A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 10 Compromise and Sacrifice

Huichun Hall.

Sister Liu went to the counter, took out the prescription, handed it to the shop assistant, and said with a shifty look in her eyes, "I'll get the medicine."

The shop assistant took the prescription, glanced at her face, and said coldly, "Come with me!"

After saying that, he left the counter and, without looking back, went into a side door with a curtain hanging on it. When Sister Liu saw this, her face stiffened, and she quickly followed him in.

After entering through the side gate, they arrived at the backyard of Huichuntang. Several shop assistants were drying various medicinal herbs. Without lingering, the shop assistants led Sister Liu directly to the front of the main hall.

He bowed and announced towards the house, "Manager Hu, the Liu family has arrived."

After a moment of silence, an aged voice rang out: "Let her in!"

The waiter then turned to look at Sister Liu, gestured towards the house with his lips, and turned to leave without looking back.

Sister Liu looked at the waiter with an embarrassed expression, then looked at the room, and finally gritted her teeth and stepped inside.

In the center of the main room, there was a rattan chair. To the right, there was a small table with a pot of tea and a teacup on it. An old man in his early sixties, with a weasel-like face and a face full of wrinkles, was reclining in the rattan chair, looking very relaxed.

Sister Liu stepped forward awkwardly and gave the old man a slight bow: "Shopkeeper, about that medicine from last time..."

The old man raised his hand, interrupting Sister Liu, and pointed to the teapot on his right.

Sister Liu hurriedly stepped forward, bent down somewhat stiffly, picked up the teapot on the small table, and slowly tilted it into the cup.

The old man with gray hair chuckled, bracing himself on the armrests of the wicker chair. He sat up slightly, raised his head, and squinted his lecherous eyes, his gaze lingering on Sister Liu's full breasts and bent waist. He took a deep breath and said mockingly, "What? Finally figured it out?"

Upon hearing this, Sister Liu trembled, and the teapot in her hand slipped, spilling the tea.

She hurriedly put the teapot back on the small table, took out a small silver ingot from her waist, and said, "Dr. Hu... Dr. Hu, I brought the silver."

This fellow only has a smattering of medical knowledge, and it's all unorthodox methods. Sister Liu usually addresses him as "shopkeeper," but doctors have the heart of parents, so she calls him "doctor" now, hoping he'll still have some sense of propriety.

Doctor Hu's face stiffened, and he slumped back into his recliner, waving his hand and saying sullenly, "Since you've brought the money, just tell the doctor to fill the medicine according to the prescription."

Sister Liu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed again: "Thank you, Doctor Hu. I'll go to the front to get the medicine from the shop assistant right away."

As she turned to leave, Doctor Hu suddenly said, "Never mind! This medicine cannot tolerate the slightest mistake. I'll go get it for you myself."

"This..." Sister Liu wanted to decline, but ultimately didn't refuse. Instead, she smiled apologetically and said, "I'm so sorry."

"Sigh! Doctors have the heart of parents. I only did this because I saw that you were having a hard time and wanted to help you. That's why I've been giving you the cost price. I'm sure you understand that."

While the powerful servants of the Jia family could indeed abuse their power, they still needed to be able to speak up for their masters, unlike those from the lower classes like the Liu family.

Dr. Hu's intentions were crystal clear; in fact, he had already laid his true intentions out in the open.

However, getting medicine from other shops would cost 30% more, and the silver ingot in hand was still a little insufficient. Therefore, even though he knew that the other party had ill intentions and coveted him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to their door.

Just now, Dr. Hu told her to find a helper to get the medicine, and Sister Liu was glad that he didn't bring it up.

Upon hearing this, he assumed the man was going to raise the price, so he quickly held the silver in his palm and said, "This silver ingot is more or less than two taels. I hope you will be kind enough to get the medicine for Wu'er first. If it is not enough, I will definitely send it to you tomorrow."

"Oh?"

Doctor Hu picked up the silver with some surprise, weighed it in his hand, and then smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, even if the deal falls through, we can still be friends. I'm genuinely trying to help you. Whether you agree or not, as long as you come to my Huichuntang to get medicine, I guarantee I'll only charge you the principal."

