Chapter 54: The Carefulness of the Poor

Ye Zhiqiu was still holding the money, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

He was telling the truth. She could ignore everyone else, but her own brother, who always followed her around, calling her “Sister” in a soft voice, hadn’t done anything wrong. How could she be so heartless?

But thinking about what this family had done, Ye Zhiqiu squeezed her index finger hard against her palm, forcing herself to calm down.

Master had said that no matter what problems she encountered, she couldn’t be hasty. If she was hasty, she would easily make mistakes.

She could only handle things properly when she was clear-headed.

“If you want to threaten me with Xiao An, you’re wrong. He’s your Zhou family’s grandson, he’s your Zhou family’s bloodline. If even his own father and grandfather don’t care about him, I’m just a sister, a worthless girl who will eventually be married off. What do I have to care about?” She emphasized again. “And I’ve said it many times, Zhou Xiaoyu is dead. She died the day my mother hanged herself. My name is Ye Zhiqiu now!”

After she finished speaking, she quickly closed the door, turned her back, and pressed herself tightly against it. But she couldn’t help but shed tears.

Zhou’s father was also in tears outside the door. Finally, he left with a sentence, “It’s understandable that you hate us, but I still hope you can plead with Doctor Jiang. No matter how much he wants, we’ll find a way. Please beg her to cure your father. He’s the hope of our family!”

The footsteps in the mud gradually faded away until the sound disappeared.

Ye Zhiqiu sniffed and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand. Then she went back to bed and continued to sleep.

The worst outcome would be that Xiao An would also be kicked out.

She now had three yuan in allowance every month, and her master didn’t care much about the food at home. She could use it as she pleased. At worst, she could beg for mercy and give up her allowance. As long as she could give Zhou An something to eat, he could also cut pigweed and exchange it for some work points to support himself. He would just have a harder life. She could manage to raise him until he was old enough to work. That was the only thing she, as his sister, could do for him.

The tabby cat burrowed into her arms, its furry head rubbing against her chest. It found a comfortable position and fell asleep. It was her only comfort at the moment.

The rain stopped in the middle of the night. When dawn broke, the sky was filled with a warm sun, and there was a rainbow on the distant mountaintop.

The weather in the north is like that. There is little rain, and it comes quickly.

Jiang Nian went out and saw dry grass placed at the door. The ground in the yard was muddy.

Ye Zhiqiu came out of the kitchen and handed her the money in her pocket. “Master, this is the money the Zhou family sent last night. Exactly one hundred yuan.”

Jiang Nian took the money and asked, “Didn’t they say anything else when they sent the money?”

“They wanted me to plead for them. They also threatened me with Xiao An, but I refused.” Ye Zhiqiu also told Jiang Nian about her plan, making the worst-case scenario for Zhou An, just in case that day ever came.

Jiang Nian didn’t say anything else, but she was clearly satisfied with Ye Zhiqiu’s actions.

If she was that soft-hearted and easily threatened, she wouldn’t be worth taking in as a disciple.

She wasn’t a cold-hearted person who would force her disciples to cut off all ties with their families and ignore even their own siblings.

On the contrary, if she were like that, she should be worried that she would also raise a viper in her bosom.

Yesterday’s heavy rain had soaked the ground in the yard, leaving muddy footprints everywhere. Just walking from the bedroom to the kitchen, she had stepped in mud several times.

After breakfast, Jiang Nian looked at the muddy ground in the yard and thought, “Where can we get some stones or flagstones around here? When the weather clears up, we’ll pave the ground in the yard. It’ll save us from stepping in mud every time it rains.”

Even if they didn’t pave the whole yard, they should at least pave a stone path so that they could walk more easily.

Ye Zhiqiu quickly chimed in, “Flagstones need to be polished, and they’re quite expensive. I know there’s a sand and gravel factory next to Bali Village. We can get some gravel and pave it in the yard. If we make it thick and high, it won’t be like this anymore.”

Jiang Nian nodded. “Then let’s pave it with gravel. Remind me when the mud on the ground dries.”

Perhaps because the road was difficult to walk, only one patient came until noon. A family of five, three of whom were familiar faces.

It was Zhang Er, the idiot from Xiao Wang Village, and his sister and brother-in-law. They all looked like kind and honest people.

Jiang Nian had told them to come back the next day to see her, but they hadn’t come. She hadn’t thought much of it, assuming they didn’t believe her.

Ye Zhiqiu was a little afraid when she saw them. It was a fear that came from deep within her heart, and she couldn’t overcome it for a moment.

But she still mustered her courage and tried not to look so flustered.

“Uncle, Auntie, are you here to see my teacher?”

Her gaze fell on Zhang Er. He was tall and had a look of grievance on his face, just like the expression he had when he learned that she wouldn’t marry him. He looked like a child who hadn’t gotten what he wanted.

Zhang’s father smiled awkwardly, a little embarrassed. “Yes, I remember Doctor Jiang said to come back and see her. You know our situation. We’re not a wealthy family, and we were afraid that we wouldn’t be able to cure him, so we kept putting it off and didn’t dare to come. It’s not that we don’t believe in Doctor Jiang’s medical skills, it’s just…”

Honest people are like that. If you tell them something and they don’t do it, they’ll feel ashamed when they come back.

They were really forced to do it, and Jiang Nian’s reputation was so good that they finally decided to come and try.

Jiang Nian had already heard their words from inside the house. She said, “Zhiqiu, take them to the clinic. I’ll be right there.”

She actually liked challenging things. She hadn’t encountered Zhang Er’s condition before, but she had seen it in her ancestral medical books, so she couldn’t help but want to challenge it.

She had seen too many minor ailments like colds, fevers, and backaches. This kind of illness, even if she didn’t charge them for the medicine, she was willing to see.

There was a curtain in the middle of the clinic, and behind the curtain was Ye Zhiqiu’s bedroom.

As soon as Jiang Nian came in, she saw Zhang’s father with a worried expression. “Doctor Jiang, I still want to ask, if we treat my son’s illness, will it be expensive?”

This was something they had been hesitating about. If he was cured, it would be worth spending some money, even if they had to sell everything they had. But they were afraid that they would spend the money and he wouldn’t be cured, and it would make their lives even harder.

After all, he was their only son. When he first went crazy, they had also taken him to see doctors, and they had encountered this situation.

Zhang’s sister also habitually played the victim. “Doctor Jiang, don’t misunderstand us. It’s not that we’re unwilling to spend money, it’s just that we’re poor. My parents are old, and our own family isn’t well-off. We really can’t afford much. We’re afraid that we won’t be able to keep up with the medical expenses and it will be a waste of effort. We hope you can understand.”