Chapter 8: An Unexpected Encounter at the Medical Clinic

Liu Ye took Xiao Ya to the fields as usual, while Yang Ergou took his two younger brothers to cut thatch, aiming to finish the thatched shed today.

As soon as Yang Datou entered the town, he subconsciously headed toward the grocery store, but Jiang Ning grabbed him and pulled him toward the eatery first.

The eatery owner was a man who had seen all walks of life, from north to south, and even though Jiang Ning and her son were dressed in rags, he still greeted them with a smile. Upon learning they weren't there to eat but to sell something, he didn't show the slightest bit of dissatisfaction; instead, he earnestly tasted the melon seeds Jiang Ning had brought.

Coincidentally, a table of merchants heading to the prefectural city was sitting nearby, sipping wine. When they smelled the fragrance of the melon seeds, they immediately clamored for the waiter to bring them a plate.

The owner had no choice but to buy a jin from Jiang Ning to serve them before continuing his business talk.

Before he could even say two sentences, the man from that table approached them directly. "I am Li Changsheng of the Dongyang Li family. May I ask how to address you, Madam?"

Jiang Ning was speechless. This body was the same age as her—just over thirty—and she was already being called "Madam"!

While feeling depressed, she adjusted her mindset and smiled politely. "My husband's surname is Yang, and my maiden name is Jiang. You may call me Madam Yang."

"Madam Jiang, how are these melon seeds sold?" Li Changsheng stared longingly at the seeds in the basket, looking as if he were determined to have them.

The owner's expression turned sour. "Sir, you are a businessman yourself; you should know the principle of first come, first served!"

Li Changsheng chuckled twice. "Don't be angry, owner. I was just asking! If you don't buy them, I'll take the whole lot! The price is negotiable!"

"Hey! Did I say I wasn't buying? I'm taking them all!" The owner had originally thought they were expensive and intended to haggle, but with Li Changsheng stirring the pot, he couldn't negotiate anymore! He had no choice but to accept them at the price of four wen per jin.

Li Changsheng looked regretful and asked Jiang Ning, "Madam Jiang, do you have any more stock? I'll take however much you have! The price is negotiable."

Jiang Ning shook her head regretfully. "This is all I have for today; I've sold it all to the owner. If Young Master Li wants more, you'll have to wait a day. I can probably produce about forty jin by tomorrow."

Today's batch was about thirty-something jin, which was already the result of their entire family's effort; forty jin was about their limit.

Li Changsheng was overjoyed. "That works! It just so happens that we couldn't reach a deal with the Tang family and will be staying in Dashan Town for two more days. Come find me at the Dashan Inn tomorrow, Madam Jiang. Just tell the innkeeper. Here is the deposit."

Li Changsheng was wealthy and generous, handing over a deposit of one hundred wen without any fear that Jiang Ning might run off with the money.

The mother and son had exchanged over one hundred wen at the eatery, plus the one hundred wen deposit from Li Changsheng. With money in hand, Yang Datou had no more worries and insisted on taking Jiang Ning to Hong'an Hall to see Dr. Li.

Jiang Ning couldn't refuse him, so she went.

Hong'an Hall was the only clinic and pharmacy in Dashan Town. It was quite large, and one had to queue to see the doctor.

Yang Datou went to queue consciously, while Jiang Ning wandered around for a bit before walking up to a pharmacy apprentice. "Little one, does your clinic buy medicinal herbs?"

"We certainly do. Are you looking to sell herbs, Madam?" the young boy asked crisply.

Having been called "Madam" again and again, Jiang Ning had grown used to it. She nodded without changing her expression. "I have some dried trichosanthes fruit. Do you buy those?"

"What is the quality like?" the boy asked seriously.

Jiang Ning felt a bit awkward. "They aren't fully dried yet; I was just asking about the price."

The boy turned and took some trichosanthes fruit from the medicine cabinet to show Jiang Ning. "We only buy this quality. Cleanly processed and well-dried, five wen per jin."

Five wen wasn't much. Jiang Ning frowned. "How much can you buy?"

"We'll buy as much as you have."

"That's a bold claim!" Jiang Ning was shocked.

The boy grinned. "Our master is in the medicinal herb business, traveling all over the country. He can sell any amount of stock."

Jiang Ning suddenly realized that this Dashan Town was full of hidden talents; it was just that ordinary folks like them were unaware of it.

While they were talking, it was finally Jiang Ning's turn.

The doctor examined her carefully and mused, "This lady has no major issues, just a bit of blood and qi deficiency. Eating more meat to nourish yourself will do. If you're really worried, I can prescribe two doses of medicine for you to boil."

Jiang Ning shook her head vigorously. "No need, Doctor, I'll just eat more meat!"

Yang Datou was completely relieved to know Jiang Ning was fine. He was smiling as they walked out of Hong'an Hall. They hadn't taken two steps when a group of people rushed into the clinic carrying a man, followed by a woman wailing loudly.

Jiang Ning didn't pay much attention, but Yang Datou pulled her back. "Mother, that looks like Uncle Yang Yong from Second Great-Uncle's family."

"What kind of mess is this?" Jiang Ning tried to recall, only to find that the original owner had never bothered to maintain good relations with the villagers. She didn't even know which families were related to them; her life had been a blur of eating, sleeping, and picking fights, living in total ignorance.

She let out a long, weary breath, forced a dry smile, and asked weakly, "How are they related to us?"

Yang Datou was stunned for a moment before saying in a daze, "I forgot that Mother never cared about these things before. Second Great-Uncle and Grandfather were brothers. Uncle Yang Yong is Father's cousin, so I should call him Cousin-Uncle."

Jiang Ning finally understood these brain-bending family relations and realized this family was actually quite close to them.

Seeing Jiang Ning still stunned, Yang Datou said, "Mother, I'll go in and see if I can help. You wait here and don't wander off."

Jiang Ning hesitated but followed him inside.

Inside the clinic, Yang Yong's wife, Zhang, was still crying hysterically. Perhaps because they had reached the clinic, she felt a bit more settled, and her wailing softened slightly.

Yang Yong's eldest son, Yang Xiao, saw Yang Datou and asked with teary eyes, "Brother Datou, why are you here?"

Yang Datou looked at Jiang Ning, who had followed him in, and braced himself. "I brought my mother to see the doctor."

Yang Xiao saw Jiang Ning and lowered his head, feeling guilty.

Zhang was still crying and didn't say a word, and the others didn't pay any attention to Jiang Ning and her son.

The doctor soon came out, his brows furrowed tightly. "The patient's injuries are too severe, and he has lost too much blood. Fortunately, he was brought in just in time. I have stopped the bleeding, but his leg is broken. If it isn't nursed properly, he won't be able to do heavy labor in the future!"

Zhang's mood had flown from hell to heaven, only to fall back into hell. With such drastic ups and downs, she was completely dazed.

Yang Xiao and three other uncles negotiated with the doctor. The diagnosis, treatment, and medicine alone cost two hundred wen. Even after pooling all the money they had brought, they were still thirty-five wen short.

Jiang Ning watched coldly from the sidelines. She hadn't intended to get involved, but Yang Datou was soft-hearted and kept looking at her.

Jiang Ning sighed, took thirty-five wen from her pocket, and handed it to him. She said coldly, "I'm lending this to you for now. We are very poor ourselves, so remember to pay me back."

Yang Xiao was stunned, and Zhang and the others looked as if they had seen a ghost.

They hadn't recovered from their shock even after Jiang Ning and her son had left.

Yang Yong's younger brother, Yang Jun, muttered, "Is this really that Jiang woman whom even cats and dogs despised? How is it like she's a completely different person?"