"I...I..."

Liu's sister-in-law never expected that Dr. Hu would not only not take advantage of her vulnerability, but would also promise to continue to give her discounts.

Although his motives were impure, he didn't force anyone to do anything against their will.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel guilty. She was about to steel herself when she suddenly saw the other person's deeply lined old face and the overwhelming smell of old age.

If it weren't for the silver ingot that Granny Liu brought, she would have had no choice but to grit her teeth and accept it in order to treat her daughter's illness.

Now, she could only endure the stench and express her gratitude, bowing deeply to him: "Dr. Hu, your great kindness and virtue will be forever remembered by this humble woman, and I will repay your kindness in my next life..."

Seeing this, Doctor Hu smiled and quickly stepped forward, reaching out to grab Liu's hand, while his lecherous eyes were fixed on the hollow of her waist and hips.

He said meaningfully, "What's with all this talk about the next life? Who else can help you with such genuine sincerity like I have..."

Sister Liu suddenly felt nauseous, but thinking of the 30% discount, she had to suppress her discomfort, slowly withdrew her hand, and quickly stepped over the threshold, saying, "Dr. Hu... Dr. Hu, Wu'er is still waiting at home... What do you think?"

Dr. Hu withdrew his hand, seemingly unsatisfied, and sniffed the air. With a lewd grin, he said, "Whenever you've come to your senses, you can come see me anytime. The child's illness is the priority, so hurry and get the medicine!"

"Yes! Yes!" The Liu family members responded hurriedly.

The two left the backyard and returned to the pharmacy.

After preparing the medicinal herbs and dividing them into proportions, Dr. Hu handed a stack of medicine packets to Sister Liu and instructed her, "I've divided them all for you. One dose per day. Come back to me when you've finished them."

Sister Liu took the medicine packet, and only then did she feel relieved. She thanked him profusely before taking her leave.

As soon as she stepped out of the pharmacy, Doctor Hu's face darkened, and he said to the shop assistant beside him, "What kind of work is this? Didn't you even ask before bringing her in!"

The waiter quickly explained, "I...I saw she was wearing makeup and thought..."

Upon hearing this, Doctor Hu glared fiercely at the waiter, flicked his sleeves, and returned to the backyard.

Reaching the recliner, he muttered to himself, "Fine! Fine! All that effort I've put into you has been for nothing. I'd like to see how much money he has to fill this bottomless pit!"

With her daughter sick for over a year, how could Sister Liu have the heart to put on makeup?

Not to mention the guy, even he himself had his misunderstandings.

The old man had long harbored designs on this pretty widow. Fearing she would get her medicine from another shop, he feigned kindness, keeping Liu's medicine at a low price while secretly tampering with it, waiting for the right opportunity.

He knew very well that not only had the Liu family been emptied out long ago, but they had also borrowed from everyone they could.

Therefore, when Sister Liu asked to buy medicine on credit last time, he made no attempt to hide it and suggested that she pay for the medicine with her own body, claiming that he was genuinely trying to help.

Although Sister Liu left in shame and anger, Dr. Hu firmly believed that she could not escape his grasp.

He had thought that the Liu family was already at their wits' end, and that as long as Liu Wu'er's condition worsened day by day, she would eventually come running back to him on her knees, begging for his help.

Unexpectedly, only three days later, not only did they come with money, but the price was also two coins more than the price I had quoted for the medicine.

Of course, Sister Liu couldn't conjure up silver out of thin air, but she clearly had makeup on her face.

If she had brought loose copper coins, he might have suspected that Sister Liu had been forced into running a business with half-closed doors.

But a whole piece of silver...

After much thought, Dr. Hu concluded that it was only his own words that had opened her mind: because she disliked her own age, she had found a young and strong man to be her lover.

The thought that all his efforts had been for nothing but benefit to others made Dr. Hu unwilling to accept it.

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, plopped down on the recliner, and said with a lewd grin, "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! You dare to look down on me? Wait until you're cornered, then I'll teach you a lesson and see if you still dare to give me that sour look!"

……