Chapter 34 Maria Hospital Lost a Silver Dollar

What's your name?

Yao Xiaoyu asked softly, deciding in her heart that as long as this girl didn't have Lin Daiyu's physical condition, the choice of her companion was settled.

"My name is Tao Erniu, and I'm a girl from Taojia Village."

Tao Erniu looked a little nervous, but she wasn't intimidated. Yao Xiaoyu had her run for a while to check her speed and strength, and then she nodded to her grandmother.

"She's the one."

Yao Xiaoyu wants the autonomy to go out, as long as the person accompanying her is above average.

The person accompanying Yao Xiaoyu to work has been chosen. Zhou Chunhua is very satisfied with Tao Erniu's performance in lifting the millstone. On the day she was to report to the hospital, Tao Erniu arrived at the gate of Yao's courtyard early to wait. Yao Xiaoyu was also worried about being late, so she left without even eating breakfast and almost bumped into Tao Erniu who was squatting at the gate.

...

"Father, Mother, Grandmother, Elder Brother, and Little Sister, I'm leaving now."

Yao Xiaoyu waved goodbye to everyone, the courtyard gate was closed again, and the two set off together for the hospital. The fog was very thick today, with visibility of less than three meters. By the time Zhou Chunhua went over to open the courtyard gate, the two figures had completely disappeared into the white fog.

What do you do at home?

Yao Xiaoyu left too early; the streets weren't really bustling yet. She didn't see anything she wanted to buy, and she didn't intend to waste the silver dollars she had worked so hard to earn, so she chatted with Tao Erniu casually.

"Chopping wood, cooking, washing clothes..."

Tao Erniu was a little reserved when she first spoke, but she relaxed a lot later. Yao Xiaoyu played the role of a good straight man, giving full play to her instincts as an author and collecting all sorts of materials that she didn't know if she would be able to use in the future.

After all, she really couldn't think of any occasion where the eight ways of tying firewood could be used.

"...The year-end is the best time to make money. We don't dare to go to wealthy families. We would use thin ropes to tie a few nice-looking pieces of firewood, and go to the alleys in groups to knock on doors and ask if they need firewood. We could make a lot of money in a few days."

Chai Tongcai is fine normally, but during the New Year, everyone wants to bring good luck.

Tao Erniu regretted that she could only earn this money for a few days a year. In that short time, the two of them had already arrived at the hospital gate. Maria Hospital sounded impressive, but it was actually just a white two-story building, although the surrounding wall was very high.

Tao Erniu was in a hurry to go home and do her work, so Yao Xiaoyu didn't try to stop her. She took the letter of recommendation and went upstairs to find the person who could make the decision, and successfully got a job at the Western medicine pharmacy.

Then Yao Xiaoyu discovered that her position was even less demanding than she had imagined.

"Bring something to pass the time tomorrow. That's how it is here; we can't get a single person a day."

Aunt Gu at the other table said unsurprisedly, her needlework never stopping. This place was a government office with no real benefits; as long as you were there, you could earn a penny a day for nothing.

"Aunt Gu, this is my first day here, I don't know anything, could you explain it to me in detail?"

Yao Xiaoyu handed over a hard-boiled egg with a soft smile. She hadn't eaten much that morning, and the egg was meant to fill her stomach when she got hungry.

"You've come to the right person."

Aunt Gu didn't think much of the egg, but she was very satisfied with Yao Xiaoyu's attitude. Since she had nothing else to do, she explained the situation in detail.

Maria Hospital was built with money from foreigners. After it was built, there were many patients, but after a month, none of them were fully recovered and discharged. People who knew the story said that this was because the foreigners did not perform any sacrifices before breaking ground, which displeased the Earth Goddess.

The word got out, and the foreigner somehow hired a sorceress. The sorceress had three sacrificial animals offered at the door, danced for a while, whispered something in the foreigner's ear, and then left.

The next day, the foreigners moved the Chinese medicine pharmacy to the easternmost room and the Western medicine pharmacy to the westernmost room, which is the current room. Whether it was just a lucky break or not, after these changes, the patients were actually able to be discharged.

Later, the two pharmacies remained in the same location, but the Western medicine pharmacy could hardly accommodate two people for even a day, and thus became a completely leisurely place. If it weren't for the previous person finding Yao Xiaoyu to temporarily fill in, Aunt Gu would have planned to let her good friend come in to retire.

"Everyone here says that the Earth Goddess saw that the foreigners were sincere in admitting their mistakes, so she only took away the fortune of the Western medicine business. But the world is all about balance. The Western pharmacy can't be closed if no one comes to fill the prescriptions, so I've managed to do it until now."

Aunt Gu whispered her guesses, and Yao Xiaoyu listened with a smile, making a mental note of the Earth Goddess's story so she could use it when writing mythological novels later. As for how much she believed in this theory... ordinary people mostly believed in traditional Chinese medicine, while high-ranking officials would have doctors deliver medicine to their homes, so it was quite normal for Western medicine pharmacies to have no business.

Maria Hospital is very wealthy; even the pharmacy has glass windows. The heating inside is on full blast. Yao Xiaoyu was just spacing out and waiting to get off work when she unknowingly fell asleep.

"Aunt Gu?"

When Yao Xiaoyu looked up again, she saw Aunt Gu standing next to her, her arm raised as if she wanted to take a picture.

"It's time to eat. I called you several times but you didn't wake up," so I thought I'd try patting you awake.

Yao Xiaoyu understood Aunt Gu's subtext, blushed with embarrassment, and hurriedly reached for the table.

Good, no drooling.

What do we usually eat here?

While following Aunt Gu around like a shadow, Yao Xiaoyu asked curiously. She had been working full-time since graduating in modern times and had only been to Pro Restaurant since coming here. This was the first time she had a proper meal at a restaurant.

