Denghuaxiao

Chapter 67 Unwilling

 Fifteen days after the minor heat, Shengjing ushered in the severe heat.

This was the hottest time of the year in the Liang Dynasty. Thunderstorms made the hot and humid air on the ground even heavier, and the weather was so stuffy that it felt sticky even if I put a bamboo mat on it.

 As the heat and humidity worsen, many fewer people go to the medical clinic during the day.

Du Changqing put red dates on a mixed tray, placed it on the table in front of the counter, and invited Acheng to come over and eat. Yin Zheng piled up the bamboo tubes that had been filled with water and put the jasmine flowers Xia Rongrong bought into them. The whole shop was filled with fragrance.

Hu Yuanwai came to the hospital early in the morning and asked Acheng to make tea for him.

 There are no poplar flowers flying in this season, and Hu Yuan's nose has not been stifled. In addition, now that "Xianxian" is selling well, Du Changqing can live hand to mouth, so Hu Yuanwai has no intention to take care of the business, and Lu Zhuo has not seen him for about half a month.

 It is rare to see him come to the hospital again today.

Du Changqing grabbed a handful of red dates from the tea tray and gave it to Mr. Hu. He leaned against the table and asked him, "Uncle, what brought you here?"

　　Hu Yuanwai waved his hand: "If you don't want to eat, I've had a toothache for almost a month. Please take a look at it, Dr. Lu."

Lu Zhen washed his hands and asked Hu Yuanwai to open his mouth and look at it carefully before saying, "worm teeth."

"What should we do?" Hu Yuanwai asked: "I can't eat enough these days and can't sleep at night. I'm really suffering. Is there anything Dr. Lu can do?"

"I asked Acheng to grab some Platycodon and Coix roots, and Mr. Hu decoct them with water." Lu Zhu sat down at the table and wrote the prescription, "Asarum, Sophora flavescens, and Acanthus root, decoct them together and rinse them. There are apricots." If so, you can chew one or two pieces raw after eating."

She raised her head and handed the written prescription to Acheng: "After using it for a few days, the raspberries will remove the insects and it will not be difficult to cure them."

When Hu Yuanwai heard this, he felt relieved. While waiting for Acheng to get the medicine, he praised Lu Zhu: "I said that there is no other good person like Dr. Lu in the whole West Street. He is also very skilled. He is young and has great medical skills, which is a hundred times better than a man. Chang Qing, don’t just care about your love affairs every day. You are young and have to make progress."

Du Changqing rolled his eyes: "Uncle, I look at the medical clinic every day. How can I make progress? I'm hanging on my buttocks."

Hu Yuanwai hated the iron and taught him: "What's wrong with the hanging beam? When your father was alive, he often told me that you are smart, but unfortunately you don't like to study. If you use your playful thoughts on studying, go and get a good name." How good is it?”

"Come on, it's not like I can pass the exam if I want to. You haven't seen Wu Xiucai from the Fresh Fish Shop. He failed to pass the exam after so many years." Du Changqing threw a red date into his mouth, "This guy? , Everyone has his own destiny. When he becomes an official and how big an official he can be, it is all written in his destiny."

“It’s written in my destiny that this is what I will do.” Du Changqing chewed a red date, “I will be satisfied.”

These words made Mr. Hu’s beard stand up in anger: “I’m really not ashamed, but proud of it!”

Lu Zhuo put away his pen and paper and asked, "Wu Xiucai? Is he the one who lives in the fish shop at the entrance of the temple?"

Hu Yuanwai said curiously: "Yes, how come you know Dr. Lu?"

“He invited me to visit his home before to treat his mother’s illness.”

Hu Yuanwai sighed: "So that's it. Talented people have always been very filial. I want to get a degree to make his mother happy, but it's a pity... ugh!"

Lu Zhu got up and walked to the back shop, took the teapot from Acheng's hand, and boiled mint water in the teapot to clear away heat and relieve the heat. Lu Zhu poured a cup and handed it to Hu Yuanwai and asked: "Wu Xiucai has been taking the exam for many years and has never passed the exam." The list...is the article bad? If it is bad, why are you so persistent?"

As soon as these words came out, Hu Yuanwai immediately jumped up and said: "Who said that? Wu Xiucai's articles are excellent!"

 Everyone in the room was staring at him.

Hu Yuanwai took Lu Zhuo's cup of tea, took a deep sip, and said angrily: "I watched Wu Xiucai grow up. He wrote very beautiful articles when he was thirteen or fourteen years old. He has good qualifications and a good memory. Well, not only this old man, but also the kids around him were convinced after seeing the article he wrote. We all say that he is like this, so why not worry about earning the top prize and coming back to shine, who knows... Hey!"

