When Fourth Brother went to the clinic, what was Fifth Brother doing with him?
Jiang Sheng's eyes darted around, sensing something fishy was going on, but considering that her second brother had just entrusted Jiuzhenfang to her, she nodded and said, "Let's go together then."
Jiang San reined in the rope outside, and Jiang Si thoughtfully locked the small courtyard gate, taking Wang Xiaozhu and the others to the entrance of Tianjie Street.
The clinic opens late, and there are already patients waiting outside.
The roasted chestnuts at Jiuzhenfang were as popular as ever. Miao Zhaoying swung the shovel so hard that her arms were noticeably thicker.
As soon as Jiang Sheng jumped down, she felt someone watching her.
She turned her head and saw an elderly lady, simply dressed but with an exceptionally refined air, standing at the end of the line for roasted chestnuts, looking at her with a smile.
It was none other than Old Madam Jiang, dressed in casual clothes.
As a member of a first-class noble family in Fengjing, she usually wore clothes made of fine silk or satin, or at the very least, jacquard silk. It took her quite a bit of effort to find a simple cotton dress.
As for queuing up to buy roasted chestnuts, that's even more impossible.
Looking at Tan Yue's worried face, one could tell, "Madam, if you want to eat roasted chestnuts, you can just tell the servants to buy them. Why do you have to come here yourself?"
Madam Jiang gently stroked the rough fabric and smiled faintly, "Others may not know, but how could you not understand? I didn't come here for the roasted chestnuts."
“But you’re from the Jiang family…” Tan Yue wanted to say something, but when she met Jiang Sheng’s probing gaze, she quickly shut her mouth.
But it was too late.
Jiang Sheng had already noticed that something was wrong with the two of them. She was walking over with her hands behind her back, her eyebrows furrowed on her round face, clearly deep in thought.
Madam Jiang stood there unfazed, smiling, letting Jiang Sheng remain on guard.
Only when the two were close enough did she suddenly reach out her hand and softly call out, "Little girl... ouch."
Then, the dignified and aloof old lady of the Jiang family sat down on the ground with a thud, gently rubbing her ankle, looking at Jiang Sheng with a mixture of surprise and fear.
It's like looking at the culprit.
Jiang Sheng took two steps back with a "whoosh," her eyes wide open, only two words echoing in her mind: "It's over." She had actually been extorted by an old lady.
She clearly didn't do anything; the old lady clearly fell on her own.
"You, you, you... don't try to extort me, I'm very poor." Jiang Sheng's tongue was almost useless. "I have no parents, I'm penniless, I can't get enough to eat every day, and I have to do hard labor for others. I don't have any money to give you."
Madam Jiang remained silent, glanced at Jiuzhenfang, and her face was full of disbelief.
“This belongs to my second brother, not mine.” To make her point, Jiang Sheng lifted her arm, revealing a scar from when she was six years old, where she was burned with hot pliers. “I used to be a beggar. I begged at a bad family’s house. They wouldn’t give me food and even pinched my arm with iron pliers. I managed to escape with all my might.”
Although four years of affluent life fattened up the little girl, the marks left by her past life are forever imprinted on her body.
Those two long and deep scars shocked not only Old Madam Jiang, but even the passersby queuing to buy roasted chestnuts, their eyes filled with heartache.
Tan Yue covered her mouth, her vision gradually blurring.
The only one who was truly pleased was Jiang Sheng, who had succeeded in her scheme. She lowered her sleeves, put her hands on her hips, and said, "I really have no money. You can't try to extort me. But since you fell while buying roasted chestnuts, I can ask my fourth brother to treat you."
She pointed to the Wen family clinic and added, "My fourth brother doesn't have any money either; this clinic is losing money every day."
Old Madam Jiang remained silent, sitting there weakly and quietly.
Jiang Sheng was getting anxious. She thought about offering two catties of roasted chestnuts to get rid of the old lady as soon as possible, but she was also afraid that someone with ulterior motives would follow her example every day.
After thinking it over, she slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "This old lady is so old, yet she still queues up to buy our Jiuzhenfang's roasted chestnuts, even at the risk of twisting her ankle. It's so hard for her. I beg the owner of Jiuzhenfang to make an exception and give you two catties of roasted chestnuts. Grandma, please have your grandchildren buy them for you next time. At your age, if something happens to you, it will alarm the Fengtian Prefecture."
His words not only appeased the people and cleared him of suspicion, but also gave Jiuzhenfang a shout-out and warned those who wanted to learn how to extort money: No way!
Daya cleverly brought over two catties of roasted chestnuts, which Jiang Sheng neatly packed up and gently tossed into Old Madam Jiang's arms. She smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Grandma, can you get up? Do you want me to find someone to help you?"
In short, I don't want to get involved myself.
Madam Jiang suddenly laughed, it was hard to tell whether she was happy or angry, she just said lightly, "I fell by myself, I never blamed you, what are you afraid of."
Jiang Sheng was in tears, her inner voice screaming: Why didn't you say this sooner? Why didn't you say this sooner?
She tentatively reached out her hand, "So you don't want these roasted chestnuts? We just delivered them, we feel so bad about that."
"Of course not." Old Madam Jiang's expression was indifferent, but she placed her hand on the oil paper package and pulled it closer to her bosom. "Tan Yue, help me up."
The old lady, who had been sitting on the ground, stood up, revealing a dignified and elegant demeanor.
She supported Tan Yue with one hand and held two catties of roasted chestnuts in the other. "But since you are so kind-hearted, I can only reluctantly accept them."
Jiang Sheng was stunned.
Madam Jiang smiled slightly, flicked her sleeves, and left, untouched by the dust.
Jiang Sheng felt she had been tricked and shouldn't have given anything, but then she thought about the pitiful old lady sitting at the door and decided to give it to her.
Jiuzhenfang is a business, and it's inevitable to encounter various minor disputes. As long as the other party is not a habitual offender, they would rather sacrifice a little profit than continue to argue and damage their reputation and image.
It's just a pity that she hasn't had a single bite of roasted chestnuts today.
Jiang Sheng wiped the corner of her mouth regretfully, then skipped into the Wen family clinic, wanting to see what her fourth and fifth brothers were whispering about.
So much so that they didn't notice that in the corner of Tianjie, the old lady who had just been limping was gazing at them with a deep look in her eyes, her complex emotions a mixture of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep feelings) and 哀叹 (āotàn, lamentation).
"Madam," Tan Yue asked cautiously from the side, "what have you noticed?"
Madam Jiang snapped out of her reverie, blinking away the tears welling in her eyes. "Quick-witted, astute, and kind-hearted—kindness born from hardship, more precious than naive innocence."
"She's much smarter than I imagined. She speaks eloquently and can even do business with You Ran Ju. Clearly, she's not lacking in intelligence." The old lady took out a piping hot chestnut and held it to her chest, as if savoring the warmth of her beloved granddaughter's embrace. "At least I don't have to worry about being bullied by the Jiang family. However, there's one thing..."
Tan Yue turned around in surprise.
Old Madam Jiang recalled Jiang Sheng's rosy lips as she deftly and powerfully spat out hawthorn seeds, and smiled with a hint of helplessness, "She still has a long way to go if she wants to integrate into the Jiang family and be respected by the aristocratic families."
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