TTLJDFL Chapter 58

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Qin Muwen stammered before nodding hastily.

His only thought was: I must not let Ah Jin find out that I ate nearly half a jar of red bean paste, and right before bed too!

Since their child was born, Qin Muwen had rarely angered Li Jin—but there were exceptions.

Last time, Ah Jin had forbidden him from doing housework, but he had stubbornly pushed through, only to end up unable to stand properly in the end.

As for the punishment that followed…

Qin Muwen really didn’t want to remember that humiliating moment. He was an adult, a father, yet Ah Jin had disciplined him like a child.

If their child saw that "household rules" list in the future, he would definitely find it strange.

So deep down, Qin Muwen both feared and… liked the punishment.

But tonight, it was purely because he couldn’t resist. He had kept watching Ah Jin, and before he knew it, he had eaten so much.

Ah Jin must never find out.

But the courtyard was small, and there was no separate bathing room, so Qin Muwen could only follow Li Jin to the kitchen to wash.

Fortunately, Li Jin didn’t seem to notice anything. Qin Muwen finished bathing and was carried back to bed by Li Jin, relieved that he had escaped.

Yet he hadn’t expected what would come next—he was completely exhausted by the time Ah Jin was done with him, his waist sore and his arms too weak to lift.

Li Jin held him close and whispered into his ear, “If you eat that much red bean paste at night again, this will be your punishment.”

Qin Muwen’s eyes widened instantly, his cheeks flushing red. So Ah Jin had noticed after all!

Seeing his face turn a deep shade of pink, Li Jin thought that perhaps this kind of punishment should happen more often—it seemed quite nice.

That night, they both slept soundly.

=

The next day, Li Jin went to town with the large hawthorn pills, planning to leave them at Xinglintang. If customers bought them, that would be ideal.

If not, he would ask Doctor Wu to recommend them to patients suffering from poor appetite or bloating.

Xinglintang usually didn’t open this early, but since Li Jin had bought medicinal ingredients like Shenqu the day before, Doctor Wu was expecting him to bring the finished pills today.

Li Jin set down the thirty hawthorn pills and said, “The effects of these pills are relatively mild, but there are some contraindications. First, people with weak digestion shouldn’t eat them…”

He listed several points, and Doctor Wu nodded, taking careful notes.

By the time Li Jin finished speaking, Doctor Wu’s eyes were glowing with excitement. “These restrictions are actually easy to avoid, which means these pills are suitable for most people.”

Doctor Wu had been running his clinic for many years, and his words essentially meant, "If this medicine is suitable for the vast majority of people, then making money from it would be too easy."

Li Jin nodded in understanding.

Doctor Wu then asked about the price.

Li Jin thought for a moment. Thirty pills required nearly a pound of hawthorn, 2.5 ounces each of Jiao Sanxian and Shenqu, and malt syrup, which he made himself in small amounts.

After doing some calculations, he found that a pound of hawthorn cost five pennies, Jiao Sanxian and Shenqu together cost two pennies due to their small quantity, and the malt syrup used amounted to about ten pennies.

The total cost of thirty Da Shan Zha Wan pills was seventeen pennies.

Li Jin said, "One pill costs one pennies. The dosage is two pills per use, twice a day. Generally, mild cases of poor appetite can be relieved in three days."

That meant a patient visiting the clinic would typically spend at least thirty wen on herbal medicine for a full recovery. But with Da Shan Zha Wan, they would only need twelve pennies.

Doctor Wu hesitated. "Isn't this price a bit too low?"

He didn’t know the cost price, but if the medicine was as effective as Li Jin claimed, then selling it at one pennies per pill was practically giving it away!

Li Jin humbly asked, "What price do you suggest?"

Having spent years in the clinic, Doctor Wu was highly sensitive to the cost of medicinal ingredients. He said, "I originally thought two pennies per pill, but since this is a new product for patients, the price shouldn’t be set too high initially."

"I think we should price it per dose—two pills for four pennies."

Li Jin was silent for a moment. He already understood Doctor Wu’s reasoning. If two pills cost four pennies, then a day’s dose of four pills would be eight pennies. At that point, they could lower it to seven pennies…

And once Da Shan Zha Wan became widely accepted, they would never reduce the price again.

Li Jin thought that Doctor Wu had such a sharp business mind—what a waste that he wasn’t in trade.

Zhou Gui scratched his head, confused. "Two pills for four pennies… doesn’t that mean one pill is two pennies?"

Doctor Wu ignored him. He could tell from Li Jin’s expression that he had already grasped the strategy.

Li Jin said, "I’ll leave this in your hands, Doctor Wu."

"You're too kind."

Zhou Gui stood to the side, completely bewildered, feeling like he had learned faulty arithmetic.

Li Jin added, "For now, let’s place these thirty pills in Xinglintang for sale. I won’t take a single wen from the profits. If we continue working together in the future, we can split the earnings 20-80."

After all, he was the one buying the raw materials, and only he knew the precise formulation.

When it came to herbal pills, the ratio of each ingredient was crucial. A little too much could cause issues, and too little would be ineffective.

Doctor Wu smiled. "We don’t need to rush the revenue split. The shopkeeper will discuss it with you personally later."

Li Jin nodded. "Alright. As for the name of this medicine, how about calling it Xiao Shi Wan (Digestion Pills)?"

