She Became A Downfall Noble Lady-Chapter 46 - Qi Younians Heavy Breathing
Chapter 46: Chapter 46 Qi Younian’s Heavy Breathing
Chapter 46 -46 Qi Younian’s Heavy Breathing
Indeed, as soon as the doctor saw the numerous scars on Qi Jia’s back, his expression changed instantly, sweeping Ye Xinyan and Qi Younian with a cold glare before he examined the child’s injuries seriously.
Ye Xinyan couldn’t help feeling relieved, grateful that they had bathed the little one yesterday. Otherwise, with scars all over his body and layers of grime from years without a bath, she feared the doctor’s sharp looks could have cut them to pieces.
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Although the little guy was injured, his skin was clean and smooth, his hair had been carefully combed, and he looked quite spirited overall. Nanny Jin had rushed to make his clothes yesterday, making them loose and large fearing it would rub against his wounds and cause pain; the fabric was clean and soft.
At least from these details, it appeared that the two adults had taken fairly meticulous care of the child.
After examining the injuries, the doctor looked over Qi Jia’s little fingers as well and then asked with a frigid face, “How did he get burned?”
Qi Jia was extremely sensitive to the expressions of the people around him. As soon as he saw the doctor’s face, he shivered immediately.
Ye Xinyan quickly hugged him in her arms to comfort him.
Qi Younian hesitated, wondering whether to tell the doctor the whole truth, but Ye Xinyan took over, “Old sir, this is my younger brother, whom my grandfather transferred from our main family just yesterday. He came with his injuries…,” which meant to say, we don’t know where his injuries came from.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to make things clear but that the situation was too complicated. To explain everything, wouldn’t they need to brew two pots of tea and talk for at least three shichen? Even if the old doctor was willing to listen, they still had things to do, and Nanny Jin was still waiting on the other end of the street.
Hearing Ye Xinyan’s explanation, the doctor’s face was still not very pleased, but he didn’t say much more. He prescribed three doses of herbal medicine and a box of ointment, reiterated numerous important care instructions, and then sent the three of them on their way with a dark look on his face.
This doctor’s visit cost nearly two taels of silver, proving once again that the poor really can’t afford to be sick.
So, they had to get out of poverty as soon as possible.
As the three family members left the medical hall, Ye Xinyan still carrying Qi Jia, she looked back and let out a long breath, smiling at Qi Younian, “The old sir sure has a big temper. I thought for a moment that the two of us would be thrown out.”
Qi Younian weighed the medicine in his hand and said with a bitter smile, “Although you explained it that way, it doesn’t necessarily mean he believes us. I always feel that not only did the old doctor give us a hard look, but he might have also overcharged us for the medicines.”
“Maybe it’s because his burn ointment is really effective. When the medical apprentice was getting the ointment, I saw the old doctor giving him a look.”
“Is that so? If that’s the case, it’s worth spending a little more silver.” Qi Younian cheered up. The weather was getting hotter, and they were most afraid that sweat and grime would contaminate the wounds. If the child could suffer a little less and recover more quickly, that would indeed be an unexpected blessing.
…
Qi Yourong worried about the silver and, even before noon, was tiptoeing at the entrance of the third branch of the Qi family’s courtyard, peering toward the village entrance.
Her eyes nearly peculating a hole through the air, she finally spotted the silhouette of a donkey cart. Just as she was about to run after Qi Younian to suss things out, she heard Madam Song’s irritated voice from inside the courtyard, “What are you waiting for? Do you think your second brother will still bring you food? The meal is getting cold. If you don’t eat it, the rest of us will starve.”
Madam Song was enraged by the current situation. What good was it to support Qi Congming in their household? He hardly consumed any grain, nor did he require much care in his daily living. In contrast, the food brought daily by the second branch of the Qi family was concrete, physical sustenance, and tasted extremely good.
Though the spread cakes from the second branch of the Qi family were made of cornmeal, their preparation differed from that of an ordinary farming household. Not only was the cornmeal ground finer, but also the bottom of the pot was coated with oil, giving off a distinctly sweet and savory aroma you couldn’t find just anywhere. Moreover, from time to time, they also had triangular baked goods to eat, which were made of white flour and layered with lard inside.
If Qi Younian hadn’t returned to his hometown in his old age, would their ordinary farming household ever have had such delectable food fall into their laps for free? Even such a windfall was ruined by Madam Pang’s meddling.
After the ruckus her family caused with Nanny Jin yesterday, and the old man mentioning Qi Congming’s body covered in scars, the Second Branch family must have a terrible impression of them. She could forget about getting any more food from the Second Branch.
Madam Song took a deep breath, comforting herself with the thought that at least Qi Younian had promised to give them silver, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Alas, if only the face-tearing argument hadn’t happened yesterday, and Qi Younian had agreed to adopt Qi Congming afterwards—it would have been perfect. Having silver and daily food would have been even better, wouldn’t it?
“Oh.” Qi Yourong suddenly realized that it was getting late, almost noon.
He figured the eldest and second families must be preparing and having their meals, so it would be best to go after lunch.
While walking back, Qi Younian couldn’t help but grumble: The family of the eldest and the second son were stingy. Even though they were doing business in the county, their daily fare was still simple pancakes and porridge—no progress at all. Even if there were delicious leftovers from the morning market stalls, considering Nanny Jin’s cold face towards him, he probably wouldn’t get a share.
Disgruntled, Qi Yourong went back for lunch, impatiently calculating the time. Only after he guessed that the Second Branch family had finished their meal did he reluctantly make his way to the old house in the northwest of the village.
Nanny Jin, despising Qi Yourong’s character, was in the inner room, fanning Qi Jia as he cooled off, deliberately avoiding showing her face.
The little fellow had already applied burn medicine and was napping on the bed. After a short stay at the Second Branch family’s house, the little one’s sleeping face looked peaceful and sweet, incredibly adorable to behold.
As a junior, Ye Xinyan certainly couldn’t afford to show disrespect to her elder like Qi Yourong, so she had no choice but to deal with him. However, to avoid controversy, she served tea to Qi Younian and Qi Yourong and then withdrew to the inner room, staying away from their conversation about silver.
In the outer room, Qi Younian listened to the amount of silver Qi Yourong had mentioned, stared at him for a long time, and finally spoke slowly, “The amount of silver you mentioned is a bit much.”
“It’s negotiable, negotiable,” said Qi Yourong with a quickened heartbeat, fearing that Qi Younian would try to renege on the deal and immediately drop the price.
Qi Yourong’s mind whirred as he wondered whether to lower his request to eighteen taels or drop it straight down to sixteen when he heard Qi Younian continue, “My family can only put together ten taels of silver…”
Only ten taels? Qi Yourong’s heart sank. The Second Branch was being too stingy, weren’t they? A male offspring to carry on the family line for the Second Branch, and they were offering only ten taels of silver!
This won’t do, Qi Yourong thought, trying to figure out how to persuade Qi Younian to part with a few more taels of silver.
Unexpectedly, Qi Younian was just catching his breath and then continued, “I’ll write you an IOU for the remaining ten, and I’ll do my best to pay it back by the end of the year.”
Since it concerned his child, Qi Younian never intended to quibble over money with Qi Yourong. As long as the third son didn’t ask for an exorbitant amount beyond his means, he was unwilling to bargain over the child as if he were merchandise.
Qi Yourong’s heart settled, “Alright, alright, alright, we’re brothers after all, and of course, we can make allowances. Just… when will my second brother give me the IOU?”
He was illiterate, and he suspected his second brother probably was as well. But an IOU wasn’t something that could be delayed. Without it in hand, he would not be able to rest easy for a single day.
