He treated others to meals several times, and each time, without exception, they ended up with stomach issues. Everyone was angry, and they gossiped privately, calling Qiu Ze stingy. If he didn't want to treat them, fine, but resorting to such underhanded tactics was unacceptable.
Qiu Ze tried to defend himself, but no one believed him. A coincidence once, twice, but not every single time. Moreover, he was the only doctor in town. If he wasn't the one who administered the medicine, who else could it be?
Qiu Ze knew it was Shen Niangzi. After all, she had visited her maiden home just a few days before the incidents began. She would have had enough time to go to the next town or county to get some laxatives.
"You truly disappoint me. I thought you were decent, but you're not even as good as Wang Chunyan. Now look, you've ruined my reputation. Happy now?" Qiu Ze was genuinely angry this time. He valued his reputation above all else, and this woman had completely destroyed it.
"Of course, I'm happy. At least we don't have to treat them to meals, and we can save a lot of money. What reputation? I think you're foolish. Your wife and children can barely eat, and you have time to worry about others." Shen Niangzi finally understood Wang Chunyan's feelings. Being Mrs. Qiu was truly a difficult role.
Initially, she was the one complaining, thinking Wang Chunyan was stingy. Now that she was Mrs. Qiu, she understood how annoying those complainers were. However, her personality differed from Wang Chunyan's; she wouldn't silently endure.
"You woman, all you care about is money. You're utterly obsessed with it." Qiu Ze was very angry, but Shen Niangzi was someone he had cared for over the years, and he couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on her. If Wang Chunyan were here, he would have beaten her up long ago.
Shen Niangzi didn't want to argue with him further. This was the third time they had fought over this issue. She figured people wouldn't dare to visit anymore. She didn't want to fall out with Qiu Ze completely; if they could continue living together, she wanted to. After all, not many people in this town made as much money as he did.
They lived in peace for a few days. Shen Niangzi noticed no one came to their home for meals. However, people invited him to dine at restaurants, and it turned out Qiu Ze was the one paying. Those who used to complain about their poverty were now doing it again.
Shen Niangzi's teeth itched with hatred. To safeguard the clinic's money, she stopped cleaning the house and went to help Qiu Ze at the clinic, under the guise of wanting to help him because he was too tired managing it alone. Qiu Ze was deeply moved by this at the time. However, within two days, he became incredibly annoyed and couldn't get rid of her.
Every time a patient came to him complaining about their financial difficulties, Qiu Ze would casually offer to waive the medical fees. Shen Niangzi would quickly interject, saying their own family was also struggling, and they would just have to tighten their belts.
When his brothers invited him to a restaurant, Shen Niangzi would insist on accompanying them. If he refused, she would demand to know who was treating. Afterward, she would inquire at the restaurant. If Qiu Ze was the one paying, she would go to that person's house to demand the money.
Whenever people said Qiu Ze had insisted on treating them, Shen Niangzi would retort, "You said you were treating when we left, so why is he paying in the end? We have no food at home. This money must come back, or I'll stay and eat at your house." If they couldn't afford to pay for a meal, they shouldn't be inviting people to dine.
Originally, his scoundrel friends intended to coax Qiu Ze into treating them. Now, it turned out they were the ones paying. No one's money grew on trees, and everyone felt the pinch. After a few such incidents, Qiu Ze found that no one invited him out to dinner anymore, nor did anyone try to socialize with him. Those scoundrel friends seemed to have vanished.
If anyone complained to Qiu Ze about their poverty, Shen Niangzi had a solution: she would immediately go to their door to demand money. If they refused, she'd make them write an IOU. Otherwise, she'd curse outside their house daily, accusing them of trying to default on their debts.
At first, Qiu Ze didn't understand what was happening. Later, when he overheard people gossiping, he realized what had transpired and angrily questioned Shen Niangzi.
"What on earth is going on? You've completely ruined my reputation! Everyone is secretly saying I'm no good, that I demand repayment for money lent. My brothers are also calling me stingy, saying I want back the money for a treat. Can't you stop causing trouble for me?" Qiu Ze was on the verge of a breakdown. Whether at the clinic or at home, Shen Niangzi constantly harped about money.
"What is reputation worth? Money is what's practical." Shen Niangzi was unconcerned.
"Why are you like that Wang Qingyan woman, obsessed with money?" Every time Shen Niangzi brought up money, he was truly annoyed.
"If you think money is bad, give it to me. I don't mind. Let's see how you'd live without it. Your food, your lodging, your needs, the clinic's medicine – what isn't bought with money?" Shen Niangzi scoffed.
"Money is external. We have a house to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat; that's good enough. We should be content. Any more money is vulgar." Qiu Ze looked at her with disdain, as if she were ignorant. This left Shen Niangzi speechless with anger.
At this point, Shen Niangzi truly admired Wang Chunyan, who had endured over a decade with such a man. She had only lived with him for a month or two and was already struggling. She couldn't comprehend how this man's mind worked to be so peculiar.
Meanwhile, in the city, Wu Caiwei and Jiang Feng also met. This time, Jiang Feng was in a sorry state, chased by a group of people. Someone kicked him, sending his body uncontrollably crashing into Wu Caiwei's stall. Wu Caiwei was initially angry; anyone would be upset if their livelihood was destroyed.
When she saw him slowly getting up from the ground, revealing his bruised and swollen face, she became even angrier.
"You! Hurry up and compensate me for my stall! If you don't, I'll report you to the authorities!" Wu Caiwei suppressed the urge to help him up and angrily addressed the menacing group.
Seeing Wu Caiwei's anger, the group of fierce-looking men exchanged glances. This was the first time they had encountered such a situation. In the past, when they approached civilians with ill intentions, people would either tremble or quickly disperse.
"Hahahaha! Someone's asking us for compensation? What a joke!" someone among them reacted, as if hearing the greatest jest.
"This woman is tired of living. We're not causing trouble for her, and she wants us to pay!"
"Exactly! We've been terrorizing the neighborhood for years, and this is the first time this has happened. We can tell this as a joke to the brothers later."
...
Seeing them trade barbs and completely disregard her words, Wu Caiwei tried to calm herself. As the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late.
When Jiang Feng saw this woman, his frantic heart inexplicably calmed down. This woman seemed to be in trouble because of him, yet he wasn't flustered. Subconsciously, he felt she could handle it. He couldn't explain why he trusted a woman he had just met so implicitly.