"Indeed, I've made a bit of money. My wife and children have suffered so much with me. If I don't make it up to them, I'd be letting my conscience down," Liu San said proudly.
"That's true. Little brother also hopes brother prospers more, so you can patronize my business," the man agreed, nodding.
Qiu Ze stared blankly as Liu San readily paid the silver.
What astonished him was yet to come. Just as Liu San paid and was about to leave, Li Fu, another brother of Qiu Ze, arrived.
"Brother Liu, I have a question for you. Did Qiu Ze ask you to borrow money?"
"Of course."
"Did you lend it to him?"
"No. Did you lend it?"
"How could I? Lending money to him is like throwing it into the water! I heard he borrowed from loan sharks. With his foolishness, how can he possibly repay it? It's a pity we'll have fewer patrons footing the bill for our meals from now on," Li Fu said with a look of regret.
"We can only say that my brother and I will have to meet less often and drink less wine. After all, money doesn't grow on trees. And we won't find another person as foolish as Qiu Ze, who neglects his own family to constantly help others. Even if he gets the money, people will only call him a fool and will never feel grateful."
They continued to talk, but Qiu Ze could no longer hear them. His mind was a blank, his ears buzzed, and he simply couldn't believe what he was hearing. Were these the same younger brothers who used to call him "Big Brother" so often? It shattered his worldview.
Madam Shen saw his dejected state and felt no sympathy. Her thoughts were similar to theirs. If she had known Qiu Ze was this kind of person, she would never have married him. She could have cried to him whenever she wanted, easily getting money without affecting her ability to find someone else.
Qiu Ze was despondent for the entire day, unable to comprehend how he had ended up in such a predicament. The next day, he mustered his spirits and asked the neighbors for a loan, but to no avail.
He walked down the street, unknowingly arriving at his doorstep. Looking at the words "Qiu Family Medical Hall" hanging above the lintel, he burst into tears.
Wiping his tears, he turned and hurried to the Zhong family's house.
Not long after, everyone in town knew that the Qiu Family Medical Hall was to be sold for thirty taels.
The elders lamented that he was a spendthrift, while the younger ones quickly checked if they had the financial means to buy it. They realized it was a golden opportunity that wouldn't come again. A shop as large as the Qiu family's was definitely worth forty taels. Sudanshan.com
In the afternoon, Qiu Ze received his money. He went to the yamen with the buyer to change the land deed and, coincidentally, to repay the high-interest loan.
The family of three, carrying large bags and packages, walked down the street, attracting attention. Yes, Madam Shen had not left. Everyone in town knew their history. If they had left immediately after Qiu Ze's misfortune, people would have called them ungrateful wretches, and they would have faced pointed remarks wherever they went. Moreover, they had no money now. Qiu Ze had sold the medical hall, leaving him with ten taels, enough for the family to live comfortably for a while. He had medical skills, and with a rented storefront, he could make a comeback.
Zhang Ziwei lay in bed, listening to his father and brothers gossip about Qiu Ze with a sigh of regret. He wasn't regretting Qiu Ze's misfortune, but rather lamenting that he would lose a source of income, and his heart bled for it.
His own days were difficult. The entire Zhang family went out without incident, except for him. His leg was broken, and people suspected he had offended someone outside, causing trouble for the family. They treated him with disdain and impatience. Lying in bed, only his mother cared for him; no one else even looked at him.
At the side gate of the Ning Marquis's mansion, Jiang Chen, once again in disguise, was helped by a young servant as he quietly slipped into a medical hall.
"I am sorry, young master, but I cannot find anything abnormal about you," the old doctor said apologetically after carefully feeling the young master's pulse.
Jiang Chen was very troubled. All the doctors in the capital said he was fine, yet he was impotent.
This had started about half a month ago. Jiang Chen was inherently fond of philandering. After resting in bed for so long, he was restless. As soon as he felt slightly better, he began to exchange flirtatious glances and engage in illicit affairs with the maids serving him.
It was fine at first. But in the last few days, for some reason, he suddenly became impotent. Initially, he thought it was because the maid wasn't beautiful enough to arouse his interest. However, even after changing to a different maid, the result was the same. He had visited all the medical halls in the capital but couldn't find any ailment.
Jiang Chen believed he was hiding it well, but in reality, everyone who needed to know already knew. There were no secrets.
Jiang Yu, who was planning to memorialize the Emperor to change the heir, paused his hand and withheld the memorial. Although he loved Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen currently had no legitimate sons. Those illegitimate sons were all born to maids, and their birth was subject to criticism.
Jiang Chen was also born illegitimately, but when Yun Duo was born to the Yun family, he could be placed under Yun Ya's name. He believed the Yun family would not object.
Wu Caiwei looked at Jiang Chen, the second son of the Marquis, sitting before her, suppressing a smile in her heart. It seemed her surprise had arrived.
Jiang Chen watched the woman before him carefully feel his pulse, his heart pounding with anxiety. This was his last hope. If even she, known as a divine physician, could not diagnose his condition, he didn't know who else to turn to.
The result was the same as the previous doctors. As he walked out of the medical hall, his attendant couldn't help but complain, "Everyone says she's a divine physician, but I think she's all talk. She can't even diagnose the young master's illness."
Another attendant pondered for a moment and said cautiously, "Young master, shouldn't we tell the Marquis the truth? Then the Marquis can invite an imperial physician to treat the young master."
Jiang Chen fell into deep thought. He had initially felt that such an illness was too embarrassing, which was why he had disguised himself and kept it from his family, fearing he would be recognized. But now that he was clearly ill and others couldn't diagnose it, he had no choice but to seek his father's help.
Jiang Yu was not surprised by his son's plea and quickly took his invitation to request an imperial physician to examine him.
To their disappointment, the imperial physician could not find anything either. This led Jiang Chen to doubt himself. Was it possible that he wasn't sick at all, and the women simply failed to arouse his interest?
With such a significant event happening in the mansion, Madam Huang couldn't help but know. Moreover, Jiang Chen's constant changing of maids clearly indicated where the problem lay.
That day, she returned to her maiden home and cried to her mother about her tragic circumstances. The mother and daughter wept together, making up their minds. Upon returning to the mansion, she quietly packed her dowry, preparing to leave at any moment.
She had initially thought that with the heir missing, she would finally have her chance to become the mistress of the mansion. However, Jiang Chen was so disappointing. When he needed his father, he was so impolite to her. If his father passed away and he had no children, her later years would be unimaginably bleak. She dared not even think about it. It would be better to withdraw now, find someone from a less prominent family, live in harmony with him, and have a few more children. Why not?