Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Clearly…

I woke up with a dry mouth and a parched tongue.

What's even more painful is the wound on my foot, which is so tight it hurts.

The medicine was right next to my pillow, within easy reach.

Open the bottle, pick out a little with your little finger, wait for it to dissolve, and then carefully apply it to the wound.

Before one foot was even finished being painted, the door was kicked open from the outside.

It really did crash open, bang, clang clang...

Shanlai stopped what he was doing and looked up.

In an instant, the person was right in front of her.

"Is it you? Is it really you?"

The newcomer was panting heavily and questioned him angrily.

"Yes, that's me."

After answering this question, Shanlai lowered her head and continued applying her medicine.

She did not deny it, but her attitude was indifferent.

The visitor could not accept it, and had something to say, but for some reason, he became speechless.

In the hazy, uncertain darkness, she stared wide-eyed.

She didn't recognize the person in front of her.

What kind of person is Yao Shanlai?

The year I met her, she was only ten years old, lying in bed, critically ill and near death. She looked so pitiful. A little girl, she had left her home and followed her master to Xingdu. Her master encountered trouble and couldn't care for her, leaving her alone to be manipulated by others. The girls in her room were jealous of her and plotted to kill her, preventing her from seeing a doctor and scaring her with snakes. Despite her illness, she fought back and saved her life. What an admirable person! She had such magnanimity; even those who had wronged her, as long as they repented in her presence, she could befriend them without reservation, treating everyone with sincerity. No one could help but admire her. Kind-hearted, a Buddhist, she lived a compassionate life, always generously helping those in need, and wouldn't even step on an ant on the street. She was kind-hearted and I never saw her get angry. She would just laugh everything off. One year, at Huguo Temple, some children were playing around and she was knocked down. She was covered in bruises, but she didn't utter a sound. She just told the children to be careful in the future and not to fall and hurt themselves.

I really like her...

I treat her like a younger sister. Every time I see her, my worries disappear, but I'm definitely happy. That's just the kind of person she is, with that kind of ability. I often think how lucky I am to know someone like her.

He wanted to spend his whole life with her.

But her own sister stabbed her in the back.

It ruined her life terribly.

He added raw lacquer to her medicine and watched her give the medicine, which contained the lacquer, to someone whose face was already in terrible condition.

She wasn't wronged. The shop assistant said she went to the front, climbed the ladder, and took medicine from the drawer. The raw lacquer powder was there. The maid also said she asked who was sick and what the symptoms were when she took the medicine. The maid also said she didn't know why the cabinet suddenly fell over.

She knows everything.

Chu Qingdai felt utterly humiliated.

You can take revenge, but why do you have to do it this way? I am a doctor, and I have always treated and saved lives, but you have used my position as a doctor to harm people.

Why did you do this?

She questioned him again, her voice filled with resentment.

Shanlai had already applied the medicine to her other foot. She carefully closed the medicine box and looked up at the person in front of her who had so much grievance in her eyes—her friend, her sister.

She did something she was sorry for.

But I don't regret it at all.

She said, "There's a guy in our village named Li Wu, about my age. He's really annoying. He's always chasing cats and dogs around, and the village is constantly filled with their screams. He also beats people. All the children in the village, whether older or younger than him, have been bullied by him. Once, I was walking past him when he suddenly reached out and grabbed my hair. I didn't know what was happening, and he pulled me back a step. I lost my balance and fell to the ground, cutting my hand on a shard of porcelain. It was a long, deep cut, and blood gushed out, instantly staining my entire hand red. I sat on the ground crying from the pain. That very night, Li Wu's parents dragged him to my house and cursed him in front of my father and me." I kicked him and told him to apologize to me right away. After he stammered an apology, his parents apologized to my father, saying a lot of things. They even said they brought a chicken and left it in the yard as an apology, asking my father to make soup for me to replenish my blood and energy… Sister, Li Wu injured my hand, and his parents brought him to my house to apologize. Miss Qiu wanted to kill me, which was much more serious than an injured hand. Why didn't her parents bring her to apologize to me? Sister, you know everything about me and her. Why weren't you careful when you were preparing the medicine? Sister, because you, like them, look down on me, that's why you believed those words, and that's why you learned this lesson.”

No... I didn't look down on you...

Chu Qingdai wanted to explain, "How could I look down on you? You're my own sister..."

But she couldn't utter a single word.

Because she felt guilty and realized that Shan Lai was actually right.

She didn't intentionally look down on her; she simply felt that a servant girl, faced with the abuse of a noblewoman, would have no other thoughts besides fear and submissiveness... So she kept telling her not to be afraid...

She never expected Shan Lai to dare to retaliate.

Her disdain gave her an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

But she also felt wronged.

Even if she wanted revenge, she shouldn't have done it this way! What should I do?

"Did you think of me when you added raw lacquer to the medicine? You got your revenge, but what about me? What am I going to do? She used my medicine, and now her face is ruined... What am I going to do?"

