Chapter 25: Call It My Bad Luck

“What do you want?” Qiao Zi Yu asked, suppressing his disgust.

“Well, since we’re familiar with each other, I’ll give you a discount. For this hairpin and the things I’ve given you before, I’ll charge you a total of one hundred taels of silver. How does that sound?”

Qiao Zi Yu was rendered speechless with anger.

“Another hundred taels!”

So Ye Xin Ran really valued this sum of money so much that she was willing to break ties with him over it.

“You used to say that each stitch and thread represented your longing for me, and you hoped I wouldn’t disdain the things you gave me. But now, you’re constantly asking for them back. What do I really mean to you?”

He couldn’t help but ask.

Ye Xin Ran smirked and casually replied, “Call it my bad luck.”

“If I weren’t unlucky, how could I have been blind enough to fall for you? If I weren’t unlucky, how could I have parents like mine…”

“Alright, it’s just a hundred taels. Even if it were ten hundred taels, I can afford it! Waiter, bring me one hundred taels in silver notes. We’ll take this hairpin.”

The shopkeeper immediately came up to stop him. “Young Master, this hairpin isn’t worth a hundred taels. If we give out this silver, Madam will be asking about the accounts.”

“I said a hundred taels, and that’s what I’ll pay. I’ll explain it to my mother. As for Madam Ye, after paying, please ask her to leave Yuan Sheng Pawnshop and never come back.” Qiao Zi Yu said coldly.

Seeing that Qiao Zi Yu was resolute, the shopkeeper could only shake his head and go to the accounts to fetch the hundred taels in silver notes.

Ye Xin Ran, wanting more convenience with the money, had the shopkeeper exchange the notes for ten-tael denominations, one of which she changed into small silver coins.

Once she left the pawnshop, Ye Xin Ran felt like her back was straighter. Even the sky outside seemed a little bluer.

“It feels so good to have money!”

She stretched her arms and walked along the street, finding an embroidery shop where she exchanged the clothes for fifty wen.

As for the jade pendant, she’d deal with it once the money ran out.

After securing the cash, Ye Xin Ran made her way straight to the medical clinic. Just as she arrived at the gate of Yong Le Hall, she saw Xiao Huai’an and Chang An.

Chang An was holding a piece of osmanthus cake, probably something Xiao Huai’an had just bought for him.

When Chang An saw Ye Xin Ran, he waved excitedly. “Aunt, over here! We’re here!”

Ye Xin Ran quickly walked over and asked, “Did you see the doctor?”

“Not yet, one more patient and then it’ll be our turn,” Xiao Huai’an replied.

Ye Xin Ran nodded.

When the clinic’s attendant called for them, Ye Xin Ran walked in with the two of them.

The doctor in the clinic was a young man with a round face and small eyes, wearing a smile that made him appear very good-natured.

Upon seeing the three of them enter, he immediately greeted them, “Chang An’s here! Let me check if you’re feeling better.”

Chang An seemed to be familiar with him, and without hesitation, he climbed up onto the stool at the desk, saying, “Uncle Li, I think I feel much better.”

“Of course, I’m a pro at this!” The doctor smiled and checked Chang An’s pulse. After a moment, the smile on his face suddenly faded.

“I told you, this medicine is really important. You need to boil it and take it while it’s still hot before bed. Did you just ignore what I told you?”

He turned to look at Xiao Huai’an.

Xiao Huai’an lowered his gaze to look at Chang An.

“Second Uncle, Chang An has been drinking the medicine obediently every day.”

Chang An, feeling the immense pressure, nervously bit his finger, trying to explain in a pitiful tone.

“How could the doctor say there was a problem with the medicine you took?” Xiao Huai’an asked further.

He seemed quite angry about this matter.

Seeing that Chang An was on the verge of crying, Ye Xin Ran spoke up to explain, “In the days I’ve been at the Xiao family, I’ve been watching him take his medicine every day. The child isn’t lying.”

“Aunt,” Chang An called out with red eyes, yet he held back his tears.

“Doctor, could you please take another look to see if something went wrong?”

Although Ye Xin Ran had diagnosed Chang An’s problem earlier, due to a lack of medicinal ingredients and the fact that Chang An’s condition wasn’t severe, she hadn’t prescribed any other medicine for him.

Hearing the doctor’s words, Ye Xin Ran started to feel a bit nervous.

She realized she had been careless, she should have checked Chang An more thoroughly.

When Ye Xin Ran said this, the doctor placed his hand back on Chang An’s arm and closed his eyes for another long moment.

When he finally opened his eyes again, he spoke, “You’ve indeed been taking the medicine, and there has been some improvement in the stagnation, but the nourishment is far from enough.”

“Could it be that the medicine isn’t strong enough?” Xiao Huai’an guessed.

The round faced doctor suddenly got upset and snapped, “Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

“The medicine I prescribed was according to the most precise combination! How could the effect not be enough? It must be that you didn’t follow my instructions!”

Ye Xin Ran frowned. “Then could you please rewrite the prescription?”

“Why? Do you understand medicine?” The doctor looked at Ye Xin Ran with some disdain. “Can you even read it?”

“I can understand simple prescriptions. As a young doctor, it’s understandable that you might make mistakes. Having another person double-check will provide extra assurance!”

This was something Ye Xin Ran had said to medical interns before.

As she spoke about her area of expertise, she almost forgot that she was only around seventeen or eighteen years old herself.

“Young?” The round faced doctor’s pride was pricked. “You really have some nerve.”

The doctor immediately grabbed the paper and pen and quickly wrote out the prescription, handing it to Ye Xin Ran. “Here, take a look. I’d like to see what mistakes you can find.”

Ye Xin Ran carefully examined the prescription.

Purple Dan Shen 15 Qian, White Cardamom Seed 6 Qian, Fang Feng 8 Qian, Red Xiong Fu 12 Qian, Chinese Garlic 8 Qian, Polygonum Multi Florum 10 Qian…

The formula first addresses the stagnation, then nourishes the heart Qi, it’s a good prescription.

If taken for half a month, there would definitely be noticeable changes in the pulse.

“Did you really prescribe it this way?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

The round faced doctor, clearly impatient with anyone questioning his work, immediately replied, “Of course! How could a prescription from me, Liu Zhen Yan, be wrong?”

“Well then, please write another one. This time, I’ll watch as the child takes the medicine,” Ye Xin Ran said. “However, while this prescription is good, it lacks a medicinal catalyst. If you add 3 Qian of Ling Zhi as a catalyst, the medicinal effect will be even better.”

Upon hearing Ye Xin Ran’s suggestion, Liu Zhen Yan paused for a moment as if enlightened: “Right! Ling Zhi and Chinese Garlic complement each other, which will help the medicine be absorbed better. It’s truly a good prescription!”

He immediately grabbed a pen and quickly wrote a new prescription, handing it to the attendant. “Take this prescription to prepare the medicine for Young Master Xiao.”

As Ye Xin Ran and Xiao Huai’an stood up to leave, Liu Zhen Yan suddenly reached out his hand. “Wait! May I ask, Mrs. Ye, have you studied medicine?”

He looked at Ye Xin Ran with eager eyes.

Ye Xin Ran calmly responded, “No, I haven’t. My family has someone who is ill, so I’ve read a few medical books, but I’ve learned nothing.”

Liu Zhen Yan looked at Ye Xin Ran with a strange expression. “I’m young, not foolish! You’ve spoken so accurately about the medicinal catalyst, and now you tell me you’ve only read a little bit of medical books?”