"Village head, I have something I'd like to discuss with you." Li Yue Shu pushed the silver back. "The medicine from Heng De Pharmacy is excellent and shouldn't be limited to this town, or even just Tong Mu County."
Upon hearing this, the village head immediately guessed her intention. "You want to open another pharmacy elsewhere?"
Seeing her nod, the village head was shocked. "Aren't you busy with the restaurant?"
Everyone in the village knew about Wei Niang's situation and naturally knew that she was busy opening a restaurant in the neighboring town.
Li Yue Shu explained, "The branch pharmacy is just an idea I have. The preparation will take at least half a year, and it won't affect the restaurant."
The village head couldn't help but frown as he looked at her. "You're a woman. That Heng De Pharmacy is enough to support a family. You don't need to work so hard."
Li Yue Shu smiled faintly.
In the future, she would have to deal with the chosen one of this world, so she had to be well-prepared.
But she couldn't say these things to others. She smiled shallowly, "I want to send the children to a better place to study, so I naturally have to make some preparations in advance."
Since it was someone else's business, the village head didn't say much more. "What help do you need from me?"
Seeing that the conversation had returned to the main topic, Li Yue Shu got straight to the point. "Currently, the processing of the pharmacy's medicine is handled by people arranged by Doctor Chen. I control the formula and dosage. If we want to expand, we'll definitely need more manpower."
"Our village has many people and plenty of space. I want to utilize this advantage..."
She wanted to purchase medicinal herbs herself, transport them to the village for processing by the villagers, and then have herself and Shen Tan and the other six operate the formula and dosage.
Before that, she would not only have to teach the villagers how to process medicinal herbs but also teach Shen Tan and the other six how to operate the formula.
In fact, when she first established Heng De Pharmacy, she had planned to expand it. The purpose of taking in Shen Tan and the other six was not only to have them help at the pharmacy but also to cultivate trusted confidants.
After all, if she wanted to open Heng De Pharmacy all over the world, she couldn't manage every single branch herself.
Li Yue Shu explained her idea: "After everyone registers with me, they can receive medicinal herbs for free. I will buy back the processed ingredients at a price of ten coins per jin. The more you work, the more you earn."
"Of course, we will sign written agreements with those willing to participate. If anyone embezzles medicinal herbs or passes off inferior products as superior, I will have the right to send them to the county yamen."
After hearing her words, the village head was subtly excited but still lacked a concrete concept. "How long does it take to process one jin of medicinal herbs?"
"That depends on individual ability," Li Yue Shu replied with a smile. "With my A Yi's speed, she can process about three to four jin in an hour."
Upon hearing this, the village head's eyes lit up.
Calculating this way, wouldn't this be better than working in town!
The village head no longer hesitated. "Don't worry, I'll go ask around the village right away."
Li Yue Shu wasn't worried about being rejected, as this was undoubtedly a good thing for the villagers.
Even if those people didn't believe her, or were unwilling to spend time learning at first, she could find others.
It would just take a little more time and effort, which wouldn't significantly affect her.
Returning from the village head's house, the children were all studying diligently.
"Shen Tan, Shen Chi, come with me for a moment."
Li Yue Shu called the two of them into the house.
Shen Tan, being the eldest among the seven children, was the most steady.
Shen Chi was younger, but as a girl, she was meticulous and her cheerful personality made it easy for her to connect with people.
Li Yue Shu wanted to teach them the formulas for all the medicines that could be produced outside the space.
When she opened branch pharmacies in the future, she wanted Shen Tan and Shen Chi to be the pioneers, cultivating their management skills in advance. Once they gained experience, she could then teach Shen Chen and the others.
After Li Yue Shu shared her thoughts, Shen Tan and Shen Chi's eyes widened, and they were speechless for a long time.
Since coming to this home, they had experienced a life they never dared to imagine before, and they could even study with the young master and young lady.
Even if they couldn't pursue official careers, this was a good fortune that they could encounter with the luck accumulated over generations.
This was already enough to make them grateful, but now Madam was saying that she wanted them to learn to be managers.
It was known that slaves like them had no lives of their own; they were merely possessions of the masters, to be sold at will.
Only those who had served the master's family for generations and were deeply trusted by the master could receive the honor of being a steward.
Seeing their stunned expressions, Li Yue Shu was a little confused. "What's wrong? Don't you want to?"
"No, no, no, we are willing!"
Shen Chi was the first to react, shaking her head and waving her hands, her eyes red.
Even the usually steady and reserved Shen Tan was somewhat emotional. "Thank you, Madam, for your trust. We will definitely not let you down!"
Li Yue Shu was a modern person, and the original owner had grown up in the countryside. She had no idea about the difference between slaves and stewards, so she didn't quite understand why they were so excited.
Seeing that they were indeed willing, Li Yue Shu didn't ask further, only reminded them, "You need to think carefully. If you agree to do this, the effort and hard work you put in will be several times that of others."
"In addition to learning the formula operations, you cannot neglect the previous pharmacological knowledge and your daily learning tasks."
Li Yue Shu's expression was serious, clearly hoping they would think carefully before answering her question.
Perhaps for Shen Tan and the other six, the knowledge from books might not be immediately useful, but it laid the foundation for their lives.
Hearing her words, Shen Tan and Shen Chi did not hesitate. "Madam, don't worry, we have thought it through."
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu said no more.
She knew it would be difficult for them, but she did not slacken in her teaching.
The two children were also sensible and studied diligently and earnestly, never complaining of hardship.
Aunt Liu was unaware of what Li Yue Shu and the two children were doing and didn't ask any questions, only occasionally prepared a little more food for them.
Li Yue Shu did not stop her and sometimes asked Aunt Liu to prepare a portion for herself as well.
Aunt Liu naturally did not refuse and brought her a separate portion. "By the way, when I was washing clothes by the river this morning, I heard that the second daughter of the Shen family has returned."
Li Yue Shu was slightly taken aback. She had no memory of this person.
She knew that Mother Shen had given birth to two sons and one daughter, but the second daughter, Shen Can, had already married before the original owner married into the family, so they had never met.
Aunt Liu also knew her situation and said, "The second daughter of the Shen family was diligent and intelligent from a young age. Everyone in the village liked this girl very much before. But a few years ago, she went to town and somehow met Steward Li, who was passing through this place, and insisted on becoming his concubine. For so many years, she hasn't contacted the Shen family. It's said that she disliked the Shen family for being in decline and embarrassing her."
At this point, Aunt Liu lowered her voice. "I heard from the villagers that the Shen family tried their best to contact Shen Can some time ago, possibly to deal with you."
Li Yue Shu was accustomed to the Shen family's constant self-destructive behavior, but she was still a little annoyed. She didn't expect that the day after Aunt Liu told her about Shen Can, the person would show up at her door.