 He murmured: "How come you failed the exam?"

Du Changqing, who was watching with cold eyes, didn't think it was a big deal: "So let me just say, these people have their own destiny, and Wu Xiucai is destined to be a white man, failing the exams every year, what's the point of messing around. "

"What do you know?" Hu Yuanwai seemed to feel very sorry for Wu Xiucai. Hearing this, he was furious: "He is a man who knows all about books and history, and he has such an article. It is unusual for him to fail the exam! Maybe he has become an official in recent years. If the star has not arrived yet, it will be better if we can't keep it together this year. I will ask him to go to the temple and put two sticks of incense on Wenquxing later."

Du Changqing sneered: "Give Wen Quxing two sticks of incense... You might as well ask him to give two stacks of silver notes to the examiner."

As soon as these words came out, the surroundings fell silent.

Lu Huo looked at Du Changqing. Hu Yuanwai was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses. He pointed at Du Changqing with trembling fingers: "What did you say?"

"Hey, I didn't say this, I heard it from others." Du Changqing came closer and lowered his voice, "I used to have a friend. His cousin couldn't understand a word and was even more useless than me. Later, he turned up in Qiu Wei. He passed the exam. Later, when he was drunk, he spilled the beans and said that he bribed the examiner."

Du Changqing said: "Wu Xiucai, the fish seller, is so poor that he can't even look down on him when he is sick. He also has no money to manage the Ministry of Etiquette. He deserves to be given a quota. He doesn't understand this. He says he knows all about books and history. He is a nerd!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Hu Yuanwai interrupted him, "If others hear these slanderous words, you and I will be in trouble. Sir, you must be careful what you say, otherwise you will cause trouble, and I will also I can’t save you!”

Having said that, Hu Yuanwai’s face was a little uncertain. After all, before Mr. Du passed away, Du Changqing did have a bunch of fun friends. These news may not be true.

Du Changqing shrugged, lowered his head and picked at the red dates in the tea tray: "Uncle, of course I know that I can't say this to others, but I think Wu Xiucai may not be in the list this year. There are new people paying tribute every year. He is always there." You have to move forward in the rankings. This is a hopeless thing. If you do it, it will be in vain. It is better to give up early."

"you!"

Lu Zhen asked: "Since there is chaos in the examination room, why don't you report it to heaven? Fraud is a serious crime."

Hu Yuanwai hesitated to speak, but Du Changqing had no scruples and said with a smile: "How can you report something without evidence to heaven? Maybe the complaint was written during the day, and the person who wrote the complaint was arrested at night. Substituted results We are all white scholars, who can afford to be an enemy of the government? Failure in the exam will only mean your career will be lost, and being an enemy of an official will cost you your life."

He said "tsk tsk tsk" a few times, shook his head and sighed: "Who told us that we are powerless? In this world, who is the master and who has the final say."

Hu Yuanwai's face was stern, as if he was aroused by Du Changqing's words, but he had no choice but to hold back for a while before he said: "People can see the present, but God can see the long-term. I don't know what will happen in the future. I think the scholar will definitely be able to go to high school. It is destined." Appearance!"

Du Changqing stretched out: "Uncle, who did you deceive with your words?" He thought for a while, "But I heard that your Majesty has heard about fraud in the past few years. Maybe this year, after strict investigation and reporting, you can really give me some advice." This is a chance for Wu Xiucai to get ahead." These words were a perfunctory consolation. Hu Yuanwai's expression did not improve. After a moment of silence, he changed his topic: "Don't mention this matter, sir. There has been no one at Xinglin Hall recently. Are you causing trouble?"

Du Changqing: "No, it's been so long. The man named Bai is now at his wits' end. The number of people who come to Xinglin Hall to see a doctor has been reduced by half. It's too late for him to worry, so how can he think about it for me?"

Since "Xianxian" started to be sold, the number of customers in Xinglin Hall has decreased a lot. Bai Shouyi had previously put all the blame on Zhou Ji because of the spring incident, and then drove Zhou Ji away. Without the old doctor sitting in the hall, the number of people coming to Xinglin Hall for medical treatment is getting smaller and smaller day by day.

Acheng handed the wrapped medicinal materials to Hu Yuanwai. Hu Yuanwai took the medicine and nodded: "That's good. If he dares to cause trouble for you, I will make the decision for you."

Du Changqing agreed with a smile and sent Hu Yuanwai to the carriage. After Hu Yuanwai left, he wandered back to the shop.

Lu Zhen is reading the newly bought medical book.