"The vegetarian dishes depend on what the cook bought, while the meat dishes are usually pork." It's just that the cook's hands and feet are always dirty, so they have to be replaced every now and then.

Aunt Gu recalled how the cook had bumped into the foreigner yesterday while carrying a large piece of pork. The foreigner, seeing the grease on his clothes and his ashen face, thought that unless the cook had very strong connections, he probably wouldn't see him today.

Unaware of Aunt Gu's inner thoughts, Yao Xiaoyu followed suit, taking a tray and queuing up. The person serving the food worked quickly, and soon it was Yao Xiaoyu's turn.

"Slap! Slap!"

With a deft flip of the iron ladle, the stir-fried lettuce leaves and stir-fried lettuce with meat were already in Yao Xiaoyu's bowl, glistening with oil and quite substantial.

Yao Xiaoyu followed the person in front of her with the dishes she had prepared. She bent down to scoop rice from a wooden bucket that was half her height. Just as she was about to add soup, Aunt Gu grabbed her.

"Eat the vegetables first."

Yao Xiaoyu didn't understand what Aunt Gu meant, so she pretended not to hear and continued to serve the soup. Aunt Gu didn't say anything when she saw this, but just hurriedly shoveled lettuce leaves into her mouth.

The food at Maria Hospital was so-so, but not bad either. Yao Xiaoyu ate until she was stuffed before leaving the cafeteria with Aunt Gu. As soon as they entered the pharmacy, Aunt Gu said with exasperation:

"I just told you to eat the vegetables first, why didn't you listen?"

"Although meat dishes are served in individual portions, vegetable dishes can be refilled for free after you finish eating."

This young lady really doesn't know how to manage her money.

"The cafeteria was a bit noisy, I didn't hear it..."

Yao Xiaoyu said softly, making a somewhat bewildered expression.

"But don't worry, Aunt Gu, the portions are quite generous today. I'm full even without asking for more."

Yao Xiaoyu wasn't at the point of being hungry, so she wasn't planning on eating an extra serving of vegetables. But she wouldn't say anything to Aunt Gu either—the second spoonful of vegetables was given on a first-come, first-served basis after everyone had taken their turn, and Aunt Gu didn't waste it. Everyone has their own way of life, and it's fine to seek common ground while respecting differences.

No one came to pick up the medicine in the afternoon. Aunt Gu continued her handicrafts at a leisurely pace. Yao Xiaoyu slept until the end of her shift. Maria Hospital only provides one meal at noon. Aunt Gu said goodbye to Yao Xiaoyu and got into a rickshaw and disappeared into the crowd on the street. Yao Xiaoyu waited until the sun was about to set before she saw Tao Erniu rushing over.

"What's wrong with you?! What's wrong with you?!"

Just as Yao Xiaoyu, who was getting numb from waiting, was about to scold Tao Erniu for being late, she was startled by the person in front of her—not only were there bits of grass on her head and her clothes were torn, but what was with that bruised and swollen face and the injury on her forehead?

Still bleeding?!

Yao Xiaoyu didn't care about the money anymore. She waved for a rickshaw and took the two of them to the nearest clinic. After the doctor treated Tao Erniu's wounds, she asked her what happened.

When we parted this morning, it was still a dark and pretty little thing. How did it turn into a molten, dirty bun in less than a day?

"I lost my footing and fell while going down the mountain."

Yao Xiaoyu had to ask around for a long time before she finally found out what had happened.

It was really bad luck for Tao Erniu. After returning home today, she went up the mountain to gather firewood to prepare for winter. However, when she was carrying the firewood down the mountain, she felt dizzy because she hadn't eaten much in the morning. She accidentally stepped into a hole and rolled into a ditch, where she remained unconscious until the sun was about to set.

Tao Erniu woke up to find the sky was strange, and rushed over, but it was too late. As for the wound on her forehead...

"The child heard something from somewhere and started practicing throwing darts with stone chips. Because it was a corner, it was too late for me to dodge."

Tao Erniu spoke lightly, but Yao Xiaoyu felt a tightness in her chest, especially when she saw Tao Erniu's happy expression as she told her that the other party had lost a large sum of money. She felt a tightness in her chest.

A wound a inch and a half long was exchanged for only one silver dollar.

"How about you don't drive me around for the next few days..."

Yao Xiaoyu felt a pain in her eyes when she saw the wound and wanted Tao Erniu to rest for a few days, but she was interrupted.

"Next time I'll definitely be on time, no, I'll be early!"

Seeing that Yao Xiaoyu showed no sign of backing down, Tao Erniu knew she meant well, so she spoke more bluntly—

“I can’t rest at home either. At least when I’m out with you, I only have to walk. But the chores I have to do at home are much more tiring than walking with you back and forth.”

Her parents wouldn't want to see her lying on the kang doing nothing. Don't say that being poor means having little to do; as long as you're willing to look, there's always something to do.

Seeing Tao Erniu's panicked appearance, Yao Xiaoyu hesitated for a while before finally agreeing. The two said goodbye at the door of Yao's house. Tao Erniu went home with three copper coins in her pocket, only to find the stove and pots cold and the house empty, with not a single piece of food left.

Her father took the three copper coins she hadn't even had a chance to warm up. Her mother noticed the injury on her face and, knowing she had fallen, just sighed. She first said that if she got a scar on her face, it would be hard for her to get married. Then she asked where the firewood she had chopped was, and whether she had secretly sold it for money.

The younger siblings below watched Tao Erniu, waiting for the family's order to strip her clothes off and find the "hidden money."

"I fell on my way back from chopping wood."

Tao Erniu said coldly, thankful that she hadn't kept her savings at home and that she had already given away the silver dollars she received today.

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Author's note: I owe 5k

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