Chapter 243 – Scammed by Bai Mingyue
For a respectable scholar to be chased and beaten with a pole by a ruffian like Yan Xiaosi was rather embarrassing to speak of.
Doctors inquired about illnesses in order to treat them, so he had to answer. Yan Wenfeng was just trying to think up a suitable excuse to gloss over it when, unexpectedly, Ms. Li answered for him.
Ms. Li’s heart burned with resentment toward Yan Xiaosi. She figured a man like Bai Mingyue wouldn’t know a ruffian like Yan Xiaosi, so she spoke without reservation. “Wenfeng was injured like this by that little scoundrel Yan Xiaosi. That little scoundrel went crazy this morning, randomly beating people with a pole. Not only did he injure Wenfeng, he also injured one of our Yan family’s servants. That little scoundrel was born a jinx. He caused his own father’s death and now he’s out to ruin our Yan family.”
Shopkeeper Yu, who was bringing Bai Mingyue a pot of warmed wine, happened to overhear Ms. Li cursing Yan Xiaosi.
He casually asked, “Yan Xiaosi, is that Yan Xiaosi who lives in Shaoyao Village?”
Ms. Li rolled her eyes and gnashed her teeth. “Who else could it be? It’s that little scoundrel.”
Shopkeeper Yu had originally thought it was just someone with the same name. Now that it was confirmed the Yan Xiaosi being cursed by Ms. Li was the same Yan Xiaosi who had helped him, he frowned in displeasure.
“Excuse me for being blunt, madam, but Yan Xiaosi of Shaoyao Village isn’t the type of person to randomly beat others.”
Hearing someone speak up for Yan Xiaosi, Ms. Li’s pent-up anger immediately exploded. She whipped her head around and glared at Shopkeeper Yu.
“Boss Yu, what are you implying? Are you saying I’m wrongly accusing Yan Xiaosi? How much do you know about Yan Xiaosi? How much do I know about him?”
Shopkeeper Yu wanted to argue further, but Bai Mingyue signaled to him with his eyes and gently said, “Boss Yu, there are other customers waiting for you to serve their dishes. You should go tend to them first.”
There were still two tables of customers waiting for their food. Boss Yu was too busy, so he just snorted and turned to leave.
Ms. Li ranted and raved about Yan Xiaosi some more. Bai Mingyue listened while lightly sipping his tea, his expression unchanging throughout.
After Ms. Li finished speaking, he set down his teacup and took out a small white bottle from his sleeve, handing it to Yan Wenfeng. “Since you’ve come to me, take this medicine. It may help Young Master Yan’s injury.”
Yan Wenfeng had already given up hope, so upon seeing the medicine bottle Bai Mingyue handed over, he was overjoyed and took it.
Ms. Li said, “Thank you, Doctor Bai. How much silver is this bottle of medicine?”
Bai Mingyue thought for a moment. Having lost his job at Jiren Hall, he had been a bit short on money lately. He couldn’t just give such good medicine to this mother and son pair from the Yan family for free. He raised an eyebrow. “Five taels of silver will do.”
As long as it could quickly heal Wenfeng’s arm, five taels of silver was nothing. Ms. Li unhesitatingly took out five loose taels of silver and handed them to Bai Mingyue.
Bai Mingyue took the silver and weighed it in his hand, watching the mother and son leave the Yu Family Private Kitchen.
After serving the dishes to those two tables of customers, Boss Yu came to Bai Mingyue’s side and said in a low voice, “Mister Bai, Young Master Yan of Shaoyao Village isn’t that kind of person.”
Seeing Boss Yu so anxious, Bai Mingyue smiled. “Boss Yu, you are also acquainted with Yan Xiaosi?”
“Of course I know him. Not long ago, my small restaurant was about to close down. It was Young Master Yan who gave me the idea to sell packed meals by the docks. After I earned some silver, Young Master Yan urged me to keep running the small restaurant business too. Even the signboard for my small restaurant was picked out by Young Master Yan. In short, without Young Master Yan’s help, there would be no Yu Family Private Kitchen.”
“I didn’t expect that Yan Xiaosi to be such a good person.”
Bai Mingyue wasn’t surprised that Yan Xiaosi had helped Boss Yu. In his impression, Yan Xiaosi had always been cunning as a fox but with a strong sense of justice.
Boss Yu said, “Isn’t that right? Young Master Yan absolutely wouldn’t beat someone for no reason. That mother and son pair must have bullied Young Master Yan first. Only then would Young Master Yan strike out in anger. Mister Bai, why did you help that mother and son? They don’t look kind hearted at all.”
Bai Mingyue didn’t say anything, smiling as he lowered his head to take a sip of the warm wine.
Help? Heh, he wasn’t helping that mother and son at all.
The medicine he had given that mother and son just now was a pain reliever. Its effect was to relieve pain, but the side effect was to slow the healing of bones and muscles.
With Yan Wenfeng’s right arm fracture, it originally would have only taken around 120 days to fully heal and recover. But after taking the pain reliever, it would require at least 130 days to fully recover.
“Boss Yu, if I didn’t sell that medicine to that mother and son, where would I get the silver to pay for the meal and wine?”
With that, Bai Mingyue handed the loose silver to Boss Yu.
Boss Yu was a bit angry and didn’t reach out to take it. “Mister Bai, we’re familiar with each other. If you can’t afford to pay for the meal and wine, just consider it my treat. But you can’t help that mother and son harm Young Master Yan. Young Master Yan is my family’s benefactor. If you insist on helping that mother and son harm Young Master Yan, don’t come eat at my place anymore. I won’t acknowledge knowing you either.”
“Got it, Boss Yu. You should go tend to your business.”
Bai Mingyue simply picked up the wine pot and poured the warm wine into his mouth.
The scene shifts to a bumpy dirt road.
The dirt road led straight to Shaoyao Village. The Yan family’s carriage sped along steadily on the dirt road.
Inside the carriage, Ms. Li watched Yan Wenfeng take out the medicine bottle Bai Mingyue gave, open the stopper and pour out a green pill into his palm.
The pill was emerald green and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance. One look and you could tell it wasn’t poison.
Yan Wenfeng put the pill in his mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed it.
Ms. Li stared at him for a moment. Seeing his brows relax, she asked, “Wenfeng, how do you feel after taking this pill?”
Originally, the places on Yan Wenfeng’s body that had been struck by the pole hurt with a burning pain. After taking the medicine, he felt the burning pain gradually lessen. In some places the pain even disappeared, but his right arm was still limp and weak.
However, this already felt much better.
He looked at Ms. Li with excited eyes. “Mother, I feel much better. That Bai Mingyue really lives up to his reputation as the divine doctor of Daxing Town.”
The sun set. At the Tian house.
Tian Dazhuang had already moved all his bedding and clothes to the cornfield.
Knowing the Yan family’s third house had lost all their belongings in last night’s big fire, Ms. Wang took out extra sheets and quilts for Ms. Zhong, her daughters and Yan Xiaosi. Fortunately, the family had extras of bedding and sheets.
Tian Dazhuang’s wooden bed was quite spacious. Ms. Zhong and her daughters all had slender figures. If they squeezed together, three or four people could barely fit on it.
Yan Xiaosi laid out bedding on the floor of the main room.
Not having slept well last night, after the sun set and they ate dinner and tidied up the kitchen, Ms. Zhong, her daughters, and Yan Xiaosi went to bed early.
As a crescent moon hung on the treetops and the lamps were extinguished in every household, Shaoyao Village fell into a deep slumber like an infant.
The small mountain village maintained tranquility for half the night when suddenly cries of alarm and panic shattered the beautiful, quiet night.