Du Changqing whispered to himself: "Whoever wants him to make the decision, if he dares to trouble me..."

Yin Zheng was curious: "How?"

Du Changqing flatteringly handed a red date to Lu Chen: "I'll let Doctor Lu make the decision for me."

Yin Zheng: “…”

Du Changqing picked up his tea and walked to the bamboo chair, muttering in a low voice: "I wonder what that old **** is doing now?"

 …

Bai Shouyi was sitting in the room sulking.

 In recent months, he has lost a lot of weight, and even his face, as white and plump as Maitreya, has shriveled up. He is no longer as kind as before, and looks more mean.

Wen You stood beside him and carefully handed him a cup of tea.

Since the "Chun Shui Sheng" incident, the reputation of Xinglin Hall has been damaged. Bai Shouyi was not willing to suffer this loss, so he simply found Lou Si, the medicinal material identification officer of the Institute of Cooked Medicine, thinking of using the name of the Institute of Cooked Medicine to sell "Spring Water Sheng". "With the resumption of the official pharmacy and the loss of Chun Shui Sheng's business, Renxin Medical Center will naturally have no way to make money.

Who would have thought that the doctor at Renxin Medical Center, Lu Zhuo, was really capable. After being taken back to the official pharmacy, he actually made another "Xianxian".

"Xianxian" is more famous than "Chunshuisheng". Seeing the continuous flow of money to Renxin Medical Center, Bai Shouyi could not sleep well at night.

 He wanted to cause trouble for Lu Xun again, but Lou Si, the official who identified medicinal materials, told him a bolt from the blue. Lu Xun was actually related to the Dong family, the current minister of Taifu Temple!

That is the Minister of Taifu Temple!

Bai Shouyi looked gloomy.

Lou Si’s words rang in his ears again.

"Last time, I just received the official deed of the patent medicine from Renxin Medical Center, and the Dong family came to support Renxin Medical Center. They forced me to return the official deed to Du Changqing, and even treated me better. Intimidation.”

"...Later I inquired about it and found out that the doctor at Renxin Medical Center had treated the young master of the Dong family once, and that was how he became connected with the Dong family. It was only then that Mrs. Dong treated her differently."

Lu Zhen established a relationship with the minister of Taifu Temple...

That's something he can't afford to offend.

That Du Changqing had some good luck, he was already rotting in the mud, but who knew that a woman would fall from the sky and bring that shabby medical clinic back to life. Makes people jealous.

Bai Shouyi thought for a long time and planned to find another way and simply take the talented medical woman under his command. However, the woman surnamed Lu did not know what was good and what was good. Wenyou went to see Lu Zhu several times in private, but was always ignored by Lu Zhu. The girl next to me was sent back.

Seeing that Renxin Medical Center was prospering these days, and even officials from Shengjing came to buy medicine, the more Bai Shouyi thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He couldn't help cursing: "What do you say when you are extorting money? 'The money will be used for business. He's so angry that his head is rotten. If something goes wrong, he'll just mess around and not pay back the money. This dog named Lou eats meat but doesn't spit out bones!"

Wenyou stood aside, not daring to express his anger. Now that Xinglin Hall has no income, Bai Shouyi is upset, and servants like them don't dare to get into trouble.

Just as he was thinking about it, the door curtain was lifted, and his wife Tong walked in from outside the house.

She walked over and said, "Master, have you heard? Du Changqing's cousin came to Shengjing and is currently staying at Renxin Medical Center."

"Cousin?" Bai Shouyi was stunned.

Mrs. Tong sat down, picked up the tea cup on the table, blew on it, and handed it to Bai Shouyi.

"She is just a poor relative who is fighting against the autumn wind. Only Du Changqing, the big enemy, treats her as his sister. Let me tell you, sir, you have been worrying about the Du family all day long so you can't eat well or sleep well, and Lu Shun is so ignorant. , why not talk to cousin Du Changqing."

 “What can I do with her?”

Mrs. Tong smiled: "There are a lot of things that can be done. The Du family's cousin lives in Renxin Medical Center and is not leaving. I see that she is not just looking for a small favor, but Lu Shun and Du Changqing don't know each other. With…”

"Young Master Du has always been a romantic man, so it is inevitable that there will be a fire in the backyard. If the cousins ​​of the Du family can drive Lu Zhuo out..." She smiled, "Without Lu Zhuo, wouldn't Renxin Medical Center not have anything to worry about?"

Bai Shouyi said nothing.

After a while, he narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly.

“What you said makes sense, you should talk to her.”

Happy New Year, friends! !

 (End of this chapter)