Cheng Shi was an apprentice at a small herbal shop. His skill at identifying medicinal herbs earned him the shopkeeper's admiration. After completing his apprenticeship, he opened his own shop and established himself through honest business practices. Jealous competitors colluded with local officials to accuse him of selling counterfeit medicine. He proved his innocence by testing the goods with genuine medicine, and exposed his rivals for selling fakes that harmed people. His reputation soared, and he became a prominent medicine merchant in the region. When war broke out, he gave away all his medicinal supplies to treat wounded soldiers, and his shop was destroyed. In his old age, he reopened a small herbal shop, charging no consultation fees and asking only enough to cover the cost of the medicine.
