures Blood Building Soup on the table, and first picked a bit with his nails to smell, then swallowed it.

“Angelica, Rehmannia, Poria, Cistanche, Raspberry, Cuscuta chinensis, Chinese Privet, Yellow Jing, and Deer Antler.”

“Impressive; is this for blood or kidney tonic? Just missing Goji and Cibotium.” Zhong Lin quipped.

Just in that moment, Zhong Lin identified nine herbs from the package, with a few he didn’t recognize, but no rush; reading a few more books would surely clarify them.

As time passed, nearing the dog hour, Zhong Lin changed into a set of grey clothes, covered his face with a black cloth, and equipped himself with a bow and arrows on his waist, a bulging leather pouch on the left side, and a Ghost Head Blade in his right hand, concealing himself in the darkness while swiftly leaving the county towards the depths of the forest.

“Entrance fee, one large coin.”

The burly man with a broad face was still at the black entrance. Upon seeing Zhong Lin, his eyes brightened, especially when he noticed the Ghost Head Blade in Zhong Lin’s hand, his expression changed more profoundly.

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