After the sealing incident.

The business at Furong Garden not only didn’t decline but kept getting better, especially after the news spread, attracting people from other districts in Dongshan City.

Sales volume climbed steadily, and daily sales were breaking records.

The shelf life of the pastries is still relatively long; they can be eaten for three to five days without issue. If they’re baked goods, possibly even longer.

So, buying some to keep at home is not a problem.

The promotional activities for the opening have ended, but business is still booming. The price is indeed high, but they really taste good.

Pastries are not necessities; buying some for the elderly and children to taste and satisfy cravings isn’t an issue.

Dongshan City is so big, the daily demand is also quite significant.

As a result, the business of many pastry shops in Dongshan City fell sharply, even the once-leading Xiangfa Pastries saw its business cut in half.

If Furong Garden hadn’t sold its pastries at a price that’s generally thirty percent higher, most of the pastry shops in Dongshan City would have had to close down.

With business hard to sustain, the owners of these shops either bought pastries from Furong Garden to research the recipes or sent people to hang around Furong Garden to see how it was made.

The baking workshop at Furong Garden is open-style, but the really secret places won’t be shown to you, unless you have the skills to get in, otherwise, at most you can learn the form but not the essence.

But even so, it has improved the quality of the pastries at these shops by a notch.

Competition is the driving force of creativity!

Furong Garden alone can’t dominate the entire pastry market in Dongshan City, so it will gradually return to a healthy state.

Those who can afford high prices and want better quality and taste go to Furong Garden; those who can’t afford it and can accept a slightly lesser taste go to other pastry shops.

This forms differentiation, each has its own market audience and customer dispersal, but inevitably, some of those original pastry shops will lose some of their premium customers.

With the market divided, some pastry shops will inevitably struggle to continue and will close down.

This is also the selection of survival of the fittest in the market.

Business is endless, and money is not made by just one person.

After opening Furong Garden, he didn’t make any further moves: firstly, the operation was already significant, secondly, there was a lack of manpower, and meals are eaten one bite at a time,

Lin Miao didn’t go to Pei Jian to talk bad about Zheng Dan, he knew it was useless, because behind Zheng Dan was Marquis Lingyang’s Mansion.

Even if Pei Jian asked, he had a hundred reasons to brush him off.

But the impact was still there.

Zheng Dan’s reputation among the common people in South City dropped to an all-time low, while Lin Miao’s reputation rose higher and higher.

"Xia Zhu, apply for the restoration of our medical permit under the name of Anning Hall again." Lin Miao instructed Xia Zhu after finishing his clinic this day.

"Okay, Mr. Lin."

After the last application was rejected, according to regulations, a second application is allowed one month later. If the second restoration application is denied, Lin Miao then has the right to request a public inquiry.

Once it comes to this step, if the Pharmacist Association cannot provide strong reasons, Anning Hall’s "medical permit" must be restored.

This is different from directly applying for a new "medical permit".

You, Ye Shengyuan, can exploit the rules, so can I. Aren’t you just trying to stall the restoration of Anning Hall’s "medical permit"?

"Junior brother, but we don’t have a resident physician, according to the regulations, the Pharmacist Association can refuse the restoration?" Sun Youwei said.

"That’s not difficult, Mr. Jia said we could have ’Wei’ sign a three-year residency agreement with Anning Hall, then we would have a resident physician, right?" Lin Miao said.

"Isn’t the senior ’Wei’ supposed to return to the capital with Mr. Jia in a year?"

"We can find a resident physician for Anning Hall within the year. Even if not, after a year, when I obtain the official ’physician’ order, I can become Anning Hall’s resident physician myself, it’s just a temporary thing, as long as the rules allow it!" Lin Miao said with a smile.

"Alright."

...

"Mr. Ye, last time following your suggestion, we denied their application to restore the medical permit due to pending cases at Anning Hall, but this time, they have submitted the restoration application again..."

"Mr. Gong, Anning Hall hasn’t even signed on a resident physician, isn’t that an easy reason?" Ye Shengyuan said nonchalantly to the always cooperative Pharmacist Association president, Gong Shida.

"They’ve signed a resident physician."

"Is there a physician in Dongshan willing to be at Anning Hall?"

"Not from Dongshan, from Li Jing, named Wei, and is an intermediate physician, signed for three years," Gong Shida said.

"Are you sure?"

"Certainly, the application documents submitted contain the relevant materials, such matters can’t be faked, otherwise, the association can revoke their clinic’s permit."

"According to the rules, if they are refused three times, can the other party initiate a public inquiry against the association?" Ye Shengyuan asked.

"Yes, if refused this time, they will have to wait at least three months to apply again, and if the third time isn’t approved, I will face the inquiry," Gong Shida nodded, understanding that failing the inquiry would cost him his position as president.

"Then let’s just wait for them to apply for the third time," Ye Shengyuan said.

"Mr. Ye, what exactly do you want, and what reason can I use to refuse this time?" Gong Shida asked in anguish.

Ye Shengyuan looked up and said, "That residency agreement is clearly just for show. This Wei is the capital’s official who accompanies Mr. Jia for supervision, once the time is up, he will return to the capital with Mr. Jia, how could he possibly sign a three-year residency agreement with Anning Hall?"

"So what? If they breach the contract then and just pay the penalty to leave, isn’t that allowed?"

"That’s why I want you to wait until they apply for a third time in three months to agree."

"The issue is, if I refuse now, I need to give a reason; otherwise, how do I convince others?"