Won't she be vilified? Who would dare to see her again? With this incident, all her beautiful dreams, everything she wanted—reputation, her clinic… all gone, vanished, never to return…

“She took your life, you should avenge her, that’s the law… If you want revenge, how could I not help you? I’ll risk my life to help you and get justice for you… I truly consider you my own sister… but you shouldn’t… you shouldn’t…”

There are other ways. You shouldn't use my reputation as a stepping stone. I value it more than my life. You know that, you clearly know there are other ways...

She was unwilling to accept it.

“There’s no other way,” Shan said. “I can’t think of any other way to get revenge on her. Sister, you deserve to look down on me, because I’m really just a servant. Compared to her, I have nothing. I have no money, no people. All my possessions combined can’t buy her life. I’m not some powerful person who can decide life and death with a laugh and make someone vanish into thin air. I don’t even have any bargaining chips to play against her. And for her, killing me is just a matter of a word. With just a word, people will rush to her side to die for her. I have absolutely no power to fight back… This is so unfair to me. But I really can’t just obediently submit to being slaughtered. I feel I shouldn’t be so cowardly. I can’t do it… But I really have no other choice. I only have you. You are my only chance. You are indispensable. Sure enough, she came looking for you, didn’t she? I didn’t even expect it to be so fast. Heaven is helping me!”

This did not satisfy Chu Qingdai.

"You've said so much, but you're only thinking about yourself. How are you... When you made this decision, did you even think about me?"

"I've thought about it, sister, I've thought about it..."

But you did it anyway.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

She shouted, filled with indignation.

However, Shanlai simply said calmly, "Sister, everything comes at a price."

Chu Qingdai thought, I did pay a price, an unbearable price. What about you? What did you pay?

That's what she thought, and that's what she asked.

"My dear sister, there's something I need to tell you that you'll never be nice to me again. I know I'll lose you."

Chu Qingdai found it laughable. She had never thought of it that way, yet this person in front of her had said it so casually, making her seem ridiculous.

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Qiu family all this?"

"You wouldn't, sister, you're not that kind of person."

Chu Qingdai actually laughed out loud.

"What makes you so sure? You've wronged me so much, why should I cover for you? Do you think I'm stupid? Who do you think you are? What makes you think I would sacrifice myself for you?"

Since Shanlai made his decision early, he naturally wouldn't be hurt by those words.

“Sister, that’s only right. Of course you can defend yourself.”

"Then what will you do? Can you withstand the Qiu family's wrath?"

“This is my business, sister. I’ve said it before, everything has a price. I dare to do it, so of course I dare to bear the consequences. I’m not afraid. It’s just a life. If it weren’t for my good luck earlier, you wouldn’t be here to see me now, would you? Even if I die now, I’ll take the blame with me. They’ve already made a move once, and I’ve retaliated. If they make a move again, as long as I don’t die, I’ll retaliate again. Anyway, I’m just a servant, so I won’t lose out no matter what.”

Chu Qingdai remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I thought before that you were just a gentle person, but you were actually quite ruthless. You are ruthless enough that I can't compare... You are right, everything has a price to pay. You accept it, and so do I."

After saying that, she left, taking with her the two hundred taels she had swindled from the Qiu family.

It's unnecessary.

Qiu Qingfang suffered greatly this time, and her reputation might not be safe. Of course, the Qiu family would not let Chu Qingdai off the hook.

A group of people smashed up the clinic. After they finished, they told the onlookers that all the doctors inside were quacks who had ruined their young lady's face. Smashing the clinic was the least of their worries; they would have to wait to see the officials later! They came in aggressively and left aggressively.

Shan Lai guessed correctly. Chu Qingdai wouldn't expose her. She silently endured the Qiu family's revenge and had no intention of resisting at all.

The Qiu family's claim of reporting to the authorities wasn't just empty talk; that very afternoon, officials arrived and, in broad daylight, in full view of everyone, Chu Qingdai was taken away in jail.

Upon receiving the news, Ziyu immediately informed Shanlai. Shanlai, without delay, went to the Li residence to find Li Xiang, and then to the Jingguo Duke's residence to find Gu Songnian. When he met them, he told them all sorts of nonsense, saying that the Qiu family was abusing their power.

Chu Qingdai had been operating in Xingdu for many years and had her own network of connections, so she eventually walked out of prison unharmed.

I'm just a little disheartened.

Her godmother was crying her heart out, and she had no heart to deal with it. She only said that there was no chance left in Xingdu, and she was going to go south. She wondered if her godmother would like to come with her.

Although Ms. Hu had a family and business in Xingdu, she genuinely loved this goddaughter, so without any hesitation, she packed her things and the whole family headed south overnight.

It was long after Chu Qingdai left that Shan Lai heard about it and rushed to the clinic, only to find it deserted and covered in cobwebs.

A person stood there for a long time.

There is no more Doctor Chu in Xingdu.

Shanlai lost her dear sister.

This is all something Qiu Qingfang owes her.

In this world, debts must always be repaid.

Let's wait and see.