"Excellent name!"

Although Li Jin was tempted to simply call it Da Shan Zha Wan, he considered that people in ancient times preferred straightforward names that directly described the effect. So, he renamed it Xiao Shi Wan.

Moreover, he had another reason—Da Shan Zha Wan had existed in the ancient times of his previous world.

And since he was now in a small, isolated town, it was possible that this era’s other regions had already developed Da Shan Zha Wan, but word just hadn’t spread to this place yet.

After settling everything, Li Jin glanced at the sun, estimated the time, and headed toward Master Song’s residence.

As he walked, a wry smile appeared on his lips.

In his past life, he never went anywhere without his mechanical watch. In this life, however, he had trained himself to tell time just by looking at the sun.

Truly, human potential was limitless. Without pushing himself, he wouldn’t have known what he was capable of.

Because he had spent some time at Xinglintang today, Li Jin ran into Chen Xiran in front of Master Song’s residence.

Chen Xiran said, "Ah Jin, you’re famous now. Yesterday afternoon, when I went to Baishi Restaurant for a meal, people were already reciting your pastoral poem."

Li Jin was surprised. "That fast?"

"Yes, I didn’t expect it either. But your poem is really well written—simple language, easy for most people to understand."

"And the rhythm is smooth, making it catchy. Not just the scholars dining there, even the waiters were occasionally reciting it."

As they spoke, they entered the courtyard. Leading the way was Da Lang, who puffed up his little chest and declared, "I can recite it too!"

"At sunset…"

Young children could focus easily, and memorization came quickly. In no time, he had finished reciting Li Jin’s poem and then obediently headed to the inner courtyard.

Writing poetry was one thing, but hearing others recite it in front of him was something else entirely.

Li Jin was naturally not the type to show off, so he was relieved that only Chen Xiran and Da Lang were present. Otherwise, he might have felt a little embarrassed.

Watching Da Lang walk away, Chen Xiran stroked his chin and said, "Whoa, he’s got the same imposing presence as Master Song."

The slightly stiff atmosphere was immediately broken by Chen Xiran’s comment.

Li Jin chuckled helplessly. "He really does."

It was impressive. This was just a small town with limited access to the outside world, yet Master Song had managed to raise such a well-mannered and intelligent child.

One could only imagine the kind of refinement noble sons from prestigious families must possess.

Today, Li Jin had brought meat pancakes as promised. He had casually mentioned it yesterday, but making sugar-coated hawthorn and Da Shan Zha Wan had delayed him.

Originally, he had planned to buy scallion pancakes from the town, but Qin Muwen had remembered his words and got up early to make them himself.

Even before their little boy woke up, Qin Muwen was already busy at the stove. Seeing this, Li Jin only wanted to pull him into his arms and shower him with kisses.

Watching the young man stand at the cutting board, legs spread wider than usual and slightly trembling, Li Jin felt a pang of regret.

Had he known this would happen, he wouldn’t have teased him so mercilessly the night before.

Chen Xiran secretly carried a small bag of pastries. Upon arriving at the study room, he hid the bag in Li Jin’s back basket to avoid being discovered by Mr. Song.

The two of them diligently composed poetry and reviewed the meanings of every line in The Four Books and The Five Classics.

Estimating Mr. Song’s arrival time, they divided the meat pies and pastries in advance.

After eating, Li Jin opened the window to let the study room air out.

If Mr. Song found out they had been eating in the study, they would surely be punished by copying large characters.

Li Jin suggested, “We didn’t think this through today. Next time, let’s eat outside.”

Chen Xiran, equally worried that Mr. Song might suddenly enter, nodded immediately and said, “Okay.”

Otherwise, eating while on edge was simply too nerve-wracking.

Besides, if they ate outside, Mr. Song might be considerate of the fact that they had an early breakfast and a late dismissal, allowing them a mid-day snack.

Li Jin also noticed that Mr. Song, despite often keeping a stern expression, was actually a kind teacher. Unlike some scholars who acted superior, he never hesitated to remind Li Jin to focus on his studies and even offered financial help if needed.

By the time Mr. Song entered, the window had been open for quite a while. The strong September wind had long since carried away the lingering scent of meat pies and the sweet aroma of pastries.

After the lesson, he instructed Li Jin and Chen Xiran to check the writing of their fellow students and help correct any mistakes.

“If anyone has questions, you should also help explain them,” he added.

“Yesterday, I only asked you to check for mistakes. Today, there’s an additional task—answering your classmates’ questions.

Don’t worry about making mistakes. I will be nearby, listening to everything you say.”

Li Jin remained calm. Having reviewed thoroughly, he saw this as an opportunity to reinforce his own knowledge.

Mr. Song, noticing his composure, was very pleased.

Chen Xiran, on the other hand, was quite competent but lacked confidence. Though he could answer almost everything, he occasionally overlooked minor details—an understandable shortcoming.

The students who had previously studied with Li Jin now observed his dignified demeanor and only dared to quietly ask their questions.

They would no longer pull stunts like the time they got him drunk and spread rumors that he was willing to divorce his spouse for a courtesan.

Exchanging glances, they silently agreed to apologize for what they had done.

T/N: Thank you for the support, it's a big help really🌸🌸🌸