"Wasn’t Xia Zhu always helping at the Convenient Medical Diagnosis Point? How did she end up signing with Anning Hall as a pharmacist? This doesn’t comply with the rules for issuing apothecary licenses."

"Are they applying to restore their apothecary license, not issuing it for the first time?"

"Restoring the apothecary license doesn’t have relevant conditions? Isn’t it supposed to follow the conditions for issuing a license?" Ye Shengyuan chuckled.

"Uh..." Gong Shida was at a loss for words, the reason was a bit far-fetched, but it was better than having none.

...

Upon receiving the rejection for the restoration of the apothecary license, Xia Zhu was quite upset.

"No worries, they can only block us temporarily, but not forever. According to regulations, we can reapply in three months." Lin Miao laughed heartily, not caring at all.

Ye Shengyuan’s actions are indeed petty; such a person lacks vision, can’t hold the stage, and won’t amount to much. Dominating even in Dongshan City is already his limit.

"Mr. Lin, you know that without this, the people of Xiuyue Square have to travel far to buy medicine, which is very inconvenient. These people are utterly selfish and ruthless, completely lacking the virtue of having a caregiver’s heart!" Xia Zhu cursed.

"Their medical skills are merely their tools for gaining wealth and power. Healing and saving lives never came first, so don’t dwell on it. Just do your own thing well."

"Yes, Mr. Lin."

...

Time passed by slowly, and soon it was mid-March.

The willow branches by the pond swayed gently, sprouting fresh green leaves, and the spring scene was bright and splendid.

Taking a day off, Lin Miao accompanied his senior sister to the market in East City, bought some silk, and had a few pairs of shoes custom-made.

They went to a restaurant once more.

Time always seemed to fly by when he was with his senior sister.

It was originally a good time for an outing, but unfortunately, Lin Miao didn’t dare take Sun Youwei outside the city lightly now.

Even with Si Miaoxue accompanying them in secret, he couldn’t risk letting Sun Youwei face any danger. If something happened, it would be unbearable for him.

The registration for the Pharmacist Exam was in mid-March, with the registration period being very short, only three days. If missed, they wouldn’t wait, anyway, the Pharmacist Exam is held annually, there’s always next year.

After registering at the Xinglin Institute,

Lin Miao also took Sun Youwei to visit Xia Yuan’s house. Since coming to Dongshan City, besides Xu Qixi’s birthday at Lin Miao’s, this was Sun Youwei’s second visit to someone else’s home, specifically Xia Yuan’s this time.

The Xia Family, naturally, took this visit very seriously.

Not only did they clean the entire house, they also festooned it with lanterns and decorations, welcoming Lin Miao and Sun Youwei with the highest honor.

In the evening, they had dinner at the Xia family’s home and discussed the compilation of the Medical Case Collection for a long time before saying their goodbyes and leaving.

...

"My lord, she is back and waiting for you in the study," Liansuo reported, and Lin Miao understood who Liansuo referred to.

Si Miaoxue had not been in Dongshan City lately but had rather gone back to Li Hen City in the Longchuan Canyon.

She must have just returned.

"Senior sister, you go back to your room first, I will come to find you later." Lin Miao asked Sun Youwei to go upstairs first while he went to the study to see Si Miaoxue.

"Mr. Lin!" Si Miaoxue, upon seeing Lin Miao, rushed into his arms without hesitation.

"Alright, we are in an inn, be mindful," Lin Miao quickly detached Si Miaoxue from himself; this witch was becoming more and more unrestrained.

"Then later, you have to come with me." Si Miaoxue’s eyes burned, greedily inhaling the man’s scent; after half a month, she really missed this scent terribly, her longing burning fiercely.

She had never felt this way in her life; it turned out that having someone in one’s heart felt like this.

"Alright, tell me about your situation in Longchuan Canyon and Li Hen City?" Lin Miao asked.

"As you instructed, I first bought a shop in Li Hen City, it’s not big, named it ’Lin’ General Store, had some simple renovations done, and it should be ready for opening in a few days. Also, according to your orders, I scouted several places in Li Hen City. Although Li Hen City has no fixed fortifications, good places were already taken, especially those with water sources, which were fiercely fought over..."

"What about outside the city?"

"Outside the city, unless we go deeper into the Longchuan Canyon, the further we go, the less safe it gets. Good places are already occupied by various forces. You specified a place that’s large, secluded, abundant in water resources, and with convenient transportation, which is really hard to find," Si Miaoxue said. "I’ve spent half of this month on the general store, and the rest searching for this."

"Have you found it?"

"I indeed found one, but such a good place has already been taken," Si Miaoxue said.

"Taken? No problem, we’ll just seize it from them!" Lin Miao said with a decisive wave. "How many people do they have, and what do they do?"

"Mr. Lin, they have several hundred people, and their leader, nicknamed Scorpio, is at the pinnacle of the Meridian Passage Realm. Even the leaders of the three major powers in Li Hen City have to give him some face!" Si Miaoxue exclaimed.

"Can you raise your cultivation to the Middle Grade Meridian Passage Realm in three months if I give you that time?" Lin Miao asked.

"With my current cultivation speed, even if you give me ten times the time, I might not reach it," Si Miaoxue replied.

"What if I help you?"

"You help me..." Si Miaoxue shivered, thinking of a certain possibility, her eyes wavered with emotion. That, she thought, indeed wasn’t easy to say.